Baylis - Clock This - 05/05/07 - 11/05/07

Trevor Baylis, inventor of the clockwork radio (amongst a host of other things), is a very likeable bloke. His autobiography is an interesting read although there is too little detail about the work which went into the clockwork radio for my money. Possibly the most interesting parts of this book come right at the end when he outlines his thoughts about the way in which British inventors could (should?) be helped through an academy. Not many people like Baylis come along in each generation and his story is more evidence that success at school is not always a pre-requisite for being successful later in life. He has achieved success through hard work, some luck, some talent but most of all through being taught (by his father and through experimentation) a number of practical skills.