First Thursday San Francisco

A number of downtown galleries in San Francisco stay open late on the first Thursday of the month, an event I have known about for a while (and even attended occasionally before moving to the city). Here are a few of notable items from the most recent “First Thursday”:

Now that I have large walls, I am actually looking for large abstract pieces, like the works of Ricardo Mazal at Elins Eagles-Smith Gallery. Several of these would have worked quite well. Unfortunately, these “monumental paintings” come with “monumental prices.” I’m not one to put down all high-priced art automatically, but I do sometimes find the pricing of art to be a bit of a mystery.

Sometimes abstract is “too abstract,” even for unapologetic modernists. Such were the large monochromatic and gradient works of Ruth Pastine. These could actually work quite well, on large bare white walls, but they would get lost in an environment with other activity and texture. Such stark paintings need space to themselves.

More down-to-earth are the offerings of the Hang Gallery, from which I have acquired some artworks in the past. This months show at the Annex, called “Give and Take”, was one of the better ones I have seen in the while. It featured more traditionally abstract paintings (Hang often seems to feature contemporary mixed-media works in the Annex), such as the work of Phillip Hua. Although not as large as some of the others featured in this article, I could definitely see one of Hua’s paintings hanging in CatSynth HQ. His work is an interesting mixture of abstraction and “industrial grit”, with moments that seem recognizable.

One “recognizable” image was Back Up by Carolyn Meyer, also at Hang. I’m pretty sure this is yet another view of the I-80 freeway through my neighborhood, as I have describes in previous articles such as the recent March “walking tour” and our highway underpass photographs. But what does it mean to see a similar scene so “painted”? It’s something entirely different from the photos, or real life.

And of course, we could not go without mentioning this delightful feline-themed work Spell by Ulrike Palmbach at the Stephen Wirtz Gallery:

It always comes back to cats here at CatSynth, doesn’t it?

This article was included in the April 9 Carnival of Cities.

Carnival of the Cats #212

Luna and I welcome everyone to Carnival of the Cats #212!

We had quite a turn-out this weekend.

First up is “Kaua'i Kitty”, a charming cat who follows tour groups at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii. The garden looks like a great place to visit, if and when I finally make it to Hawaii. And having a resident cat is always an added bonus – we love to meet cats when visiting new places. Check out Kaua'i Kitty at Rickety Contrivances of Doing Good.

Hakuna enjoys sunbathing at Blog d'Ellison. Sunshine brings out the best in cats and cat photography, so do have a look at the full-size versions.

Wild World reminds us of the dangers and cruelty of snares. Please not that some of these photos are disturbing, and disheartening. They also have a petition to ban snares that you can sign.

The Poor Mouth presents Oscar, a handsome stray cat they took in in 1989. There is a photo of Oscar from 2002, the same year he passed away. It sounds like he had a good life, but he is missed.

Laurence has a message for the cat-bloggers to say “no” to the Chronicle's cat-blogging collective. But do continue to support the efforts of independent cat-bloggers through events like the Carnval of Cats.

At Texas Oasis, the doctor pronounces Henry to be totally cute. We have to agree.

Watermark shares an old poem “God is Watching Us”, which features the observations of a cat. Appropriately, a black cat peers out the window.

Mycah is caught doing something odd with a bag full of ice cubes. Watch the video at TacJammer.

At manx mnews, Abby has one thing on her mind. Feed me!

More feline dialog with Rudy, who drives a hard bargain for access to the cube at Perfectly Parker.

Chica and Pumuckl remind us that cats are good studies of human behavior, and can adapt some of our quirks as well.

They have a feline divining rod over at The Scratching Post. It's great for finding sources of water, so long as you know how to turn on the tap.

Human and cat share the joy of reading a book together at This is Cyprus.

Maus likes to stay well informed at composite drawlings. And she has so many sources of information, including windows, books and magazines.

Cubby and Mouse are bookends at This That and the Other Thing. “Ain't we just too cute for words?” Cubby also examines a glass for this week's photo hunt, and the boys have a little wrestling match.

Turns out that Shadow dispenses tech tips. Find out more at The Junk Drawer. “My cat wants a job in tech support. She's off to a good start!”

Andrée of meeyauw shares a lectionary reading from the LOLCat Bible for the Third Sunday of Easter. As always, there is the presence of Ceiling Cat.

JB remembers the Taffy, who passed away in 2006. Taffy was a beautiful cat, as well as easy-going and tolerant.

Rosie ventures outside the window, at Gattina's “My Cats and Funny Stories. But she is still very cautious and doesn't stay out for long.

Thanks to the miracles of modern technology, a photo of napping turns into a dynamic action shot at sisu. Meanwhile Tiny interprets the instructions of a model ship.

