IZ #25.167 - Made by an Open Mind
#Science #Tech
“____ _____ Inventor: Do Not Open”.
David Warren’s funeral casket had, quite aptly, this cheeky line on a sign with a bright orange background.
This Aussie inventor was a life-long tinkerer, starting with a radio set left to him by his father. (His father died when David was 8, in a plane crash.)
What did he invent?
#interludez
I feature quiz books on IZ from time to time; this time, a quiz book from some passionate quizzers in Assam:
IZ #25.165 - [#ShelfAware] The ‘Quriozzity Chronicles’ Quiz Book
![IZ #25.165 - [#ShelfAware] The ‘Quriozzity Chronicles’ Quiz Book](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1300,h_650,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4a85c71b-cbf4-47fc-8bfb-d2c36e7de667_309x466.jpeg)
“Shelf Aware” is a weekly series from IZ, featuring questions on one book, movie or artefact from my collection.
Answer
The flight data recorder & cockpit voice recorder, popularly dubbed the black box of an airplane. (Which is bright orange in colour and often carries the phrase “Do Not Open”.)
This instrument was in the news in June 2025, after the crash of a Boeing Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, India.
Warren’s wonderful life story is here; a testament to the power of lifelong curiosity in technology to make the world a safer place.
