Dogs
Latest
Dog buys 5,000 Microsoft points, says he just wanted to check out the Abbey Road DLC
Say what you will about dogs being man's best friend -- they sure can get into a lot of trouble. While our dogs have been limited to eating shoes and shedding on our furniture, Greg Strope of Richmond, Virginia has reason to believe his furry friend has gone the extra mile. While he lay in bed sleeping, his dog Oscar, he believes, purchased 5,000 Microsoft points. The only possible culprit, Oscar left some telltale signs (drool and scratches) on the Xbox controller, leading Greg to blame the $63 purchase on him. We have to admit the dog's actions rather impress us, though it also makes us nervous about all those times we left our laptop open and unattended around our own tiny beast. Video featuring damning photographic evidence is after the break.
Dog buys 5000 MS Points (no, really) [update]
Update: Turns out Microsoft refunded Strope's money after all. The company even set the dog up with his own Xbox Live account. Read about it here. While most Xbox owners are patently aware of the dangers of late night, impulse Microsoft Point purchases, we imagine no one ever worried about their dog doing the same thing. And yet Greg Strope of Richmond, Virginia tells Fox News that his dog, Oscar, purchased 5000 Microsoft Points, adding up to a total of $62.50. Strope says he received an email while he was sleeping and discovered it was a purchase confirmation from Microsoft. When he went to check his Xbox 360, he found that his controller had been chewed by his dog, and he presumed the animal had not only managed to turn on the console, but subsequently purchased the points. Strope noted that Microsoft has a no refund policy and he wishes the company make it more difficult to purchase points. Our suggestion to Strope: Don't leave your controllers (or your Xbox, for that matter) within reach of the dog. Also, don't drink and play Rock Band. See Strope's interview after the break.
Delving into the iPhone's DCIM folder
Today, Dave Caolo discovered what happens when your iPhone camera rolls past picture number 99999 (or so). As he and other Apple users have found, a picture count that goes too high can lead to unforseen errors. Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria. Or a camera roll that doesn't acknowledge new photos. Snapped images are stored on your iPhone in your home folder. As user "mobile," that home folder is /var/mobile and the folder that stores your iTunes library, your voice memos, and your photos is /var/mobile/Media. Inside that media folder is a subfolder named DCIM. Read on for more details.
Remote Pet Feeder feeds your pet, encourages your animal voyeurism habit
The last time we saw a computerized internet-controlled pet feeder, it had been lovingly, creatively cobbled together by a child. Well, it seems the idea's really got legs, as they now seem to be available on a mass-scale, in a nearly identical (albeit slightly more polished) form. Yes, just like the one designed by a boy somewhere in the 8-years-old-range, the Remote Pet Feeder comes with a webcam, a slightly modded bulk kibble feeder / bowl combo, and a 24-hour programmable timer. It's available now for about $290. [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."
Mass. students protest Call of Duty: World at War dog violence
Breanna Lucci, a student at Massachusetts' Academy of Notre Dame high school, has a bone to pick with Activision. (Which, we imagine, she'll later give to her two Pomeranians, "Fluffy" and "Winnie The Pooh.") Lucci, the president of her school's Animal Rights Club, is upset by the need to shoot Nazi attack dogs in Call of Duty: World at War. So, she's started a petition."Parents need to know what they are buying their kids. Killing animals should not be a form of entertainment," Lucci told the local Lowell Sun. She was first introduced to the game's canine genocide while watching her college aged brother playing. "My little 12-pound Pomeranian, Winnie the Pooh, is sitting next to him, and I'm thinking, 'This looks horrible!'" Although she's sure her brother "won't be killing dogs after playing," she believes "some people might." Lucci plans to forward her petition, which has been signed by more than 100 of her fellow students, to Activision. Contrary to some petitions aimed at game publishers, hers is simply a show of disgust, and does not call for any executives to be fired, boiled alive or hung by their feet until dead. You go, girl.[Via GamePolitics]
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%
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.
Garmin DC 30 GPS dog collar turns hunting into a videogame
Here's one for the hunters. Strap the Garmin DC 30 collar onto your hunting dog, fire up your Astro 220 receiver, and you'll not only know where your dog is, but you'll also know if he is running, pointing, or treeing, even in dense cover. Range is good for up to seven miles, and the tracking even covers the dog's direction so you can figure out where that delicious nubbin of turkey is hiding. The receiver can track up to 10 dogs at once, and the collar is good for 17-36 hours on one charge. The DC 30 is sold separately for $199.99 or for $649.99 as part of an Astro 220 combo, and should be available third-quarter 2008.UPDATE: Garmin was nice enough to send us proper shots of the actual DC 30. Thanks!
Ringtones for dogs coming to Japanese cellphones
Just when you think you've given your dog everything it could ever want (gold plated water dish, rhinestone collar, a copy of Tegan and Sara's "The Con" on vinyl) the Japanese go and one up you. A Tokyo-based content provider named Dwango announced today that it would start selling specialized ringtones which can be heard only by dogs. The service, called Inu ni shika kikoenai chakushinon (ringtones only dogs can hear) will make free downloads available to current DoCoMo i-mode subscribers. No word on whether the company will provide Bluetooth headsets and holsters suited to our canine friends, but we understand plans are in the works for a line of bacon-themed wallpapers. [Warning: read link is a PDF, and it's in Japanese][Via CrunchGear]
Parappa crowned greatest game canine
Following up on their quest to decide the greatest horse in video game history, the guys and gals of MTV Multiplayer have recently announced the greatest video game dog. And the winner is Parappa, the adorable two-dimensional hip-hop legend, and star of Parappa the Rapper. Runner-ups include the ubiquitous zombie dogs from the Resident Evil series, the annoying dog that mocks us with his laughter from Duck Hunt, Amaterasu from Okami, and K.K. Slider from Animal Crossing (though presumably the in-game incarnate, and not that creepy real-life version). We're looking forward to seeing which animal MTV sees fit to vote on next. We're hoping for frog, a category clearly dominated by Fred from Blaster Master.
