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Cats, Tweets

2014-12-29T00:00:00.000+12:00

Tweets about #cats -Kentucky -wildcats

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An Ode to Cats, Joyce Carol Oates

2014-12-22T00:00:00.000+12:00

Watch The New Yorker Festival | An Ode to Cats, by Joyce Carol Oates | The New Yorker Video | CNE:

The writer Joyce Carol Oates unveils her post-modernist ode to cats.

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Video Game Developers Love Cats

2014-12-15T00:00:00.000+12:00

Feline good: why video game developers love cats | Technology | theguardian.com: " . . . Like game code, cats are never yours, never quite in your control. Cats are computer programs with fur. They are systems to be observed. “I think there’s something to be learned about what is ‘interesting’ from watching animals in general, and the cat just happens to be a captive study case,” says Ed Key, developer of procedurally generated exploration game, Proteus. “If you’re playing by waving around a toy or a bit of paper or whatever, you have to put some real effort into making it “lifelike” and interesting or the cat gets bored because it’s predictable. I also enjoy watching him sometimes assume that a toy is going to appear around a certain corner and ignoring it until it does what he was expecting. I’ve never seen him watching things in Proteus, but I feel like the principles apply to its design.” James Woodward, co-founder of Milkcap Studios concurs. “Cats are simply fascinating animals,” he says. “You can waste hours of your day watching them play – they do the most ridiculous things. I think people who like cats have a big respect for their independent nature; if it does not like you, then it’ll not get near – you have to earn their trust.”..."

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Freedom of Speech, Internet, Power of Section 230

2014-12-08T00:00:00.000+12:00

Freedom of Speech on the Internet: The Power of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act | Patton Boggs LLP - JDSupra:

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Cat Cool, Feline Design

2014-12-01T00:00:00.000+12:00

Even the New York Times "gets it" -- Interested in a sleek pod bed? A high concept scratching pole? Kate Benjamin writes about, and lives, feline design --

Cool for Cats - NYTimes.com: " . . . Ms. Benjamin quit her day job as the marketing director of Boon, a company that sells modern baby products, and opened a design studio where she and her employees could create cat toys and accessories to sell on her website. And last year, she re-branded her Moderncat blog as Hauspanther, an “online magazine for design-conscious cat people.” Next on the horizon is a consulting business built around the concept of “catification”: tailoring your living space to the needs of your cat without sacrificing aesthetics.“The idea is to influence the mass cat-product industry to step up their game,” said Ms. Benjamin, who has teamed up with Jackson Galaxy, the cat behaviorist from the television show “My Cat From Hell,” for this effort. “We just want to be the go-to source for anyone who wants to live stylishly with cats....” (read more at link above)

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Cat Best at Stock Picking

2014-11-24T00:00:00.000+12:00

Investments: Orlando is the cat's whiskers of stock picking | Money | The Observer: "The Observer's panel of stock-picking professionals has been undone in our 2012 investment challenge by a ginger feline called Orlando who spent time paw-ing over the FT.The Observer portfolio challenge pitted professionals Justin Urquhart Stewart of wealth managers Seven Investment Management, Paul Kavanagh of stockbrokers Killick & Co, and Schroders fund manager Andy Brough against students from John Warner School in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire – and Orlando ... A spokeswoman for Orlando said he was not available to give an interview because of a claws in his contract."

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Cats, Investing, Irrationality, Trend-following

2014-11-17T00:00:00.000+12:00

Investing: Irrationality, trend-following, and cats | The Economist: " . . . . What can we learn from this? As a first approximation, you should avoid trying to time the market. Unless you are a hedge fund superstar, you are probably buying high and selling low, just like everyone else. You would be better off letting a cat manage your money. As a second approximation, you may want to try to test out an investment strategy based on discount rates. *We are not actually endorsing this strategy. Please do not blame us if it fails to work out for you.* Finally, the paper presents us with an interesting puzzle: why do discount rates do a good job of predicting asset returns despite their complete disconnect from investor expectations? One possibility raised by the authors is that companies respond to over-eager investors by issuing more shares, but this is not fleshed out. It seems like an interesting area for further research."

