The Heirs Of Rube Goldberg

Riding in a motorized shopping cart does sound like fun. But only until you read this comment by a guy who actually did it: "When we took it out for a test-drive, in a semi-choked position, the torque the motor generated was too much and it would flip the cart over."

But I've got to admit that at least one of Make's gizmos is pure genius: the potato cannon. They've updated this classic boy toy so that not only can it shoot potatoes 200 yards but it has a clear barrel so you can see the ignition blast!

Ah, what fun it would be to while away the warm summer evenings sitting out in the back yard with a six-pack of beer, bombarding the neighborhood with flying potatoes. This is the kind of simple human pleasure that makes life worth living.

And the cannon seems pretty easy to construct, at least by Make standards. All you need are a few simple household items: potatoes, a PVC pipe, glue, tape, screws, a can of Right Guard aerosol deodorant and a stun gun.

What? You say you don't have any stun guns around the house? What are you, some kind of wimp?

There's just one problem: "Potato cannons," Make reports, "may not be legal in your area."

No! Say it ain't so! It's an outrage! What ever happened to the Constitution? Doesn't it give us the inalienable right to bear potato cannons?

I'm mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore! They'll get my potato when they pry it from my cold dead fingers!