[sdiy] (OT?) FEEDBACK as a topic in electronics, music, science, etc?? BOOKS?

[Scott Nordlund]

> The patents also volunteer reference patents that you can also then
> research. It is like a walk through the world's largest library. The
> information you will gain is more current than you will find in a book.
> Sometimes you will read a patent and wonder why they didn't try this or that
> - that is your opportunity to get your own. You can also search by assignee
> - which is the company.

This is true, but it should come with a warning also: they're awful to read, unless you like to read about pluralities of alternative embodiments of the heretofore aforesaid disclosed invention. A lot of them are obvious, redundant or useless. And looking up referenced patents is dangerous territory. I've ended up reading Yamaha patents for days on end. My dreams were haunted by Masanobu Chibana; Tsuyoshi Futamase et al. But many times you can piece together how actual products work (or dead ends that never materialized), and find things that aren't otherwise discussed in any published literature.