Rube Goldberg is known for his writing, cartoons, and a varied body of creative work; but he is best known as a descriptive term for anything needlessly complex that accomplishes something simple.
As a side note, I am trying very hard to live so that I will never be a descriptive term for future generations.
Mr. Goldberg was best known for creating humorous, satirical cartoons depicting crazy contraptions that accomplished simple tasks.
If you think of scenes from movies like Home Alone, Back to the Future, and the cinematic masterpiece Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, anything involving a ball rolling down a track, hitting a wooden bird, whose beak triggers a spinning wheel to move a lever that starts an alarm clock or a toaster, you know something about the Rube Goldberg effect.
His name has been used by a US Supreme Court justice to describe certain legal processes and politicians to describe pieces of legislation. (Who could have seen that coming?)
Rube was born on this day in 1883, raised in New York City, and died in 1970.
His legacy can best be exhibited by the Rube Goldberg Institute of Creativity and Innovation, a nonprofit encouraging education in STEM fields and the arts. Awards are given annually for inventions, which might be seen as frivolous; but the level of knowledge of physics and engineering is stunning.
Learning can be fun!
If you search Rube Goldberg on YouTube, you will be astounded by inventions that after ten minutes observing various laws of physics play out, you might see a single tissue removed from a Kleenex box or a saltshaker passed.
Maybe you can guess where I am headed with this. For aspiring authors, try these applications:
Don’t overthink something that might need a little extra effort to overcome instead.
Sometimes, solutions to complex problems are simple.
Sometimes, answers to complex questions are very simple.
People who are successful in the arts and make things look easy have almost always spent a lot of time practicing the art. Practice makes patient progress.
Happy July 4, and for those in some other countries that drive on the wrong side of the road, happy 4 July.
Read Old, Read New
My plotlines make Rube Goldberg
look like Raymond Loewy,
a hapless crestiv’ty surge
like demolition derby
as the story arc collides
with characterization,
and simple logic runs and hides
in loud tear-streaked frustration
as each page brings non sequitur
to cause scratching of the head.
There’s such weirdness to endure
‘fore reader picks, instead,
to read graffiti on the wall
of a down-market dunny stall.
Aw, gee! Third line, should be “creativ’ty”.
4am, and racing a draining batt’ry.
I love this OK Go video that shows how far this music group went to get painted via a Rube Goldberg device.
https://youtu.be/qybUFnY7Y8w?si=FJMGptVfbjdDHs3p
Happy Birthday, Rube! I love the alarm system in Pee Wee’s Great Adventure, too! And the machine that made breakfast in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
And let us not forget the kid’s favorite/parent hated game Mousetrap. haha!
They say we must abolish
our Independence Day,
on Rushmore grind and polish
the faces all away.
Implode Washington’s monument,
raze it to the Earth,
grind its stone to road-cement
to show history’s worth,
and then to Lincoln turn attention,
turn his face to rocks,
with nary schoolbook mention,
but whiskey tango fox,
even though I’m tolerant,
past a certain point I ain’t.
I was once told: “You drive on the right side of the road. We drive on the correct side of the road.”
It’s all in your viewpoint. As proved by the posts above. Over thinking/doing/writing has its humorous uses.
HAPPY JULY 4th!!!!
Blessings.