Preserved Topic: November sig contest: Rube Goldberg Machines

Rube Goldberg machines! That's a machine that does a lot of unnecessary stuff to achieve a simple or pointless goal. Some examples of Rube Goldberg's work can be found at http://www.rube-goldberg.com/html/gallery.htm .

The idea is to make a complicated "machine" that does something, for instance, writing your name, though that needn't be its goal. This provides lots of possibilities for both animated gifs and still images (note that none of rube goldberg's work actually involved animation).

The machine can be entirely mechanical (think of the game Mouse Trap) or electronic, or it can involve animals/creatures, strange objects, etc. Be creative and funny!

Things like perpetual motion machines or other unnecessarily complicated devices are also welcome.

You can certainly make these very cool by animating them, but as I said, a still picture can be just as fun to look through and try to figure out how it works. Have fun!

anyone played "The Incredible Machine" series?

Like Heath Robinson's machines?:
http://www.a.ghinn.btinternet.co.uk/heath.htm

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

oh, i think mahjqa will rock again

Emporer: looks like you've got the right idea. His machines look slightly different from rube goldberg's, but it's very similar.

OK, I say we just slip something in mahjqa's drink, tie him up, and throw him in the utility closet until next month. Who's with me?

Oh, and great topic... time to put the thinking cap on.

Don`t be skeered


~whispers to Suho * yea, but I think we should hit with a big obsidian club, too. Just to be sure*~

Slime, would I have to label what each thing did?

Labels are not required.

[something actually pops into his head .. caution working over here on his "machine"]

[URL=http://www.unitedrealms.com [/URL]
.::. cEll .::. 513

[This message has been edited by RammStein (edited 11-02-2002).]

ummmm .. I just realized .. what I just did is a machine but isn't what you would call a Rube Goldberg machine


I'll post my entre anyway .. though I'm going to work on making it animated



.::. cEll .::. 513

[This message has been edited by RammStein (edited 11-03-2002).]

[This message has been edited by RammStein (edited 11-03-2002).]

you're right, rammstein, but it's still some nice work you got here

Hahahahah!

I just found my book entitled: "The Way Things Work."




[This message has been edited by Lucid Iguana (edited 11-03-2002).]

ooohhhhhhhh..... time to get my pears to work..... heh.

                                     

Lucid: I remember that book! That was great!

OK, enough useless chatter...

*heads off to the drawing board*

Rammstein, you can still make it work. Have the robot arm fall off, hit a lever, that lifts the bird cage, etc...

If you're stuck for ideas, I suggest going here: http://thesurrealist.co.uk/priorart.cgi

It has product design things... all random and silly of course.
It's fun to put your name into it and find out what you do.

fraxyl is like a normal key-ring, but it swears.

fraxyl: Nice find - possibly start a new thread on this in the main forum to stop this thread spinning out of control?

While I am here (the second is more like it):

The Emperor is a DVD player! It squeaks!
Emperor is a toilet seat that tracks infra-red and is heavier than it looks.

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

Just so we don't veer too far off track here, I'm going to start a thread on this in the main forum, with credits to fraxyl, of course.

[Edit: and here it is.]

[This message has been edited by Suho1004 (edited 11-07-2002).]

Gee do you think this sig contest is too hard?

It's either too hard or it's taking everybody too long....



Maskkkk

- Face the Present

[This message has been edited by Emperor (edited 11-07-2002).]

Mmm. I'm wondering that also.

If people are finding this too difficult, we can reduce the topic to, say, "perpetual motion machines" or something like that.

I think you're better off narrowing it down to that, Slime.

"Perpetual motion machines" it is. =)

As mahjqa is at the moment sitting on his couch, blindfolded, and bound with the cables of his computer and other electrical appliances, he will not be able to enter this months competition. Sadly.

Furthermore, we, the BotRGG (Band of the Renegade Garden Gnomes) demand six packages of icecream, four lollipops and a poster of Snow White for his release.

Mahjqa... really, I dont think you should have tryed your Mind Plug with out somemore testing on animals.

I hope you recover quick!

Muhwahwahwa! I knew those silly gnomes would carry out my plan to perfection!

The reason why I have not entered a sig yet this month is because I just haven't had the time to work on one. I've been thinking about it, but I've just been too busy to take action. Personally, I don't think Rube Goldberg machines is too difficult a topic (or that perpetual motion machines will be any easier), but that's up to Slime. Either way, I'm going to give this contest a shot in the second half of the month. I'll probably end up pulling a grumble and getting it in at the last minute (I've noticed that last-minute sigs have won the past two contests... hmm).

Well now that its labeled 'Perpetual Motion Devices', I therefor recycle this sig .



[This message has been edited by InSiDeR (edited 11-10-2002).]

Yup, I remember that one...

