Been a bit since our last "Post your veeblefetzer pics" thread: so if you got'em, post'em

[struggle4progress]

Tho these two ain't mine, I doffs me cap in awe:

http://www.incrediblystrange.com.nyud.net:8090/inventions/cold.jpg
http://www.incrediblystrange.com.nyud.net:8090/inventions/noodle.jpg

photos stolen shamelessly from www.incrediblystrange.com

[DarkTirade]

1. Aw man, I left my veeblefetzer in my other pants...

[Ptah]

2. It's a bit rusty, but here it is.

[struggle4progress]

3. Whoa! I is definite gotta git me one of them. And th'bailin wire adds such class!

[Ptah]

5. You win points for knowing what bailing wire is.

:thumbsup:

:applause:

[Oeditpus Rex]

4. This one's got a 10-segment LED display driver for positive voltages

(typically set for half volt increments from 0.5V to 5.0V), a 10-segment LED display driver for negative voltages (typically set for half volt increments from -0.5V to -5.0V), a zero LED driver for voltages that are too small to register on either the positive or negative displays, an adjustable positive peak detector LED driver, an adjustable negative peak detector LED driver, and two jacks on the front panel that make it easy to hook the Veeblefetzer into a patch without having to use a multiple.





I'll take two. They're small.



Veeblefetzer is a purposely nonsensical sounding word (at least to the English-speaking ear) applied to any sort of obscure or complicated object, e.g. a piece of computer code, model railroad equipment, auto parts, etc.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Mad (magazine) used the word along these lines, especially in its send-ups of big business. "North American Veeblefetzer" was the subject of satires of corporate annual reports, an in-house company newsletter and more. A Veeblefetzer, in their case, was a robot-like device that did something or other.

The earliest recorded use of “Veeblefetzer” was by Alfred J. Gross, a pioneer of mobile communications. He invented the walkie-talkie, developed cordless remote telephone signaling (the precursor to the pager) and was the father of the CB radio. His CB “handle” or pseudonym, adopted in the 1940s, was Phineas Thadeus Veeblefetzer.

Whether or not Al Gross influenced Mad’s use of the word, the origin for both was probably a 19th century Yiddish language slang word, possibly with limited usage. In German, "Fetzer" is any contraption, while "Veeble" is a likely corruption of "Webel" -- meaning weaving. Textile mills of this period were crammed with very complicated, wildly active and very loud pieces of machinery.

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

[struggle4progress]

6. Gotta admit I ain't kept up t'date as I otter be on th'mod veeblefetzer tech

But yer pitcher is right purty

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. Wish I had a working flatbed scanner

I'd post a pic of a real veeblefetzer, from "MAD In Orbit."



The model 305-J, with self-rotating oil cups and horizontal manifolds, in fact.

[struggle4progress]

9. Though I don't recall that particular model, many years ago I did read that journal about the

famous "left-handed veeblefetzer with a crank," ever after the object of my life-long quest

[deucemagnet]

8. This is a "Time Fountain"

The fountain is filled with fluorecently-dyed water, and the LED lights are UV strobes controlled by a computer chip. Using the strobe, you can suspend drops of water in time, reverse them, and even interact with them when frozen.

Check out more pics and video here: http://cre.ations.net/creation/the-time-fountain

[struggle4progress]

10. The electrical tape immediately suggests genius