dog

#MashTag beer crafted from social-media input

Go ahead, pour yourself a cold frosty glass full of Twitter. Mmm, that's good stuff. Scottish craft brewery BrewDog turned over the reins of its latest creation to fans on Twitter and Facebook. The resulting brew, #MashTag, came about after several rounds of voting on the various elements that make it up, from the type of brew to the label design.

Over the course of several days, BrewDog offered up three options at a time to a vote. For example, the "#MashTag" name won out over its competition of "CrewDog" and "Crowd Control." Fans also chose to make it an American Brown Ale, rather than an Imperial or Session Brown Ale.… Read more

Pet threat: Animals cause $3 billion in annual electronics damage

Dogshaming.com is full of electronics incidents. Coco the hound knocked a glass of soda onto a MacBook Pro. Levon ate his mom's new cell phone. Slim pooped on his person's laptop. These crimes against technology are pretty hilarious after the fact, but a new study by electronics warranty provider SquareTrade totals up some pretty serious damage statistics.

According to the survey results, pets damage 8 billion electronic items each year, with a repair and replacement bill totaling $3 billion annually. Good thing our pets are so cute. The most common offense is chewing, with two-thirds of accidents resulting from a pet placing a delectable phone, laptop, or other device in its mouth.… Read more

The 404 1,293: Where it's in that place where I put that thing that time (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- So weird: Bruins fans watched tons of porn after they lost on Monday night.

- A collection of songs ruined by film, TV, and humanity.

- New kiosks at 7-Eleven stores will store your keys.… Read more

iFetch: Ball launcher keeps dog drool off you

Dog ownership is full of delight and responsibiltiy. Dogs require a long-term commitment to love and play with them. For those days when you don't feel like tossing a drool-slathered ball, there will soon be a machine to do it for you.

The iFetch on Kickstarter has already more than doubled its funding goal.

Automatic ball-tossing machines aren't new. Intrepid dog-loving makers have been crafting their own devices and sharing them on YouTube for some time. For those who don't have the inclination or skills to DIY it, the iFetch could fill a need.… Read more

PetTread treadmill: A giant hamster wheel for cats and dogs

America has a fat problem, and it's not just the humans. Many pets are also toting some extra poundage.

You could, of course, take your dog for more walks, or spend more time playing attack-the-fuzzy-thing with your cat. Or you could invest in a pet treadmill. Better yet, check out PetTread, a pet-treadmill design that looks like a giant hamster wheel.

PetTread is looking to raise $110,000 on Kickstarter to take a prototype version into production. Like many inventions, the PetTread came about as a result of personal experience. Creator John Gosson had an overweight cat named Noonie. Adjusting her diet didn't help much, so he used his electrical engineering background to craft a power treadmill she could safely use.… Read more

Building the world of The Last of Us

Naughty Dog's series of developer diaries for The Last of Us aren't exactly coming thick and fast (the last one appeared a bit over a month ago), but they certainly are worth the wait.

This video deals with the environments of The Last of Us. The game envisions a setting in which the near-demise of humanity has given nature time to reclaim the world around it. Verdant, lush plant life contrasts with decayed, fallen cities.

The video provides an interesting look at the transition from concept art to gameplay, as well as how the correct use of lighting can help a game seem more real. … Read more

Play ball! Pretzel dog maker opens baseball season at home

Baseball season is here and it's Opening Day. That means baseball fans across the country will flock to the ballpark in order to root, root, root for the home team. Except that's not entirely true. Just like there was the "The Base Ball Polka" before there was "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," the order of events sometimes gets mixed up. The real reason millions of fans will go see a game this summer is because that is where the hot dogs and giant soft pretzels are; a baseball game just happens to … Read more

Order a living 'Game of Thrones' dire wolf (almost)

Before "Game of Thrones" became a pop culture phenomenon, pretty much the only people thinking about dire wolves were historians and paleontologists. Canus dirus means "fearsome dog." The massive wolfy creatures are long extinct, but they've gained a new popularity through the "Game of Thrones" books and television show.

Fans can already get a Hand of the King replica pin, a replica Iron Throne, and even a "Game of Thrones" beer, but they haven't been able to get a dire wolf. That could change soon. The Dire Wolf Project has quietly been in the works since 1987.… Read more