Last Friday we added a dog to our household.  We named him Loki, and as you can see he is Soooo cute!

He’s a mutt, a cross of Golden Retriever and Standard Poodle.  He is only seven weeks old.

Nose to nose

We think he is terribly smart. He’s nearly house-trained, very anxious to please and gets along well with the cat.  They will actually pass one-another in a doorway without problems.  He helps Diana put the chickens to bed in the evenings.  The chickens are VERY unsure about this new animal.

We will get other pictures soon.

Dr. Vinod Sikka
Research and Development Director
Ross Nanotechnology

Dear Dr. Sikka:

I have been extremely interested in your NeverWet products and think that I have an application that is well worth your consideration.

Can You Help This Hen?

On the Washington coast, particularly at this time of year, we get lots of rain and wind.  While humans can prepare for the weather, these pet hens have only two alternatives.  They can stay in their coop or they can brave the rain and in the course of a few minutes get thoroughly drenched.  Our hens are the “outdoor” type.

Ducks on the other hand love this weather.  Although they are feathered like chickens, they also have a built-in waterproofing.  The old saying about water rolling off a ducks back is absolutely true.  They never really get wet to the pin-feathers.

By now, I’m sure you have already anticipated what I’d like you to consider.  Can NeverWet be applied to chicken’s feathers to compensate for the attribute nature clearly neglected?

Hens everywhere it is wet will thank you!

JP Courtnier
Oysterville WA
(We know wet!)

Note:  NeverWet is an amazing hydrophobic product that repels water better than anything you probably have ever seen.  Check out their website at http://neverwet.com .

Maybe you missed the news about the Swedish church of Kopimistsam being formally recognized by that government. In this church they hold the belief that it is their right, no… their duty, to copy files and share them with others.

Working in the Scriptorium

This is of course not without precedence. In the middle ages monasteries had entire rooms devoted to coping “sacred” text. They were called scriptorium. They were credited with saving an important part of western civilization in this process.

Of course, technology advanced with Gutenberg’s movable type and made them largely no longer necessary.

Printing was adequate for quite awhile until technology advanced to copy machines of various sorts. Does anyone remember the thermofax machines? They were just a mini step in the coping process.

So now we have entered the digital age. The technology is different, but the product the same, information.

We are used to being told that information and knowledge is owned, when in fact knowledge is a human condition.

There will be people who say, “Oh Jim, there is a big difference between the Bible and other works. So here is an additional bit of information. The King James Version of the bible is under copyright. The copyright is owned by the Queen and within the UK it is legally enforced. They do not enforce this copyright outside of the UK, but under common treaties they probably could!

So, all you bible-stealing thieves beware!

Here is a link to the English language version of the Church of Kopimistsam

http://kopimistsamfundet.se/english/

And a comment from the BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16424659