Car rollovers, laundry and sustainability, oh my!

I came across this gem that plays like a 1970s British mashup of Mythbusters and How Things Work when, for some reason, I was looking for info on how washing machines work today. And although it clearly explains how washing machines work, it gives you so much more.

They stage a car rollover in perhaps the clearest description of how solenoids work I’ve ever seen. In describing how the various components work they build special effects equipment, cut about 20 washing machines in half, and include various other Mythbusters-like goodies… and when the narrator gets hit in the face by water, I can’t help but imagine how hilarious it would be were there a British version of Mythbusters, with Adam’s analogue responding in that stoic British fashion…. although Jaime is stoic in his own way, it would be vastly entertaining to see a more impetuous hacker forced to deal with the outcomes of his rash actions in the stoic fashion expected in British culture.

In the historical overview of how we clean our clothes, we learn about women’s liberation – and get to see naked pirates.

The last five minutes or so address how the technology involved in producing washing machines had changed in “recent” years. They compare how And in one of the earliest discussions I’ve found surrounding gadgets/technology and sustainability, I’ve found perhaps my favorite quote thus far of the year:

“The modern engineering would probably horrify pre-war engineers who worshipped quality, not economy.”

And the reggae version of Dave Brubek’s “Take Five” at the end is a nice touch.

In all, it’s a fascinating watch – if you’re a technology geek like me who never got to take shop class or study electrical engineering but loves to figure out how things work, it’s 25 minutes well spent.

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