Comments on: Print your own "Machine With Concrete" and produce a gear ratio of 244.14 quintillion to 1 http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sat, 25 May 2013 01:13:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: IkeRoberts http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1676219 IkeRoberts Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:07:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1676219  Maybe you are the guy to ask what the torque is at each stage.  Maybe you are the guy to ask what the torque is at each stage.

]]> By: Duncan Creamer http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675982 Duncan Creamer Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:27:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675982 You're not really that into the arts, are you. You’re not really that into the arts, are you.

]]> By: Duncan Creamer http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675979 Duncan Creamer Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:25:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675979 This reminds me of the piece by Tim Hawkinson: Twenty-four interlocking gears, the larger of which use wide-wale corduroy for teeth, serve as a giant clock of sorts. The first miniscule gear spins at 1400 revolutions per minute. With each successively larger gear in the chain, the number of revolutions per time cycle decreases rapidly, until the final gear rotates once every century. This reminds me of the piece by Tim Hawkinson:
Twenty-four interlocking gears, the larger of which use wide-wale corduroy for teeth, serve as a giant clock of sorts. The first miniscule gear spins at 1400 revolutions per minute. With each successively larger gear in the chain, the number of revolutions per time cycle decreases rapidly, until the final gear rotates once every century.

]]> By: G.L. Dryfoos http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675807 G.L. Dryfoos Mon, 11 Mar 2013 03:58:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675807 Love this piece.  Whenever I bring out-of-towners to the MIT Museum, we never miss a visit to this one. Love this piece.  Whenever I bring out-of-towners to the MIT Museum, we never miss a visit to this one.

]]> By: Oskar http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675786 Oskar Mon, 11 Mar 2013 02:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675786 It might not move very fast, but it has a fuck-ton of torque! That sentence is also, coincidentally, my least successful pickup-line.  It might not move very fast, but it has a fuck-ton of torque!

That sentence is also, coincidentally, my least successful pickup-line. 

]]> By: nixiebunny http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675734 nixiebunny Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:23:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675734  Yes, in 100 billion years it will be good enough for this device.  Yes, in 100 billion years it will be good enough for this device.

]]> By: JProffitt71 http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675644 JProffitt71 Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:26:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675644 I did some quick calculations and if the first gear was 10 cm wide and you turned the last gear one time around in one second, the teeth of the first gear would be moving at over 200 billion times the speed of light. But sadly that wouldn't work for a multitude of reasons. I did some quick calculations and if the first gear was 10 cm wide and you turned the last gear one time around in one second, the teeth of the first gear would be moving at over 200 billion times the speed of light.

But sadly that wouldn’t work for a multitude of reasons.

]]> By: carlogesualdodivenosa http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675479 carlogesualdodivenosa Sun, 10 Mar 2013 10:50:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675479 <blockquote>Like it!  Maybe the final gear could not be embedded, but with a little finger attached to it, threatening to flip the power switch to "off".</blockquote>What I love about this is the idea of a Most Useless Machine which is so useless it won't complete the only task it's designed for inside the likely life span of the universe.

Like it!  Maybe the final gear could not be embedded, but with a little finger attached to it, threatening to flip the power switch to “off”.

What I love about this is the idea of a Most Useless Machine which is so useless it won’t complete the only task it’s designed for inside the likely life span of the universe.

]]> By: OgilvyTheAstronomer http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675471 OgilvyTheAstronomer Sun, 10 Mar 2013 10:15:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675471 I don't know what's worse; wasted effort, or wasted anger. I don’t know what’s worse; wasted effort, or wasted anger.

]]> By: Boundegar http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675463 Boundegar Sun, 10 Mar 2013 09:22:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675463 I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Clock of the Long Now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock_of_the_Long_Now I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the Clock of the Long Now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clock_of_the_Long_Now

]]> By: Marios P. http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675454 Marios P. Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:35:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675454 Science! It works bitches! Science! It works bitches!

]]> By: Antinous / Moderator http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675452 Antinous / Moderator Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:31:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675452 Enough with the Abe Vigoda jokes! Enough with the Abe Vigoda jokes!

]]> By: sockdoll http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675449 sockdoll Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:27:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675449 Worm gears and star gears and shafts, oh my! Worm gears and star gears and shafts, oh my!

]]> By: mtdna http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675446 mtdna Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675446 Modern art = "I could have done that" + "Yeah, but you didn't" Modern art = “I could have done that” + “Yeah, but you didn’t”

]]> By: mtdna http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675441 mtdna Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:12:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675441  You mean, current quality...  You mean, current quality…

]]> By: Ladyfingers http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675437 Ladyfingers Sun, 10 Mar 2013 07:49:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675437  Stars work after billions of years.  Stars work after billions of years.

]]> By: DewiMorgan http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675417 DewiMorgan Sun, 10 Mar 2013 06:40:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675417  Delightfully meta :D  Delightfully meta :D

]]> By: s2redux http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675352 s2redux Sun, 10 Mar 2013 04:05:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675352 A couple of thousand miles under your feet there's a dynamo that's been working for about 3.5 billion years; it's been providing a cosmic roof over biology's head for all that time. A couple of thousand miles under your feet there’s a dynamo that’s been working for about 3.5 billion years; it’s been providing a cosmic roof over biology’s head for all that time.

