h a l f b a k e r yNot so much a thought experiment as a single neuron misfire.
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I stared, in rapt fascination, at a pair of massive
elephants made of wood, leather, steel, cables and
hydraulics,
while they ambled along in traffic; their "drivers" sitting
15
feet or so above the roadway, steering their majestic
beasts nimbly through the rush hour jam of vehicles.
Attracted
by their appealing appearance, reminiscent of
the glory days of the British Raj, I discovered these huge
luxury vehicles were essentially monstrous puppets,
powered by a conventional internal combustion engine
and
a series of electromechanical servo-motors.
Each elephant was controlled by a skilled operator while
their privileged passengers rode in utter luxury in the
sumptuous howdahs on their backs.
I resolved, then and there, to drop my plans to own a
chauffeured Bentley and get one of these, complete with
mahout, instead.
British, of course
http://video.google...4628921405455956969
[AbsintheWithoutLeave, Apr 27 2012]
Invente par les Francais
http://en.wikipedia...Sultan%27s_Elephant
L'elephant n'exist plus [AbsintheWithoutLeave, Apr 27 2012]
[link]
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Hmm, I saw this a little less steampunk; a little more
natural. |
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I'd like to see a Top Gear episode lap. "Cornering ability seems a bit rough!" |
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Ideal for Trunk Roads, no doubt… |
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Elephants are mysteriously difficult to see on the highway.
Strange but true. They definitely do not teleport...you just
get a sort of sudden awareness that they were there all the
time. |
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But on the plus side, you can ride your Kawi right
underneath them. |
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[+] Good mechanical animal ideas almost always get
my bun. |
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"That still only counts as one!" |
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[+] hey, works for me: rickshaw alternative, courier "when it doesn't have to be there yesterday" cross-country service, a bit of slow but sturdy 4x4 on/off-road action during rush hour, etc., costs peanuts to run... |
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"When it doesn't have to be there yesterday" I so
wish we could bun anno's. |
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// costs peanuts to run.. // |
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Maybe, but a LOT of peanuts… |
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You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.
You pay more peanuts, you get gorillas. |
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Sometimes when you pay shiny gold coins and sparkly
jewels you STILL get monkeys. |
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>Elephants are mysteriously difficult to see on the highway |
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saw them after dark with flashing red lights tied to their tails in Thailand... |
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And never ask me about the school commemoration service, the baby elephant, the Mission Impossible music over the tannoy and the smoke grenades. Wasn't even my deviltry... |
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Someone told me, just yesterday, that there was an
elephant in the room. Damned if I could see it. |
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Obviously no flashing red lights.. |
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// flashing red lights tied to their tails // |
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Now there's a job description to give a recruitment agent
nightmares… |
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"You were right honey, I find this very Carthartic." |
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"You should try it with Fava beans, and a nice Chianti!" |
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Nor 40kg piles of yellow, steaming tennis balls. |
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[4whom], I think you'd find an Amarone preferable to
a Chianti, especially with liver. |
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