It is customary in many places to shatter wineglasses by stomping on them or throwing them in the fire (usually assoiciated with wedding ceremonies). These traditions while fun, come with risk of injury. This device continues these traditions with added safety features and unusual acoustics.
When glasses of the same type are put into the musical glass breaker, moistened mechanical fingers traverse the rims of the glasses creating an unusual and entertaining omnidirectional sound. As water is slowly dripped into the glasses the pitch changes. The size of the drip is not measured. A detuned effect will quickly ensue and the glasses will shatter as a result of their own resonance.
Glass catch basin included – considering recording device for the sound...-- Shz, Jan 31 2003 // These traditions while fun, come with risk of injury. //
As with many other human activities - especially the ones performed in an intoxicated state - the "risk" is what actually provides the fun.
If you had a "glass smashing machine" where you could place the glass in an enclosed cabinet with a perspex safety window, and then press a button and see a carefully-engineered hammer swing down and neatly smash the glass, the sound being amplified though quadrophonic low-noise amplification via accoustic pickups, then all the "fun" would have completely and effectively extracted.
The excitement largely comes in seeing if either the thrower or some innocent bystander is going to be maimed or crippled by flying shards of glass.-- 8th of 7, Jan 31 2003 I'd imagined some large steam-powered fairground organ trundling along the highways and byways randomly throwing stones at windows.-- oneoffdave, Jan 31 2003 It’s not a grenade or vandalism, the fun is in the sight/sound.-- Shz, Jan 31 2003 I'm with 8th on this. With Shz's device you might as well watch a video of breaking glasses.-- kropotkin, Jan 31 2003 \_}_/-- thumbwax, Jan 31 2003 <Neddie Seagoon> "We drank a toast, and smashed our glasses in the fireplace. I had to borrow a spare pair so I could find my way home...." </Neddie Seagoon>-- 8th of 7, Jan 31 2003 random, halfbakery