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.
Flexpetz purveys prim pooches
Flexpetz is a ... well, let's call it a timeshare club for dogs. Rent-a-pet, if you will. Face it, some of us like to have canine company, and just don't have the time or the circumstances to own. It's one of those concepts that can be done really badly or really well. We don't know a whole lot about Flexpetz, so we'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they do it really well. Their new site in Second Life, however - now that trips the odd-ometer a little.
Is AIBO returning from the dead?
You heard that right, folks. Supposedly, AIBO is back... with a vengeance. According to rumors, the feisty-but-killed robo-dog from Sony is making a comeback with a new paintjob and whole slew of fresh features. First and foremost, the re-upped model will be tailored to interface wirelessly with your PSP and PS3, will have a built in headcam which utilizes a motion sensor and facial recognition, and can stream its POV video over WiFi to your system. In addition, you'll apparently get to remotely trigger the bot with your handheld and control its movements, plus you can set it to "guard" your house (though we're pretty sure most enterprising burglars will just turn the little dude on its side if provoked). Of course, right now this is speculation -- Stuff Magazine's piece on the subject (above) gives the rumored bot a 53-percent chance of becoming a reality -- but there certainly seems to be some meat behind these murmurs. C'mon Sony -- the pup deserves a second chance.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Austrian researchers train dogs to use computers
Yeah, teaching a canine how to operate a computer may sound pretty complex, but considering that one such animal was actually trained to sniff out and snag cellphones for its dubious owner, we guess it's not too difficult to conceive after all. In a recent study published in Animal Cognition, researchers from the University of Vienna in Austria taught four dogs to use computer automated touch-screens in order to carry out classification tests, theoretically eliminating any "potential human influence." In experiments that sought to see if dogs could indeed visually categorize pictures and transfer learning to new scenarios, the four subjects "were shown landscape and dog photographs and expected to make a selection on a computer touchscreen." Eventually, the authors concluded that using computers in animal testing could open up new windows of opportunity in testing cognitive abilities, but c'mon, you know those pups were just clicking around to see if their testing station would in fact play Doom.[Via TheInquirer, image courtesy of Itchmo]
First impressions: I Am Legend in Second Life
I Am Legend (for those of you that have been living under a rock) is the third film adaptation of the 1954 Richard Matheson novel of the same name. Quite the popular property, it has spawned film versions in 1964 (with Vincent Price - now in the public domain and available for viewing or download) and 1971 (with Charlton Heston - I saw that one when it came out); A Rob Zombie song; the upcoming Warner Brothers film with Will Smith; a DC Comics tie-in; planned online, animated featurettes; And the Second Life game, of course. Whew. The game is doing very well in Second Life indeed. Last week I wandered around and took a look at it.
DIY'er makes a pet access control system
If you're looking for a way to get your pups eating what you want, when you want, you might want to check into one DIY'ers clever solution for an RFID feeding scheme. The trouble all began when a gentleman named Mike Larsen needed to feed one of his dogs a special diet even though food had to be out constantly for his canines -- thus making that goal quite difficult to achieve. After discovering no commercial products to suit his needs (likely due to an apparent patent-hoarder), he decided to put his own solution together, using some RFID key fobs, a small proximity card access kit, a Radio Shack AC adapter, some loud buzzers... and a little bit of elbow grease. The system works by essentially "scaring" the special-diet-dog away from the food by the use of a loud buzzing sound, which isn't subtle, but certainly effective. Check the video after the break to see the system in action.[Via Make]
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.
Magic 8-Ball says: 'Signs point to disturbing'
Even StarFox's furry-friendly backdrop couldn't hold a candle to Fortune Channel, Capcom and TakaraTomy's latest installment to the puppy-fashion Wantame series. Predicting the future with minigames certainly sounds interesting, but we would rather not have to dress up virtual dogs in provocative outfits during the process. The miniature daschund posing on the right is probably the second most unsettling image of a dolled-up animal that we've ever come across. If you want to see the most unsettling image -- and we're not kidding around here, your eyes may very well hop out of their sockets, scampering away at the mere sight of this one -- step past the post break.
Petlink dog collar features GPS for peace of mind
Joining an already crowded field of products designed to prey on pet owners' love for their animals, a new GPS-equipped dog collar from Sweden's Petlink Development and M-Tech promises to give you Rover's exact coordinates by simpling texting the service over Telia's network. The self-titled Petlink device works much like the GPS PRO we saw a few years back, allowing Swedes and eventually Danes to pay around twelve bucks a month for the privilege of nailing down a lost pet's location on the off chance that they successfully escape from captivity their happy homes. Unfortunately Petlink -- like most other models in this category -- is a little too bulky for use on animals of the feline persuasion, so if you're a cat owner, this may be just the impetus you need to trade up to a nice Lab or pit bull. [Via Techdirt]
