The Perpetual Slinky Escalator

It's pretty neat until you realize that from the Slinky's point of view, it's a human attempt to create a Sisyphean hell for all Slinkykind. Matthias Wandel's eternal Slinky escalator amuses us to no end and horrifies any Slinky that watches it.

(Video Link)

Wandel made his escalator with a looped wood chain of steps. He tried to use an electric drill to automate the task. But after failing to get the right speed, he opted for a simpler and more effective hand crank. Just turn at the right speed and the Slinky will never stop its labor.

-via Gizmodo

Matthias Wandel's "Woodgears.ca" site is worth visiting for his wonderful machines and other designs. He created a binary memory system using marbles and wooden toggles that is perhaps the best explanation of how binary memory works. Many of his projects are downloadable as SketchUp models, so you can build them yourself.

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"It's pretty neat until you realize that from the Slinky's point of view, it's a human attempt to create a Sisyphean hell for all Slinkykind"

Slinkys don't have a point of view. They're neither autonomous or self-aware.

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