Mad Scientist? Growing up in the '50s and '60s in a small suburb of Chicago, a nerdy kid like Dickie could experiment to his heart's content. No one batted an eye when he took off for parts unknown after a hearty breakfast. Read how he almost burned down his school with a science fair project, turned on neighbors' lights with high-powered radio gear, violated top-secret security procedures, stuffed monkeys into small race cars, built a one-armed robot that drank too much, and other antics while on his way to earning his "mad scientist" moniker. Richard has written articles for electronics and...