I know I don't have a sig yet... but apparently neither does anyone else. My opinion: Rube Goldberg Machines was a better subject. Personally, I'm having a much harder time trying to think of a perpetual motion machine...

Insider, that doesn't even theoretically work....

I have a quick question for Slime - can we still do a Rube Goldberg Machine or are we limited only to perpetual motion machines?

I've started on a RG machine already and I'm not clear on whether it's allowed anymore. Thanks in advance

By all means, if you want to do a rube goldberg machine (if you already started on one or you just think it'll be easier), you're still free to do so.

So, uh, raise your hand if you have plans for entering a sig.

I guess this topic was a little too difficult =)

If you have suggestions on how to redeem the contest for this month, let me know.

How about we rename the theme to "CONTRAPTIONS"

=)

If I'm the only person who submits, do I win?

its the time of year for me... i want to enter though... I have ideas.... woo!

                                     

Don't get your hopes up Lucid. Remember Ramm entered before you. So no you don't 'automatically' win.

I would like to enter but I am having difficulty expressing/illustrating my idea in a way that makes sense to the viewer.

Yup, and Amerasu's also working on something... and we still have almost two weeks left. Who knows? Maybe if I get some time I'll put something together... I have been thinking about it.

about 19post/sig... is this a post contest or what !!?

well .. I would try to do something more with my entry but I'm also having trouble with the concept

LOL - I have plenty of ideas and no talent

I second DL's suggestion (although personally I think Slime's theme is a good one).

___________________
Emps

FAQs: Emperor

We have two suggestions to make.

1. Although we still hold mahj captive, anyone having problems animating can still mail him ( ) if you need suggestions or have questions on how to do a certain thing.
2. Get your sorry asses to work before we release him back in the wild.

Alright. Still not sure what to do about this. Looks like a few people have started, or have ideas, but not many.

PPPPPP........ I say we start a new sig contest mid month!

nah, I say you guys get off your lazy asses and make a sig

This isn't any more difficult than any other theme so far, andn in fact it's a bit mroe wide open.

I hope this isn't too big, animation is definitely not my strong suit...



Edit - fixed

[This message has been edited by Amerasu (edited 11-21-2002).]

I did have plans to make this one 3Dish and animate but have really run out of time so this is the cheapo version.

Nice =)

What would be cool on the top one, is if the blue bag filled up with air when the pump went in, and then the bag emptied as the flag came out, rather than it all going at once.

ahh now the stones are getting rollin in here

There we go! Amerasu's got the right idea.

Yep, I see what you mean DL - that's a good idea. I'll give that a go tomorrow.

Thanks


edit to remove sig

[This message has been edited by Amerasu (edited 11-22-2002).]

Ok, this is absolutely freakin HUGE, so it disqualifies itself as a sig, but it was fun making it.

So, here it is anyway.

I like that DB! Fun sig

Edit- to remove sig... again...

[This message has been edited by Amerasu (edited 11-23-2002).]

Fantastic =)

Ah, db, that's beautiful...

I think that might have even inspired me to get off my butt and make a sig for this month. Wait, maybe not. No, there it is again. Yes, I definitely think that was a twinge of inspiration underneath all those layers of laziness...

funny!
but im not sure what triggers the marble at the top left to fall down.

Vibration from the door closing.

Duh !

I had a trigger set up for that, and a complete reloading system, but it was getting so big I had to trim frames and machinery...

Hey DB... Very classy. I love it!

Show the big version as a link! I would like to use my bandwidth to see it.

Hey, DB, sweet piece of work.

Well, it took me almost all month, but here it is. Actually, looking at it now, I like the larger version more becuase I lost a lot of detail in the resizing. Then again, I am pretty proud of the fact that it's only 3 frames

[edit]Click for the larger version.[/edit]



[This message has been edited by silence (edited 11-27-2002).]

Nice silence. I think you're a definite contender this month.

Doesn't look like I'll be getting anything in on time, though...

Okay, I decided to go with the larger version. Together they make about 20k, so if anyone minds me putting both here, let me know.

Good one silence. Well done.

Nice! Three days left! Quick, everyone throw something together and submit it!

Too bad I didn't see this earlier.

Yeah, I love the pixel work on that one. The link's definitely a keeper.

well, its unfinished, but im late as usual. and since i dont wanna miss the deadline, im posting it. gooday!

time to choose a winner, ey?

gee, you think so?

I'm sure when Slime is ready he'll let us know who the winner is....

I do not mean to ramble more, but slime likes to log on late around midnight-3:00 AM Easter time. Well at least thats when he logs on to play Warcraft heh. Hmm.

well, it's dec 2 here, so no matter what timezone you're in, november should now be over.
as such, i declare this thread dead.



...and we hand the case over to our jury of 1 for deliberation.