Chocolate Creme and Goo!

April 22, 2008 4:13 PM

Joseph Herscher spent 6 months creating his "Monster Marble Machine," an entrant in Cadbury's "Unleash The Goo" competition. While just a runner-up, he's gaining attention for his Rube Goldberg inspired solution.
posted by ericb (30 comments total)

Pi-ta-go-ra-su-ii-chi!
posted by JHarris at 4:17 PM on April 22, 2008 [3 favorites]

Best RGM in a long time. How the hell did that not win?
posted by lemonfridge at 4:18 PM on April 22, 2008 [2 favorites]

Oh, man -- his RA is going to be so pissed.
posted by pineapple at 4:29 PM on April 22, 2008

Yeah, that is the sort of thing that i have always wanted to build in my apartment. Curses to my landlord and my wife who wants "real art and decent furniture."
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:33 PM on April 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

This entry won.
I thought it was well put together and produced better, but didn't make up for the general awesomeness of Rube Goldberg machines.
posted by heeeraldo at 4:36 PM on April 22, 2008

Mousetrap.
posted by gottabefunky at 4:41 PM on April 22, 2008

That was awesome.
The "Open Egg Night" that won is just lame!
posted by j at 4:44 PM on April 22, 2008

This is amazing.

But, um, Unleash the Goo? Ew.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:55 PM on April 22, 2008

I liked that a lot. The swinging hammers were especially good. I had to search all over to see the winner, and it wasn't at all worth it.
posted by OmieWise at 4:57 PM on April 22, 2008

Raaaaaawwwwwrrrrrr!

Thanks, that was great. The unleashing and the RGM.
posted by goo at 4:58 PM on April 22, 2008

What was up when the balls were going across the clear plastic? Was it magnetic or was there something I didn't see with these Internet-ravaged eyes?
posted by lore at 4:59 PM on April 22, 2008

But, um, Unleash the Goo? Ew.

Ceiling cat is watching ...
posted by ericb at 5:00 PM on April 22, 2008

lore: The balls are sandwiched between two sheets of plastic that are slightly angled inward at a bottom corner, I think, so they roll down at an angle without losing much spin. It's a trick that the PythagoraSwitch people used in their Rube Goldberg machines on a couple of occasions. Overall, the makers of this device used a lot of tricks from PS, they were obviously inspired by that show.
posted by JHarris at 5:14 PM on April 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

That open egg night just annoys me. High pitched voices are never funny. Much like that video.
posted by bobbyone at 5:35 PM on April 22, 2008

That open egg night just annoys me. High pitched voices are never funny. Much like that video.

Seriously. What the hell were they thinking.
posted by proj08 at 5:47 PM on April 22, 2008

Seriously. What the hell were they thinking.

Wowed by production values?

Or maybe high pitched voices and puppets play better in New Zealand.
posted by notyou at 6:35 PM on April 22, 2008

My son spends hours watching these.

If anyone can tell me what they're saying (singing) at the end of every segment and what those characters say, I'd gain about 100 Dad Points if I could tell him.
posted by bondcliff at 6:51 PM on April 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

I liked the music. It sounded like something out of the Neverhood.
posted by painquale at 6:56 PM on April 22, 2008

Very cool Rube Goldberg machine. I liked the constant use of counting circuits (balls not advancing until another has passed). While I (as an enginerd) appreciated the mechanisms, he could have at least coloured some of the toilet paper rolls for TV.

Does anyone know what was happening behind that plexiglass shield at 1:45? It was like someone suddenly put the universal physics VCR on slo-mo.
posted by Popular Ethics at 6:56 PM on April 22, 2008

crap. Read the damn thread. Thanks JHarris.
posted by Popular Ethics at 6:56 PM on April 22, 2008

bondcliff: check the first comment in this thread. It's an approximation of 'Pythagoras Switch'.
posted by painquale at 6:57 PM on April 22, 2008

Yeah, painquale, I just noticed that, and the wiki link later on. Serves me right for not reading all the comments before posting.

Awesome. Tomorrow I will be a hero!
posted by bondcliff at 7:01 PM on April 22, 2008

The absence of the Pee-Wee Herman's Big Adventure theme was unforgivable.
posted by sourwookie at 7:03 PM on April 22, 2008 [1 favorite]

I love it.
posted by jacalata at 8:22 PM on April 22, 2008

From an earlier post: Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Should we add or subtract one of those "s" words for this kind of project? (P.S.: I am not a playa-hata in this context!)
posted by kozad at 8:57 PM on April 22, 2008

Everyone will love this.
It's a half hour long, so sit back.

Der Lauf Der Dinge
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

There's a book that goes along with it that explains what's going on.
posted by princelyfox at 11:25 PM on April 22, 2008 [2 favorites]

Everyone will love this.
Yes. Yes, I do. It has creeping goo that bursts into flames. What's not to love? Did I detect a cut at about 8:12 on part 1 though? I would think that the cup on the waving table would be very hard to control.
posted by tellurian at 12:04 AM on April 23, 2008

Wow. Makes a similar marble run in our house look like total crap!
posted by Acey at 1:39 AM on April 23, 2008

Bloody brilliant.

Though I'd've thought a New Zealander would call Rube Goldberg machines Heath Robinson contraptions.
posted by jack_mo at 2:29 AM on April 23, 2008

This is pretty much why the internet was invented. How did this not win?!
posted by Space Kitty at 9:46 PM on April 23, 2008