toy breed or companionship task

A Scandinavian laboratory, which has introduced such products as a rocking chair battery charger, a hovering lamp that follows one around and a cloud for indoors, now purports to be working on a device to translate the barks and whimpers of ones pet dog to human language by triangulating the electro-encephalograph readings with a known canine lexicon and special adaptive software (sadly, the link is not working any longer so perhaps the experiment folded, bad, bad host). Though I don't know whether a talking dog (imagine the frank and uncensored admissions and the obligatory conversations and ethical considerations) would necessarily be an improvement on the current relationship that we enjoy with animal friends, I think it is absolutely fantastic that such mad scientists exist and are there and with a sandbox to be kick-started.

dura lex sed lex

No one is particularly heaving a sigh of relief over the off-the-cuff adjudication of one US District Judge's that the mass-surveillance carried out by American intelligence agencies was “significantly likely to be unconstitutional.”

Even without considering the source, who is part of the cadre who orchestrated dreadful scandals like the Iran-Contra Affair (the scheme to supply Iranian kidnappers allied with Lebanon weapons through Israeli channels and use the proceeds to divert arms to the paramilitary group opposed to the democratically-elected government of Nicaragua, all at a premium for the military-industrial complex—the enemy of my enemy is my friend—and to free some hostages by negotiating with terrorists), overturning the mandate that cigarette packages bear graphic warnings since being forced to do so would have infringed on the tobacco-manufacturers' First Amendment rights, and questioning the president's legitimacy at every turn over his citizenship, such opining is inviting blowback. It is a minority—or at least split, opinion among the legal professionals who've commented on the spying scandal—which in any case, only concerns itself with its own jurisdiction, American citizens on American soil and not the rest of the world. De minimis non curat lex. Appealing to a higher court could result in dire consequences in the long-term for the USA.

heart-strings

Though I think I always want to root for the underdogs and want to be skeptical of the overlords but I remember never having even the slightest bit of immunity when it came to those long-distance telephone commercials rolled out around the holidays by Ma Bell before the break-up and then by competitors. This new holiday advertisement by Apple is in that vein and tears down all one's defenses and cynicism. Click through to watch Misunderstood and have a hanky ready.

papa noël

Collectors' Weekly presents a brilliant and comprehensive feature on the origins and evolution of Santa Claus, including some ideas for the future, with many varied forms of spokesmanship and endorsements that don't quite fit the image, even for a mascot refined for marketing purposes. Nonetheless, the history is quite sweet and endearing, mingling several traditions, cultures, portrayals and exploitations, which in the end yield an undeniable, inalienable sense of wonder and belief, whose quirks and miracles that deserve discovery for oneself.