Showing posts with label cat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cat. Show all posts

Friday, December 03, 2010

Stuff on My Cat('s Mind)

I know I've wondered, as I've watched my cat walk from his food bowl to the front window and stare mournfully down at the rainy street - what exactly is on his mind?

I'll tell you what: CAT STRATEGY.

I know. A lot of people assume that cats don't think about much other than eating and sleeping. X-ray pictures like the one below might lead you to agree with that. But I'm hoping to forever alter the way that you think about feline cognition!


The central problem with crude tools like the X-ray is that they can't detect the ruthless efficiency of the feline brain. An X-ray can't show you that cats are capable of complex thought processes whose richness and variety surpass even those of the most highly trained and herring-motivated dolphin.

How? Simple: Cats use 99% of their brain 100% of the time. Contrast that with humans, who use - what, like maybe 10% when we're at our best? Sure, our brains are big, but are you really using all that gray matter to post status updates on Facebook?

Pictures like the one below dramatically demonstrate what I'm talking about.

No, I didn't just make those numbers up. What's above represents a mere snapshot of findings from a new PET Scan study our research team performed on a human and a feline volunteer. During the experiment in question, subjects were invited to think as deeply as possible about the most pressing issues facing them today while we measured their brain activity.

We found that the human subject not only resisted the experiment, but jabbered on and on in what could best be described as stream-of-consciousness thought:







Meanwhile, with the aid of a professional pet psychic, the research team was able to ascertain that the cat in question was internally engaging in fields of inquiry that ranged from the geopolitical to the sartorial.





Anyway, I think I've given away enough for now. Look for near-term publication of results in a respected scientific journal - I'm thinking Science or Nature, though I'm definitely anticipating some kind of bidding war.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Birth of a Blog


The following (nearly complete) transcript follows the harrowing, painful labor that brought our little dream into the world ...

girl1: what are we going to talk about on our blog?
girl2: maybe we should have a few themes
girl1: yes
girl2: let's brainstorm!
girl2: pop culture
girl2: work
girl2: funny daily stories and rants
girl1: personal life is out, since we have none
girl2: we can have a place holder
girl2: or like 1,004 days and girl2 still hasn't gone out on a date
girl1: you mean we're not devoting this to my cat?
girl2: so….
girl2: our tone?
girl2: self-effacing
girl2: caustic
girl2: insightful
girl1: yes
girl2: yes
girl2: we could create a thermometer
girl2: a status on our lives
girl1: ok!
girl2: we could post our conversations on various topics
girl1: yes!
girl1: but we will have to mask our names
girl2: yes
girl2: i don't want to piss anyone off or get fired
girl1: that would be bad
girl1: like washingtonienne
girl2: it could turn into one of those "my best friend stole my diary" scenarios
girl2: and i already have so few friendsgirl1: i am very secretive
girl2: what else
girl2: frankly, i am doing all the brainstorming here
girl1: i know
girl1: i hate brainstorming
girl1: i just let everyone else take over
girl1: and then reject things
girl2: i see that
girl2: so what ideas do you like so far
girl1: (a) convos between us
girl2: yes
girl1: (b) news [out - boring]
girl2: ok
girl1: (c) funny daily stories and rants
girl1: (d) pop culture
girl1: (e) work
girl1: (f) status of lives
girl1: ummmmm ....
girl1: what else?
girl1: i want to include the signs from the bathroom
girl1: but that would easily out us
girl2: we could post this exchange
girl1: i think we should
girl2: as the birth
girl1: the birth of the blog!
girl2: we are so good
girl1: we really are
girl1: even though everyone else reading it will be bored
girl2: but
girl1: yes?
girl2: can we clean up my spelling?
girl1: no
girl2: i have a reputation
girl1: for what? bad spelling?
girl1: yes, you do
girl2: we did the unbelievable
girl1: what?
girl2: we have legitimized our IM addiction
girl1: ha!
girl2: i wish we still had the picture of the lady pointing at you while you take a crapper
girl2: maybe i still have it
girl1: okay ... so i like the life thermometer or whatever it is idea
girl1: i think it's about work and life
girl2: ok
girl1: weird things
girl2: ok
girl1: whatever
girl1: are we closer?
girl1: i'm sure it will evolve over time
girl1: like all good things
girl2: this is going to be the modern girl's version of waiting for godot
girl1: yes
girl1: exactly
girl2: I LIKE IT
girl1: ME TOO
girl2: can i pretend i am not 31?
girl1: you can pretend to be however old you want to be
girl1: you are 24
girl2: thanks
girl2: 27 was my best year
girl1: fine
girl1: oh, btw
girl2: yes
girl1: we will have to edit out any snarky comments about our friends in our IM exchange
girl2: yes, yes
girl2: we will edit
girl2: BUT
girl2: that includes spelling
girl1: yes
girl1: okay
girl1: fine
girl1: that includes your spelling
girl2: we will title it birth of a blog
girl1: i love that we had that long conversation just to say this is a blog about nothing
girl2: perfect really
girl1: i know
girl2: but
girl1: yes?
girl2: i still need a cookie
girl2: i guess i have an apple
girl2: close enough
girl1: i think you're substituting cookie for something else
girl2: probably