The Friday Quiz: Quickly, Quickly!
In haste we post today's throwaway head-acher.
Born in 1709, Jacques de Vaucanson invented a number of interesting devices, credited by some with being the very first of their kind. Educated by Jesuits, he later studied anatomy under a surgeon. For one of his inventions, he created over 400 moving parts, including what may have been the world's first flexible rubber tube.
What did de Vaucanson create?
First correct post to comments wins some of Keith Richards' uncle Algy's old fingernail clippings, mixed carefully in a small bag of crystal meth. No Googling or going back to school for that graduate degree in material culture you've been considering. One guess per comment, but I promise there are plently of comments to go around.
Comments
A distillery.
Posted by: boxjam![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 6, 2007 11:52 AM
An animatronic duck.
Posted by: Jonathan![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 6, 2007 01:24 PM
Wow, Jonathan. You're kind of ridiculously close.
Posted by: BT![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 6, 2007 04:08 PM
A merry-go-round
Posted by: boxjam![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 6, 2007 05:34 PM
Robots!
Posted by: art![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 6, 2007 07:13 PM
Did he build a chess-playing automaton?
Posted by: gavinedwards![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 6, 2007 07:34 PM
A robotic duck.
I tried for two years to read Mason & Dixon, and finally got through with a forced march unabridged book on tape. I remember the duck.
By the way, I highly recommend it when you've got a month to yourself.
Posted by: Jonathan![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 6, 2007 10:13 PM
Note to Self: have Mason and Dixon waiting at the nursing home.
As to the rubber tube feller, um, he created water wings.
Posted by: hackly_fracture![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 7, 2007 12:29 AM
It was basically robots -- he built a robotic flute player, apparently requiring skin, possibly from a human cadaver, to get the fingers to cover the touchholes properly. But he also made a kind of mechanical duck that could walk, quack, eat, and excrete. Hence the rubber tube.
Given that "-tronic" isn't quite the right suffix for describing a clockwork-type mechanism, I'd say Jonathan gets credit for the assist but the Stuke earns the goal.
Posted by: BT![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 8, 2007 10:58 PM
And note to self: wheel down the hall and borrow Hackly's copy of Mason and Dixon after he's done with it, assuming I can be torn away from "Deal or No Deal 2047" and "Trading Virus-and-Radiation-Proof Bunkers."
Posted by: BT![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 8, 2007 11:01 PM
If there's a duck involved, then I think Jonathan should win, no questions asked. And perhaps you've gone too far assuming that anyone would remember my nom de radio -- but I recall we are a select community here after all....
Posted by: art![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 9, 2007 09:05 AM
Given that the prizes around here have gotten kind of disgusting, I'm happy to live in The Stuke's reflected glory.
Wasn't the Whisky Rebellion supposed to get something decent for the Quiztacular? I'd like to put in for a peppermint patty.
Posted by: Jonathan![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.wombatfile.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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April 10, 2007 10:19 PM