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Young fellow makes, tests and celebrates outstanding Rube Goldberg machine

Cory Doctorow at 8:09 pm Fri, Mar 9, 2012

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Seven-year-old Audri designed this astounding Rube Goldberg machine, and then systematically studied its failure modes and improved it, producing a fine video account of his work. He is made of pure distillate of awesomesauce.

Audri's Rube Goldberg Monster Trap (via Make)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE:  happy mutants • Kids • maker • rube goldberg machine • scientific method • video • youtube

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  • Rephlex

    This one is most definitely my annual “I want to be a dad” inspirational video. What a brilliant young man.

  • http://twitter.com/Elissa_Malcohn Elissa Malcohn

    There is so much that I love about this video — not least the take-away message at the end and Audri’s establishment and testing of hypotheses.  Bravo!

  • anusantosh69

    I Love this article n Video

  • noah django

    gotta give it up for the kid.  nicely done.  reminds me of me when I was young.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Gomez-Fong/714923460 Gomez Fong

    I clapped when it worked.   Well done, Audri, well done.  

  • Nadreck

    Nice touch holding up part of the Better Mousetrap with a copy of Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”.

  • Stonewalker

    I really like that he has a smashed fingernail.  Good things take pain sometimes!

  • HerkyDerky

    I like the mom, too, who was prepared to film 22 rounds of testing. When people talk about parents needing to be involved, THAT is what they are talking about.

  • francoisroux

    Is my Chrome installation the only one that is getting crashed by this flash/video and others from the same place?

    • Robert

      Could be. I have Chrome on OSX and it’s working fine.

  • pKp

    Ye Gods, that is a GREAT way to start the day. Thank you, BB !

  • BillGlover

    OK the “Only three failures” celebration. That’s magic.  Audri, you so get it, man. 

  • GuyInMilwaukee

    Brilliant! Our future is very bright with Audri at the wheel. Rock on.

  • JPhilipp

    “Unfortunately, this video is not available in Germany because it may contain music for which GEMA has not granted the respective music rights.”

    • HahTse

      “ProxTube is unblocking this video now…”

      Doesn’t seem to work this time. Odd.

      • JPhilipp

        I’m running ProxTube but for some reason, for several days already I cannot see *any* YouTube videos in Chrome, in Germany. Firefox works fine. Don’t know if I’m the only one with this issue…

        • HahTse

          I’m running it in Firefox (in Germany, too)…has worked fine till now.

      • UFIA

         Stealthy worked.  (Another proxy-add-on for firefox.) 

    • Jonathan Roberts

      Quite right. Kids need to learn the dangers of piracy from an early age. 

  • milkman

    “Let’s hear it for the boy!”

    • Robert

      Damn you. Now my head is filled with 80′s music.

    • noah django

       rumor has it she is Jazzy Pha’s mom.
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnuYhFRYbAw

  • jwkrk

    Very nice.  Excellent use of things one might actually have laying around the house.  My parents would never have let me mount a pulley from the ceiling.  Bravo!

  • tomchaps

    That was awesome. I’ve been building Rube Goldberg machines with my 6-year old son this year, and now my 3-year old daughter spends her time inventing “triggers”. These projects really do teach patience and perseverance…

    Can I brag a bit?

    Explained: http://youtu.be/6wiTE7cpQTU

    Tested: http://youtu.be/ulOWJ5RxCls

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_2X6OHAN7GLVLAIP4QLECKD3NY4 morgane

      ah, cute kid

    • http://normd.com/wp normd

      Superb!

  • liquidstar

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_RUapR6Npg

  • http://www.jjsaul.com Jim Saul

    His first Rube Goldberg at age 5:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OhDG4Kxr8U 

    I, for one, welcome our future time lord.

  • janeeta

    Amazing video… !!! little audri did very fine. I really appreciate him for his work.

  • http://fallsastar.com Crashproof

    I love that he is prepared for lots of failure in the quest for success.  So many kids… no, so many adults don’t have that kind of patience and persistence.

  • irksome

    Yay for Happy-Making things. Fourth try!

    This almost makes up for the loss of Peter Bergman yesterday. How am I to be, Not Insane?

  • ciacontra

    “He is made of pure distillate of awesomesauce. – Cory Doctorow, boingboing.net”  Now where to put that on his college application…

    • tylerkaraszewski

      I would actually put that on my resume if I had earned it.

  • http://twitter.com/petitepoubelle petite poubelle

    I just showed this to my 5-year-old and as soon as it was over, he said he wanted to make one.  So that’s what we’re off to do now…

  • Jack Daniel

    Rock on Audri!

  • tsa

    What a brilliant young man. Way to go! I enjoyed every second of it.

  • zombiebob

    And for Caturday:
     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1XMS-1FpdE&context=C41c4235ADvjVQa1PpcFMdx5-9jxWxOgxWbqvH1LYYwHD6qaY8C2M=

  • Teller

    Lovely. Especially when he laughed at the failures.

  • chrisspurgeon

    There’s a job waiting at http://syynlabs.com/ when this kid’s out of school.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Craig-Dawson/100003603062862 Craig Dawson

    You rock, Audri.

  • Melissa Spielman

    Audri, you are so awesome.

  • Ed Ligget. Tuba.

    Too bad there will probably be no space program left by the time this young man graduates college.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_A3XRNHNAD3ZB6HY7T43BQVP2NQ Crunt

    That is everything good. A bright, enthusiastic, curious, creative boy, and a mom who supports and indulges those traits. Rare gems both.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1306386058 Ivan Bawa

    With enough kids like this, the world has a future, even a bright one. Thanks, young man, for your natural, infectious and delightful personality!

  • ravells

    I actually cheered out loud when he got his success. What a great kid. His enthusiasm is so utterly infectious. Wonderful find.

  • http://twitter.com/kerfluffer Michael Slavitch

    Face it, if you’re under 45, chances are you’re going to end up working for him someday.

  • noah django

     was that really necessary?  do you not have a soul?  please go elsewhere.

  • Nadreck

    Crappy diagnostic man; even overlooking your lack of a full medical history of the subject.  If we must consider the mere meat within which his Titan Intellect resides then note his shortness of breath and the discolouration of at least one of his fingertips.  These data suggest many other possible physical conditions which are keeping him indoors building Rube Goldberg machines instead of the average hyperkinetic activities of the 7-year-old.  Statistically speaking the most significant precursors of being a Happy Mutant are being a first or only child and some congenital problem forbidding athletics.  From such stock do we harvest Technology and Civilisation.

  • noah django

     looks like, in my brevity, i just edged you out getting the first comment taking on that goon.  I defer to your better analysis.  good show, sir or madam.