I want one of those

It is every engineer's dream to build the ultimate machine. Shannon, the father of information theory, &c, succeeded. From his eulogy in the Guardian:

But Shannon's pride and joy was his 'Ultimate Machine', which was based on an idea of Marvin Minsky, and described by Arthur C. Clarke in Voice Across the Sea. 'Nothing could be simpler,' wrote Clarke. 'It is merely a small wooden casket, the size and shape of a cigar box, with a single switch on one face.

'When you throw the switch, there is an angry, purposeful buzzing. The lid slowly rises, and from beneath it emerges a hand. The hand reaches down, turns the switch off, and retreats into the box. With the finality of a closing coffin, the lid snaps shut, the buzzing ceases and peace reigns once more.

'The psychological effect, if you do not know what to expect, is devastating. There is something unspeakably sinister about a machine that does absolutely nothing except switch itself off.'