Occasionally, we see some pretty unusual things in the river. Today’s entry features what appears to be a two-person kayak fitted with an outrigger, gas-powered engine, and battery-powered motor. Other features include two dashboard-like consoles with storage, a windshield, a map holder, and an over-land wheeled cart. I apologize for the blurry photo but this thing was moving along pretty quickly and I had to run for my camera.

Born in San Francisco, Reuben Lucius Goldberg (1883-1970) graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a degree in engineering. He later entered journalism and moved to New York, where he became a syndicated cartoonist.

His whimsical and overly complex machines designed to solve the travails of modern life endeared him to generations of engineers, scientists, and everyone else who encounters the wonders and headaches of modern technology.