The Amazing Art of Double Talk: The Turboencabulator Joke & Beyond

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In summary, the turboencabulator joke has been making engineers giggle since 1944. This video is a modern rendition, and the tip-off was the term "crapalloy marvelvanes" which carries over from the 1944 version.
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anorlunda
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The turboencabulator joke has been making engineers giggle since 1944. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turboencabulator I think every year in my career, it resurfaced in one form or another. This video is a modern rendition. The tip-off was the term "crapalloy marvelvanes" which carries over from the 1944 version.

I am most impressed by the ability of the man to deliver two minutes of pure nonsense (i.e. double talk) without stumbling and without laughing.

Do you have other video or audio examples of skillful double talk to contribute? (Let's set an arbitrary limit of 10 seconds minimum to qualify.)

 
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How about this one by Bob and Ray : and also
## \\ ## The ability of the comedians to keep a straight face is remarkable. I would be laughing almost hysterically. :-) ## \\ ## And I know this really isn't "Double-Talk", but it's a similar type of comedy.
 
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Hehe, my favourite mainstay was included - the reciprocation dingle arm. All the videos on encabulators I've seen appear to subtly or not so subtly allude to previous ones, by referring to similar 'components' and 'processes', giving an illusion of this being an actual ongoing development.

anorlunda said:
I am most impressed by the ability of the man to deliver two minutes of pure nonsense (i.e. double talk) without stumbling and without laughing.
If you look at how the video cuts every few seconds, it doesn't actually require the man to be such a great actor. It's much more likely that the audio was recorded separately, and the video is spliced from a number of short takes.
 
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I have the feeling that I could post the entire Monty Python records here.
 
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Bandersnatch said:
If you look at how the video cuts every few seconds, it doesn't actually require the man to be such a great actor. It's much more likely that the audio was recorded separately, and the video is spliced from a number of short takes.
Aw, shucks. That pops my bubble.

Charles Link said:
How about this one by Bob and Ray :
Ah yes, Bob and Ray were masters. Jackie Gleason could do it too.
 
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The British exponent of double talk was Stanley Unwin who made a career of it.



Lots more examples if you search YouTube.
 
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1. What is the Turboencabulator?

The Turboencabulator is a fictitious machine that was created as part of a joke in the 1940s. It is meant to sound like a complex and advanced machine, but it is actually a nonsensical invention.

2. How did the Turboencabulator joke start?

The Turboencabulator joke originated in a technical manual for General Electric in the 1940s. The manual was meant to explain how to operate a generator, but it included a section on the Turboencabulator that was full of nonsensical and technically impossible explanations.

3. Why is the Turboencabulator still popular today?

The Turboencabulator joke has become a popular comedic device because of its absurdity and the fact that it sounds scientific and technical. It is often used as a way to make fun of overly complicated and jargon-filled language used in the scientific and engineering fields.

4. Is there any real technology behind the Turboencabulator?

No, the Turboencabulator is entirely fictional and has no basis in real technology. It was created as a joke and is not a real invention or machine.

5. Are there any other examples of double talk or nonsensical language in science?

Yes, the Turboencabulator is just one example of a larger trend of using complex and technical language to describe things that are either simple or do not exist. Other examples include the use of buzzwords and jargon in the business world, as well as the use of scientific terminology in pseudoscientific claims.

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