If there’s a film quote which could sum up this entry, it could only be from ‘Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery’.  It goes like this:
...the kind of insane that only the genius possess and the insane lament.
With the above paragraph as a premise, we are unsure where Yoshiro Nakamatsu a.k.a. Dr NakaMats fits into that scale.  Wherever he does though, we don’t mind.  We love him. The 81 year old Japanese native, famous as a quirky inventor is fast becoming something of a worldwide celebrity.  Since his first invention at the age of five, Dr NakaMatsnow holds over 4,000 patents. One of the most prolific inventions he can claim is a patent in 1952 for an early floppy disk and disk drive.  Interestingly, IBM released the first floppy disk some 19 years later.  Dr NakaMats claims to have licensed around a dozen patents to IBM (who won’t confirm the details of their working relationship). Dr NakaMats has invented some of the (arguably) most important inventions in our lifetime, items such as:
  • A cigarette like machine increasing brain activity.
  • Jumping shoes made from leaf springs.
  • Magnetic condoms.
  • Spectacles in the shape of eyes, so that the user appears to wear no spectacles.
  • A self-defence wig where a rope and a weight are attached to the wig.  The wearer would then swing the wig to hit an attacker.
The personal favourite of Simon (our blog writer) is a sheet of material with a small peephole described as a "one-way visible shielding object".  Amazing. [caption id="attachment_4107" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Image courtesy “Wacky Inventor” by Journeymanpictures"][/caption] Here’s a short video showcasing the usefulness of Dr NakaMats’ jumping shoes... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Amg75cX2e00 ... and five interesting facts about Dr NakaMats:
  • Ten American cities have declared a “Dr. NakaMats Day”.
  • He invented an underwater notepad for which he writes his ideas during a daily swim.
  • He has penned 32 best-selling books.
  • Has failed political aspirations, the poor Dr NakaMats regularly enters Japanese elections and regularly fails.
  • Was awarded an Ig Nobel Prize in Nutrition (an American parody of the Nobel Prizes) for photographing and analyzing every meal he has eaten for more than 34 years.
Our adoration for Dr NakaMats really amplified upon hearing this quote (readers please don’t try this at home):
Too much oxygen, that’s very bad for brain.  On the other hand, if shortage of oxygen then brain reaches maximum activity 0.5 seconds before death, I can suddenly create breakthrough of new idea.
Good. All in all, we feel the good Doctor is just too good to be true!  Peace out...