David E. H. Jones
Encyclopedia
David E. H. Jones is best known as Daedalus
, the fictional inventor for DREADCO. Jones' columns as Daedalus were published weekly in the New Scientist
starting in the mid-sixties. He then moved on to the journal Nature
, and continued to publish for many years. He published two books with columns from these magazines, along with additional comments and implementation sketches. The first was The Inventions of Daedalus: A Compendium of Plausible Schemes (1982) and the second was The Further Inventions of Daedalus (1999). Both are currently out of print.
David Jones was a chemist by profession. In 1962, he earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Imperial College London
. In 1974, he was the Sir James Knott Research Fellow at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He then became an independent science consultant to industry providing ideas, brain storming services, and scientific demonstrations for television. He continued as a guest staff member in the chemistry department at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
In scientific circles he is perhaps best known for his study of bicycle stability
, his determination of arsenic in Napoleon’s wallpaper and his series of fake perpetual-motion machines, the latest of which is in the Technisches Museum, Vienna.
In 2009 a documentary film about his work and inventions, "Perpetual Motion Machine", was made and shown at the Newcastle Science Festival 2010.
Daedalus (Ariadne)
Daedalus is a fictional inventor created by David E. H. Jones for his Ariadne column in the New Scientist and The Guardian, and which is currently featured in Nature.Daedalus's imaginary inventions are solidly grounded in science —...
, the fictional inventor for DREADCO. Jones' columns as Daedalus were published weekly in the New Scientist
New Scientist
New Scientist is a weekly non-peer-reviewed English-language international science magazine, which since 1996 has also run a website, covering recent developments in science and technology for a general audience. Founded in 1956, it is published by Reed Business Information Ltd, a subsidiary of...
starting in the mid-sixties. He then moved on to the journal Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
, and continued to publish for many years. He published two books with columns from these magazines, along with additional comments and implementation sketches. The first was The Inventions of Daedalus: A Compendium of Plausible Schemes (1982) and the second was The Further Inventions of Daedalus (1999). Both are currently out of print.
David Jones was a chemist by profession. In 1962, he earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
. In 1974, he was the Sir James Knott Research Fellow at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He then became an independent science consultant to industry providing ideas, brain storming services, and scientific demonstrations for television. He continued as a guest staff member in the chemistry department at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
In scientific circles he is perhaps best known for his study of bicycle stability
Bicycle and motorcycle dynamics
Bicycle and motorcycle dynamics is the science of the motion of bicycles and motorcycles and their components, due to the forces acting on them. Dynamics is a branch of classical mechanics, which in turn is a branch of physics. Bike motions of interest include balancing, steering, braking,...
, his determination of arsenic in Napoleon’s wallpaper and his series of fake perpetual-motion machines, the latest of which is in the Technisches Museum, Vienna.
In 2009 a documentary film about his work and inventions, "Perpetual Motion Machine", was made and shown at the Newcastle Science Festival 2010.
Books
- Jones, David E. H. (1999); The Further Inventions of Daedalus, Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-580469-1
- David E. H. Jones (1982); The Inventions of Daedalus: A Compendium of Plausible Schemes, W. H. Freeman ; ISBN 0-7167-1412-4