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Jewish World Review Crazy contraptions By Randy A. Salas http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) Recent online buzz about a ridiculously clever hamster-powered contraption reminds us that Plato was partly right when he wrote that necessity is the mother of invention. After reading about it and other fanciful devices chronicled on the Web, maybe the axiom should be restated, "Absurdity is the mother of invention." www.tomballhatchet.com The Hamster Shredder is not an actual device but a clever concept by British designer and artist Tom Ballhatchet. The idea is simple: Put a sheet of paper in a slot atop a hamster cage. The little rodent spins his exercise wheel. That powers a shredder housed in the cage top. The cut-up paper drops into the cage to provide bedding for the little fella. Brilliant! Or, as the Core77 Design Blog (www.core77.com/blog) said, it's "a sparkling beacon of analog promise." For all the hubbub that the Hamster Shredder has created online, there are few details, just two photos at Ballhatchet's site and a note by Core77 that a model of it was exhibited last week at a prestigious international design show in Milan, Italy. www.halfbakery.com Halfbakery celebrates the "birth of a notion," as one of the site's many funny sayings goes. Users post their crazy concepts for everyday devices, and the rest of the community weighs in with votes of yea or nay. Sure, the idea for a hamster-powered paper shredder has already been taken, but there are loads of other off-the-wall inventions just waiting to be built, based on recent Halfbakery suggestions. Take the floor-cleaning Doggy Lick Meat Spray Mop, for example. "Simply spray our special meat-based aerosol over your entire vinyl, wood or tile floor, and then sit back with a beer as your dog carefully licks all the meaty yumminess off every square inch of your floor," its creator says. But wait -- there's more: Doggy Lick is the perfect complement to the Cat's Tongue upholstery cleaner. www.wallaceandgromit.com No man and canine know more about crazy inventions -- or, in their parlance, cracking contraptions -- than Wallace and Gromit, the animated duo popularized by England's Aardman studio. Click on "Films" and then "Cracking Contraptions" at their official site, and you'll find a picture gallery of 10 of their absurd creations, such as the Soccamatic rapid-fire soccer-ball shooter and the Snowmanotron automated snowman-builder. I like the burglar-deterring Bullyproof Vest. A video clip of only Soccamatic was available on a recent visit, but Google Video (www.startribune.com/a2650) has a 24-minute compilation of all of the Cracking Contraptions in action. www.rube-goldberg.com Of course, the legendary Rube Goldberg inspired all of this hamster-powered, half-baked crackery. The cartoonist, who died in 1970, became famous for his drawings of elaborately kooky devices to carry out simple tasks. The Artwork Gallery at his official site offers examples, such as the 19-step Simplified Pencil Sharpener, which involves the use of a kite, an iron and a potted tree with squirrel. Annual academic competitions keep the spirit of Goldberg alive by having students build complex working devices to execute simple tasks. Videos of contest entries as well as other real-world Goldbergian contraptions can be viewed online at Rube Is Cool (www.mousetrapcontraptions.com/links-10) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rube+goldberg). www.startribune.com/a2649 Use your computer to build your own crazy contraptions through the long-running "Incredible Machine" games. The link above will take you to Download.com's page for "Return of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions," where you can download a free working demo of that program. But many sites offer free downloads of early games in the largely defunct, but popular, series. Just do a Google search for "incredible machine" abandonware. No hamster required. Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. Randy A. Salas is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Do you have a favorite Web site or a question about how to find something on the Internet? Send a note by clicking here. Previously: Turtles away! Poetry in action In the news That's life Download this Nature blogs spring to life That was then; this is now Is your number up? Listen up “300” more than Ancient history Looking for E.T. Put on a smiley face :-) Speaking of accents In the news AnsaThat finds its answer On top of the world Another day, another dollar Prank you very much How much is enough? Sound off Readers have questions, concerns Quick, give me a word Driving you crazy The joy of Bob Ross Online goes prime time You don't need to know this Remembering the creator of Scooby-Doo Do-it-yourself art ‘Leave me alone!’ Special deliveries Weight-loss journeys Daily routines Working without a map Just you watch! New year, new diet Your mail answered Chatting: Central characters Wonders never cease Secret messages For your consideration Freaky food forays Best of 2006 online Missed marketing H.G. Wells’ legacy endures A quest for dragons E-mails you've sent In the news It's free! Websites that help you find books that are right for you Coping with illness Some serious face time Some serious face time In reply to your e-mail ... 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