Some things exist with no other purpose than to make you smile

[anarchist_nomad]

This post is mainly for crystalcazzie (she knows why), but it's worth sharing widely because it's so awesome.

Kudos to my beloved cheshcat for bringing this to my attention last week...

Comments

[stormdog.livejournal.com]

That's fantastic; thanks for sharing it.

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

*grin* Knew you would like it, my friend!

[dragonmamma.livejournal.com]

That is amazing!!!What a wonderful combination of mechanical, automata and music. And how supremely and awesomely brilliant.

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

*grin* Isn't it, though? No reason to exist other than to make people happy. Yay!

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

That was just sheer delight to watch - the mesmerizing movements of all the gears and levers and giant marbles, contrasting with the frantic capering of the one-man band operating it - and the final product was actually good music! (And it can be reprogrammed to play a different composition.) It reminded me of this (https://youtu.be/jiRgdaknJCg)...

[anarchist-nomad.livejournal.com]

I know -- the fact that it plays more than one tune was particularly nifty!

Apparently, it took fourteen months to construct, and there are videos documenting the process. There are also two 10 minute videos about how the marble machine works.

I've not yet had any time to watch the other videos, but the finish product is a work of art. Literally!

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

The feature of the Difference Engine that the marble-music-machine reminded me of is the way it's operated entirely by a hand crank - the various gears, cams, levers, and other moving parts are all activated by that one wheel.

There are kits that children can build that allow them to create variable paths for marbles - some of the kits include small battery-powered motors, so the user can build a mechanical lift to bring the marbles back up to the top. When I was a kid, though, the kit versions were rather pricey. So I just made up my own out of cardboard and tape :-) I thought of them as "miniature roller coasters", and the most ambitious of them took up the entire surface of the desk where I was supposed to do my homework. The only thing I missed was the motorized lift...

[crystalcazzie.livejournal.com]

That's so cool! And it's the kind of thing my dad would have loved. Thank you for sharing it. :)