cats
Latest
Transformers USB flash drive is ready to ravage your files, bring carnage to your desktop
Sure, you already have piles of flash drives scattered around your apocalyptic nightmare of an apartment, but this one's more special than those, right? Because it's a Transformer-- Ravage, AKA Tripredacus Agent. Ravage has outlived the age of cassette and is onto smaller, better things, and he can store up to 2GB of your most valuable data. He's going to run $42.99 when he's available in September, and can be pre-ordered now.Update: It looks like the pre-order is already sold out! Wonder if the fact that we ordered 1,000 of them has anything to do with it?[Via Coolest Gadgets]
The Queue: Cats rule, dogs drool
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW Insider's daily Q&A column where the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.Today's edition of The Queue will be pretty short and sweet. Many of the questions that were asked yesterday have since been answered in other places around the site, so I just went ahead and skimmed over those ones to answer what hasn't been addressed already. Ready? Set? Let's go!Becky asked..."I may be wrong but it seems to me of all the in-game non-combat pets, there are no dogs but plenty of cats. What's with the lack of dogs? My mage wants a puppy."
Adorable new pet screens from Free Realms
Just when you think it couldn't possibly get any more awesomely cute, Free Realms breaks out with a bunch of screenshots of some of the pet friends you can get while playing through the game. While some are dressed to the nines like the dog in Indiana Jones type adventuring gear above, and the dog we've affectionately dubbed 'the pup Lebowski' (he really needs a rug, don't you think?), other preview screens we've gotten from the folks over at SOE just show off some interactions between the pets and their owners during play. Our gallery is set to burst from the sheer amount of adorable in there!With the option of going free-to-play, picking up an optional subscription for $4.99 - cheaper than its nearest subscription-optioned competitor, FusionFall, at $5.95 for one account - and so many different ways to play, Free Realms is definitely showing it's out to raise the bar in the family MMO space. Now, maybe if we can perfect our own version of adorably irresistable puppy-dog eyes, SOE will think we're cute, and send over some Free Realms beta keys for us! %Gallery-12980%
F.E.A.R. 2 advertising with billboard-infused cats
It's official -- when promoting video games, regular-sized advertising structures just don't cut it anymore. LittleBigPlanet's bite-sized billboards were a step in the right direction, though Warner Bros. just took the miniature advertising game to a smaller, mobile and more adorable level. In the future, when rookie industry analysts inquire as to how F.E.A.R. 2 became the best-selling game of all time, their weathered superiors will become lost in a haze of nostalgia, muttering through a slight grin -- "Catvertising."If you live in foggy Londontown, keep an eye out over the next few days for black cats who are unknowingly promoting F.E.A.R. 2's Friday the 13th release date. Before PETA flips their easily flippable lid, we should mention that the cats aren't being painted, or treated inhumanely. They're just wearing little F.E.A.R. 2-branded kitten coats, which you can order for your own precious lil' guy, provided you live in the London area, and you don't have a morbidly obese house cat.[Thanks, Ben S.]
Caption contest: cat driving Roomba -- is not so impressed, actually
This is one nonplussed feline, folks. No, he doesn't mind zooming around on the Roomba all day for the humans to videotape, upload to YouTube and laugh at around "the office" all day. Sure, he'll humor you, go ahead and caption -- capshun, if you will -- him until you're blue in the face. He'll have the last LOL. Oh yes, he will. Josh F.: "The perpetual cat-hair, spot-cleaning cycle ultimately spelled doom for this unlucky Roomba, much like tic-tac-toe did in WOPR in 1983."Paul: "Must do no harm, must do no harm... wait, does that only apply to humans?"Chris: "HOVERCAT IZ ON UR CARPIT / STEALIN UR DIRTZ" or "iRobot's demonstration of Roomba's new 'fight or flight' algorithm is an unqualified failure."Laura: "What part of this is the food?"Thomas: "Take your complaints up with the staff, Rrrroomba. There's one holding the camera now."[Via bookofjoe]
Survey: Game systems causing cat-astrophic pet injuries
We're already well acquainted with the idea of Wiis (and their remotes) injuring humans and TV sets. Now the UK's Telegraph is reporting that game systems are also causing a veritable epidemic of injuries to pets. A survey of 3,000 British pet owners shows that a full 10% of pets were injured by a Wii , while 8.3% sustained PlayStation-related injuries and 5.8% got injured by a DS.Even accounting for some overlap between systems, those numbers would seem to suggest that British veterinarians are being overrun by little critters who chewed through component cables, swallowed portable systems, tripped on controller cords and the like. The numbers are much less worrying, though, when you consider the source for the survey: pet insurance provider PetPlan. Reminds us of that used car dealer who told us rust-proofing would increase the resale value of our car by 50% -- just not that credible. We still got the rust-proofing, though. When it comes to our Fiat, our motto is: better safe than sorry.
