This is so freakin' rad: The World of Technology blog has posted a series of GIFs showing how common mechanical mechanisms work. I'm in awe of whatever genius developed the Maltese Cross mechanism, which turns smooth circular motion into segmented second-hand motion for clocks:

I have no idea what a Constant Velocity Joint really does, but I can't stop staring at it:

Then there's the crazy bi-level elevator that loads shells and gunpowder, separately, into enormous battleship guns:

And for the first time, I finally understand how a sewing machine works (though admittedly this one took me the longest to grasp):

If anyone out there is qualified and so inclined, we're begging, begging you to produce a series of GIFs that show industrial design production methods. I think something simple that showed stamping, blow molding, vacuum forming, et cetera, would go a long way.

via kottke