Tag Archives: mechanical

Another Satisfied Customer

Posted on by

Oli’s Mechanical Puzzle Blog was kind enough to give a fantastic review of The Ultimate Useless Machine Kit:

I honestly have no idea why it is so satisfying to play with, but after watching many many other people constantly flicking the switch on this mysterious black box I know I’m not alone in finding it so fascinating.This is a great little gizmo to own…

…And also I’d say a pretty neat thing to give as a gift!

Please check out Oli’s blog not only for this fantastic review but to see the cool mechanical puzzles that he writes about.

Sisyphus in Hiding by Dave Johnson

Posted on by

Dave Johnson built this mysterious box, as shown in the YouTube video above.  From the video’s description:

Here’s our old pal Sisyphus again, this time trying to avoid his responsibilities by hiding in a box.
My core inspirations were these:
1) Claude Shannon’s Ultimate Machine.
2) The availability of a nice old microscope box.
3) The astonishing human capacity for denial.

This is an entirely mechanical machine, driven by gravity.  I really like the articulated head, it swivels to the side giving you a look that says:  “Close de door, it’s cold out there!”

Photos can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dogrocke…

From The Automata/Automaton Blog via Google Alerts