BigRedKitty: Crab, Cat, and Serpent
Daniel Howell contributes BigRedKitty, a column with strategies, tips and tricks for and about the Hunter class, sprinkled with a healthy dose of completely improper, sometimes libelous, personal commentary.We've seen the Age of the Scorpid, but Crabs have always been a bit of a rarity. They're Tenacity pets in Wrath of the Lich King, and you may find their Pin spell to your liking.Cats? Nobody uses cats, do they? Nah. But just for historical purposes, we'll show you Cats in WotLK too.Do you think you could use a hunter-pet that permanently reduces a caster's cast-time by 50%? Look at Serpents, their Poison Spit, and dare to dream.You are invited to download the YouTube version (81MB) of this movie here, and the full-sized version (120MB) here.As always, a great big Thank You to the WoW Insider editors for allowing us to publish this movie both here and on our little blog at the same time! From his video guides to Karazhan For Hunter Dummies, nobody covers raid Hunters like BRK. Looking for more Hunter goodness? Check out our non-raid Hunter column, Scattered Shots or the WoW Insider Directory of Hunter Guides.
Cat Faucet solves elusive cat drinking from sink issue, we sigh in relief
Cats like to drink from everywhere but the places they're supposed to drink from, and for that they offer no excuses, reasons, and just walk away, tails in the air. This independent spirit, though, means that we're often stuck turning faucets on and off for thirsty felines because heaven forbid they drink from a dish. One crafty soul has solved this gripping conundrum with an IR detector, valves, some plastic tubing, and a whole lot of moxie. The detector can even suss out if the subject is human or feline in order to keep the faucet from triggering every time someone walks by. Our test subjects won't comment on the new tech, but they've stopped complaining and have become extremely athletic and hydrated super-cats of doom. Still reading? Peep the video after the break of hot kitty drinking action. [Via Make]
Chi's Sweet Home is very sweet indeed
Chi's Sweet Home is a manga and anime series about a lost kitten who gets adopted by a loving family. Interchannel-Holon is turning it into a heartbreakingly cute DS game that combines comic-style storytelling and graphical text adventuring with adorable and weird minigames. Depending on the date, different minigames will be available, ranging from throwing a ball for Chi to ... kitten sumo? It also includes the requisite interactivity, allowing you to pet, feed, and otherwise care for little Chi.It's easy not to love the soulless, polygonal Nintendogs, but Chi's face could easily sway even the most stalwart pet-game hater. This isn't a standard pet game, in any case -- it's an adventure game starring a pet.
Mabinogi introduces furry friends
Just when we thought Mabinogi couldn't get any cuter, the latest update has us reaching for our diabeetis medicine. So what's new? Pets! Players now can choose between one of five animals: 2 types of cats, a dog, a fox, and a wolf, with more types to come. These pets will follow you around, fight alongside you, and even level up like you do.Each pet is distinctive, with its own set of unique skills, whether melée or magic-based. Available to every player through the Nexon Cash Shop, no one is barred from gaining a constant companion for life. You can check out the pets trailer after the jump, and watch for the next big Mabinogi content update, due June 25th, featuring more pets, a new dungeon, new boss monster, and a new spell for players to learn![Thanks, Robert!]
