Yuki-taro would be right at home here lately; five straight days of most kids off school, Sauble is pretty much back to normal and the road to Owen Sound looks like a luge track, but it's passable. The weather office tells us to brace for more of the same unless either the lake freezes or the winds change, and since there's little sign of either one, maybe we should send out for a yuki-taro or two ...

The harsh winter in Niigata, Japan brings heavy snow, which can pose problems for residents -- particularly the elderly -- who are faced with the laborious task of clearing it from driveways and entrances. To the rescue comes Yuki-taro, an autonomous snowplow robot developed by a team of researchers from five Niigata-area organizations.
[ via Yuki-taro autonomous snowplow robot ::: Pink Tentacle ]

Now here's an innovation for the local snow plowmasters to ponder: your award winning Yuki-Taro autonomous snowplow robot doesn't just clear the snow, it packs the snow into nice even ice-bricks. Just follow behind with a broom and a shovel so you can stoop and scoop them up, then stick them in the sawdust and use them to help cool your summer!