Thursday, November 29, 2012

Israeli Technion Students, Inspired by Rube Goldberg, Build Menorah Lighting Contraption

 
Rube Goldberg (1883-1970) became famous for his highly detailed cartoons depicting extremely complicated contraptions that executed very simple tasks in a complex, indirect way. These contraptions came to be known as Rube Goldberg machines.

Though Goldberg spent a lot of time drawing his funny machines, he didn't actually build them. But his eye for detail and use of oddball devices were an inspiration to Mechanical and Industrial Engineering students in the Robotics Lab at the Technion in Haifa, Israel, who used his techniques to build a machine that lights the Chanukah menorah.

Thought you could do it by just striking a match and putting it next to a candle or oil wick? Why would you, when instead you could do it with helium balloons, nitroglycerin, a toy car, falling dominoes, tubes, and whatever odds and ends you could find.

Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)

 
(A tip of the kippah and a copy of our new eBook, Jewish Humor on Your Desktop: The Complete Collection to Sheila Zucker for bringing this video to our attention.)

6 comments:

  1. GREAT!!! Seems like a lot of work to light the candles . May I suggest a lighter and a shamesh. Quicker... however if your not in a hurry and have some time to kill while the latkes/sufgonieot are cooking this is a great way to go.
    Thanks AL

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  2. I remember Rube Goldberg contraptions depicted in the Sunday comics. This lighting would make him proud to have inspired such genius.

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  3. Goldberg's (July 4, 1883-December 7, 1970) legend further spread by Bill Holman's "Smokey Stover" (published 1935-1973)

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  4. I'm dying to know how the shamesh was put back in the menorah after the candle-lighting.

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  5. do they have a little too much time on their hands!Wonder how they cook latkes?

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  6. rockyfeller center has nothing on this. May you all wax well in your future careers.

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