40 Dark and Futuristic Photoshop Effects from Spoonfed Photoshop
June 11, 2008
Seamless compositing, a realistic star field, and scan line text are some of the more interesting tutorials of these 40 Dark and Futuristic Photoshop Effects from PSDTUTS, Spoonfed Photoshop.
Financial Pinch Affects Pet Care for Many
June 9, 2008
Here are some options to pursue if a coping with a medical condition affecting your dog is beyond your budget in today’s tight economy.
Dogs have limited “Theory of Mind” from the Telegraph, UK
May 15, 2008
I’m always careful not to needlessly anthropomorphize the dogs I encounter. But clearly the dog owning experience teaches us that they do have emotions, they do think, they dream. . .but how just far can we go along this path? Dogs showing an aversion to inequity?
Read these related posts from the British Telegraph here and see if their conclusions match your own. The comments below the article are also interesting. . .
Ilovetypography.com :: A Great Site for Type Lovers
May 11, 2008
Here’s an excellent site for type lovers and anyone who wants to understand more about the ocean of fonts and typefaces we swim in every day, online and in print. This blog is written by a Brit who now resides in Japan and we’ll quote below from his “About” pages to give you a sense of his take on the subject. Think you know type? Try tackling the Rather Difficult Font Game and see how much you really know. . .
I love Typography (iLT) was born on August 8, 2007; I, on the other hand was born in 1969. iLT was born from a desire to bring the subject of Typography to the masses. All too often, articles on typography are rather bland and, although informative, do little to elicit feelings of wow.
So, iLT is designed to inspire its readers, to make people more aware of the typography that is around them. We really cannot escape typography; it’s everywhere: on road signs, shampoo bottles, toothpaste, and even on billboard posters, in books and magazines, online…the list is endless, and the possibilities equally so.
Pad Thai in a box. . .hardly
May 9, 2008
No, this isn’t the back page of Consumer Reports (but this is the sort of thing they typically run there). Above you’ll see the Pad Thai For Two recipe, from A Taste of Thai a product with the claim of “Real Thai — Real Easy.”
It may easy, but buyers should note that of 10 ingredients require to make the dish, only 2 are in the $3.99 Pad Thai for Two box. You need to bring vegetable oil, eggs, scallions, peanuts, bean sprouts, cilantro,lime wedges, 1/2 pound of chicken (or shrimp or pork) to the party in order to make this dish.
After I’ve bought all that I think I’ll just get my own noodles and a jar of sauce. . .Thanks for very little, A Taste of Thai.
30 Free High Quality Word Press Themes from Smashing Magazine
May 4, 2008
Smashing magazine presents links to 30 (no, make that 29) quality Word Press themes that are free to use in both personal and commercial projects. Check them out here.
Foreclosure Pets: to adopt your next dog, please go local
April 8, 2008
The current housing crisis has added another unwanted phrase to the national lexicon: foreclosure pets.
Even in good economic times there’s a significant percentage of people who move and leave their pets behind. Most local shelters have a standing policy of not accepting “owner surrendered” pets for fear of being overwhelmed.
This doesn’t prevent these abandoned dogs and cats from ending up in shelters; the most common technique is to remove the dog’s tags and collar and set it loose two towns away. The idea is that before the dog could find its way back to familiar turf, it will be spotted, reported and picked up by animal control. And believe it or not, these people are giving their dogs a better chance than most. Too often families move and leave their pets behind; tied up in the yard, locked in basements and closets.
The most common reason given for surrendering a family pet is “We’re moving.” Now shelters are starting to hear: “I lost my house.”
While going through the stress of losing their home and figuring out the next step for themselves, families often forget the obligation they undertook when the got their pet. Some may believe (wrongly) that local officials or the bank that has taken over their property will shelter and provide for the dog they left behind. Or perhaps a neighbor.
There are also people who consider their pets disposable, like so much else in Today’s Modern World.®
In almost every state pets are considered personal property. They have no rights granted them or inherent protection. While it may be admirable to try and save these animals, shelter them, feed them, treat them for medical conditions and try and re-home them, there is generally no legal requirement to do so.
In most towns as long as there aren’t roving packs of feral dogs loping across Main Street at noon, they consider the canine problem well-managed.
Abandoned dogs face some pretty stiff odds. If they’re locked in the house when the owners depart they may die of dehydration. A dog, like a man, can go longer without food than without fresh water. If they’re left outside they may be leashed or tied where they are open to attack by local predators. They may also injure themselves trying to break free. Once free they are still prone to attack by predators, car strikes, starvation, and disease.
