Latest Blog Posts

Of Colors and Genes

This podcast was the result of spending—or wasting as the case may be—weeks trying to select new colors for my website redesign, only to get blindsided by a quirk of computer and human perception. On the other hand, the collapse of my naive belief that, given the same color code, computer systems would display a website of the exact color I wanted later struck me as similar to the way genes and their results are often perceived. People or animals who have Gene A will have or will get Condition B.

Would that colors and genes were both so simple!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:30 — 6.0MB)

Wolves in Our Parlors, Dogs in Our Minds

Novelist Marcel Proust said that “…every reader is, while he is reading, the reader of his own self.” The same can be said of writers who, whether they want to or not, often tell the reader much more about themselves than the subject about which they write. Such was my experience reading The Wolf in the Parlor by Jon Franklin (Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2009).

To read more, click here.

Those Little Things that Mean a Lot

Remember the childhood rhyme “For Want of a Nail”?

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Ignoring the fact that this rhyme doesn’t rhyme, the point those who introduced us to this little ditty wanted to make is that ignoring things that superficially appear to be insignificant can have grave consequences down the line. No doubt the reason this non rhyme has endured so long is because it’s still true today.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:39 — 6.1MB)

When Exact Isn’t Good Enough

I’m writing this at a time that some of you may have never experienced. It’s not in the wee hours of the morning or in some exotic time zone. I’m writing this at approximately 10:40 a.m.  Not exactly 10:38 or 10:41 as your digital clock, watch, computer, or iPhone might tell you. I’m writing this at some time roughly around 10:40, give or take a few minutes. This deliciously uncertain state is courtesy of the analog wall clock in my office. If I looked at the digital clock on my computer or the one in the bedroom, each would tell me exactly what time it is. Or, rather, exactly what time each of them thinks it is. And, more likely than not, the two won’t agree. And I for one wouldn’t bet the ranch that either of them is correct given I take a reading from my battery powered analog watch or clock to reset them when the power goes out and the “right” time when I start this process with the digital clock on the oven will be the wrong time by the time I reach the digital clock in the bedroom. To compensate for this I guess, sometimes right, sometimes wrong. So unlike my analog clock which is always in the right time ballpark, my digital clocks are either totally right or completely wrong.

Digital systems in computers and in  yes/no, positive/negative, normal/abnormal thought patterns are the subject of this week’s podcast. Like the little girl with the little curl right in the middle of her forehead, when used in environments where only such either/or options exist, they’re very, very good. But when we try to apply them to areas where multiple alternatives or shades of grey may exist, well, they can be pretty doggone horrid.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:13 — 6.6MB)

Mirror Images

As I was reading various articles about the mirror test for self-awareness that’s supposed to prove human superiority (click here for one such article), I couldn’t help thinking about termites.  Specifically, I was thinking about an African species called the bellicose termite. They build huge mounds that include chambers in which they eliminate their poorly digested waste. There the waste is processed by a species of fungus they cultivate which converts the waste to more food for the termites. Because the fungus gardens produce a lot of heat and because the fungus grows best within the 30-31 degree C range, the termite mounds also include a very effective, highly energy-efficient climate control system. Moreover, the termites adapt their structures to the soil type and environmental conditions where they build. Some of these may be 20’ tall and have a “cellar” 6’ down, 10-12’ in diameter and 2’ high.

I imagine two of these termites discussing the relative intelligence of humans. One of them, Egomite, believes that termites are the most superior species. The other, Naturmite, views them as part of a greater whole.

“I think humans are lower life-forms,” argues Egomite.

“I’m not saying they’re not,” replies Naturmite. “But just because they’re lower life forms doesn’t mean they can’t be self-aware like we are.”

“I’ll prove it,” counters his pal. “We’ll give them a test.”

“What kind of a test?”

“Well, I think anyone who is self-aware should be able to build a climate controlled building with an equally energy-efficient waste-retrieval system that can be adapted to a variety of different ground conditions,” replies Egomite after some thought.

“I’m sure there are humans who could do that,” declares Naturmite confidently.

“That’s only the first part of the test,” continues the termite champion.  “Taking into account how much bigger they are, their building should be at least a mile high to be comparable to one of our mounds. And, of course, they can’t use any tools.”

“Now, wait a minute! That’s not fair! ” blusters Naturmite. “You know they can’t do that given their lack of communication skills and other limitations!”

