scoodog's blog

Please help the St. Louis Senior Dog Project

2009-07-11T23:06:00.006-05:00

As many of you know, I am a big fan of the St. Louis Senior Dog Project. I've adopted two dogs from them in recent years, including one of my current dogs, Dawson, and one of my deceased dogs, Maddie. They are in a competition to win a prize of $1,000 which would help them tremendously during this economic recession, as donations are down and there are more older dogs than ever needing their organization's help.

There are two weeks left in the competition.

Would you please help them out by voting for them -- each day through July 29?

How to vote:

1. Go to the voting page
2. Type in the following shelter name: St. Louis Senior Dog Project
3. Select "MO" in the state box
4. Click the "Search" button
5. Click the "Vote" button that shows up
6. Answer a challenge question that appears

You can vote once each day. Thank you very much for your help!

(And -- please consider adopting your next dog from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project!)

Showing respect for Scooter

2009-07-07T22:18:00.007-05:00

A friend of mine shared the following thinking with me, and I asked her permission to further share it. I thought it was really touching and insightful:

Just remember that you loved Scooter and when you lose a loved one, you grieve. I think people do not give themselves permission to grieve for animals. You get told "It's just a dog" and you end up feeling strange because it impacts you emotionally. But your grief shows respect for Scooter and her place in your life. It would be far sadder to die and have no one grieve.

Quote

2009-07-05T17:15:00.002-05:00

My sister shared the following quote with me:

If you dare to love, you must have the courage to grieve.

Scooter

2009-07-05T16:16:00.001-05:00

I lost her this morning. It hurts too much right now, so I'm just going to point you over to The Snikk Blog for a nice little tribute.

A funny speech from "a very famous minor television personality"

2009-06-21T09:22:00.002-05:00

Here's John Hodgman ("PC" from the on-going Mac/PC commercials) at the Radio & TV Correspondents Dinner from a few evenings ago. Very funny...

Launch Day!

2009-06-19T19:16:00.003-05:00

Today was the launch day of the iPhone 3G S. My friend Steve & I stopped by the Apple Store over lunch to check out the new phone, which adds the capability of shooting video. Here's a video I took:

And there is a lesson learned here: Hold the iPhone sideways next time when shooting video!

How time flies...

2009-06-13T10:45:00.003-05:00

It's already been a full year since Tim Russert passed away...

It feels like Christmas Eve!

2009-06-07T22:23:00.007-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day -- Apple's sold-out Worldwide Developer's Conference (WWDC), where some big announcements are expected to be made. Faster, more-powerful iPhones with new whiz-bang features, such as -- perhaps -- video conferencing. Release dates for version 3.0 of the iPhone software and version 10.6 of the Mac OS ("Snow Leopard")... and perhaps more...

Fonzie's been cloned!

2009-06-06T10:55:00.001-05:00

This is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time... I hope you enjoy.

In memory of Carol Sanders

2009-05-31T15:42:00.008-05:00

A longtime friend of mine, Carol Sanders, died last Tuesday in a car accident. Carol was a wonderful person. She was pleasant and calming and fun to be around. She demonstrated care for others in how she expressed herself. She was very insightful and intelligent.

Three years ago in April, two of my three dogs died. Maddie and Brandy were both quite old but losing both of them within eight days of each other was nothing I would ever expect to happen.

The day after the second dog, Brandy, died, Carol happened to send me one of those "Hey, it's been a while -- how are things?" e-mails. I responded by telling Carol about the dogs and adding, "Your note came just when I needed it most. Thanks Carol. God works in mysterious ways."

Carol wrote back:

Tom, I am so sorry to hear about Brandy and Maddie. Wow. I can't imagine how tough this is going to be on you and Scooter. You gave them both such a great life by taking them in and making a home for them. Losing such close friends does really help bring you back to the important part of life, the relationships you weave with others. Maybe it is time to reach out to another dog and bring them into your home. Maybe this is in the big plan.

Carol's own words are appropriate and beautifully haunting, three years later.

The important part of life -- the relationships you weave with others.

Thank you, Carol, for being an important part of my life. And to her husband Dave and her family, my sincere sympathies.

* * *

A beautiful article about Carol is available from The St. Louis Beacon. I highly recommend it, even for those readers who never met Carol. The article provides insight into human beauty and passion.

Tippy

2009-05-29T21:36:00.006-05:00

Check out the latest rescue from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project, a dog named Tippy who was at the St. Louis Animal Control and who was literally strangling in severe mats. Tippy also has bad pneumonia. Since the photo here was taken, she has been groomed and cleaned up but is still sick and not eating or drinking. Hopefully Tippy will pull through.

