OMG...It's a Strandbeest !!

Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist who builds walking kinetic sculptures that he calls a new form of life. His "Strandbeests" walk the coastline of Holland, feeding on wind and fleeing from water.

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Theo has been working for 16 years to create sculptures that move on their own in eerily lifelike ways. Each generation of his "Strandbeests" is subject to the forces of evolution, with successful forms moving forward into new designs. Jansen's vision and long-term commitment to his wooden menagerie is as fascinating to observe as the beasts themselves.His newest creatures walk without assistance on the beaches of Holland, powered by wind, captured by gossamer wings that flap and pump air into old lemonade bottles that in turn power the creatures' many plastic spindly legs. The walking sculptures look alive as they move, each leg articulating in such a way that the body is steady and level. They even incorporate primitive logic gates that are used to reverse the machine’s direction if it senses dangerous water or loose sand where it might get stuck. Check 'em out: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/162

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"A self-styled god, Jansen is evolving an entirely new line of animals: immense multi-legged walking critters designed to roam the Dutch coastline, feeding on gusts of wind." --Wired News

The Adventures of Barack and Hillary, con't...

Priceless !!

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Random Thought: Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's actually more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

The Best Rock Show In Town: Rush

These guys flat out rock!! I've seen them many times and they still continue to impress me, more so each and every time. Gary Lee Weinrib (aka, Geddy Lee) is amazing. Alexander Zivojinovich (aka, Alex Lifeson) is one of my fav guitarist. But, that Neil Peart (pronounced: Peert) is without a doubt the best drummer, ever ! Bar none. I left the concert is a mild form of daze at just how good a show I had just witnessed. For the record...I only had one beer. ...lol

My New Living Will

Here is my New Living Will Form:

I, Scooter Boudreaux, being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means. Under NO circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of pinhead partisan politicians who couldn't pass ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it or lawyers/doctors/hospitals interested in simply running up the bills. As a matter of fact, if a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to ask for at least one of the following:

______a Martini

______a Margarita

______ a Scotch and soda

______a Bloody Mary

______a Gin and Tonic

_____a Glass of Shiraz

______a Steak

______Lobster or crab legs

______The remote control

______a bowl of ice cream

______The sports page

______Chocolate
______Flying Magazine or

______Sex

It should be presumed that I won't ever get any better. When said determination has been reached, I hereby instruct my appointed person and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes and call it a day.

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At this point, it is time to call the New Orleans Jazz Funeral Band to come do their thing at my funeral, and ask all of my friends to raise their glasses to toast the good times we have had.

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Signature: ___________________________

Date: ___________________________

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RANDOM NOTE: I also hear that in Ireland they have a Nursing Home with a Pub. The patients are happier and they have a lot more visitors. Some of them don't even need embalming when their time comes. If anyone knows the name of this happy place PLEASE pass it on!

2009 Job Market

A friend of mine sent this to me...very creative and freakin' hilarious, without regard to anyone's political affiliation ! Click on the title for a direct You Tube link, for better viewing.

Engineering Question Du Jour

Q.) How much does a house weigh ???

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A.) Just a tad more than a rural two-lane bridge can hold, apparently.

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So (and you all knew this was coming... as it is the trickiest and best part of this conundrum) would this damage be covered by the Homeowners policy, the Commercial Truck/Common Carrier's policy or does it come under Roadside Assistance coverage from AAA? Either way, there's going to be a mad and temporarily homeless redneck family, somewhere !! Spoot !

La-re-do del Norte (Biz Tripping)

Apparently, a long, long time ago...Laredo was known as Laredo of The North, meaning located in the northern provence of Mexico known as Tamaulipas. Then, there was a fight and you all know the rest of that story, so I won't bore you with repetition of it. Suffice it to say that Laredo is different, even as border towns go. But, I must say that the folks are friendly and you can get the best less than $10 Tex-Mex lunch anywhere.

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The next best thing that it is known for is various and sundry, inexpensive Mexican imports. You know the kind. Like the ones pictured above. I even texted Erin to see if she would like for me to pickup a couple of these for her pad. They would be quite effective in scaring off would be "unannounced visitors." She responded that she would pass on the imports but I figured that some photos would at least be mildly entertaining and somewhat decorative, in an ironic sense. These are quite sturdy as they are made of cast aluminum...they could double as family heirlooms for generations to come !!

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Workout Report:

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Wed: Cycle, 20 miles down the Parm windtunnell, 16.9 amph

Thur: Mesa Hill repeats with The Du's, 4 repeats, 5.6 miles and a couple of cervesas. Now that's a Quality Workout.

Fri: Nada...El Tripe to Laredo + Happy Hours

Sat: Cycle, 45 miles with Stephen at the Rosedale Ride

Sun: Run, 5 miles on Brushy Creek Trail, 8:50 average...man, the days are warming up.

Mon: Gym (yes, I rediscovered it !!) and 3 miles running on the dreadmill