Quick kitty video

Madonna doesn't seem to sit still long enough to be photographed--at least when using the absurdly slow camera on my phone. So here's a quick video:

Musicians Sir Mix-A-Lot and John Roderick talk new media, JoCo, and Glee on NPR in Seattle

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Important update --to buy Jonathan Coulton's version

iTunes: Baby Got Back (In the Style of Glee)
GooglePlay: Baby Got Back (In the Style of Glee)
AmazonMP3: Baby Got Back (In the Style of Glee)

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Here's a link to the NPR Seattle radio show that addressed the recently unfolding story about Fox TV's program Glee and its attribution-free use (aka plagiarism) of Jonathan Coulton's cover of Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot. Don't get me started on how much time I sank into trying to find a way to listen to the specific part of the show that I wanted to access, such that I could properly transcribe it. Starting at about 48 minutes in. (Hat tip to John Hodgman for making me aware of this interview.

Sir Mix-A-Lot:...but I mean that when you actually interact with your fans and understand what they want and give it to them, that's an art in itself. 

KUOW: Do you both feel that it's basically up to you? Because you have so many platforms by which you can reach an audience?

John Roderick: Well, yeah, but as Mix says, you have to have a social media--you have to have a savvy and a strategy, man, not to turn this back around to Mix's, but this situation that's happening with Glee right now, where they covered Mick's tune that was done by--they did a version of a cover that had been done by another artist, Jonathan Coulton, a friend of mine. And Glee kind of was, uh, they made the arrangement with Mix but they didn't--they copied Jonathan's version. And they thought that Jonathan was just going to roll over and it would disappear. But Jonathan is a guy with an incredible social media dexterity and he--his version is now in the top 100 in the iTunes charts, and the Glee version is somewhere down in the low 200s.

KUOW: What is happening? This is again about ownership and--well I guess it's about ownership.and who controls the product. Who controls the art?

John Roderick:Well, it's about two things. I mean, the song is by Mix-a-Lot, he controls--he has the ownership of the tune in that sense, but Glee made an arrangement with him that was very old media, right? It was like contracts between two big companies. Jonathan is an internet artist, and a Facebook and Twitter artist, and his rendition of it, people--it's different music. But Jonathan was able to marshal his social media people in a way that I don't think Fox anticipated.

KUOW: So how you do you--I know there's legal issues here--how do you look at this larger question that you started by looking at the power of Macklemore and their ability to speak to many people?"

Sir Mix-A-Lot: Well, you know, in watching this--first of all let me say the reason I can't comment on certain aspects of it is that my managers asked me not to, because we kind of have deals with both the Glee side and Jonathan's side. But something--I don't know what it is with some of these larger companies, but do NOT underestimate a cat like Jonathan with a million followers. He will wax that ass! (Laughter.) I mean, really, you can't underestimate that kind of power, and the best thing to do is to get them on your side. And you know, the industry as we knew it is over. I mean, these kids are not intimidated by any large corporation. Those days are gone.

Update: Check out this article at The Mary Sue, and then please tell Stephen Colbert that the Fox execs in question would make great Alpha Dogs of the Week.

Video 1

Marble

My "Energizer Doggie"

We were at the park for a solid hour. I eventually had to take him home because it was dark outside.  Perkins wasn't tired. Not in the least.



COSI Videos

Son took these on our recent visit to the local science museum. After interning there this summer, he got a 3 month pass for himself and a guest.

Winnie's Second Wind

The Feast of St. Brady

The title of this post is not meant to be sacrilegious--and it is to some degree tongue in cheek. But it occurred to me today--the first time in over a decade that I did NOT attend church on the day of the Blessing of the Animals, that the Feast of Saint Francis was sort of Brady's special day. 

Brady was an only dog when I first adopted him, and he enjoyed LOTS of rides in the Adventure Box. I originally intended to get him certified as a therapy dog, and in order to do that, he first had to earn his Canine Good Citizen certificate. So there were several rounds of obedience training, including a sort of informal "graduate" class that would meet at the end of the day when PetSmart was about to close, and the dogs could mingle off leash. There were other outings too, and Brady, by virtue of being a collie, turned heads wherever he went. People would literally "bow down" to pet him. Brady ate this up with a spoon.

I still regret that I never followed through with the animal assisted therapy thing, but, you know, "life is what happens while you're busy making other plans". Life kept me busy in plenty of different ways, and, once we adopted Winnie, Brady pretty much stopped getting his special outings. I rationalized that he had another dog at home to keep him company, so he didn't need a "doggie play group" the way he used to. And it wasn't easy for me to take TWO dogs on an outing. 

Eventually, I felt a bit guilty about the wistful glances from Brady when we walked past the van but I didn't open the rear gate to let him jump in and go out somewhere to greet his adoring public. The Saint Francis Pet Blessings became a regular thing that I did with him. He had no idea what a "blessing" was, obviously, but any ritual that involved a human crouching down, stroking his head, and speaking gentle words to him clearly had his paw print of approval. 

Winnie likes that kind of attention too, but it never became a ritual with her, and I don't feel any great urge to start now. At this point, I don't see her enjoying spending an extended period of time sitting or lying on the cold, hard church floor. Her 12 year old bones yearn to settle down somewhere soft and warm, and I can't say that I blame her. Perkins? I'm exhausted just thinking about how hard it would be to keep that energetic, athletic, and STRONG young guy under control amidst so many distractions. 

Today I am blessed to share my life with two wonderful dogs--who each delight and amuse me in their own way. But the Feast Day of St. Francis will always be Brady's special day. It is a day that I smile at the thought of him shamelessly flirting with anyone who was willing to shower him with attention. And I shed a tear as I am reminded that I can never again stroke the soft fur on his head, and tell him what a beautiful boy he is, and what a once-in-a-lifetime friend he has been.