Alva was his middle name

When I was 14, I flirted with the idea of becoming an inventor. During this awkward pubescent phase, I tossed aside my drawing tablets and toiled with science kits. Kits that promised to conduct electricity that were available at local Radio Shacks were things I sought after. I would religiously watch and record (by pointing my VHS camcorder at the TV screen) countless episodes of contemporary science shows such as Beakman's World and Bill Nye the Science Guy. I'd burn out lightbulbs by melting glass on the hot surface of the bulb. When anyone would complain, I'd remind them I was doing it in the name of science and that they'd thank me one day when I figure out how to melt glass into useful things...like an extra lung or something.

Besides a ventriloquist doll I got when my science experiments and their novelty wore off, I have nothing to show for that stage of my life. The only thing I got out of it was a grand reinforcement in my eternal love for inventions and the theories that support them. Mechanical things impress me the most. I could stare at the inside of a complicated working clock for hours and still find it amusing.

This love of machines was most likely fostered when I saw my first Rube Goldberg cartoon strip. Sure, looking back now, the inventions seem obviously exaggerated, but as a kid, I imagined these wacky creations actually working. Twenty things needing to engage before a pencil can be sharpened seemed perfectly logical to me.

I stumbled across a UK commercial for Honda and was absolutely mesmerized by it. I watch it over and over again and am simply amazed. According to sources, none of it is computer generated. They actually dissasembled two Honda Accords and had engineers create the most elaborately beautiful contraption to date (besides the Internet of course - ha!) I encourage you to watch it and let me know what you think.

My urge to invent and enhance will have to wait for now. In the meantime, I hope to get the chance to go see this exhibit at our local museum.

Comments

I watched that commercial and watched it and watched it. I think I watched it at least 20 times. Besides the marvel of it having been done without the benefit of CG, it was the "sound" of the commercial that did it for me. The sound was absolutely flawless.

Remember Heathkits? I tried those a few times with marginal success.

That UK Honda ad is amazing, definitely! I've read that it took more than 600 attempts to get that perfect shot.

It was actually two shots.

I am unsure of the seam-shot, thought, but it was two shots,
spliced together.

Still... Exceptional.

And they got the tires to go uphill by weighting them with some cleaverly-placed gears.

Or so I have been told.

BTW, seems that you are referring to Thomas Edison in the title of this piece. Go check out the last episode of "From the Earth to the Moon" for a ... Less Than Complimentary look at one of "his" escapades.

For that matter, check out the entire series of 12 episodes. Well worth the watch, IMHO.

Excellent deducing Michael! I was wondering if anyone was going to figure out who or what I was referencing in my title...great job! Only the hardcore inventors would know...or someone who watches too much of the History Channel :-p

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