I Dreamed of This When I Was A Kid

Two things you don't know about me: 1)When I was 9, I was obsessed with dinosaurs. 2) If my 41-year-old self had met my 9-year-old self, I would have killed my 9-year-old self for saying "neato-bosso!" five hundred million times in the dinosaur skeleton and diorama section at the Natural History Museum of Colorado. I dreamed of someday making a dinosaur that could walk realistically. Check this out.

Also check out the movie Fast, Cheap and Out of Control. Only part of it is about robotics, but the other parts are about animal training, topiary and naked mole rats. If my immediate family had their own special crest, it would have a naked mole rat on it. Last year for Christmas, I made everyone this coffee mug:

Why? Because my family watched a lot of PBS-- every nature show there was. One night, as we all occupied our customary positions, Dad at number one left on the green plaid couch, Mom at number two right on the couch, and my sister and I each on a pillow or a blanket on the floor, this show came on, and they started describing these animals that were so strange, so insect-like and disgusting, that the whole family started to laugh. Together. Which was not something that happened a lot. NMRs look like hot dogs that have been microwaved too long, except they have legs, and teeth outside their mouths, and whiskers. Like a bad cross between a Mexican Hairless dog and a hamster. Chew on that for a minute, and then go read the full description of their weird habits. Or get the movie and check it out.