What are the arguments against allowing artificial intelligence (AI) to patent inventions? Following initial surveys of the issue, in our last piece we examined the arguments in favor of machine ...

A number of countries have now issued decisions on whether a patent can be granted to Dr. Stephen Thaler for an invention made by a machine named DABUS. In response to a request by the United Kingdom ...

Early efforts -- Elements of a successful machine -- The "Sewing-Machine Combination" -- Less expensive machines -- Appendixes: Notes on the development and commercial use of the sewing machine -- ...

On April 18, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ("Federal Circuit") issued a significant decision in Recentive Analytics, Inc. v. Fox Corp., Case No. 2023-2437 (Apr. 18, ...

It’s possible, as some fear (and some popular movies have predicted), that computers will ultimately become self-aware and turn on their human creators. But if so, they must first establish that ...

Palaces for the People by social scientist Eric Klinenberg was a stand-out book for me. In the context of rapid urbanisation across Africa with significant investment in hard infrastructure like water ...

Certain inventions have dramatically transformed the way we live, communicate, and understand the world. Some groundbreaking objects sparked revolutions in technology, healthcare, and transportation, ...

It sounds modern, but vending machine origins go back to ancient times, rooted in an early mechanical invention that feels ...

I'm thankful I was born in the 20th century, well after sewing machines went into mass production. They've come a long way from hand cranks and treadles to electronic and computerized models. For a ...

MT. COMFORT — Cayden Spoon stood before his fellow third-graders in his class at Mt. Comfort Elementary School. A model of a bed with a crank on the end of it rested on the table before him. “Are you ...