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Tuesday, July 14, 2009 - 10:13
The digital age

Caught on video

There’s nothing wrong with singing and dancing to your favorite music, right?

Well there is if you happen to be driving a big rig at the same time.

Romanian TV stations uncovered a video on YouTube of truck driver Iulian Breazu dancing around the cab of his truck while driving down a Belgian highway. Breazu can be seen jumping up and down on his seat, dancing in the aisle and at one point even driving with his foot, all while his brother filmed from the passenger seat.

Breazu’s brother uploaded the video to YouTube as a joke, and when local TV stations discovered it, Breazu was dubbed the “Driving Tarzan.”

Police weren’t laughing, though, and now Breazu could lose his job and face criminal charges if authorities can determine from the video what country he was driving through at the time of his hijinks.

In the meantime, Breazu offered this unsettling explanation: “I guess I was just too happy or too bored that day. We truck drivers all do things while driving. Some clip their nails, fix their hair, look into the mirror and what not.”

The Force was weak with this one

State Patrol troopers are used to the standard excuses for reckless driving, like bathroom emergencies and doctor appointments.

However, a Fall City, Wash., man who was clocked going 110 mph in the I-90 express lane offered up a much more modern explanation for his lead foot: He had to get home to place a bid on eBay.

The driver didn’t say what the item was that he wanted to bid on, but the trooper who pulled him over noted, “It was unbelievable how much Star Wars memorabilia he had in his car. “

The driver, 46, who may or may not still live with his parents, was arrested and his car was impounded, along with all of his collectibles. He was released the following day, and now police are keeping their fingers crossed that he doesn’t discover eBay Mobile on his cell phone.

Roadside attraction

At one point in time, we’ve all wondered to ourselves, “Have I mowed my lawn recently?”

If only there was an easy way to find out.

Leicestershire County Council in central England came up with a solution this past spring, and it’s only going to cost the taxpayers $10,000.

The council decided to outfit their fleet of 14 lawn mowers and five tractors with GPS so that officials can keep straight which roadside areas have been mowed and which haven’t.

Residents also will be able to check online to see when parkways and roadsides in their neighborhood are scheduled to be cut.

The move came in reaction to complaints last year about uncut grass throughout the county, resulting in a “grass-cutting investigation panel” having to make some tough decisions.

“Keeping Leicestershire’s grass verges neat and tidy is important and I’m pleased we are embracing innovative technology,” said David Parsons, the council head.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the community is willing to embrace the council’s forward-thinking solution.

“It’s bonkers, it beggars belief,” said one naive resident. “Why spend all this money on these gadgets when you can see the grass grow with your own eyes?” If only, mate.

Council is now on the lookout for a supercomputer that will allow them to predict when it is about to rain.

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