Cats

Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt: Wooden Cats

For this week’s combined Weekend Cat Blogging and Photo Hunt on the theme “Wooden”, we present some wooden cats:

We also reach back into the CatSynth Archives™ for this photo of Luna enjoying some sunshine near a wooden table.

In an environment I like to think of as dominated by glass and chrome, wooden objects and surfaces abound. Indeed, many of my acoustic musical instruments are made of wood.

Weekend Cat Blogging is hosted by Billy Sweetfeets, who is also hosting Carnival of the Cats this weekend (we pulled double duty recently ourselves, so good luck).

Photo Hunt 283 is hosted by tnchick. This week’s theme is Wooden.

MiniMoog Voyager OS …just a first check…

From synthypnosis on YouTube, via matrixsynth.

“VELVET VOYAGE – “MiniMoog Voyager OS …just a first check…” – by Bruno Ender Lee, September 9. 2011

MiniMoog Voyager (Old School) with a bit delay
…and of course a little help from out cat Eumel… :-)”

If you have a cat-and-music-gear video (synth or otherwise), that you would like share, you can let us know via facebook, twitter @catsynth, or by contacting us.

CatSynth pic: Maplin ETI4600 Synth

Originally from this auction, via matrixsynth, where you can see additional pictures.

The description from the auction (below), is worth a quick read.

“Firstly, this is NOT a synthesiser. It’s a machine for travelling through time and space – sideways. Transport yourself to the far flung corners of the universe and beyond. For some of you, it may be a one way ticket…

As is often the case with these rare beasts, a lot of work initially needed doing. Jim at ‘Singing Cat Services’ has been a godsend, performing shamanic rewiring rituals, voodoo based calibration and much cat orientated strangeness…

… So, if you’re looking to recreate the BBC radiophonic workshop, or have just got too old to drop acid, this is the tool for you!

In short, a delicious slice of history.”

Weekend Cat Blogging #327

Fellow black cat Jules at Judi’s Mind of Matter is hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #327, so we’re ready to participate with recent photos of Luna.

Yes, more fun with Hipstamatic on the iPhone. It’s a fun and unforgiving form of photography – you are pretty much limited to what you get from the capture. The standard digital manipulations would destroy the overall retro quality of the image.

Weekend Cat Blogging #327 is hosted by Jules at Judi’s Mind Over Matter. And they have cheezy fish!

Carnival of the Cats will be up tomorrow at Mind of Mog.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Animal welfare and wild cats for “Mo’ Cats Day”

Back in 2009, some individual or group declared that 09/09/09 would be “No Cats Day”, a day on which there would be “no cats on the internet.” It is true that there is a preponderance of cat-related material on the internet, some of it fun and endearing, some quite informative, and some downright insipid. But the idea of banning cats from the internet for one day is preposterous, and quite mean. So in defiance, many cat-related blogs declared “Mo’ Cats Day” on 09/09/09, and on every September 9 since then.

We have not participated in the past, but this year we are doing so with a brief post highlighting the work of organizations that promote the welfare of domestic and wild cats. The Humane Society of the United States is one such organization – one of their recent monthly magazines achieved coffee-table-quality and is shown in the above photo at CatSynth HQ.

Locally, we have the San Francisco SPCA, which has adoption and animal-welfare advocacy programs among their many functions. They are behind those holiday windows at Macy’s Union Square that feature adoptable cats.

Both the SPCA and our local Animal Services operate no-kill shelters, and indeed we became the first “no-kill city” in the United States.

Luna was adopted back in 2005 from the local shelter in Santa Cruz, and in gratitude we continue to support Friends of Santa Cruz County Animals.

We are also thinking about wild cats on this day and the organizations that work towards their welfare and conservation. The International Society For Endangered Cats (ISEC) Canada is dedicate to the conservation of small wild cats, who often don’t get the attention of their famous big-cat counterparts. The have lots of information and are involved in several programs around the world.

Closer to home the Felidae Conservation Fund “aims to advance the conservation of wild cats and their habitats planetwide through a combination of groundbreaking research, compelling education and cutting-edge technology.” They are involved in several research studies, some of them quite local to northern California, as well as conservation efforts.

Please visit our previous wild cats posts for more information and links to other organizations.

CatSynth video: Neon Indian – Step Into the World With Your PAL198X

Neon Indian – Step Into the World With Your PAL198X from Neon Indian on Vimeo.

The cat appears a little over three minutes into the video and “plays” the PAL198X. But I recommend checking out the whole video – it has very complete retro style.

Static Tongues Industries Presents:

“Step Into the World With Your PAL198X”

Pick up your own PAL198X only at neonindian.com

Written by Dr. Alan Palombro, PhD.
Directed by Dr. Alan Palombro, PhD and Johnny Woods.
Music written and performed by Alan Palombro, PhD / Neon Indian.
Editor: Johnny Woods.
Director of Photography: Stefan Fernandez.

Starring:

Dr. Alan Palombro, PhD as himself.
Leanne Macomber as “Clarissa”.
Jason Faries as Scientist #1.
Ed Priesner as Scientist #2.
Josh McWhirter as Scientist #3.

Filmed at the Static Tongues Amplidrome Facility, Arctic Circle, Earth.

For our friends outside of the United States go to the Rough Trade shop to get your PAL198X.
roughtrade.com/​site/​shop_detail.lasso?search_type=sku&sku=342647

Weekend Cat Blogging #326

In between days at my current photography show in Oakland, we are catching up with a little quiet time on the patio:

It’s actually a typically foggy San Francisco morning, which may not be clear from the distortion in the Hipstamatic photos.

In the second photo, Luna is perhaps showing a bit of disdain for my recent absence – in addition to the photography show, I had a performance this past Thursday with my band Reconnaissance Fly. And lots of time rehearsing and hanging for both events over the previous week. So I think someone deserves a little extra attention soon.

Weekend Cat Blogging #326 is hosted by Pam at Sidewalk Shoes, with help from Patchouli and Coco.

The Carnival of the Cats will be up tomorrow at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator