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1G1MZT
Plot:
The protagonist gets a visit from an authority figure who is enquiring about a breakthrough he has had.
The protagonist describes in detail the eureka moment that led to his discovery.
It involved being on the toilet and discovering that toilet tissue always seems to tear in the paper sheet and not at the perforations as intended.
He recalls his secretary thinking he had gone insane when he emerged from the toilet clutching a sheet of toilet tissue.
This idea led to his proposed force-field design.
At this point the authority figure explains that his organisation wishes to suppress all such new ideas as they may have unwanted economic and social effects. He first tries bribery and then attempts to kill the protagonist.
This fails as he has already perfected his invention of the force-field and is using it for protection. This was done before he leaked or published information of his discovery.
Date:
I read this sometime between 1970 and 1990.
It was probably written between the Golden Age and the 1970's.
The protagonist gets a visit from an authority figure who is enquiring about a breakthrough he has had.
The protagonist describes in detail the eureka moment that led to his discovery.
It involved being on the toilet and discovering that toilet tissue always seems to tear in the paper sheet and not at the perforations as intended.
He recalls his secretary thinking he had gone insane when he emerged from the toilet clutching a sheet of toilet tissue.
This idea led to his proposed force-field design.
At this point the authority figure explains that his organisation wishes to suppress all such new ideas as they may have unwanted economic and social effects. He first tries bribery and then attempts to kill the protagonist.
This fails as he has already perfected his invention of the force-field and is using it for protection. This was done before he leaked or published information of his discovery.
Date:
I read this sometime between 1970 and 1990.
It was probably written between the Golden Age and the 1970's.
2dukedom_enough
"It Was Nothing -- Really!" by Theodore Sturgeon. Collected in Vol. 11 of the collected Sturgeon short fiction, The Nail and the Oracle, and no doubt numerous other places.