Snow Leopard might not be the best code name
The great Mental Floss blog actually did the research on something that occurred to me as soon as Steve said "Snow Leopard" during the keynote -- naming an OS after a cat "sometimes known as the ounce" might not be the best idea.File this stuff in the "didja know" column: snow leopards aren't actually leopards -- they're actually closer in family to cheetahs, which means that the new OS might be a little closer to Aqua than we're all comfortable with. Also, they're pretty timid -- not only can they not roar (so new audio features in the OS are out), they're known to hide behind their fuzzy tails. We'll put it this way: you wouldn't exactly want to call your football team The Snow Leopards, so we're not quite sure why Steve decided to use the moniker.Finally, the weirdest tie here is that the snow leopard as a symbol is already taken -- by the Girl Scouts of Kyrgyzstan. Of course, Steve's naming capabilities haven't really been up to snuff lately, and maybe he just didn't want to go with Cougar -- even though Apple owns it, they may not have been ready to take on all the connotations associated with that particular nomenclature. Then again, maybe this will be good for the snow leopard's image -- after seeing all these pictures of cool cats, if you feel you'd like to help them out, we're sure the Snow Leopard Trust would be happy to hear from you.
Insert cute pet story here
About 3 months ago I got my first pet. His name is Max, and is a grey domestic short hair cat. He was a stray that was scratching at my apartment door on a very cold November evening. At the time it was decided that he was just going to stick around for the night, but he grew on us so quickly that we weren't able to let him go. He now is a happy member of my family, and just like the rest of them, he has to put up with me playing World of Warcraft.Except, it's not really "putting up with" WoW, it's more like "intensely interested in what's going on." Max will often times spend the whole four hours of the night's raid spread across the desk staring at my computer screen. He'll react to the sounds, the bright flashes of light, and occasionally even other in game cats. When someone says "lol" and their character laughs, he'll jump and stare down the speaker the laugh came from.
Men more likely to steal, lie about casual games
A Reuters report yesterday took an interesting angle on the conclusions of the Casual Games Association's recently released 2007 study. While others commented on the casual space's size and growth, Reuters decided to focus on how men are lying, stealing bastards when it comes to casual games. According to the CGA report, while men are just as likely as women to play casual games, the fairer sex is much more likely to pay for these games (women make up 74% of paying players). What accounts for the difference? According to Retuers, men are "more determined to find a free version or try to thwart anti-piracy protections on games." Or, y'know, they could be playing the copies their wives bought. We hope that's it, because finding a crack for a $20 game of Peggle is just sad.But that's not all -- the Reuters report also reveals that men are more likely to hide their secret casual gaming shame. "The hardcore gamer who is playing 'Halo' with his buddies isn't going to brag that he just beat the next level of 'Zuma'." CGA Managing Director Jessica Tams told Reuters. And if they won't cop to playing Zuma, what are the chances they'll admit to an undying love for Flower Shop: Big City Break? Not large.Well it's time for the healing to begin. Men, use the comment thread below to come out of the casual gaming closet and announce to the world your proclivity for matching gems and dashing between diners. We won't judge you ... much.
Rawr, a gear application for tanking Druids
Amanna has mentioned an awesome little tool for tanking Druids with a great name: Rawr. It's a completely separate application for Windows (sorry Mac users) that will pull down your gear from the Armory, and help you not only see your tanking strengths and weaknesses, but help you choose upgrades, both in terms of gear and gems on it.Astrylian of Kilrogg put it all together, and it looks like a really amazing tool for bears. Unfortunately, no other classes or Druid specs are supported yet (Astrylian says cats are next on the list), but if you're a bear who's been trying to make some good gear choices lately, this could be just what you need. Rawr is still in beta and available as a free download on the Druid wiki.
More Animal caretaking ahead
Those who love Nintendogs and feel compelled to take care of tiny, virtual animals will be given a whole set of new ones to care for come this November. Featuring a variety of different animals, including dogs, cats and horses, Animal Paradise tasks the player with not only feeding and walking, but bathing and playing with them, as well.The game also uses a popular pet photographer from Japan in Yoneo Morita. Known as Hanadeka photography, it's quite the rage over there and focuses on shots that accentuate the animal's nose.
