inventions

The Creator of Dilbert, the World's Greatest Genius, Has Had Another Brilliant Thought

Hamilton Nolan · 07/02/12 02:35PM

Scott Adams is the guy who writes Dilbert, a cartoon beloved by suicidal office workers across America. Scott Adams is also, not to brag, the smartest person in America, judging simply by the quantity of thinly-veiled self-regard which drips off of each and every post on Scott Adams' blog, especially the rapey ones. Scott Adams' genius possesses such a breadth and girth that it often crowds everything else off the internet, forcing Scott Adams himself to take on the task of pointing out just how big of a genius Scott Adams is.

Child Genius Invents Awesome Monster Trap

Danny Gold · 03/08/12 08:27PM

Young Audri succeeds in inventing a "Rube Goldberg" machine to catch monsters. He also succeeds in making the rest of us feel very, very lazy and unaccomplished.

Federal Drug Warriors Destroy Old Man's Water Bottle Business

Lauri Apple · 11/24/11 05:56PM

In the 1980s, 88-year-old California dreamer Bob Wallace invented Polar Pure: a plastic bottle that contains crystallized iodine at the bottom to purify water. Flood victims and campers love the things, but so do meth cooks (an outcome that Wallace probably should have anticipated).

Can Your Homemade Rockets Do This?

Lauri Apple · 10/11/11 04:47AM

Everybody say hi to Qu8k ("quake"): An artisanal rocket made by Derek Deville that zoomed 121,000 feet above the surface of Planet Earth in only 92 seconds. Deville launched Qu8k on September 30 from Nevada's Black Rock Desert (the same spot where the Burning Man Festival of the One Percent takes place). The 14-foot rocket weighs 320 pounds, yet looks so skinny. Must be muscle mass.

The Poop-Powered Toilet Bike of Japan

Maureen O'Connor · 10/06/11 04:05PM

Japanese toilet maker Toto has invented the world's first Toilet Bike, which converts human poop "harvested directly from the driver" into biogas, Treehugger reports.* The seat is a toilet, so if you ride it with your pants down, you could theoretically defecate while you ride, thereby fueling it.

This Automated Pizza Vending Machine Has a Built-In TV

Maureen O'Connor · 10/05/11 04:26PM

Behold, the ne plus ultra of American innovation: Pizzametry, an automated machine capable of making custom pizzas in mere minutes, while you watch TV. Let us marvel at the pneumatic glory of Pizzametry spinning dough, slicing pepperonis, squirting sauce, and sprinkling cheese.

A Fruity, Functional Piano You Can Eat

Lauri Apple · 10/04/11 05:38AM

Fruit is so versatile: You can eat it straight from the store, eat it later, eat it baked in a pie or muffin, or not eat it at all—just let it rot away and feel guilty about wasting food (the fruit flies will console you). You can also use it to make your own Resistor Jeltone: an edible, functional toy piano.

Man Receives Patent to Build 'the Ultimate Snowman'

Lauri Apple · 09/24/11 11:56AM

Back in 2006, Ignacio Marc Asperas sent the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office a 25-page application titled "Apparatus for facilitating the construction of a snow man/woman." Earlier this month the Office finally approved his application, and starting this winter Asperas will begin suing everyone who builds snowmen without his permission.

The Bike Repair Vending Machine That Sells Parts, Tools, and Snacks

Remy Stern · 07/23/11 02:03PM

It's happened to every biker. A flat tire in an inconvenient place on your commute, and the nearest bike shop is a long walk away. Most casual bikers don't carry extra tubes or tools with them; and so any repair work on the road can mean an end to a bike ride, and potentially leaving your bike locked up somewhere slowly rusting as you forget about it in your frustration. That's why the idea of the Bike Fixtation is so brilliant: a place for you to buy new parts and then install them yourself.

Finally, A Way To Do Your Grocery Shopping In the Subway

Adrian Chen · 07/05/11 11:08AM

A South Korean grocery chain has launched "virtual grocery stores" which let customers buy groceries simply by scanning a code on a poster in the subway. Because what could be a more appetizing place to purchase food than the subway?

The Navy Will Fight Pirates with Lasers

Brian Moylan · 04/11/11 03:11PM

Welcome to the future, people. The U.S. Navy has perfected a high-energy laser that can be aimed from a ship and can set another boat's engines on fire. The military thinks it will be perfect to prevent attacks by smaller vessels, so pirates being zapped with lasers won't be something you'll just read about in comic books anymore.

The 18 Most Suppressed Inventions Ever

Rich Bard · 04/07/11 10:45AM

Throughout history there have been countless attempts to discourage new technologies only to protect other people's self-interests. Below are some of the most suppressed inventions ever.

10 Inventors Killed by Their Own Inventions

Richard Blakeley · 03/17/11 10:40AM


From the invention of the wheel to the rise of nuclear power stations, man has always attempted to harness the power of nature-sometimes resulting in disaster. Here are ten inventors whose own inventions ended up killing them.