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Discoblog
« NCBI ROFL: Depiction of elderly and disabled people on road traffic signs: international comparison.
Doctor, Is My Diabetes Medicine Supposed to Smell Like Gym Socks? »

New Device Aims to Read Your Dog’s Mind—and Broadcast It on Twitter

Puppy2There was a time when having a pooch brought simple chores like taking the dog on regular walks, brushing its coat, and occasionally throwing a stick or prying a slipper loose from its clenched jaws. But these days, having a dog can bring strange new responsibilities–like signing the pup up to Twitter.

A new product by toy giant Mattel called “Puppy Tweets” lets the whole universe get a peek into your dog’s daily activities. The colorful little device hangs from your dog’s collar, and when it detects movement or barking it sends a message via wi-fi to your computer. The messages are translated into pre-programmed tweets and get broadcast directly via Twitter. Your pet’s twitter followers can stay up to date with the latest as he wakes, poops, and woofs.

As Mattel explains:

For example, a bark may generate a Tweet of: “I bark because I miss you. There I said it. Now hurry home.”  A quick run through the house could produce: “I finally caught that tail I’ve been chasing and…OOUUUCHH!”  Invite your friends and family to follow your pet on Twitter and help your dog follow his or her favorite puppy pals or celebrities. Puppy Twitter lets you connect with your pet over the Internet.  It’s a great way to brighten your day ‘cause a Tweet from your pooch is a virtual smooch!

But even if your puppy’s tweets gain popularity, he won’t be the first pet superstar on Twitter; that dubious honor belongs to Sockamillion (Sockington), a feline with a fetish for tweets. He’s already racked up one and half million followers with twitter gems like this: “was my fur always thin over here OH GOD IT’S CAT PATTERN BALDNESS”

Related Content:
DISCOVER: Dr. Sigmund Doolittle
DISCOVER: A Doctor’s Best Friend
80beats: Dogs Demand Fair Play, or They Won’t Play at All
Discoblog: Dog Collar Claims to “Translate” Dog Barks; Experts Are Dubious
Discoblog: Looking to Immortalize Your Pet? Now You Can Turn Muffy’s DNA Into a Diamond

Image: Mattel

Share

February 16th, 2010 12:27 PM Tags: dogs, pets, Twitter
by Smriti Rao in Technology Attacks! | 5 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

  • The Gregarious Misanthrope

    SQUIRREL!!

  • Mandy Dax

    *facepaw*

  • http://stores.ebay.com//critterstuffandmore Diana

    I think your dog, if you truly love him/her and he/she truly loves and trusts you, you can talk to each others’ souls without saying a word. You just exchange thoughts and love between each other. In my opinion, the only way to read your dog’s mind is to look deeply into his eyes, and you can tell exactly what is on his mind.

  • The Gregarious Misanthrope

    I can say with absolute certainty that what your dog is thinking about is:

    1. Food
    2. Licking himself
    3. Humping something
    4. SQUIRREL!!

  • http://chennai.olx.in/item_page.php?Id=220403659&ts=1309045745 pug puppies for sale

    You made some terrific information there. I did a explore on the niche and discovered a lot of people could agree having your blog.





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      Discoblog is DISCOVER's compendium of quirky, funny, and surprising science news from the edge of the known universe. It's written by Veronique Greenwood and Valerie Ross. Email tips and suggestions to vgreenwood [at] discovermagazine [dot] com.

      Discoblog also includes the daily feature NCBI ROFL, in which two prone-to-distraction grad students post real scientific articles with funny subjects. Email your tips to ncbirofl [at] gmail.com. Follow the ROFL feed here.

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