As I've mentioned before, I have incredible respect for the St. Louis Senior Dog Project and all they do to help the older dogs who too many people don't want to deal with. I've adopted three older dogs from them over the years, and all have been wonderful.

Please consider an older dog and adopting from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project.

Finger painting

2009-05-25T22:10:00.004-05:00

The cover of the latest issue of The New Yorker magazine was drawn on an iPhone, using a $5 app called Brushes. Amazing! See the video below to see how the illustration came together:

Get a Mac

2009-05-15T11:43:00.008-05:00

This is the best Mac/PC commercial yet and reflects my sentiments exactly!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T10:54:00.002-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Here's Google's quite pretty logo for the day:

Star Trek

2009-05-10T10:36:00.005-05:00

The new Star Trek flick is fun -- this coming from someone who's never watched any of the original series or films! And last night's surprise segment on Saturday Night Live was funny:

Don't try this at home...

2009-04-30T23:07:00.005-05:00

Last month, I bought a really nice (and slightly expensive) knife, a 10" Wüsthof cook's knife. This video serves as an example of what not to use such a knife for:

Happy Earth Day

2009-04-22T08:24:00.002-05:00

Here's Google's cool logo for the day:

The Michael Scott Paper Company, serving Scranton's paper needs since 2009

2009-04-18T00:02:00.025-05:00

The Office has been on fire lately, ever since Michael quit Dunder-Mifflin and formed a new business, the Michael Scott Paper Company. Recent episodes have been hilarious:

Season 5, Episode 18: Just as Michael is about to ring in his anniversary with Dunder Mifflin, he meets his new boss.

Season 5, Episode 19: Michael gives Corporate two weeks notice, giving him freedom to do whatever he wants in the office.

Season 5, Episode 20: Michael and his team launch the Michael Scott Paper Company.

Season 5, Episode 21: Michael Scott Paper Company sets up shop at their new headquarters.

Season 5, Episode 22: Dwight's loyalty to Michael is tested when he finds himself growing closer to Charles.

The MacBook nano?

2009-04-13T12:04:00.010-05:00

A number of reports have suggested that Apple is going to be releasing a new notebook computer that is in-between the size of the iPhone and the smallest Mac notebook, the 13" MacBook.

I've always thought it strange that Apple never introduced a replacement for their 12" PowerBook, a very compact -- but discontinued -- notebook computer that I've had for several years.

Over the weekend, a report on AppleInsider.com:

Apple is as focused as ever on producing a portable device that sits in between the small, pocketable designs of the iPhone and iPod touch but not as large as existing MacBooks... Recent reports have seen Apple order 10-inch touchscreens for an unknown product due later this year; it's commonly believed to either be Apple's long-in-development tablet-class device or else the company's closest equivalent to a netbook.

Other reports have suggested that Apple may be partnering with AT&T on this device, much like they have done with the iPhone. The new device would use AT&T's 3.5G network (a rumored speed upgrade over their existing 3G network), resulting in a notebook computer that is always connected to the internet (assuming you are within range). As far as pricing, some reports are suggesting that AT&T would subsidize the initial cost of the computer, so the computer would cost something like $300 up-front with a two-year commitment for wireless coverage at, say, $25/month.

Roy G. Biv

2009-04-12T22:42:00.006-05:00

My photo group at work, which meets monthly, had an exercise: One photo representing each of the main hues in the visible spectrum, plus a photo focusing on black, white or shades of gray. Click on the photos for larger versions.

Mad World

2009-04-07T23:45:00.000-05:00

The live, one-hour episode of American Idol ran long tonight, and my DVR stopped right before the final performance of the evening -- Adam Lambert singing Mad World. In case you missed it, too, here it is -- and it's phenomenal. This guy makes all of the other contestants sound like hack karaoke singers by comparison. He is in a league so far beyond them all.

Happy 9th Birthday, Willie!

2009-04-06T08:17:00.001-05:00

Wow!

2009-03-29T12:33:00.002-05:00

This is Bernie and Uncle Tom let me post this:

The next American Idol?

2009-03-26T07:36:00.000-05:00

Ten people remain in competition, but one is standing out: Adam Lambert. His performance last night of Smokey Robinson's The Tracks of My Tears was incredible and earned him a standing ovation -- from Robinson himself!

Happy Spring!

2009-03-20T18:30:00.002-05:00

Winter is now officially over, as the folks at Google remind us: