Rube Goldberg device in the forest will astound, give you serenity now

By: Will Goodman
Topics

(CBS) - I am really geeking out over this one! This video of a Rube Goldberg musical device in a forest that is spectacularly large will both astound and give you a sense of serenity and bliss as you watch and listen. The music kicks in at about 35 seconds into the clip.

Okay, so it is technically a commercial for a unique wooden cellphone case, but they only flash that element at the very end for a few secs. The beginning of the video shows some of the setup and process, but once you see the ball start rolling down this device and the music begins - WOW! The Feed would like to take a moment to honor the creators of this amazing video - we salute your genius!

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by Fatesrider April 11, 2011 2:18 PM EDT: It's been said that it's not a Rube Goldberg device already, and I agree. There's something pretty zen about this musical player (multiple results - musical notes - from a single, simple motion) that's lacking in a real Rube Goldberg device (which has multiple motions and methods to them to produce a single simple, result). I also agree it's an interesting ad because it certainly captures one's attention. But I think it's an extremely ineffective ad. Why?

The viewer is so focused on the function of the player, they don't really absorb the message at the end. If you've seen the ad, quick, exactly what product does it advertise?

"Something about cellphones?" isn't the answer a company wants from its ad.

If they had focused less on the set-up, more on the music, selected a relatively short musical piece and zeroed in on what the player was made from, with a few shots of the product along the way as well as at the end, people might remember what was being touted a lot better.; Reply to this comment


by amarjit5 April 4, 2011 2:24 AM EDT: Such a creative human being !
Congratulations !; Reply to this comment


by samuelsan33 April 4, 2011 1:41 AM EDT: It's pretty interesting and indeed amazing! I wonder if it is real though. I would assume so but given that this was from a commercial, I am guessing it might have been digitally fabricated. Commercial producers don't have the time and talent to do this and somebody doing this for the sake of music would probably sell it to a documentary and not a commercial. Also, the lengths of the wood pieces did not match the pitch changes - sometimes shorter wood produced higher pitch, sometimes they produced lower pitches. Shouldn't be that way. Of course the difference in wood material and width may cause pitch changes too but why make the calculations that much more complicated. Anyway, I did enjoy it but wonder if it was a hoax. Can somebody confirm that?; Reply to this comment


by cameraphone April 3, 2011 10:10 PM EDT: All it is missing is a cute kitty!; Reply to this comment


by tonkasmum April 2, 2011 8:09 PM EDT: I would hesitate to call it a Rube Goldberg machine too. While it is definitely neat, one of the main points to a RBM is that the end result is a simple, single task. Playing music, even if it's chopsticks, isn't really simple. And this is more a process of playing, not a bunch of gags strung together for that single, end result. If this machine ended with it pressing a button to start a CD player, sure. This seems to me more like a version of a player piano, a mechanism set up to play music. Interesting sure (if it's real), but not thrilling.; Reply to this comment


by bruce789 April 2, 2011 10:30 AM EDT: This is like a glockenspiel. The sound must be really good with a cd quality system to do this work, acoustic for real sound, but motorized ping-pong ball to make it work.; Reply to this comment

by missssy April 2, 2011 7:11 AM EDT

Who keeps posting these lame videos (always using adjectives like "astounding" "amazeing" or "hilarious"? Either a geeky kid, someone old and painfully out of touch or - I'm guessing - someone related to a muckymuch at CBS. You'd think after the first few they'd get tired of being embarassed - c;mon, you can find thousands of vids on Youtube (and elsewhere) more interesting than this!

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by AOCGUY April 2, 2011 2:03 PM EDT: missssy, Then don't watch them. I for one enjoyed the vid.


by missssy April 3, 2011 11:51 AM EDT: Why would someone else's opinion "spoil" your enjoyment of the niceness? Everyone's free to think or like whatever they please. Just because I think it's dreary shouldn't stop you from being astounded and finding serenity. I keep watching, thinking maybe one will live up to its banner. Perhaps they should just tone down the adjectives. yawn


by oddone30 April 4, 2011 9:49 PM EDT: the rube goldberg in the "this too shall pass' by ok go is astounding and amazeing... this is just a ball rolling down.. no leavers no switches its not a overly complecated machene to do a simple task... its basicly a gravaty powered music box


by usernamethatisnttaken April 1, 2011 7:56 PM EDT: Agreed with mock27 - not a Rube Goldberg device.

Otherwise, I'd say that was fairly interesting. That it ends up being an ad for a phone is kind of disappointing.; Reply to this comment


by RedWings_ninety_one April 1, 2011 7:07 PM EDT: In response to my comment below, since CBS' thing is still being a POS...
Well, maybe it wasn't him himself, since I just looked him up on wikipedia and found out he died 41 years ago...but it was something to do with him...; Reply to this comment

by RedWings_ninety_one April 1, 2011 6:35 PM EDT

All I can say is; This had to take some TIME...I mean serious time.

About 2 weeks ago, I had to help set out the floor covers in Wink Arena (Ferris State University's basketball court) so that Rube could come. I still don't know who he is...and up til now, I kept forgetting his name...

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by AOCGUY April 2, 2011 2:05 PM EDT: That is awesome - I really mean it, especially since Rube Goldberg died 40 years ago


by RedWings_ninety_one April 2, 2011 5:50 PM EDT: Well, it wouldn't let me reply to this comment at the time, but AOCGUY, I will refer you to the comment I placed above this one if you didn't see it already..