Just What Betsey and Ross Need . . .

A Facebook and Twitter friend of mine, Scott Cisek, posted about this new liveblogging tool for cats today. Yes. Seriously.

Cats Can Now Tweet with New Liveblogging Device
from Tech-on! via Mashable.com

Prototype liveblogging device that no respectable cat (IMHO) would ever wear. From Tech-on!

If you love your cat so much that you can’t stand to be away from it — even for a hot second — you’re in luck: Sony Computer Science Laboratories (CSL) Inc has developed a liveblogging device for Mr. Mistoffelees and friends.

This revolutionary new toy, which was created with the help of the University of Tokyo, comes all pimped out with a camera, an acceleration sensor and a GPS, which monitors kitty’s every move, translating actions like walking, eating and sleeping into tweets. Sadly, there are only 11 fixed phrases currently available (I’m guessing, “I left a lovely hairball in your sneaker” is not among them), but Sony CSL is hoping to improve Fluffy’s conversational skills soon.

The device fits easily onto the cat’s collar, so as to avoid hindering its movement, which means your cat can tweet all over the neighborhood.

We’ve seen an influx of novel Twitter functions of late: tweeting trees, tweeting beds and even tweeting cows. While the tech may seem kind of, well, silly, we could see it being of use to people besides lonely cat ladies. For instance, such a collar could be exceedingly useful for zoologists and the like.

What do you think of the tweeting cat collar? Genius or cat-astrophically ridiculous?

I just have one thing to say: Betsey and Ross have a birthday coming up (they'll be 14 in a month!) and no one (and I mean no one) better get this for them. I will mess you up if you do. The absolute last thing I want is them tweeting about how they need more love or food (believe me, they get plenty of both). No one want to hear Ross opine about civil rights for cats or how he needs to look sexy for the ladies and needs some liposuction.

Plus, seriously, someone else has a birthday in just two weeks that's more important than Betsey and Ross's. I'm just saying.

Does Nickelodeon Support Domestic Violence?

That title isn't meant to be funny. It's a question I'd really like to have answered. My gut says that Nickelodeon would say of course they don't condone violence against women (or anyone), but that doesn't really mesh with their decision to keep Chris Brown in contention to receive a Kids' Choice Award.

"Like all our KCA nominees, Chris Brown was nominated by kids several months ago based on his work as a performer, and the kids who vote will ultimately decide who wins in the category," Nickelodeon said in a statement sent to ABCNews.com.

19-year old Chris Brown, you'll recall is being charged with at least 1 felony for beating his 21-year old girlfriend Rihanna last month, although he's trying to plea to a misdameanor and not serve jail time.

I point out their ages because they are both role models to kids. Kids love them. Teenagers love their music. And of course, they are both still young adults themselves.

I'm all for being innocent until proven guilty, but this isn't about the court system. This is about what message is being sent to today's teenagers and pre-teens. Wrigley gum and the Milk campaign have decided they don't want to be associated with an alleged woman beater. Yet Nickelodeon, through their actions, is saying that his behavior is okay and they're standing by him. By doing that, they're sending the message to kids that it's okay to beat a woman to a bloody pulp.

It's bad enough that many of today's teens already think that Rihanna must be to blame for the beating she received from her boyfriend and that dating violence is normal. And this is at a time when 1 in 10 teens suffer violence in their dating relationships.

Don't we as adults owe it to this generation of teens and pre-teens to condemn domestic violence, let them know that violence is never okay, they deserve better, they must report it when it happens, and that they should not go back to the relationship?

Nickelodeon could use their Kids' Choice Awards as an opportunity to run anti-violence PSAs and educate kids about abuse. But it all starts with removing Chris Brown from contention for an award. It's too bad the powers that be at Nick are afraid to be adults.

Update 9:53pm: Campbell Brown of CNN has just weighed in on this issue and I'd like to think that she formed her opinion after reading Little Merry Sunshine, but I'm sure that's not true. But she does share my opinion. Watch for yourself.

Forget a Puppy, Get Junior a Rat for Christmas!

My local paper, The Daily Herald, has an article today about good pets to give this Christmas. They consider these pets "good pets" because they are cheap. Now I like to save money as much as anyone - I proudly clip coupons and always check local gas prices before heading out to fill up - but this just seems wrong on quite a few levels.

The Daily Herald suggests pets such as a Scorpion ($25), Bearded Dragon ($50), Tarantula, Ferret ($50-150), Sun Conure bird ($50-500), Hedgehog ($150), Chinchilla ($170), or Rat ($8). Yep, you read that correctly. The Daily Herald suggests you give your kid a Rat for Christmas.

