Think Gutenberg here. The task? See which team can build a printing press that will produce the most copies in a set time period from a printing plate provided by JYW. :) Lithography would be a bit beyond building a working device in 10 hours but a press using a flat plate with raised type should be do-able. :)

-- Gregg Eshelman (gregg1@valint.net), February 24, 2001

Answers

iT'S BEEN SUGGESTED BEFORE AND LITHOGRAPHY ISN'T THAT TOUGH WITH A COUPLE OF RUBBER COVERED ROLLERS, MAYBE FROM AN OLD WASHING MACHINE

-- JustJay-Captain-Three Rusty Juveniles (justjay@neo.rr.com), February 24, 2001.

I suggested this a few weeks ago, of course you can always make it interesting. It could be a good challenge depending on how you set it up? After all, the printing press is what got us out of the dark ages into the dark age of the computer and this global network.

The challenge might be a King needs flyers printed out telling his people of a new tax hike, the King has two local groups who will vie for this contract. They groups have ten hours to prepare their presses and the team who can print out the most flyers about the Kings 10% tax hike wins.

Now the team that can build the most reliable most automated press wins the competition.

Not all ideas can include high performance big engines. There is an educational part to the show, it is small but it is cool in my opinion. Not to mention the part of the show that is so much fun, which is the entertaining side. When the teams compete its a hoot. To watch them try and print out these one page flyers while their machines are breaking down and you see them resorting to cave man methods. Well that can be fun.

And you could have them make their own ink out of what ever they can find in the junkyard??? Some junkyards have chemical areas, hopefully the one they are operating in will have such an area too, for old paints and such.

It isn't a great idea but it is do-able.

-- Richard James Retey (theswampie@cs.com), February 24, 2001.

Printing press + 454 or 350 chevy? Intresting concept, put the type on a tire and let her rip!

-- Waddy Thompson (cthomp3851@aol.com), February 24, 2001.

Waddy:

I like the way you think! Small and no engine? Have any of yu seen what they print newspapers today with. We just need them to "salt" the yard a LITTLE! (I'm being sarcastic!)

BROADCAST JUNKIES WEBSITE http://www.angelfire.com/tv2/broadcastjunkies

-- Joey Falgout (Broadcast Junkies) (joeyinalexandria@hotmail.com), February 25, 2001.

OK, maybe a simple printing press may not make it, but what if ole Gutenberg had to print out 100 pages 10 feet under water? And get the pages to the surface dry!

Give them 10 hours to build whatever they come up with and one hour to set it up at the lake.

-- Richard James Retey (theswampie@cs.com), February 25, 2001.