DTM :<| (Weblog of Dan Fingerman)

Saturday, 9 May 2009

How Inventive! (No. 15)

Horses run, right? That means they move in three dimensions. In 1891, William Cronin and Cyril Adams of Philadelphia patented an improved merry-go-round that incorporates this three-dimensional movement into a classical children's play apparatus. U.S. Patent 445,134 claims a merry-go-round in "which the animals, in addition to their movement of rotation about the axis of the machine, will be given a movement perpendicular to the floor of the machine. … The animals carried by platform A have not only a movement around this platform, but are also given a vertical movement, so as to have the appearance of running."

Figure 1 from U.S. Patent 445,134:

Figure 2 from U.S. Patent 445,134:

Posted at 11:41:39 PM | Permalink

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Topics: Patents

Sunday, 3 May 2009

How Inventive! (No. 14)

The Egptian Pharaohs famously wanted to preserve their bodies forever, after death. If only Joseph Karwowski had lived 3,000 years earlier! In 1903, this inventive Russian received U.S. Patent No. 748,284, entitled "Method Of Preserving The Dead". Preserving a body by mummification requires laborious preparation and drying of the body, then entombment and isolation in a favorable environment. Mr. Karwowski had a simplier idea: "a corpse may be hermetically incased within a block of transparent glass, whereby being effectually excluded from the air[,] the corpse will be maintained for an indefinite period in a perfect life-like condition, so that it will be prevented from decay and will at all times present a life-like appearance." If the whole body is too big, just the head will do — perfect for displaying your favorite relative on the mantle!

Figure 3 from U.S. Patent 748,284:

Via Futility Closet

Posted at 7:43:17 PM | Permalink

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How Inventive! (No. 13)

When was the helicopter invented? Setting aside the classic example of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings (because he apparently never attempted to make a working device?), how long ago was the helicopter patented? In 1907, J.N. Williams applied for his "Flying Machine" patent, U.S. Patent 1,023,233. The following year, the venerable Thomas Edison applied for U.S. Patent 970,616, also titled "Flying Machine".

Figure 1 from U.S. Patent 1,023,233:

Figure 1 from U.S. Patent 970,616:

Posted at 4:48:44 PM | Permalink

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Stop Sylvia Browne is back online!

I was pleased to learn today that Robert Lancaster is recovering from his stroke and is back at work on the Stop Sylvia Browne web site. Robert is an extraordinary individual who provides this reference about Sylvia Browne as a public service, without any expectation of reward. I wish Robert the best — especially a full recovery.

(Via Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer)

Posted at 10:13:40 PM | Permalink

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Topics: Skeptical Inquiry