According to the article, Eric Hall of Pets Inc. in Naperville, Ill. says that Rats "can become part of the family. They are a lot of fun." Really? How?

Are things that bad that we really need to give our kids Rats? Frankly, $8 seems like price gouging to me. Just walk down any alley in a big city and you can find Rats for free.

All this talk of Rats reminds me that episode of Friends where Phoebe's is feeding a rat that lives in her apartment.

Rats may be cheap pets now, but when added to the therapy bills you will be stuck with for the next 50 years after traumatizing your child, I think giving your kid a Rat is just a bad idea.

Stop the Presses! 2008 Dad of the Year Named!

Kudos to Dr. Monkey von Monkerstein for alerting his blog buddies to this upstanding citizen.

Mark Ciptak of Elizabethtown, TN, you are Little Merry Sunshine's 2008 Dad of the Year!

Mr. Ciptak, in his vast paternal wisdom, went behind his wife's back and named their new daughter . . . wait for it . . . Sarah McCain Palin Ciptak.

Isn't that great? What a dad!

Although Mr. Ciptak and his (I assume, soon to be ex) wife, Layla, had picked out the beautiful name Ava Grace for their new baby, Mr. Ciptak put his foot down and showed his wife who's in charge by filing a different set of baby name papers with Social Security and the Tennessee Department of Health. Ahhhh, GOP Family Values at work.

After taking this courageous stand on behalf of all chauvinistic men, Mr. Ciptak said "I haven’t broken the news to her yet. As of right now, I’m just trying to get up enough nerve to tell her what I’ve done and hope for the best. I hope I’m still living to tell the tale tomorrow. She thought it was a done deal with Ava Grace." As fearful as Mr. Ciptak was of his wife, he clearly had no problem alerting the media. Good judgement AND solid priorities, too!

No word on exactly how he managed to get his wife's signature on the paperwork (both parents are required to sign) without her knowing what he'd done, but he's clearly a clever chap. And we're certain that whatever course of action he chose to obtain her signature was entirely on the up-and-up.

Mr. Ciptak is a man among men and Little Merry Sunshine is pleased to award him its coveted 2008 Dad of the Year Award. Congratulations Mr. Ciptak!

And thank you Dr. Monkey for nominating him.

Gas Tax Holiday - Good or Bad?

One of John McCain's favorite ideas is the Gas Tax Holiday. He spoke about it this morning (link to follow).

A Gas Tax Holiday is a period of time when there are no taxes on gasoline. In this case, it would be Federal Taxes. State and/or local taxes would remain. If you drive a regular car, you would save, in theory, 18.4 cents per gallon. If you use diesel, in theory, you would save 24.4 cents per gallon.

There are a few things I don't understand about this idea.

1. On McCain's own website, he's a total of 4 lines to this idea. So you don't have to click on the link, here's his policy: "John McCain Believes We Should Institute A Summer Gas Tax Holiday. Hard-working American families are suffering from higher gasoline prices. John McCain calls on Congress to suspend the 18.4 cent federal gas tax and 24.4 cent diesel tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day." Hasn't he thought more about his favorite idea?

2. Originally, he proposed that the Gas Tax Holiday would run from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but recently, the AP reported that he wanted to extend it without saying how long he wants to extend it. Specifics. I'd like specifics.

3. It seems to me that the 18.4 or 24.4 cents per gallon is not just "fun money," but rather it is used to pay for things such as roads, schools, and the like. These aren't luxuries, like a trip to Dairy Queen might be. We need these things. Where will the money come from to pay for them if we have a Gas Tax Holiday? Or will we have a tax increase after the tax is reinstated to recover the money lost during the Gas Tax Holiday?

4. Gas station owners claim that despite $4+ per gallon prices, they are struggling and only make about 10 - 12 cents per gallon and that gets eaten up with credit card charges. The idea behind a Gas Tax Holiday is that the price of gas will go down from say $4.18 a gallon (with the tax) to $4 a gallon (without the tax), but what's the motivation for the gas station that's been struggling, and in some cases losing money, to lower their prices? Won't they just think to themselves "thank goodness! I can finally make up some of those profits I've been losing?" I know you're thinking that if the Shell station on one corner lowers their prices, the BP across the street will follow. But what if none of them lower their prices? They're certainly not required to do so.

5. Won't people be even more irritated when the Federal Gas Tax is reinstated? And then what?

6. Would John and Cindy McCain be willing to personally cover the financial losses to the Federal Government from their vast beer fortune?

Discuss.