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Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race 99

Posted by michael from the junkyard-wars dept.
YetAnotherName writes "Both Wired Magazine and Tom Jones have coverage of the East Coast Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race 2003. Contestants plant tongue firmly into cheek, construct, and race bizarre human-powered vehicles across a variety of terrains. Notable vehicles included a 13-foot high pink poodle and a giant eyeball. Special rules this year required contestants to carry a sock-puppet on board. The winner this year? RTFA."
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Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race More

Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race

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  • tom jones?? (Score:5, Funny)

    by xao gypsie ( 641755 ) on Tuesday April 29, 2003 @10:47PM (#5840022)
    It's not unusual to be human propelled by anyone.....
    im sorry....i couldnt help it.

    xao

  • Not THAT Tom Jones... (Score:4, Funny)

    by sammy.lost-angel.com ( 316593 ) on Tuesday April 29, 2003 @10:51PM (#5840045) Homepage
    He's preparing for the big show after the aliens come and destroy the planet...

  • Some people just aren't trying (Score:5, Funny)

    by ObviousGuy ( 578567 ) <ObviousGuy@hotmail.com> on Tuesday April 29, 2003 @10:53PM (#5840052) Homepage Journal
    Tying a wagon to the back of a bike does not a kinetic sculpture make.
    • " Tying a wagon to the back of a bike does not a kinetic sculpture make."

      Further more, putting anything on a bike doesn't make it a kinetic sculpture, it makes it a bike. I think for this to be interesting it should have a rule saying you can't used things like bicycle drives. A wheel is fine but run it with a wind turbine, or make it sail powered. Do something with levers. Anything just don't re-invent the wheel by using something allready invented or at the least really common.

      Anything moving is a kine
    • No, but tying a bike to the back of a wagon . . . THAT'S art! Power it with malamutes.
  • Someone decides to race a poodle.

    This should be under the more-money-than-brains category.

  • No discussion of Kinetics is complete... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Gopher ( 24294 ) on Tuesday April 29, 2003 @10:55PM (#5840062) Homepage
    ...without mention of the Boulder Kinetics race [kbco.com], which has been run every year since 1979. While not the original according to this page [geocities.com], it still predates Baltimore's by 19 years.

  • Sock Puppet (Score:5, Funny)

    by clear issue ( 627917 ) on Tuesday April 29, 2003 @10:56PM (#5840070)
    I was just curious as to what everyone would choose as their "Homemade Sock Creature". (Required at all times). I personally would probably choose one that could beat up on the other puppets, thus claiming a puppet victory.
  • I was expecting a rendition of "It's Not Unusual" or Delilah. pfh!

  • Olympics it ain't (Score:5, Funny)

    by sssmashy ( 612587 ) on Tuesday April 29, 2003 @11:06PM (#5840116)

    The judges don't have to perform any complicated calculations to figure out who the winner is -- the rules suggest that they can simply give the title to whomever hands out the best bribes.

    had been wondering what figure skating judges do in the off season...

  • This year... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 29, 2003 @11:07PM (#5840122)
    I'm making a giant bike sculpture powered by a dog.
  • I would have entered a Nissan Micra...ofcourse with my tounge firmly in my cheek because I would only ever drive one for a kinetic sculpture competition!

  • Bumperstickers for the puppet? (Score:5, Funny)

    by gtaluvit ( 218726 ) on Tuesday April 29, 2003 @11:11PM (#5840142)
    Could you put bumper stickers on your vehicle? Like "My sock puppet slept with your honor student?" or "Pets.com on board"

  • RTFA (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    You know things are bad when you have to be reminded to RTFA in the /. article.
  • Additionally, spectators "may not throw their bodies in the path of oncoming sculptures,"

    Well, there go all my Death Race 2000-inspired contraptions.
  • Did anyone else think there should have been a tux present at their silly little race?

    • Re:Wow.... (Score:1, Offtopic)

      by cioxx ( 456323 )
      Did anyone else think there should have been a tux present at their silly little race?

      My exact thoughts. I would pay to see Linus and Bruce Perens pedaling a giant penguin built on a bicycle for two.

  • You know it's bad when... (Score:5, Funny)

    by petecarlson ( 457202 ) on Tuesday April 29, 2003 @11:44PM (#5840271) Homepage Journal
    You know it's bad when you find out about this on Slashdot and it went right past your house...
    Me wonders what I did Friday night...

    • I live across the street from the park, and stopped by for a bit. Kind of boring, really. Then, I went over to the City Paper Beer Festival at the DeGroen's brewery. It was canceled. Got drunk anyway. Boring, rainy, alcohol-laden day.

