5.26.2009

Cats on Tuesday: Out of the Box



Cats on Tuesday: There's Just Nothing Like A Box

At first Isis was in the box.


Then she got out of the box, so of course Morgan had to go in and inspect the box.

Isis had to inspect Morgan inspecting the box.

As you can see, Emma was satisfied to observe the proceedings from a safe distance.

Although she was sure she had seen her enter it, Isis had some difficulty ascertaining whether or not Morgan was still in the box.


5.23.2009

Super Duper Uber Tiny

What is this? It's the Rosetta Disk, with 13,500 pages of data describing 1,500 languages etched onto a tiny nickel data chip. To see an individual page, you'd need a 500x microscope. Thanks to Gizmodo for yet another fascinating tidbit (and I do mean tidbit).

According to The Rosetta Project, "Fifty to ninety percent of the world's languages are predicted to disappear in the next century, many with little or no significant documentation."

5.21.2009

Why the Cats Like Mackenzie

funny pictures of cats with captions

Lolcats offers one theory as to why Emma likes Mackenzie so much. Of course, Mack also pets her and brings her all her cat toys (and I do mean all her cat toys). She even puts treats and toys under the bed for shy Morgan.

I'm sure being a treat dispenser doesn't hurt her reputation with the household felines, though...

5.19.2009

Cats on Tuesday: Miss Morgan in Repose



Cats on Tuesday





A poet's cat, sedate and grave,
as poet would wish to have,
was much addicted to enquire,
for nooks to which she might retire,
and where, secure as mouse in chink,
she might repose, or sit and think.
I know not where she caught her trick,
nature perhaps herself had cast her,
in such a mold philosophique,
or else she learn'd it of her master.
Sometimes ascending, debonair,
an apple tree or lofty pear,
lodg'd with convenience in the fork,
she watched the gard'ner at his work;
sometimes her ease and solace sought,
in an old empty wat'ring pot,
there wanting nothing, save a fan,
to seem some nymph in her sedan,
apparell'd in exactest sort,
and ready to be borne in court.

~ William Cowper (1731 - 1800)


Cowper, a prolific poet and hymnist, is still known today for such quotations as the following:

God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

Olney Hymns (1779)--'Light Shining out of Darkness'
He also suffered from severe depressive episodes and numerous suicide attempts, convinced that he was condemned to hell eternally and that God was commanding him to make a sacrifice of his own life. Translator of The Iliad and The Odyssey, prolific writer, and hailed by Samuel Taylor Coleridge as "the best modern poet," Cowper remains one of the most influential poets of his time.



Ode to Spot

Felix Catus, is your taxonomic nomenclature,
an endothermic quadruped carnivorous by nature?
Your visual, olfactory and auditory senses
contribute to your hunting skills, and natural defenses.

I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations,
a singular development of cat communications
that obviates your basic hedonistic predilection
for a rhythmic stroking of your fur, to demonstrate affection.

A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents;
you would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance.
And when not being utilized to aide in locomotion,
it often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.

O Spot, the complex levels of behaviour you display
connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array.
And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend,
I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.

~ Commander Data, Starfleet, United Federation of Planets



5.11.2009

Cats on Tuesday: Our New Treat Dispenser


Cats on Tuesday: Our New Treat Dispenser

At least once a week, our niece Mackenzie calls to come over and visit the cats. Recently she came bearing gifts: a package of cat treats.

Emma really couldn't care less whether Mackenzie brings her cat treats or not. For some inexplicable reason, this once shy, virtually feral kitten who has very rarely been exposed to children eagerly follows this energetic two-year-old from room-to-room, even allowing herself to be hugged and held. She enthusiastially plays with every toy Mack offers her and, on last visit, even submitted to a kiss. Go figure. Of course, there's nothing wrong with a treat now and then, either.






In other news, Isis is now Mackenzie's friend. This is directly due to the fact that Mackenzie now comes bearing treats. Isis hasn't hissed at her in at least four visits.

When she's here, Mack likes to talk to the cats on the telephone. She carries the handset around and announces which cat she's talking to at the moment. For example, she'll say, "I'm talking to Morgan." (Morgan is usually hiding under the bed or lurking just around the corner, as she still hasn't quite adjusted to the high and often noisy speed at which a two-year-old human moves, although she's very curious).

"I'm talking to Emma," Mackenzie announced to me, headset pressed to her ear.

Curious, I asked her what Emma said to her.

She furrowed her brow a bit as if I were half daft, obviously wondering how I could be quite so moronic. She replied matter-of-factly, "Meow."

Oh, of course. Emma says, "Meow."

Mack even put a headset on Emma, just like the one Uhuru wears on Star Trek. Emma very politely allowed her to do it, too. And then said, Meow. (Probably.)



5.06.2009

Godzilla Kitteh Will Nom Yew

You know how I love to see giant cats thwarting humankind. (Thanks to littleblackcrow for sending me the link to such a great blog.) You must take a brief moment to see Spanky vs. Samurai here.

Then of course, one can always has cheezburgers:

godzilla kitteh prepares to nom yer citeh.

5.04.2009

Cats on Tuesday: We'll Sing in the Sunshine


Cats on Tuesday: We'll Sing in the Sunshine

Spring is definitely here. Hooray for sunbeams.




We also got a new thing recently. It came in a big box. (Hooray for tax refunds.)


Then there's the new towel warmer...




"We'll sing in the sunshine
We'll laugh every da-a-y
We'll sing in the sunshine
Then I'll be on my way..."
(Gale Garnett, 1964)