Beyond Invention
Encyclopedia
Beyond Invention is a 8-part documentary television series that premiered on February 12, 2004 on Discovery Channel Canada
and, as of 2007, airs on the Science Channel.
The series was produced by Mystique Films in partnership with Gryphon Productions and is narrated by John Payne
. It primarily focuses on future and fictional technology that inspires many movies we see today.
Discovery Channel Canada
Discovery Channel is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel devoted to nature, adventure, science and technology programming. Discovery Channel is currently owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc...
and, as of 2007, airs on the Science Channel.
The series was produced by Mystique Films in partnership with Gryphon Productions and is narrated by John Payne
John Payne (voice actor)
John Payne is an English-born Canadian voice actor who works for Ocean Studios in Vancouver, Canada. He has played several roles in anime, most notably Ramba Ral in Mobile Suit Gundam and Rasetsu in InuYasha....
. It primarily focuses on future and fictional technology that inspires many movies we see today.
Episodes
- New Energy: New forms of energy resources. Features John Hutchison (the "Hutchison Effect"): Col. John B. AlexanderJohn B. AlexanderJohn Alexander is a retired US Army Colonel and a leading advocate for the development of non-lethal weapons. He was born in New York in 1937, and obtained a PhD from Walden University in 1980. Col...
(United States Army Intelligence and Security Command, retired; psychokinetic investigator), Nick CookNick CookNick Cook is a British aviation journalist and author of fiction and non-fiction works and has won four Aerospace Journalist of the Year Awards from the Royal Aeronautical Society.-Journalism:...
(Jane's Defense Weekly), zero-pointZero-point energyZero-point energy is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical physical system may have; it is the energy of its ground state. All quantum mechanical systems undergo fluctuations even in their ground state and have an associated zero-point energy, a consequence of their wave-like nature...
battery. Anti-gravityAnti-gravityAnti-gravity is the idea of creating a place or object that is free from the force of gravity. It does not refer to the lack of weight under gravity experienced in free fall or orbit, or to balancing the force of gravity with some other force, such as electromagnetism or aerodynamic lift...
: Tim Ventura (lifterIonocraftAn ionocraft or ion-propelled aircraft, commonly known as a lifter or hexalifter, is an electrohydrodynamic device to produce thrust in the air, without requiring any combustion or moving parts. The term "Ionocraft" dates back to the 1960s, an era in which EHD experiments were at their peak...
researcher), ion windIon windIon wind, ionic wind, or coronal wind is a stream of ionized fluid generated by a strong electric field. Francis Hauksbee, curator of instruments for the Royal Society of London, made the earliest report of electric wind in 1709...
. Joseph Newman's energy machine: Milton Everett (retired mechanical engineer), publicist Evan Soule, Alvin Swimmer, patent attorney Paul Gomory. - CryptozoologyCryptozoologyCryptozoology refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven...
: Rick Noll stalks BigfootBigfootBigfoot, also known as sasquatch, is an ape-like cryptid that purportedly inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, bipedal humanoid...
, artist Jason Walton and scientist Dr. Paul LeBlond track a 60 feet (18.3 m)-long sea monster, and Dean Harrison tracks the Tasmanian Tiger, which experts say died out 70 years ago. - CloningCloningCloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
: Brigitte BoisselierBrigitte BoisselierBrigitte Boisselier is the head of Clonaid, the "scientific wing" of the Raëlians. She has been a Raëlian since 1992 and primarily known for claiming that the company, run by church members, was the first organization to clone a full human being in the early 2000s...
says she’s already cloned five humans, Robert LanzaRobert LanzaRobert Paul Lanza is an American Doctor of Medicine, scientist, Chief Scientific Officer of Advanced Cell Technology and Adjunct Professor at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine....
is using cloning to rescue endangered species, and Lou Hawthorne of Genetic Savings & Clone clones pets. - Amazing Flying Machines: HovercraftHovercraftA hovercraft is a craft capable of traveling over surfaces while supported by a cushion of slow moving, high-pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a "skirt." Although supported by air, a hovercraft is not considered an aircraft.Hovercraft are used throughout...
, flying carFlying carA flying car or roadable aircraft is an aircraft that can also travel along roads. All the working examples have required some manual or automated process of conversion between the two modes of operation....
s, space tourismSpace tourismSpace Tourism is space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. A number of startup companies have sprung up in recent years, hoping to create a space tourism industry...
. Features inventors Kevin Inkster, Paul MollerPaul MollerPaul Sandner Moller is an engineer who has spent the past forty years developing the Moller Skycar personal vertical takeoff and landing vehicle....
, and Steve BennettSteve BennettSteve Bennett may refer to:*Steve Bennett , the head of Starchaser, a company involved in space development and tourism*Steve Bennett , manga artist and head of ill-fated manga publisher Studio Ironcat...
. - Animal-Inspired Innovations: Jeffrey Turner, a geneticist who stops bullets by splicing spiders with goats. Keller Autumn, a biologist who dreams of sending robotic lizards to Mars. Bob McIntyre, a country inventor unleashing a bionic predator over the rooftops of Scotland.
- GadgetGadgetA gadget is a small technological object that has a particular function, but is often thought of as a novelty. Gadgets are invariably considered to be more unusually or cleverly designed than normal technological objects at the time of their invention...
s: Features toymaker Brian Walker, composer Tod MachoverTod MachoverTod Machover , is a composer and an innovator in the application of technology in music. He is the son of Wilma Machover, a pianist and Carl Machover, a computer scientist....
, and Mike Wescombe-Down, the creator of a sharkSharkSharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
-stopping device. - Enhancing SexualityHuman sexualityHuman sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
: Using siliconeSiliconeSilicones are inert, synthetic compounds with a variety of forms and uses. Typically heat-resistant and rubber-like, they are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medical applications , cookware, and insulation....
for enhancing sex. Features Michelle MoneMichelle MoneMichelle Mone OBE is a Scottish entrepreneur and model, who is best known as being the CEO of Ultimo.-Success with Ultimo:...
(cleavage enhancementCleavage enhancementCleavage enhancement encompasses a range of techniques used temporarily to improve the appearance of a person's breast cleavage or to create the illusion of breast cleavage on a person who has no such cleavage...
), Jana Sylvest and Otter Louis (erotic toys), and Matt McMullen (life-like dollDollA doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
s). - Artificial IntelligenceArtificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
: Barry Spletzer builds flying robots, cyber pioneer Demetri Terzopoulos creates life inside the computer, and electronics engineer Robert Michelson brings smart swarming bugs to the military.
External links
- Mystique Films: Beyond Invention
- Science Channel: Beyond Invention schedule
- Beyond Invention at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...