  • I was there.. (Score:5, Informative)

    by ArtEnvironment ( 454905 ) on Tuesday April 29, 2003 @11:50PM (#5840289) Homepage
    Yeah... uhm.. a group I am involved in... "The Philadelphia Dumpster Divers" participates.. and has, for at least 4 out of the 5 that the baltimore race has been running... this year... we had a vehicle that I'm surprised wired didn't cover.... we had a VIRTUAL VEHICLE. We even won awards for it.

    BTW, the sock puppet is NOT a new rule. Infact we have won for best sock puppet I believe 3 of the years.. (don't quote me on that.)

    For more information on the Dumpster Divers, and related project(s) you can check http://www.pleasetake.org/ [pleasetake.org]

    Infact I'm going down there in May for a party with some of the other kinetic racers and friends.

  • ah ha! (Score:1)

    by Pierre ( 6251 )
    I drove by this last weekend and had no idea what these folks were up to. Alas my curiosity is satisfied.

    I thought it was a kid thing... turns out it was a big kid thing.

  • Waaaaay OT (Score:3, Funny)

    by Toasty16 ( 586358 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @12:07AM (#5840340) Homepage
    wtf is going on with slashdot right now? My last comment was modded to 5 last night, but now I see that it is unmoderated at 2. And the frontpage ask slashdot article about video on demand has comments disabled? WTF?

    Oh, and those are weird sculptures.

  • This has been going on in California since 1969 (Score:1, Troll)

    by Anonymous Coward
    take a look here [kineticsculpturerace.org]

    Rule 2.01a [kineticsculpturerace.org] requires you to carry a "comforting item of psychological luxury". Get your own ideas Baltimore!

  • go bumpo go (Score:4, Interesting)

    by rahulb ( 251939 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @12:36AM (#5840425) Homepage
    I had the pleasure of being on the pit crew for team Bumpo - the big Indian elephant. Let me tell you, the Gandhi on top was a huge hit with the folks on the street! The participants all have great attitudes - I recommend everyone to check it out next year (or your own local Kinetic Sculpture Race). Some teams spend months building these things. Of course, others only spend days... relying only on the fact that wheels turn and styrafoam floats. But hey, whatever works!

  • Pardon me? (Score:3, Funny)

    by revmoo ( 652952 ) <slashdot.meep@ws> on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @12:54AM (#5840478) Homepage Journal

    "The winner this year? RTFA."

    You're new here aren't you :)

  • If you wanna a real trip, check out the Kinetic Sculpture Race in Humboldt California. Some of the wierdest stuff I've ever seen. It dates back to '69 I think.
  • Baltimore's race is a copy based on the Great Arcata to Ferndale (California) World Championship Kinetic Sculpture Race [kineticsculpturerace.org], celebrating its 35th year in 2003.

    What's the difference? The original race is a grueling 3-day trek over road, sand, mud and water. It's as much about endurance as it is art, for the glory of course.

  • The Nationals! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by StefanJ ( 88986 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @01:31AM (#5840611) Homepage Journal
    I went to the National kinetic sculpture race in Eureka, CA a couple of times.

    Actually, the first time was an accident. I was driving up 101 for fun, heard the coverage on the radio, and made sure to drive through town. I saw a giant warthog driving across a bridge. Quite neat! But the hotels were all booked and I didn't know where to go to spectate.

    I went for "real" a couple of years back. Booked a hotel, got the schedule and map. The race started in Arcata (famed for its on-line police blotter), up the highway a bit. The racers assembled around the town square for inspection and brake trials. I took a lot of pictures. The floats^H^H^H^H^H^H Kinetic Sculptures ranged from barely modified bicycles to WILD, elaborate machines with teams in matching uniforms. Best were a giant dinosaur skeleton (with cavemen drivers armed with clubs) and a pink rabid poodle with a beer stine.

    The Burned Out Hippy ethic of the race first became evident here. Very entertaining and charming, if you're into vague non-competitive niceness.

    After leaving town, the racers headed for the beach, for a five-mile or so drag over the dunes overlooking the Pacific. I was going to follow on foot, but my ill-footing gumshoes tore up my toes. I ended up taking a lift to the next exciting spot, a hill that the races had to crawl up. There was a CLIFF on the other side. Most of the machines made it, but rarely gracefully. After another few miles through sand and brush the racers crossed a bridge into town for the night.

    I decided another full day of this wasn't in the cards, but I stayed long enough in the morning to watch the racers go into water mode at the foot of a bridge. Very neat. Some racers were water-ready as is. Others had to deploy pontoons. Some were paddled, others had pedal-operated paddle wheels or even propellors.

    The least well designed craft had to be rescued by the harbor patrol. (According to the Burned Out Hippy Ethic, the foundering craft were "pushing the coast guard cutters with stiff ropes.") The best really tore along. The best, as I recall, was "Rolling Blackout," which was made from black PVC barrels and had rotary paddles.

