Month: September 2011

Cute, Unidentifiable Animal

An animal has been found that seems is unidentifiable.  There is no doubt to its cuteness, but there are some questions as to what it is.  It looks somewhat like an orange and brown-spotted fur-ball that has huge red eyes.  But that’s about all the gob-smacked Wenling, Chinese zookeepers can say.  It came into their care from two random males who would not identify themselves either!  So one could say that the unidentifiable animal is genetic, given that its “parents” are unidentifiable too.  Not that such a thesis helps the case…

Monkey, Possum, Strange Creature?

There are discussions that it may be a monkey. But others have suggested that it could be a possum.  No-one is entirely sure.  It also has rat-like features and its fur is the color of marbled tortoise-shell.  Its tail is bushy and its paws, pointy.  It really is a funny looking thing, incredibly cute and makes everyone smile when first meeting it.

Mr. Unidentified is approximately 25cm long and enjoys the taste of grass.  So he’s cute, and eco-friendly!  According to Wang Gang, manager of the zoo, “I have consulted animal experts from Hanghou, Shanghai and Wenzhou, but right now no-one is able to tell me what this little creature is called.”

The Healing Power of our Four-Legged Friends

It has been known for a long time that dogs can bring therapeutic relief to patients with a whole slew of different needs.  It seems like the furry friends are able to take patients’ minds off their troubles. But a recent news story really made headlines when it was the dogs themselves who could have been hospitalized as well!  And these injured dogs were also providing aid to patients in a Dallas rehabilitation  institute.

Wheelchair-bound dogs Chili and Arlo have been able to inspire many patients.  According to program director at Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation Linda Marler, since “many of the patients are new to wheelchairs, when they see Chili and Arlo, they say, ‘If those dogs can do it, so can I.’”  Every week the dogs come and visit these patients who have incurred a traumatic injury or a stroke.  Indeed, 6-year-old Chili was thrown over a fence onto cement when she was just 8 weeks old.

The Amazing Wisdom of Non-Homo-Sapiens

If at first you don’t believe, look, look again.  It seems like there are some animals out there hitting the top of the IQ chart.  Apparently, if you want to make a killing on a gamble, your best bet may be a sheep! 

Sonny Wool, hails from New Zealand and is said to be able to predict the winner of the World Cup.  The furry friend determined it would be New Zealand to take home the winning prize against Tonga in the Rugby World Cup’s opening match.  Wool was given two containers of food which each had a flag of the different teams playing and it was the one with the New Zealand flag that he picked.

Apparently it didn’t come as such a great surprise to Sonny Wool’s owner.  According to Dan Boyd, even as a young lamb, Wool was able to predict when it was going to rain and thus he hoped his furry friend would follow in the footsteps of another super-smart non-homo-sapiens, Paul the Octopus.

Paul the Octopus

Paul came before Sonny.  Last year the octopus made the correct prediction on who would win the matches in Germany.  He knew Spain would kick Holland’s butt in the World Cup and he was right.  Paul could be seen on a tank that had a Spanish flag on it before he grabbed a mussel and ate it.  Apparently he showed absolutely no interest in the Dutch tank.  Not only that, but clever Paul also predicted the wins Germany would enjoy over Argentina, Australia, England, Ghana and that it would lose against Spain and Serbia.

So, next time you want to take a gamble and try and predict which team will win in a big game, instead of checking into traditional methods, maybe get yourself a clever pet!

TV’s to Become Modernized?

Due to all sorts of new and exciting modern technology and gadgets, it seems that it is becoming harder and harder to sell televisions at the top prices they used to be able to demand. So companies selling televisions have to come up with new ways to entice today’s customers. And they have been. For example, last week it was revealed that Sharp Corp. is beginning to offer a Freestyle Aquos line of liquid crystal display television sets.

These new televisions do not depend on where the aerial plug is situated due to a tuner which is able to wirelessly send broadcast signals to a TV anywhere else in the home. As one executive from Sharp pointed out, “for people wanting to move around all the furniture and freely design their homes, the TV has been a bottleneck.”

Pushing Into the 21st Century

This new product from Sharp shows how television manufactures are attempting to respond to the demands of the modern technological world. As a general rule, these manufacturers have been losing substantial finances over the last few years. According to an article in Home Toys just two years ago, Samsung Electronics “mass-produced light emitting diode-backlit TV sets ahead of rivals.” When the 3D televisions first begun last year, it was hoped that this would help but it didn’t. Internet-enabled televisions were introduced that work on a software developed by Google so the “smart TVs…became one of the major themes at the annual Consumer Electronics Show.”

So even though efforts are being made in the television industry to boost profits, it seems like the current ideas in the market may not be the right direction.