“I rest my case,” proclaims Egomite smugly.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 6:32 — 6.0MB)

Post-Holiday Pet Let-Down

For most of us the beginning for a new year is a time of regrouping. Regular schedules return, sometimes complicated by having to play catch-up on tasks we let go over the holidays. Then there’s atonement for all we ate–Christmas cookies for breakfast even!–and how little we exercised. Unwrapping presents does not count as exercise any more than moving briskly through buffet lines while filling a plate does.

But while most of us are aware of post-holiday let-down and its causes in our lives, that our pets might experience something similar doesn’t occur to us.  And because the very nature of the human-companion animal bond makes us expect them to serve as a source of comfort when we’re having a rough time, adding a pet with post-holiday problems can make us feel worse. Yet another one of those human-animal interactions that are better prevented.

One of the things I’m doing post-holiday is digging out from a New Year’s Eve through January 3rd snow. There wasn’t a lot of snow, but it was constant. And it was the perfect snow to stick to certain dogs’ fur and give rise to thoughtful expressions:

The cat, on the other hand, preferred to observe from somewhere where he could keep himself sleek and tidy.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:15 — 6.7MB)

A Universal Human-Companion Animal Bond Resolution

If the title makes you think that I’ve succumbed to the hyperbole that permeates all things companion animal from (gross!) canine butt-covers to adopted pets as holiday gifts, fear not. The title represents the distillation of numerous good resolutions into one that will be easy to remember even when feeling the most frazzled. Can you guess what it is?

I’ll give you two hints. 1. This resolution is thousands of years old and probably predates human language. 2. It possesses the power to reduce even the worst pet-related situations to manageable ones.

Give up? Find out what it is here.

There’s no podcast this week, but I wanted to share an animal-related mystery that I investigated at my son, Dan’s, townhouse when I went there with Frica and Ollie to celebrate Christmas. It’s not that this mystery is anything spectacular. It probably isn’t or wouldn’t be even if we managed to solve it. In the meantime, it’s a good example of the kinds of things animals do to which we would probably assign all kinds of higher brain function were a human to do them. But when a dog or cat does them, well, then it’s a mystery

The facts are pretty straight-forward. Dan moved into a townhouse several months ago and put up the artificial tree with built-in lights that he decorates every year. In his new place, the tree is beside a sliding glass door overlooking a small deck and the rest of the housing complex. The tree is not slanted, but for some reason I was when I took this picture. To the left of the tree you can see the drapes on the door.

This year the tree is missing two components that it’s enjoyed in the past. One is the decorative skirt that covered the base of the tree. The first part of the mystery is why Newman the cat decided to sleep under it for the first time in his life, inspiring Lumpy to drag him out of there. This did not bode well for either the tree or the gifts beneath it, so the skirt went.  Here’s  a picture of Newman and Lumpy during the family celebration:

Now if you look at the tree carefully, you can see evidence of the second mystery: the lack of lights and ornaments in its lower left corner. What happened to the lights is unknown. However the ornaments, and only those ornaments, were removed. Dan would find them piled up beside the sleeping dog in the morning.  None were damaged even though some were quite delicate. When it first happened, Dan replaced the ornaments. But after it became clear that they were not going to survive the night on the tree, he removed them.

So there’s the mystery. Did the ornaments interfere when Lumpy was trying to look through the curtains of the sliding glass door?  Was the light from the door such that it created reflections in those ornaments that bothered him for some reason? Or did the reflections or something else about those ornaments carry a positive emotional charge for him, and he removed them to keep them safe? Or maybe the Lumpy theories are all wrong and the cat removed the ornaments and put them next to the sleeping dog in hopes of getting him into trouble.

As of this writing, any or none of these explanations could be the right one. Lumpy is not what anyone would call the Einstein of goldens and for sure his world view is unique. But if he did remove those ornaments, I’m sure he had a very good reason for doing it. And if the cat did, I’m sure he had a good reason, too.

Here’s a final picture of Lumpy to remind us that, no matter how many storms the new year may bring, there’s always time to play in the snow.

Holiday Greetings

Season’s Greetings from the three furry muses who live in the little house on the hill.

May the coming year be filled with the very best for you and your loved ones of all species.

FRICA

OLLIE

BAMBOO

THE LITTLE HOUSE ON THE HILL

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 2:36 — 2.4MB)

The Great Chicken Mystery

I drove by the scene of the crime several days after I recorded this. The body is gone, but the sign is still upside down. Hopefully, we’re not dealing with a serial killer.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 7:46 — 7.1MB)