Rube Thursday

Happy Rube Thursday, a day to celebrate Rube Goldberg machines, the over-engineered contraptions that perform a very simple task.

If you think about it, a car can be considered a Rube Goldberg machine, especially if you use it to drive from one store in a shopping mall to another one. Speaking of cars, if you ever watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, you undoubtedly saw a fantastic contraption used by Commander Pott to cook AND serve some sausage and eggs.

httpv://youtu.be/IejJ_H6NaZM

And why not make something just as awesome this weekend? If all that’s stopping you is that you don’t know where to begin, check out PIE Institute’s Exploratorium Idea Library. Not only will you get inspired by their Marble Machine, but you can download a PDF with complete instructions and a parts list! It looks so cool, that you just might turn it into a mega marble run as seen on the TinkerLab blog.

Image is from Exploratorium’s blog, The Tinkering Studio.

If you think marble runs are child’s play, then you need to watch this video (yes, it’s a commercial, but it’s an AMAZING commercial):

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_CDLBTJD4M

Rube Goldberg machines rule! Happy tinkering!