Reminds me of the hydraulic model of the economy, the MONIAC "computer".

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4438081

I assume this was the inspiration for "The Glooper" in Terry Pratchet's book "Making Money"

The color diagram in the article is of the MONIAC.

Why are all the quotes the same one?

Good catch. They are not really the same, just different authors describing the same thing.

Actually it's the author using some poetic license in trying to make a connection between the different examples he gives. Rube Goldberg lived and died long after the texts he references were written.

Ah, I see. I didn't notice they were appropriating the same original text.