# Rube Goldberg--eat your heart out! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 21, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416 "2008-01-21T21:25:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hakuna\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hakuna\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakuna_Matata)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/1 "2008-01-21T21:25:07Z")
[http://www.glumbert.com/media/doesnothing](http://www.glumbert.com/media/doesnothing) wow–is all I have to say. I love gadgets like this and I have to say this one is impressive. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/2 "2008-01-21T21:35:50Z")
Wow. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/3 "2008-01-21T21:47:55Z")
The presence of a Ribena bottle lends me to think that is filmed in Britain, which means it should correctly be a [Heath Robinson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heath_Robinson) machine. (“Heath Robinson” is now a phrase in the UK, as I suspect “Rube Goldberg” is in the US. I also think Mr Robinson copied Mr Goldberg.) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/4 "2008-01-21T21:52:27Z")
Damn, that was impressive. I wish the video had been a bit better, though, because I couldn’t always tell what was happening. Did anyone catch what was making the chess pieces move? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/5 "2008-01-21T21:52:51Z")
I was waiting for “Powerhouse” to start up anytime. ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/6 "2008-01-21T21:55:55Z")
It Doesn’t Make Breakfast At All! All It Does Is Shoot You! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2008, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/7 "2008-01-21T23:47:04Z")
[My favorite is still the Honda commercial](http://youtube.com/watch?v=UScbWzhieNc), which was filmed over four days (according to Snopes) and involves no trick photography or CGI. It’s two real-time takes stitched together (the stitch takes place at around the one-minute mark–you can see the flooring change a tiny bit, although with Youtube quality, it’s hard to tell.) And the stitch only occurs, supposedly, because space limitations wouldn’t allow them to do this all in one continuous take. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/8 "2008-01-22T04:20:03Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] Did anyone catch what was making the chess pieces move? [/QUOTE] I thought, magnets under the board? But it went by so fast. I can’t tell either. _Someone_ has an awful lot of sports and music equiment. And a lot of wire! ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/9 "2008-01-22T04:31:58Z")
Holy cow. That’s impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/10 "2008-01-22T04:32:55Z")
I think that’s an automatic chessboard. I’ve seen them; they move the pieces by themselves. I like the bit in the middle where one phone phones the other. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hakuna\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hakuna\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hakuna_Matata)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/11 "2008-01-22T04:42:03Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] [My favorite is still the Honda commercial](http://youtube.com/watch?v=UScbWzhieNc), which was filmed over four days (according to Snopes) and involves no trick photography or CGI. It’s two real-time takes stitched together (the stitch takes place at around the one-minute mark–you can see the flooring change a tiny bit, although with Youtube quality, it’s hard to tell.) And the stitch only occurs, supposedly, because space limitations wouldn’t allow them to do this all in one continuous take. [/QUOTE] hey that was way cool too! I hadn’t seen that one before I love this stuff 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/12 "2008-01-22T11:25:47Z")
There’s a show every morning on public TV in between the shows for little kids called Pythagoras Switch. It’s only about five minutes and always surprises me with how clever it is. One of the regular features is a different Rube Goldberg machine that brings up the show’s logo. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_smJ5NPMheY) [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VQdamLysNM) They also do “algorithm exercises” which are a parody of the “morning exercises” done by the same network. In this case, each exercise interacts with the person next to you. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhuiDjiBigs) Around 2:30 they start demonstrating for larger groups. ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/13 "2008-01-22T15:39:25Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] They also do “algorithm exercises” which are a parody of the “morning exercises” done by the same network. In this case, each exercise interacts with the person next to you. ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YhuiDjiBigs/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/YhuiDjiBigs?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque Around 2:30 they start demonstrating for larger groups. [/QUOTE] There’s a youtube link to 967 prison inmates in the Philippines doing this. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjMd2Vabcv8&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjMd2Vabcv8&feature=related). If I ran a prison… ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/14 "2008-01-22T15:44:43Z")
[QUOTE=iwakura43] There’s a youtube link to 967 prison inmates in the Philippines doing this. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjMd2Vabcv8&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjMd2Vabcv8&feature=related). If I ran a prison… [/QUOTE] Followup: oh. my. god. Same inmates doing [MJ’s Thriller](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/15 "2008-01-22T18:30:51Z")
That was pretty awesome, but obviously took more than one take. I liked a lot of the little touches, like the bottles (or whatever they were) ringing out the Close Encounters theme. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/16 "2008-01-22T18:54:42Z")
How fun is that? Thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Slypork](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc29f/32.png) [@Slypork](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slypork)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/17 "2008-01-22T20:12:11Z")
I remember a British TV show from the early 80’s where the contestants would have to make a Rube Goldberg type machine to solve certain tasks. I think it was called something like the Great Egg Race. Do any dopers across the pond remember it? ---
**Author:** ![Aioua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@Aioua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aioua)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/18 "2008-01-23T00:41:45Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] There’s a show every morning on public TV in between the shows for little kids called Pythagoras Switch. It’s only about five minutes and always surprises me with how clever it is. One of the regular features is a different Rube Goldberg machine that brings up the show’s logo. ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_smJ5NPMheY/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/_smJ5NPMheY?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/6VQdamLysNM/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/6VQdamLysNM?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque They also do “algorithm exercises” which are a parody of the “morning exercises” done by the same network. In this case, each exercise interacts with the person next to you. ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YhuiDjiBigs/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/YhuiDjiBigs?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque Around 2:30 they start demonstrating for larger groups. [/QUOTE] Heh. I spent about 5 hours of my life once watching those… Pi-ta-go-ra Su-wi-chu! ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/19 "2008-01-23T05:20:44Z")
[QUOTE=iwakura43] Followup: oh. my. god. Same inmates doing [MJ’s Thriller](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o&feature=related) [/QUOTE] That’s where I want to do my time when I get sent up. ---
**Author:** ![Aioua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@Aioua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aioua)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2008, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rube-goldberg-eat-your-heart-out/434416/20 "2008-01-23T05:55:04Z")
[QUOTE=Aioua] Heh. I spent about 5 hours of my life once watching those… Pi-ta-go-ra Su-wi-chu! [/QUOTE] Hmm, after getting home from work and rewatching some, I see now it’s su-wi-_chi_… In my defense, I don’t actually speak japanese…