A tribute to the Kludge

When Apollo 13 blew its lid on its way to the moon, the Astronauts on board had to create an oxygen filter to preserve their air supply using nothing but stuff on board.

The device, and the ingenuity they put into creating it, saved their lives.

Now, a website has been established which pays homage to all the brilliant every day kludges that we make every day to get us by hopefully not quite such life and death moments. Check out the perfectly named thereifixedit.com for hours of amusement.

One random example provided below. This one apparently the result of a steward on a plane needing to fix the plastic cover of the exit door which kept falling off…. there are many, many more on the site.

Copyright 2010 Caspar Schlickum