I saw a pit bull once whose neck was shaved completely around, a four-inch wide swath. Running around at the center of this stubbled skin was a bright red gash — it marked the place where a rope had been tied around its neck. The rope became embedded in the dog’s skin. The pit had been found tied to a porch at an abandoned house. On his journey from the vet’s office to the local shelter I was asked to take care of this dog, briefly.
As I sat near him I felt all the things that make people afraid of this breed. This dog was clearly powerful, heavily muscled, and easily 100 pounds. There was that wide jaw, rightly feared for its ability to lock in place and refuse to release once bitten. There was no leash or collar, so I really had no way to control the dog or keep him near me, if he chose to leave. Or to protect myself. I was sitting on a wooden bench, and this unfamiliar pitt bull was sitting in front of me, with his back to me, between my legs, and panting rapidly. A dog, I was starting to think, that had been severely neglected, and probably abused, by people. People just like me. If I was him, would I be suspicious of me? Might I want to show this stranger just how tough I am? If he did attack me, I could easily justify it in several ways from his point of view.
Just as I was starting to get a bit concerned, he turned his head over his shoulder and smiled at me, baring all his teeth and a little drool. At least I chose to interpret it as a smile. I curled in the fingers of my right hand and slowly offered the back of my hand for him to sniff.
Of course, you know the end of this story by now: he licked my hand and in another moment I was happily scratching him around his ears, just as if we was old pals.
What I take from this experience (and others) is that dogs, even though they have been horribly treated by humans, are almost always ready to give us a second chance; to begin a relationship, to offer companionship. A child treated the way this pit bull had been would never completely recover from the experience. It might even turn a child into a small, amoral monster. I’ve seen that happen, too.
I’m humbled by the fact that the canine race seems so willing to forgive the human race our cruel treatment of them.
So if you are looking for a dog right now, please go to your local animal shelter first to see if they might have the dog of a lifetime for you. If you strike out there, go to the next town over and then the town after that. If you’re lucky enough to have a county facility, try there.
At this moment, the sub-prime mortgage crisis means that there are thousands of great dogs flooding into the local shelter system. The odds for most of them being re-homed are narrow. Make a difference. To adopt your next dog, go local.
Give a great dog a second chance.
Zebras are reactionaries, Antelopes are missionaries, Pigeons plot in secrecy. . .
April 6, 2008
I grew up on Simon & Garfunkel and for days now this old tune of theirs has been rattling around in my brain, At the Zoo, lyrics below.
According to the 1997 liner notes to their Old Friends album, Paul Simon toyed wth the idea of changing the song Mrs. Robinson to Mrs. Roosevelt, the landmark 1967 film The Graduate’s most famous song. Director Mick Nichols replied, “Don’t be ridiculous! We’re making a movie here! It’s Mrs. Robinson!”
Mrs. Robinson: Benjamin.
Benjamin: Yes?
Mrs. Robinson: Isn’t there something you want to tell me?
Benjamin: Tell you?
Mrs. Robinson: Yes.
Benjamin: Well, I want you to know how much I appreciate this. Really.
Mrs. Robinson: The number.
Benjamin: What?
Mrs. Robinson: The room number, Benjamin. I think you ought to tell me that.
Benjamin: Oh, you’re absolutely right. It’s 568.
Mrs. Robinson: Thank you.
Benjamin: You’re welcome. Well. . .I’ll see you later, Mrs. Robinson.
Someone told me
It’s all happening at the zoo.
I do believe it,
I do believe its true.
Its a light and tumble journey
From the East Side to the Park;
Just a fine and fancy ramble
To the zoo.
But you can take the crosstown bus
If its raining or its cold,
And the animals will love it
If you do.
Somethin’ tells me
Its all happening at the zoo.
The monkeys stand for honesty,
Giraffes are insincere,
And the elephants are kindly but
They’re dumb.
Orangutans are skeptical
Of changes in their cages,
And the zookeeper is very fond of rum.
Zebras are reactionaries,
Antelopes are missionaries,
Pigeons plot in secrecy,
And hamsters turn on frequently.
What a gas! You gotta come and see
At the zoo.
— Paul Simon
Huxley’s First Stick, half-chewed (circa 2002)
April 6, 2008
Now held in secure storage in the doggie closet, source of kibble and treats.
Huxley’s Paw at 6 Years Old
April 6, 2008