]]> By: s2redux http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675343 s2redux Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:56:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675343 Best case, you move the island. Worst case, you wind up in a Tunisian desert 10 months from now. Best case, you move the island. Worst case, you wind up in a Tunisian desert 10 months from now.

]]> By: Prezombie http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675337 Prezombie Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675337 Sadly, worm gears are one-way, you can only pass energy from the helix to the gear, and not the other way around. Sadly, worm gears are one-way, you can only pass energy from the helix to the gear, and not the other way around.

]]> By: jere7my http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675336 jere7my Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:23:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675336 <i>This just a ridiculous and tiresome contraption trying to get a cheap, arty 'wow'.</i> When you say "this," are you describing the mechanism or yourself in the act of posting? This just a ridiculous and tiresome contraption trying to get a cheap, arty ‘wow’.

When you say “this,” are you describing the mechanism or yourself in the act of posting?

]]> By: rocketpj http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675325 rocketpj Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:04:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675325 It also gives us an opportunity to indulge in dismissive snark, a rare opportunity available only when someone else does something you might not do.  For many it is a rare but crucial boost to their egos, and as such this is an essential public service. It also gives us an opportunity to indulge in dismissive snark, a rare opportunity available only when someone else does something you might not do.  For many it is a rare but crucial boost to their egos, and as such this is an essential public service.

]]> By: Preston Sturges http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675317 Preston Sturges Sun, 10 Mar 2013 02:47:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675317 The Oxford Electric Bell experiment has been running since 1840, driven by sealed dry pile batteries of unknown composition.  they were sealed in molten sulfur.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Electric_Bell The Oxford Electric Bell experiment has been running since 1840, driven by sealed dry pile batteries of unknown composition.  they were sealed in molten sulfur. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Electric_Bell

]]> By: bardfinn http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675305 bardfinn Sun, 10 Mar 2013 02:14:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675305 For those who lack the <I>je ne sais quoi</I> to have these 3-D printed, LEGO (and many other construction toys) have worm gears and star gears and shafts and yadda yadda yadda. For those who lack the je ne sais quoi to have these 3-D printed, LEGO (and many other construction toys) have worm gears and star gears and shafts and yadda yadda yadda.

]]> By: nixiebunny http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675296 nixiebunny Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:53:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675296 The engineering is just fine, as even if it worked, it wouldn't work. The engineering is just fine, as even if it worked, it wouldn’t work.

]]> By: duncano http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675295 duncano Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:46:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675295 The brutal inefficiency of worm drives will keep it from moving at all. At 50 percent efficiency (a very conservative number for these gears) with 12 stages, the power will be used up long before the end of the gear train. Sheesh, it's as if the engineering were done by an artist! But I still love it. The brutal inefficiency of worm drives will keep it from moving at all. At 50 percent efficiency (a very conservative number for these gears) with 12 stages, the power will be used up long before the end of the gear train. Sheesh, it’s as if the engineering were done by an artist! But I still love it.

]]> By: Ian Wood http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675288 Ian Wood Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:29:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675288 You have certainly demonstrated your immunity to the Cheap Arty Wow. You have certainly demonstrated your immunity to the Cheap Arty Wow.

]]> By: Ian Wood http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675286 Ian Wood Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675286 Though it's perhaps not as well-suited for 3D reproduction, I like Ganson's <a href="http://youtu.be/a6aicIcQJvc" rel="nofollow">Margot's Other Cat</a> machine a lot. Though it’s perhaps not as well-suited for 3D reproduction, I like Ganson’s Margot’s Other Cat machine a lot.

]]> By: retchdog http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675285 retchdog Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:22:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675285 yeah, it's not a life-changing experience, but seeing the piece in person is kind of interesting (interesting enough for MIT to exhibit it, at least). lighten up. i don't think the point of it is to imagine what happens in the limit, but rather to make a kind of joke about human patience and our desire to see things break. btw, despite the very safe gearing, the piece was still enclosed in thick plexiglass <i>just in case</i>. perhaps that was more informative about humanity than the piece itself. yeah, it’s not a life-changing experience, but seeing the piece in person is kind of interesting (interesting enough for MIT to exhibit it, at least). lighten up. i don’t think the point of it is to imagine what happens in the limit, but rather to make a kind of joke about human patience and our desire to see things break.

btw, despite the very safe gearing, the piece was still enclosed in thick plexiglass just in case. perhaps that was more informative about humanity than the piece itself.

]]> By: awjt http://boingboing.net/2013/03/09/print-your-own-machine-with.html#comment-1675284 awjt Sun, 10 Mar 2013 01:21:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=217612#comment-1675284 Sort of.  Because, as far as we know, there are no still-functioning anythings after billions of years.  There are lots of replicants, but not the originals. Sort of.  Because, as far as we know, there are no still-functioning anythings after billions of years.  There are lots of replicants, but not the originals.

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