some clever (and crazy) inventions

new scientist columnist barry fox scours US patent offices for new, kooky inventions. the one for this week is particularly exciting: the human cannonball launcher. i was disappointed that one of my recent ideas had already been patented: the snore-sizzler, which forces contraction of relaxed soft tissue in the breathing column by electrical pulses generated when the sleeper snores. it's probably for the best, though; the lawsuits would have been a pain.