Scrunch the Cat (who is feeling much better today, thank you) would like to legalize Wisconsin legiuslator hunting!
---- Original message ---- >Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 09:46:51 EDT >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: [UC] Pet News from All Over >To: UnivCity@list.purple.com > > Wisconsin has just voted to legalize cat hunting. > That's right, in Milwaukee it is finally safe to go > out and blow away feral cats. > > http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3130475 > > Also, MIT has devised a wearable computer system so > you can track your dog's social life: > > > Collar Cultivates Canine Cliques > > By Lakshmi Sandhana > > 02:00 AM Apr. 11, 2005 PT > > If you've ever longed for a way to monitor your > dog's social life, map out its buddy network and > sense who its true friends really are, you might > have been waiting for SNIF. > > The Social Networking in Fur, or SNIF, project is a > wearable computer system for dogs that allows their > owners to monitor the animals' behavior and capture > their social networks. > > The technology, designed by a group of researchers > at MIT's Physical Language Workshop, also gives dog > owners the chance to "petwork," or network through > their pets. > > The system consists of a technologically enhanced > collar, leash and wall-mounted leash-docking > station. In prototype now, the system will be linked > to a web-based community containing information > about pets in the program and their owners. > > The collar and leash have an LED display and a > variety of sensors for recording climatic > conditions, the pet's activity levels and the > presence of other dogs equipped with SNIF collars. > > When out for a walk, the canine's collar flashes a > unique "collar tone" that provides its social > network ID to other doggies' SNIF collars. Then a > secure ID transfer takes place. > > Owners can record their dog's reactions to each > other by pressing "negative" or "positive" buttons > on the leash. When released to play with a group, > the dog's collar records the IDs of pets that it has > spent the most time with, along with the > corresponding activity level. The collar relays the > data to the leash when reattached. > > The leash then uploads the information to a SNIF > server. On the website, pet owners can learn about > their dogs' new friends through profiles created by > their owners. > > Unlike human social-networking sites, where users > typically confirm they have met, the system > automatically verifies whether the mutts have > actually sniffed each other. It also reports on the > status of a relationship and how often they see each > other. > > Besides giving pet lovers a keener insight into > their dog's favorite friends, it allows owners to > play a stronger role in directing their pet's social > networking. > > Owners can avoid mutts previously classified as > unfriendly, or detect their pet's pals when they are > within range. They could set up dog walks based on > mutual compatibility. > > "It would be helpful to know in advance if another > dog is aggressive and if Bogart (my white shepherd) > has had any problems with them in the past," says > Marilyn Heywood Paige, a dog owner from > Philadelphia. "I can see people setting up play > dates for their dogs based on compatibility. If I > know that Bogart has the most positive, active > interaction with a particular dog, I would e-mail > that owner and ask when they usually walk their dog > and if we could arrange to meet at the park. That > would be quite good, actually." > > http://wired-vig.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,67160,00.html/wn_ascii > > > > > > Ross Bender > http://rossbender.org/mqrtoc.html > > Susan Jacobson Assistant Professor Dept. of Broadcasting & Telecom Temple University http://countlessstories.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