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KitTea, Cat Cafe, Gourmet Tea and a Furry Feline Welcome

2014-11-10T00:00:00.000+12:00

A Furry Feline Welcome From A Cat Cafe : NPR: KitTea, a gourmet tea house in San Francisco, where patrons mingle with "resident" cats. The felines will come from rescue shelters and be up for adoption... Courtney Hatt, the co-founder of KitTea, on starting a cat cafe:

COURTNEY HATT: "So I was in a cafe and just lots of people around, but nobody was really interacting with each other, and that's when I came across the story about cat cafes in Japan and I thought, wow, that's kind of the cafe I want to be in right now versus where I am at the moment. I just thought this is something not only, like, interactive where people are not just interacting with the cats, but they're interacting with each other 'cause they have something in common. Sort of like when you go to a dog park, the people at the dog park talk to each other; where there's not really anything like that for people who have cats, and a lot of people in the city own cats. So that's when I decided to build this cafe startup where I could save cats and also create a space that's very Zen and relaxing for people with stressful jobs or who don't have access to our animal friends...."

KitTea: kitteasf.com

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Edward Snowden, Action Figure, Rector of Glasgow University

2014-11-03T00:00:00.000+12:00

Snowden now an action figure and rector of Glasgow University
National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden received accolades around the world. He was elected the rector of Scotland's prestigious Glasgow University, a mostly symbolic position he will hold for three years. Another new title for the former government contractor is a member of the board of directors for the Freedom of the Press Foundation. Among a plethora of awards he has been nominated for, he received the Sam Adams Associates Integrity Award in 2012, and was also nominated for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. And, as RT's Anastasia Churkina reports above, the 30-year-old also has a new action figure modeled after him.

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Jesse Eisenberg, Cats Superior Over Dogs (video)

2014-10-27T00:00:00.000+12:00

Jesse Eisenberg, Cats Superior Over Dogs (video)--at this year’s New Yorker Festival, a group of writers and editors gathered to debate which furry creature is superior—cats or dogs.

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John Oliver, Net Neutrality (video)

2014-10-20T00:00:00.000+12:00

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): Net Neutrality - YouTube:

Cable companies are trying to create an unequal playing field for internet speeds, but they're doing it so boringly that most news outlets aren't covering it. John Oliver explains the controversy. Published on Jun 1, 2014

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Catz using Lumia 930

2014-10-13T00:00:00.000+12:00

Catz using Lumia 930 -

Filmed using a Lumia 930 (http://nokia.com/lumia930), we present Mia Mullarkey’s winning entry for the #SMWCreative Contest, in partnership with Microsoft. Mia’s prize includes a trip to Social Media Week in Los Angeles, where she will showcase her video, and give everyone a little paws for thought. (published 9/22/2014)

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Magna Carta for the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee

2014-10-06T00:00:00.000+12:00

We Need a Magna Carta for the Internet | Tim Berners-Lee: "....The web we will have in 25 years time is by no means clear, but is completely up to us to decide what we want to make that web, make that world. That is why I am asking web users around the world to define a global Magna Carta for the Internet. That's why I am asking countries everywhere to follow Brazil's example and develop positive laws that protect and expand the rights of users to an open, free and universal web." (read more at link above)

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Tax the Internet? Lawmakers Struggle Over Web Tax

2014-09-29T00:00:00.000+12:00

Lawmakers Struggle Over Web Tax - WSJ.com: "....The tax reprieve, however, is set to expire on Nov. 1, and so far, lawmakers have taken few concrete steps to re-enact it as they debate whether to combine it with a separate, more controversial bill. That measure would allow states to collect sales tax from out-of-state online merchants...." (read more at link above)

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Treating Dogs Like Humans Is Costing Billions (video)

