If Cats Had Thumbs...

 ...they could rule the world.

I don't care who you are, you probably need to see this today.

And Tom Cruise should see it, and maybe take home a little humility.

To The Class of 2023

 

We have, on multiple occasions, commended to you the humanitarian works of YouTube engineer Mark Rober, the man who has annually perfected the porch pirate Glitter Bomb, and has entertained literal millions by testing the ingenuity of his backyard tree rats, devising ever better squirrel mazes for them to conquer.

This year, MIT chose him as their commencement speaker, and his speech does not disappoint. Frankly, it's better and more useful than any number of attempts by more serious speakers.

Enjoy.

Have It Your Way

 h/t daily timewaster

Total days, lifetime, we've ever spent shoveling snow: Zero.

Don't be a hater.

Hell No Kitty

 h/t daily timewaster

Light Posting Notice



Named Isis (courtesy of an old Star Trek episode), but never
 called that (she wouldn't have come anyways), if there's a cat
 afterlife, she's probably expecting to be waited on hand and
 foot there too.

The cat I didn't want has become the cat I didn't want to lose, but she came and went at her own whim at both ends. I got her when a neighbor abandoned her, declawed and defenseless, in the complex parking lot, and moved to Utah. But cats can spot a sucker a mile off, and I was adopted once I figured out her predicament. In return for both studied indifference and loads of undeserved affection, along with an endless stream of litter box nuggets, all she demanded since she adopted me was constant feeding, perpetual attention, and regular replenishment of fresh sand. Wherever I went, there she was, and her favorite was to sit at my feet rumble-purring for hours, with occasional trips to the lap for more attention, interrupted only for food and naps. After eight years of living high on the hog with the run of the mansion, she was feeling poorly the last couple of weeks (the vet suspected cancer, but couldn't confirm it), and so I was tending to her when home most of the month. After working the last three nights straight, when I got home she looked this morning like today would be her last, and so it was. True to form, she made a bit of a mess, but perked up when I got home, drank some water a few times, and regularly switched her tail when I talked to her, until the last couple of hours, and died as I held her a short while ago. Which at least solves the problem of her suffering. Mine, not so much, so she remains to the end a bit of a bother. She would have purred about that, and looked at me like butter wouldn't have melted in her mouth with her usual "What? Who, me?" look.

I have some things to take care of, so other than tomorrow's weekly post, I'll be offline for some while, and get back to this in a couple more days, when I'm feeling like it.

I was done with having a cat after the last one died, but that didn't stop this one from showing up uninvited, so who knows? In the short term, at least there'll be less cat hair on everything to contend with. I would also note this isn't a bleg for any sympathy (though any wishes are appreciated), but merely to explain my absence for a day or three, in advance.

In-Flight Cat-tastrophe

Old (from 2015) but just popped up on my YouTube feed list...

I'm thinking zip-tying a few ounces of metal cat-proof hardware cloth are in order to cover the wing voids.

And poor Fluffy thought he'd found a nice, warm dry place to catch some diffused rays, until things got noisy.

But now you know why the wing smells like cat pee.

Caturday

The Onion - Red Cross Edition

Funny, yes. But stupid.
Hopefully they've found a worthier target for their next project. We need this kind of weaponized autism for higher things.

Holy Crap

Hovercats! We're doomed! Like paws weren't stealthy enough for the little beasts.
Just imagine Fluffy hovering over your face at breakfast time, and waking up to this just over you.

I don't care if they require FAA registration, screw drones, I want a hovercat.
Just to drive dogs crazy.