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 . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg_machine Examples from You Tube of different Rube Goldbergs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RouXygRcRC4 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2367646121273499414# http://www.break.com/index/best_rube_goldberg_ever.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kvdq8cRNBM Platform21 – Mythbusters-esque experiment where they tried to make a real