2014-09-22T00:00:00.000+12:00

Treating Dogs Like Humans Is Costing Billions: Video - Bloomberg:
(Allow video to load after clicking play or go to link above)
Underwater treadmills, acupuncture, and sonograms are just a few examples of the specialty care pets are getting at the Crown Veterinary Specialists center in Lebanon, New Jersey. Bloomberg's Olivia Sterns talks to the vets about their equipment and discusses the business opportunities with Juan Ramón Alaix, the chief executive officer of Zoetis, the market leader in animal health. (Source: Bloomberg)

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Bailey Boat Cat Sailing, Adventures of a Feline Afloat

2014-09-15T00:00:00.000+12:00

My sailing buddy--

We’re happily sailing! – Bailey Boat Cat: "Ciao from very near Ponza! I’m so happy today! Yesterday the humans were really busy around the boat and they kept talking about the early bird catching the worm…I thought we might be off to go digging somewhere today! It turns out it’s one of those strange human expressions and actually we just got up really early to sail to Ponza! What a lovely surprise!...." (read more at the link above)

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Glenn Greenwald, 12 Dogs + 1 Guest Dog

2014-09-08T00:00:00.000+12:00

Inside Glenn Greenwald’s Mountaintop Home Office - NYTimes.com: ".....“It’s funny,” he said. “I’m working with a Silicon Valley technologist who became the 100th-richest person in the world through his understanding of programming, but half the time we can’t communicate on the telephone because my Internet isn’t working or my phone is out. It’s an irony, but it’s also a kind of balance for me.” That balance includes more than a dozen dogs — Sheila, Sylvestre, Mabel, I lost track of the names. I pointed out that he is nearing cat-lady status, engulfed by his need to rescue. No, he said, “we have a limit, so I am not like a cat lady.”

The limit, he said, is 12.

I counted 13 dogs.

“One of them is a guest dog and will be leaving soon.”

Yeah, sure...."

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Brave and Fluffy Cats Who Served in World War I

2014-09-01T00:00:00.000+12:00

These Are the Brave and Fluffy Cats Who Served in World War I: "...the U.S. Naval Institute explains:

"It is likely that the ancient Egyptians were the first seafarers to realize the true value of having cats as shipmates. In addition to offering sailors much needed companionship on long voyages, cats provided protection by ridding ships of vermin. Without the presence of cats, a crew might find their ship overrun with rats and mice that would eat into the provisions, chew through ropes and spread disease. The more superstitious sailors believed that cats protected them by bringing good luck. It was also common for crews to adopt cats from the foreign lands they visited to serve as souvenirs as well as reminders of their pets at home...."

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China, Online Censorship, Tank Man photo

2014-08-25T00:00:00.000+12:00

The Diminishing Returns of Tricking China’s Online Censors | MIT Technology Review: "... Censorship has forced Chinese activists to use increasingly obscure language on social media, isolating themselves from those they hope to reach.... Obviously, censorship and the subsequent ignorance it breeds hinders the effectiveness of these anticensorship tricks. For instance, the enforced silence of state media and China’s education system no doubt leaves many young people unaware of what happened on June 4, 1989. In a recent informal survey of 100 college students, only 15 recognized the Tank Man photo. Without a shared base of knowledge, what use are memes like the big yellow duck for reaching the masses?... (read more at link above)

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Microsoft Lawyer Slams Secret Surveillance Court, FISA

2014-08-18T00:00:00.000+12:00

Microsoft’s Top Lawyer Slams Secret Surveillance Court - Digits - WSJ: "The U.S.’s secret surveillance court is unaccountable to the public and not “inclined to promote justice,” Microsoft’s top lawyer said Tuesday. General counsel Brad Smith said the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which reviews applications and appeals involving U.S. government data-collection efforts in the name of national security, acts unlike most other courts because “only one side gets to tell its story.” The surveillance court also effectively creates law “that the American public is not permitted to read,” Smith said Wednesday in a speech at the Brookings Institution. The 35-year-old court was cast into the spotlight following revelations about National Security Agency’s (NSA) data-collection programs. The court’s decisions and most documents submitted to the court are secret, which Smith said made it tough for those opposing the government’s data demands to have a fair hearing. “This is not an approach inclined to promote justice,” Smith said, as he showed an image of what he implied was a government document before the surveillance court, with all text blacked out...." (read more at link above)

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What Do Animals See in a Mirror?

