Lindsay, David — Patent Files.

New York : The Lyons Press, 1999. Hardcover. Dustjacket. 232 pp.- Here, in all its eccentricity, is the cutting edge of science: a magnetic train that requires no outside energy source; solar-powered interplanetary travel; an air-purifying helmet; a device to reduce radioactivity. And just as engrossing is the eccentricity of the invention subculture: garage tinkerers and conspiracy-theory-obsessed hermits, corporate lawyers and conglomerate researchers. Lindsay examines not only the quirky players in the field, but the quirky field itself, from the physical U.S. Patent Office to ephemeral cyberspace, from the process of creating a product to the struggle of procuring legal protection for it. Always lurking in the background--and occasionally dominating the foreground--are the fundamental issues that the scientific avant-garde inevitably confronts: the nature of knowledge, the meaning of thought, the essence of senses, the sanctity of life, the existence of God . . . all leading to the fascinating final chapter, in which the author attempts--and fails--to patent himself. Filled with wit, enthusiasm, and irreverence, these collected columns, which ran in New York Press from 1993 to 1998, are not only about inventors and their products, but about the entire scope of human endeavor--an invaluable addition to the library of technology, and a valuable edition of contemporary thought.English text. Condition : very good. Mailorder only - Alleen verzending mogelijk. Book condition : very good. ISBN 9781558217416.