The Complicated Way to Turn on a Flashlight

jangobongo writes "A machine built by the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers employed an outer-space theme and used steps that incorporated a bouncing water balloon, a fireman action figure fleeing a fire and weights attached to a spinning bicycle wheel to win the 18th national Purdue Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. The winning machine told the story of rocket being launched. As the rocket traveled into space, a meteor hit Earth and started a fire. While the mock fire was put out, the rocket turned on the flashlight to shine back down on Earth. A short video clip can be seen here. The contest was filmed by the Game Show Network to be featured on the network's show, 'Games Across America,' at some future date."

Comments

Re:Gee, this sounds familiar...

[UWC]

Didn't Sierra do this with The Incredible Machine?

Yeah, but don't tell that apparently time-traveling Goldberg guy.

Re:you know what I love?

[Lord_Dweomer]

When you think about it, all of technological invention is kind of a Rube Goldberg machine, except the end result is not necessarily known ahead of time.

Watch the Connections series and you'll see what I mean.

Re:Concept

[crisco]

I think the OP was trying to be funny or sarcastic. The Honda ad was inspired by a short film (that I can't track down at the moment) that was in turn, inspired by Rube Goldberg.

Of course, by having to explain it, it looses teh funney.

Re:you know what I love?

[nEoN nOoDlE]

cell phone, it rings; like, as in ringing. You know, the sound a bell makes.

Mine plays the guitar solo in Stairway to Heaven

I go to Purdue..

[jajawarrior]

..and I'm proud to say that we keep things complicated around here! -jajawarrior