    Anyway, I'd recommend this event, especially for families, but make sure you have other activities lined up.

    Stefan

    • On memorial day weekend.

      http://www.kineticsculpturerace.org/
    • Some friends of mine enter this race every year.
      They have a big septic tank that is painted yellow, has portholes cut out on the side, a screw (propeller), and is called the Yellow Submarine.

      They usually win a prize for the most creative cheating or something like that.
      They bribe judges or sneak off course for a quick short-cut or other sorts of things.

      Also, don't forget, this is the same town that just made it a crime to cooperate with the federal government's Patriot Act.
  • The annual da Vinci Days Festival [davinci-days.org] here in Corvallis, OR holds a Kinetic Sculpture Race [davinci-days.org].

    Racers have to cross a vast gulf of 1 foot deep mud, go miles on the hard pavement, climb sand hills, and go down the Willamette River for the length of town. And keep their sense of humor at all times!

    Long Live Hobart Brown!

  • In accordance to prophecy (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    One of my favorite scenes of the 2002 Arcata-Ferndale race occured at the end of day 2 near the on-beach campsite Crab Park. Crab Park comes after 1.5 miles in the salt water bay, 20+ miles of road, and a long 40 mph descent down Loletta hill. The last 4-5 miles is a narrow country lane bounded on both sides by green fields and grazing dairy cows.

    Rhino, a big 10 foot long, 8 foot high, 4 wheel drive, 4 pilot, articulated frame scultpure was coming in very late because it was version 1 vehicle with some de

  • DaVinci Days (Score:3, Interesting)

    by vanyel ( 28049 ) * on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @02:32AM (#5840906) Journal
    Corvallis, OR has a KSR as part of their DaVinci Days [davinci-days.org] celebration every year, though it's relatively recent, only about 15 years or so. I'd post links to pics, but right now they're on my home system on the back end of a 128K upload DSL line ;-) The mud bog is particularly fun. One year, the Maltese Fulcrum, basically a human V-8 4WD that can go anywhere, albeit not very fast, ended up pulling out another racer who got stuck. If you get a chance, you should go --- they're a lot of fun. (oh, and the prize for which bribery is allowed is only one of the less valuable prizes ;-) )
    • I don't know if anyone's still around to see this post, but if anyone's interested, I put some video and stills from the 96 [igrbp.com] and 97 [igrbp.com] DaVinci Days in Corvallis up on a site that can handle slashdotting. There's also some video of a trebuchet slinging various items --- the arm of the trebuchet was the same one used to sling the piano in one of the Northern Exposure episodes. Given the state of online video back then, they're far from high-def, but some people may enjoy them...
  • These things blow the pants off any case mod artists. Arcata's started in '69 and is ass loads of fun. The race lasts 3 days and you have to travel over road, ocean (well a shallow bay), sand dunes, and even past the worlds most ill conceived nuclear power plant*. All sculptures must be human powered, self contained, and the operator cannot touch the ground. Throw in a couple more rules like mandatory teddy bear and cookies (must bribe the judges or your automatically disqualified [RTF rule book]) all in an

  • original KSR (Score:4, Informative)

    by Graymalkn ( 115421 ) on Wednesday April 30, 2003 @04:43AM (#5841311) Homepage
    Others have mentioned Arcata, Eureka, and Ferndale as all being home to the original KSR. It should be noted for those not familiar with California geography that these are all the same race. As mentioned above, it started in Ferndale in 1969 but eventually the starting line moved north, so that now the three-day race starts in Arcata, crosses Eureka Bay, and eventually ends (after climbing the Slippery Slimy Slope) in the Victorian/hillbilly town of Ferndale.

    It really is an amazing sight to see (especially the Sculptures trying to get up the Slope in the rain!) and I highly recommend that anyone who can manage to be six hours from the nearest major airport over Memorial Day weekend make an effort to attend.

    For a good laugh, the rules [kineticsculpturerace.org] are available online.
  • I have lived in Baltimore for many years, and this was the first year I attended. A cousin of mine is "Dr. Mud" and was part of the team who makes the mud pit each year.

    The race rocked, because:
    • It had huge sculptures
    • The sculptures all moved (some better than others)
    • The degree of silliness was quite high

    On the last point, they had a "blessing of the feet" for the drivers of the sculptures...which involved a person dressed a like Obi-Wan pretending to talk through his mind while a pre-recorded CD play

  • What about Boulder's kinetics: http://www.kbco.com/kinetics/
  • On that momentous day, Hobart Brown [blah blah blah] decided to try to fix his son's broken tricycle. [blah blah blah] When he finished, the tricycle was more than six feet tall, and Brown had to add three extra wheels to the bright red, wobbly piece of art to stop it from falling over.

    His son, OTOH, is still in therapy.

    -Miko

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