CONNECTICUT — Rube Goldberg machines have fascinated humans for decades. There’s such anticipation in the reveal as we see yet another device that will keep the momentum going and kick off another set of actions.
Most of us have probably seen that OK Go music video that went viral in 2010. It’s an excellent example of how these machines, big and small, can sync up to accomplish a final task (in this case, blasting the band with paint cannons).
There are also times when a series of unexpected events occur that create an unintentional Rube Goldberg machine.
You almost have to watch this video a few times to understand what is happening. It all started when a crew was working on power lines in Stratford, Connecticut. The low-hanging lines crossed a road and a passing vehicle accidentally snagged them. This caused one wire to go taut, which pulled another wire, which then pulled another wire, which then pulled another wire, which then caused a telephone pole to bend down toward the earth, which then caused another wire to whip forward like a slingshot, which then somehow launched a basketball hoop 75 feet into the air.
As you can see, the basketball hoop nearly struck a worker. According to the video caption, the incident resulted in the “basketball hoop smashed, window broken, siding damaged, roof damaged and car severely damaged.”
Yikes. I’m just glad that the worker was able to dodge the flying basketball hoop. Otherwise, this could’ve ended quite badly.