The Art of Invention: A Guide to the world's weirdest patents
Paperback
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN10: 2492077020
ISBN13: 9782492077029
Publisher: Unicorn Pub Group
Published: Sep 2 2020
Pages: 130
Weight: 0.96
Height: 0.34 Width: 8.50 Depth: 11.00
Language: English
ISBN13: 9782492077029
Publisher: Unicorn Pub Group
Published: Sep 2 2020
Pages: 130
Weight: 0.96
Height: 0.34 Width: 8.50 Depth: 11.00
Language: English
The art of invention and designEverything is invented and designed, one way or another. Some objects are designed well, while others are not; some are designed pretentiously, others unassumingly; some are designed to optimize materials and techniques, while others are wasteful. While some objects naturally attract our attention for their extraordinary character and desirability - an eccentric and expensive pair of sneakers, for instance, or a gleaming sports car - many others are so apparently ordinary as to go unnoticed. Every day we use dozens of them, from elastic bands to Band-Aids, erasers, and mascara wands. If they work well, chances are we won't pay them much attention. However, in spite of their modest price and demure presence, some of these things are true masterpieces of the art of design and deserve our unconditional admiration.Are all inventions essential or useful?Space has its urban legends of course, and the Million Dollar Space Pen is one of the more enduring ones. It is neither as outlandish nor as unbelievable as the story about faking the Moon landings, and even though it seems more credible than a massive government conspiracy, it is probable that fewer people have heard it.The story goes like this: in the 1960s, NASA astronauts discovered that their pens did not work in zero gravity. So like good engineers, they went to work and designed a wonder, million dollar pen. It worked upside down. It worked in vacuum. It worked in zero gravity. It even worked underwater! And it only cost a million dollars!At the same time, the Russians were ramping up their efforts to conquer space before the Americans, and they also realized that their normal pens did not work in space...So the crafty Russians used a pencil...Every now and then, people have ideas. Some of them are Eureka moments, a sudden illumination. A flash of imagination that drives progress forward. And often a patent is needed... A patent is defined as a government authority or licence conferring a right or title for a set period, especially the sole right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention.Basically, in layman's terms, I have to protect this before someone else has the idea and steals it from me !!!.Anything, from glasses for chickens, dog umbrellas, breast-shaped pillows to rooster-shaped airplanes can be patented, and has been. Here is a collection of some of the funniest, most ridiculous or even absurd patents deposed since the 31st of July 1790, when Samuel Hopkins was issued the world's first patent for a process of making potash, an ingredient used in fertilizer.
Also in
Humor
I Can't Believe I Did That: The Game That Gives You Points for Sharing Awkward, Awesome, and Unforgettable Memories: Card Games
Katcher, Neil
Nadelberg, David
Other
$20.00
The Science Magpie: Fascinating Facts, Stories, Poems, Diagrams and Jokes Plucked from Science
Flynn, Simon
Paperback
From $9.99
Fixing Flamingos: And Other Solutions to the World's Least Pressing Problems
Rea, Brian
Brown, Lucienne
Paperback
$18.95
How to Be a Cat: (Cat Books for Kids, Cat Gifts for Kids, Cat Picture Book)
Swerling, Lisa
Lazar, Ralph
Hardcover
$4.99
Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
Hardcover
$9.99
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Lawson, Jenny
Hardcover
$26.10
Bake It Off: An Unofficial Taylor Swift-Inspired Cookbook for Every Era, from Breakfast to Midnights
Smith, Lindsey
Hardcover
From $12.99
Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love
Posnanski, Joe
Schur, Michael
Hardcover
$31.50
Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms
Bennett, Geoff
Hardcover
$29.69
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
$27.00
How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up: Big Lessons from Little Kids
Shapiro-Barnum, Julian
Hardcover
$23.40
Pardon My Book: Ten Years of the Best (and Worst) in Sports from Pardon My Take
Commenter, Pft
Big Cat
Hardcover
$33.25
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Five Novels in One Outrageous Volume
Adams, Douglas
Paperback
$24.70
There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent
Boozan, Glenn
Hardcover
$14.25
The New Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Expert Advice for Extreme Situations
Borgenicht, David
Piven, Joshua
Hardcover
$18.95
How to Talk to Your Cat about Gun Safety: And Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism, and Other Dangers That Threaten Their Nine Lives
Auburn, Zachary
Paperback
From $6.99
Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die (New York Times Bestseller)
Condo, Messie
Hardcover
$18.99
