that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction. The expression is named after American cartoonist and inventor Rube Goldberg (1883-1970). Rube Goldberg [Excerpt from Wikipedia, ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg_machine )] "Professor Butts and the Self-Operating Napkin" by Rube Goldberg. Was later reprinted in the postcard book