Aloysius ventures out into the spring, after dodging a little bit of snow. But the sunshine was worth it, especially if one has a well-trained human who will shovel a path.

A very regal portrait hangs at Snow and Forest. Do take a closer look.

More fun out in the sun: An Almost-Double Dactyl for Her Ladyship at Elms in the Yard.

Audace and Ruce play hide and seek with a rolled up area rug. Who can resist such fun?

Missy Blue Eyes shares 13 things she is thankful for. She also introduces a new canine friend.

Boni needs to straighten out her valentine (from Edsel) at the House of the (Mostly) Black Cats.

Check out Isis, the Sunday Guest Star at Chey's Place.

Meanwhile, Puddy master the art of the guilt trip at A Byootaful life. Better not let Luna see these photos of Puddy, or she'll adopt the exact same look.

Diamond Emerald Eyes demonstrates a Saturday Morning Stampede. “Anyone up for a good game of Thundering Herd of Elephants?”

Ming of Mog features another photo of Cece because “he?s just such a good looking kittycat.” More Cece on the wall, and still more at iInfidel. Meanwhile Meowza enjoys some flowers. And it looks like the “Moggies” are moving to a new blog.

It's starting to feel like spring and China Cat enjoys sitting out in the sunshine. Willow also enjoys the sunshine, and you can even see them together.

StrangeRanger presents another hungry cat with a baseball bat, while Ivy wonders what all the fuss is about.

Samantha and Mr. Tigger are celebrating their 1st Blogoversary! Congratulations, and looking forward to another year with our friends at Life from a Cat's Perspective.

Finally, we are sending good thoughts to our friend Pet Campbell at Pet's Garden Blog for a speedy recovery.

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of the Cats. Thanks to everyone for participating and reading.

And now, we rest.

Carnival of the Cats coming to CatSynth this weekend

We are happy to be hosting Carnival of the Cats this weekend!

To participate, use this handy carnival submission form.

The Carnival should be posted by Sunday evening Pacific (US) Time.


Weekend Cat Blogging #148 is being hosted by Megan and The Bad Kitty Cats. We're glad to see them back online.

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos will be hosted by Ms. Mog & Kitty Cats at Mind Of Mog. Optional theme: to be determined. (We're trying to figure if that's actually the theme.)

And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging #147

Luna and I welcome everyone to the Weekend Cat Blogging #147 Round Up!

We are dedicating WCB this weekend to our friend Upsie, who passed away this week. Upsie and Sher were among the first to welcome us to Weekend Cat Blogging, and she will be missed. Please visit What Did You Eat to offer them your thoughts.

Kashim, Othello and Astrid are also dedicating their WCB to Upsie and Sher, and have this wonderful graphic.

Artsy Catsy is having a 200th post contest. They are putting together some surprises for the kitty who comes closest to guessing the date and time (US Eastern Daylight Time). And, speaking of March 31, that's the last day of their March Madness Fundraisers for Moki, Project H.A.M. and Lilly Lu.

Bustopher and Harmon are waiting for spring, and someone (Bustopher) is often stir crazy??one day it?s warm, then it?s cold?.its warm again and then the mornings are cold and then it?s a warm afternoon and then. However, Harmon is taking it all??.well, like Harmon does. They are now at their new blog icanhaspnutbutr.

Some springtime activity at CorgiFeathers. Zandakitty is having a little trouble with her solo kickboxing. Welcome to WCB!

Our friend whaleshaman of JellyPizza reminds us that kitties love boxes. “Purrfect for little places to hide & feel sad & be happy at the same time, too, for having known Upsie.” And for having known Upsie, a tribute: “A Silence Fell”.

Mind of Mog has another shot of Bazel because he is just so cute.

Andrée at meeyauw has LOL Cat Bible: Lectionary Readings for the Second Sunday of Easter. “See where bad kittehs go, LOL Cat Bible is on Twitter, 60% of the LOL Cat Bible is translated now, and a papercraft that you can make at home!

Spring is coming at Music and Cats, and a neighbor cat is out guarding his garden. Turns out he was quite a friendly cat (and handsome as well), happy to come over and greet passers by and purr, while still “standing his ground.”

A brief scare last week at Life from a Cat's Perspective when Samantha got out and was lost! Fortunately, she came home safely. Here we see her looking contrite after causing so much worry for her family and friends.

Save the environment…help a cat… Moki's family is holding a recycle-your-old-electronics drive to help raise money for Lilly Lu, Moki and other kitties in the cat blogosphere who need finanical assistance with their medical bills. Visit their site for more details, it's free to participate.

Fridolin is grief-stricken as he has just learnt about Upsie's sudden passing away. He shares his feelings, and a secret, at Rosa's Yummy Yums.

