Cliff Pickover is a fine and prolific author, a mathematician and an inventor, much of whose work has centered around exploring the overlap and interaction between art and science. He has written around thirty books - including popular science and several science fiction novels (the Neoreality series, and a collaboration with Piers Anthony named Spider Legs). He has also made a lot of very funky mathematical graphics, some of which can be found in the excellent fractal generator Fractint, which is where I first heard his name. He has a large and varied web page with lots of interesting stuff on it at http://www.pickover.com/
Pickover is currently employed at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center as a researcher and inventor. He still finds time to keep writing books (with three more published in 2001 and another two so far this year), and work as associate editor of Computers and Graphics, Computers in Physics and Theta (a journal on mathematics and education), as well as serving on the editorial boards of five other publications and writing the Brain-Strain column for Oddysey magazine.
Pickover's many patents include one for a 3D mouse, one for 'information processing miniature devices with embedded projectors', and another on 'black-hole transporter interfaces to computers'. His hobbies include Tai Chi Chuan, Shaolin Kung Fu, jazz piano and keeping tropical fish. He is a member of The SETI League.