2014-08-11T00:00:00.000+12:00

What Do Animals See in a Mirror? - Issue 13: Symmetry - Nautilus: "... Gallup, now in his 70s, mainly stays away from advocacy work but he likes to philosophize about what exactly mirror self-recognition shows, and why that capability might have evolved. Clearly, it has little to do with mirrors since aside from the occasional still pond, our distant ancestors would never have encountered their reflections. He’s come to the conclusion that a pass of the mirror test indicates a profound level of consciousness that includes animals’ ability to contemplate their own thoughts and experiences as well as to imagine what others could be thinking and experiencing. This ability is called “theory of mind.”...." (read more at link above)

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Why Human Love Watching Animals

2014-08-04T00:00:00.000+12:00

Why humans evolved to love watching animals – David Barash – Aeon: "....The popularity of pets, animal films, TV shows, and books suggests that interaction with animals derives from a deeply rooted human need. Recent findings that companion animals contribute positively to many people’s physical and emotional health do not in themselves explain why animals exert such effects; rather, they suggest that animals (at least, some species) have long been associated with human well-being. The same goes for the simple pleasures so many of us derive from observing and interacting with animals. ‘Pleasure’ is not something that natural selection doles out without a reason – and we would expect that reason to be intimately connected with maximising fitness. When it comes to evolution, pleasure is deployed as bait as much as for immediate reward. The question then is simply this: what do people get from their animal-watching? And can evolution help explain this powerful yearning to observe other creatures?...." (read more at link above)

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Bistro, cat facial recognition technology (video)

2014-07-28T00:00:00.000+12:00

Bistro: The Smartest Cat Feeder. Ever. -

Published on Jul 9, 2014

The world's smartest feeder that can track appetite and weight change for each one of your cats with innovative cat facial recognition technology.

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Unbound - A Tribute to Aaron Swartz - video

2014-07-21T00:00:00.000+12:00

Unbound: A Tribute to Aaron Swartz - YouTube:
Unbound: A Tribute to Aaron Swartz - exhibit at Thoughtworks NYC

"One year after his death, we pay homage to Aaron by launching an art exhibit: http://bit.ly/1j3w5C3. The exhibit is an artistic sociopolitical commentary that analyzes some of the issues Aaron tackled through his activism. "Unbound: A Tribute to Aaron Swartz" brings together artists and activist whom, much like Aaron, work tirelessly to challenge the status quo, disrupting unjust systems, giving voice to the voiceless and building movements for justice and equity. Aaron used technology as a tool. Artists use their art. Let us bring this exhibit everywhere!"

http://artforaaronswartz.launchrock.com/
http://thoughtworksnyc.com

VIDEO: Speakers--
Jared Hatch, Connector
Eliana Godoy, Exhibit Curator
Michael D'Antuono, Artist
Clara Rodriguez, Artist Advocate

Camera/edit: Joly MacFie
Title music: Francois Grillot
CC-BY-SA 2014 Internet Society New York Chapter
http://isoc-ny.org

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The Internet's Own Boy, The Story of Aaron Swartz

2014-07-14T00:00:00.001+12:00

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz: "Available Same Day as Theaters. Aaron Swartz's online presence and influence was groundbreaking. From helping develop internet protocol RSS to his work as a co-founder of Reddit, the programming prodigy helped shape the digital landscape we all use today. Chronicling his pioneering efforts crusading for open access and free speech and the resulting legal nightmare and tragedy that ensued, “The Internet’s Own Boy” is a dynamic and moving portrait of a brilliant tech millionaire who renounced the values of Silicon Valley startup culture and used technology to tirelessly fight for social justice, no matter what the cost."

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