Kitikata-san also misses Upsie, “you were the coolest cat, and I am sad you are gone. Meows, purrs and headbutts to Sher. I am so sorry.

Want see a real brat? Well, head over to the BengalBrats.com to read about SonnyBob's “nasty behavior.” This includes continued persecution of the resident Great Dane. SirWoody attempts negotiations (but fails) at Pet's Garden Blog. The Bengal Brats are also hosting Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos this Sunday.

Carnival of the Cats will be happening this Sunday at Nikita's Place. And next Sunday, it will be here at CatSynth!

We'll continue to post throughout the weekend (and into Monday morning), so if you want to participate, please leave a comment or contact us.

Hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #147

We're hosting Weekend Cat Blogging #147 here at CatSynth this weekend!
Even though we're still surrounded by half-unpacked boxes, bare walls and disorganized shelves, we're happy to be hosting our first “San Francisco edition”, and looking forward to a big round-up.

To participate, leave a comment on this post, or contact us.

Note: There is a bug in our comment system that blocks a very small number of people. We'll try and fix this as soon as we can, but if you have trouble, please contact us.


Be sure to check out the other weekend cat-blogging events.

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is being hosted by The Brats at Pet's Garden Blog.

The Carnival of the Cats will be hosted this Sunday at Nikita's place

And the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging and more

A busy weekend here, so we present a couple more photos from our cat sitter Ronni West:

Luna has this wonderful wide-eyed expression in many of these photos. You can see another example in this recent post. We'll miss our pet sitter when we move.


Weekend Cat Blogging #136 will be hosted this weekend at Chey's Place.

The Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos will be happening at the House of the Mostly Black Cats.

Carnival of the Cats is coming to Life from a Cat's Perspective on Sunday.

And a special note for Carnival of the Cats founder Laurence Simon, who lost his feline companion Frisky this week. Are thoughts go out to Laurence, Gina and Nardo.

Finally, the Friday Ark #173 is at the modulator.

Weekend Cat Blogging and more: December morning

This Saturday morning, we see Luna enjoying a different window:

It was a very cold morning, with frost.

Frost isn't very common for this part of California, though we have had a lot of frosty mornings this December. Yes, it has been quite cold. Perfect for spending even more time on a favorite perch above the heater:

But we all know the best source of heat is curling up together for some cuddling and pets:

This of course brings us to the theme of this weekend's Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos: family and friends. Being close to one's family, human or feline, is important, and for me what keeps me going during what is an otherwise “difficult” period. Friends, too. And we hope to hear from some of our friends this weekend…


Weekend Cat Blogging Holiday Edition is being hosted by Katie and our favorite Luna-look-alike Puddy. Puddy seems even more like Luna than usual (except for the hat).

The Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos is being hosted by our friends Astrid, Kashim and Othello at Catboys Realm. As stated earlier, the theme this weekend is “friends or family,” and it looks like Othello is getting things started with a sibling tribute of his own.

The holiday edition of Carnival of the Cats will be hosted by Missy and KC at The Cat Blogosphere. And of course the Friday Ark is at the modulator.

Science, light and cats

A few scientific articles that made the popular press this weekend also piqued our interest here at CatSynth. They both involve electromagnetic phenomenon – which in our daily world is most commonly observed as light.

So here's a story about light and cats, or rather a cat engineered to glow in the dark:

South Korean scientists have cloned cats that glow red when exposed to ultraviolet rays, an achievement that could help develop cures for human genetic diseases, the Science and Technology Ministry said.

Three Turkish Angora cats were born in January and February through cloning with a gene that produces a red fluorescent protein that makes them glow in dark.

You can read the whole article here. It is quite interesting, though we at CatSynth are not so sure about genetically modified cat concept.

We now move from glow-in-the-dark cats to the field of quantum computing, in which quantum states of electrons are used to store computational values (much like semiconductors are used in conventional computers). From the folks at ZDNet Australia:

Researchers from the University of Queensland have taken a significant step in the quest to build a quantum computer, creating a light-based quantum circuit capable of basic calculations and moving quantum computing closer to a becoming a reality.

Theoretically, quantum computers leave even today's most powerful conventional supercomputers in the dust. It has also been long known that hypothetical large scale quantum computers could find the prime roots of large composite numbers, allowing them to “crack” modern data encryption.

This additional computing power is a result of the quantum bits, or “qubits”, upon which quantum computing is based. Qubits are special bits that use the quantum properties of subatomic particles to make calculations. Quantum computers take advantage of a special quantum property called “superposition”, allowing one quantum computer bit to act as many.

Pretty hard core, but those interested are encouraged to read the full article, and maybe a bit more about quantum computing.

Cats of course have a famous history in quantum physics as well…