It is American term.  Rube Goldberg was a fictional character that
I believe was originally in a comic strip around the 1930's.  His
claim
to fame was to construct complicated and arcane devices or
interconnected groups of devices to do even some of the most
simplest tasks.  Most were mechanical devices, this was before
computers.  The term though is now used to describe any
complicated or round about way to do what should be a simple task.

I think there is currently a yearly Rube Goldberg contest to see who
can make the most complicated device!

As I say, this was before computers.  I can't imagine what Rube
could have done with a computer!

David Longo

>>> acit AT ATTGLOBAL DOT NET 12/13/02 04:12AM >>>
Hi Richard,

---> ... but is awfully Rube Goldberg.

Is this something very American-specific or I just have a hard day so
am
unable to understand :-)

Zlatko Krastev
IT Consultant


"MMS <health-first.org>" made the following
 annotations on 12/13/2002 09:30:19 AM
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This message is for the named person's use only.  It may contain confidential, 
proprietary, or legally privileged information.  No confidentiality or 
privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission.  If you receive this 
message in error, please immediately delete it and all copies of it from your 
system, destroy any hard copies of it, and notify the sender.  You must not, 
directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, print, or copy any part of 
this message if you are not the intended recipient.  Health First reserves the 
right to monitor all e-mail communications through its networks.  Any views or 
opinions expressed in this message are solely those of the individual sender, 
except (1) where the message states such views or opinions are on behalf of a 
particular entity;  and (2) the sender is authorized by the entity to give such 
views or opinions.

==============================================================================