Spectral Tiger Mount video
Of the three rewards coming to the TCG loot cards, this Spectral Tiger Mount probably got the most attention-- not only is it a sweet looking mount (ok, it's a freaking amazing looking mount), but it'll also be the first time Horde characters will get to ride cats*, and we all know cats are the best mounts in the game, right?We don't yet know, as MMO Champion notes, whether it's an epic or a normal ground mount-- Boubouille apparently ducked into a private realm for the video, and apparently there are two spells (one 60% and one 100% speed) for the mount itself. So that could mean that Blizzard is still deciding, or it could actually mean that there are two of these mounts in game-- one at 60% from the TCG loot cards, and an epic mount yet to be discovered.At any rate, looks awesome. Will this entice you to grab a few TCG packs, or does the fact that Blizzard wants you to pay real money for a mount you probably won't get just disgust you?*Update: Of course Horde can ride the rare Tiger mount from ZG. My bad.
Love Cat Life shows love for dogs, too
Specifically, Nintendogs. And more specifically, the cash generated by Nintendogs. Forgive us for being cynical, but Love Cat Life does look exceedingly familiar. But for our (hypothetical) pet simulator money, Love Cat Life wins over Nintendo's masterpiece, for mostly hilarious reasons: Simulated litterboxes Riding a little cat-sized truck over a ramp Meowing music game! We started off being sarcastic, but we just convinced ourselves. It was the music game that did it.
And I think to myself, what a wonderful preorder bonus
Fans anticipating the release of It's a Wonderful World won't have just a limited edition DS Lite bundle to look forward to; Square Enix announced today that preordering the Shibuya-district RPG in advance of its July 27th release will also net gamers a miniature kitten to hitch onto your handheld.The feline charm mimics Pochi, a stuffed cat that plays into Shiki Misaki's (IAWW's female lead) special attacks, and also doubles as a wipe to keep your DS screens free of dust and kitty litter. Pounce past the post break for some in-game screenshots of Pochi. See also: Just about the oddest/cutest/scariest thing you will ever see More from the DS cat
Pet stress patch clues you in on Fido's emotional health
Let's face it, being a pet in the modern era is pretty tough -- our furry friends live under constant surveillance and face crippling self-esteem issues brought on by a society hell-bent on upgrading them, and even replacing them outright with videogames and robots. Adding to the list of products designed to relieve Fluffy from these terrible burdens, Japanese outfit Medical Life Care Giken claims to have invented a patch to measure the stress level of cats and dogs. Based on studies linking sweat production to stress, the pin-sized patch goes on your pet's paw and changes color based on how much sweat it detects, allowing you to schedule doggie-therapy sessions accordingly. While we're not certain why it took a multi-year partnership with researchers at Toyama University to develop a sweat-powered animal mood ring, we only hope that Giken is hard at work on the fish and turtle versions of this patch -- it's been looking mighty tense in that tank.[Via MedLaunches]
Games blamed for decline in Aussie pet ownership
As a medium, video games have been blamed for a whole host of society's ills. Violence, obesity, and educational underachievement are just some of the high profile problems that have been laid on gaming's doorstep at one time or another. But now, video games are being portrayed as the cause of a much graver threat; namely, the decline in Australian pet ownership. As Australian Veterinary Association President Kersti Seksel told the Sydney Morning Herald (and any other outlet that would listen) today's kids "interact more by playing computer games and less by going out there and throwing the ball to a dog." Why is this a problem, exactly? According to Seksel, "We need to learn people skills, physical skills, and sitting in the lounge room with a computer doesn't teach you that." Leaving aside for a second the idea of learning "people skills" from playing with an animal, implying that game playing and pet ownership are somehow mutually exclusive is a little ridiculous. You might as well argue that reading books and talking on the phone are dangerous pastimes because they take away from time with poor, neglected Fido. Pet ownership usually takes up only a small part of a child's day, and singling out video games for distracting from that time strikes us as a little opportunistic. And while "you can't hug a computer," as the SMH article points out in the lede, you also don't have to take a computer out for walks. Man's best friend, indeed.
