Walter Mallow dead at 72.

August 6, 2002 12:41 PM

Walter Mallow dead at 72. Don't know him? He invented clumping cat litter, perfected liquid paper (invented by Bette Nesmith Graham), the heat-resistant tiles on the Space Shuttle, and many other things. Wow.
posted by plinth (16 comments total)

I was going to ask what he's done for us lately, when I saw this:

The U.S. Air Force veteran's latest project was a slippery gel dubbed the Mobility Denial System. Designed to foil attacks on government buildings and control crowds, it can be sprayed on any surface and causes people to slip and fall and prevents vehicles from getting traction.

It could be deployed by the U.S. Marine Corps next year.

Hmmm. I wonder if that has...bedroom uses.
posted by ColdChef at 12:46 PM on August 6, 2002

ColdChef: Nothing can replace good old WD-40.
posted by bingo at 12:52 PM on August 6, 2002

WD-40, Ideal for all robotic sex partners.
posted by Mushkelley at 12:57 PM on August 6, 2002

Walter is survived by his wife, Marsh.
posted by madprops at 1:07 PM on August 6, 2002

his name was william. i couldn't determine if he had children or not, and if so whether any of them was named marsh, but even google has its limits.
posted by quonsar at 1:10 PM on August 6, 2002

Can't even bother to get the man's name right?

William Mallow.

Some eulogy.
posted by xmutex at 1:12 PM on August 6, 2002

madprops, a simple but effective pun. Bravo!
posted by lowlife at 1:16 PM on August 6, 2002

Please excuse the typo. It was a phonemic transposition typo. My brain clearly preferred Walter Mathau to be dead and not William Mallow.
posted by plinth at 1:24 PM on August 6, 2002

Walter Mathau is dead, and unfortunately so.
posted by xmutex at 1:26 PM on August 6, 2002

phonemic transposition typo

Cool. Now I have a name for my new album.
posted by ColdChef at 1:26 PM on August 6, 2002

i would buy it...
posted by mhaw at 1:35 PM on August 6, 2002

Pffttt. Heat tiles for the space shuttle. Dig frickin' deal.

Now clumping cat litter? Genius.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 1:36 PM on August 6, 2002

Point of interest: Liquid Paper inventor Bette Nesmith Graham is the mother of Michael Nesmith of Monkees fame.

That would explain the TV show.
posted by dr_dank at 1:41 PM on August 6, 2002

Designed to foil attacks on government buildings and control crowds, it can be sprayed on any surface and causes people to slip and fall and prevents vehicles from getting traction.

ColdChef: Hmmm. I wonder if that has...bedroom uses.

Wow. Here I thought I was the only one with the slip-and-fall fetish.
posted by pardonyou? at 1:42 PM on August 6, 2002

My brain clearly preferred Walter Mathau to be dead and not William Mallow


And I thought it was my new glasses acting up again!
posted by briank at 1:42 PM on August 6, 2002

He invented clumping cat litter...

What a wonderful, wonderful man.
posted by jennyb at 1:57 PM on August 6, 2002