Category:
Rube Goldberg Devices

Alfred Sohm’s Time-Hiding Clock

Benton Harbor News-Palladium - July 18, 1940



A "thinking clock" with no hands and designed to make time-telling difficult has just been invented and built by an ingenious Benton Harbor manufacturer, Alfred L. Sohm, who operates the Acme Game company at the Benton Harbor Industrial center.

The clock, first of its kind ever to be built, announces the hours by a complicated system of lights, buzzers, chimes, and bells. Its inventor proudly claims that several minutes will be required by the average person to tell from the new clock just what time it is.

While the person is trying to tell the time, he will receive all sorts of other information that is designed to distract his attention and confuse him even further. The revolutionary design of the new instrument is expected by its builder to make "clock watching" a fascinating pursuit.

While the new device is perhaps reminiscent of a Rube Goldberg patent, apparently there is a sound principle behind it. The object is to attract attention and discussion for advertising purposes. Instead of merely glancing at the hands of a clock to get the time, people using this clock will have to ponder a bit, and meanwhile they will be taking in concentrated doses of advertising.

Posted By: Alex - Tue Mar 01, 2022 - Comments (2)
Category: Technology, Rube Goldberg Devices, Advertising, 1940s

Link

Stop-motion allied with Rube Goldberg: now that's innovative!



Other videos here.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 12, 2021 - Comments (0)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Rube Goldberg Devices, Stop-motion Animation, Asia

The Blue Marble

Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 18, 2018 - Comments (2)
Category: Rube Goldberg Devices

Biisuke Ball’s Big Adventure



Posted By: Paul - Sat Oct 31, 2015 - Comments (5)
Category: Anthropomorphism, Rube Goldberg Devices, Asia

Crazy Clock Game





Everyone knows Mouse Trap. But who recalls its sister game, Crazy Clock? Why would one become famous, the other forgotten? The vagaries of play....

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 17, 2014 - Comments (3)
Category: Games, Rube Goldberg Devices, 1960s

Something for Nothing



Posted By: Paul - Sun Dec 01, 2013 - Comments (0)
Category: Motor Vehicles, Rube Goldberg Devices, 1940s

German Mousetrap Museum

image



"This Museum was established in 1990 by the Heimatverein Neroth in the old School House to celebrate the mouse trap making cottage industry that had flourished in Neroth and nearby villages for over one hundred years."

Their German-language homepage.


And as a bonus, here is an incredible collection of mousetrap history books in PDF form.

Posted By: Paul - Wed May 01, 2013 - Comments (2)
Category: Animals, Death, Museums, Technology, Rube Goldberg Devices, Europe

Chicken Plucker



A new height in boredom--until the actual killing begins.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Mar 04, 2013 - Comments (6)
Category: Animals, Boredom, Death, Food, Industry, Factories and Manufacturing, Rube Goldberg Devices

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Who We Are
Alex Boese
Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

Paul Di Filippo
Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1.

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