furryne.ws

We are persecuted so much

Each day, out-of-work computer programmer Luke Allen self-medicates by watching animated ponies have magical adventures.

The 32-year-old, who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, loves his daily fix of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic, and he’s not alone. He’s part of a growing group of “bronies” (“bro ponies”) — men who are fans of a TV show largely intended for a much younger audience.

“First we can’t believe this show is so good, then we can’t believe we’ve become fans for life, then we can’t believe we’re walking down the pink aisle at Toys R Us or asking for the girl’s toy in our Happy Meal,” Allen said in an e-mail to Wired.com. “Then we can’t believe our friends haven’t seen it yet, then we can’t believe they’re becoming bronies too.”

Every nerd has a favorite TV show they watch religiously and know inside and out. But My Little Pony seems like an unlikely object of fanboy love. Since the show debuted last fall on cable channel Hub TV, it’s attracted a growing number of male fanatics. Their love of the show is internet neo-sincerity at its best: In addition to watching the show, these teenage, twenty- and thirtysomething guys are creating pony art, posting fan videos on YouTube and feeding threads on 4chan (and their own chan, Ponychan).

They also risk life, limb and being trolled to death on the /co/ board to fawn over a small gaggle of ponies with names like Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.

Dogs are so in tune with us that they can read our minds, according to a new Learning & Behavior study that also determined canines are probably born with the ability.

Practice makes perfect, however, so the more a dog hangs around humans, the better he or she becomes at "canine telepathy," which actually relies upon hyperawareness of the senses.

Those of us who have owned or been around dogs for any period of time know how well they often "get" us, sensing tiredness, depression, headaches or other maladies before we consciously exhibit any major outward signs of distress. Dogs can even detect when a person has cancer. They also seem to sense our joy and good health.

Monique Udell and her team from the University of Florida wondered why dogs are so clever at reading us, and how they accomplish this feat. Are dogs born with the ability to sense our mental states, or do canines learn from experience?

To explore these questions and more, Udell and her team carried out two experiments involving both wolves and dogs. In the experiments, the two sets of animals were given the opportunity to beg for food, either from an attentive person or from a person unable to see the potential begger.

The researchers showed for the first time that wolves, like domestic dogs, are capable of begging successfully for food by approaching the attentive human. This demonstrates that both species - domesticated and non-domesticated - have the capacity to behave in accordance with a human's attentional state. They are therefore likely born with the ability, since wolves would not have had much practice, which the typical pet dog gains by begging for treats during dinner and at other times.

Some dogs were better at reading people than others were, however. Shelter dogs were not nearly as good as pampered house pooches, demonstrating that exposure to humans allows dogs to hone their natural people-reading skills more.

According to the researchers, "These results suggest that dogs' ability to follow human actions stems from a willingness to accept humans as social companions, combined with conditioning to follow the limbs and actions of humans to acquire reinforcement. The type of attentional cues, the context in which the command is presented, and previous experience are all important."

A bizarre auto accident involving two vehicles and a bear has left two people and the bear dead, Canadian authorities said.

Police in Quebec said a 300-pound male black bear wandered onto a road and was struck by an eastbound Pontiac Sunfire. The impact sent the animal hurtling through the air, where it smashed the windshield of a westbound Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle and went out through the back window, regional police spokesman Officer Martin Fournel said.

Steve Carell attends Gaylaxicon 2000, a nurturing environment for gay geeks to come out of the science fiction closet. Featuring Assinio and his description of "anthropomorphic erotica."

For the second year in a row, the KROQ crew stayed in the same hotel for Weenie Roast as everyone in town for the Califur Convention - the gathering of grown-ass men (and a few women) that dress up, head to toe, as furry cartoon animals.

Wow. That's a lot of hair.

nintendo’s animal crossing is a series of games in which players settle in and inhabit videogame villages; over the course of typically years, players maintain the town, find ways to earn money, buy and sell possessions, remodel and decorate their homes, assemble and design wardrobes, and interact with a revolving cast of animal neighbors. in addition to service characters that appear in every animal crossing town, there are 210 different animal characters in animal crossing, divided across 34 different species, who can move into a town as residents – up to eight at a time. these characters will talk to, trade with, and solicit work from the player characters, who live in the animal town as humans.

rule 34 is a long-standing internet folk rule: “if it exists, there’s porn of it.” rule 34 is also a website, rule34.paheal.net (warning: it’s full of fucking porn), that collects porn of videogame characters, cartoons and etc. it contains a lot of porn of the characters from animal crossing. but which ones? who’se the most popular? which neighbors have had the most smut drawn of them? which animal leads the most active sex life? i decided to tally the animal crossing images on the site to see which animal crossing characters and species are the most desired.

Editor's note: The best part about this is the last paragraph:

Speaking of "Panda 3," I wonder if the relationship between Po and Tigress will advance from its current status as what might be called a warm friendship. Tigress seems to occupy a favored position in Po's heart, reopening the possibility of cross-species pollination.

Dozens of swans have been slaughtered around the UK this year, a serial cat killer is on the loose in Norfolk, and over the past three decades hundreds of horses have been mutilated. But how is serial animal violence investigated, asks Tom de Castella.

After six years of loyal service, Graham Waspe was devastated when his guide dog Edward was left blind after developing cataracts.
But his devastation turned to joy when his replacement Opal turned out to be a real gem.
Mr Waspe's new dog is not just aiding his owner to carry out everyday tasks, but also helping Edward to get around.

A film team from Beyond Productions c/o National Geographic is in my town doing a segment on furries/fursuiters. We'll be airing in an episode next season alongside "real world superheroes". Our segment is driven around Nuka who is a Social Psychology doctorate student and the purveyor of this furry survey. I am going out for a few hours, but will be coming home around 3, and going out to another shoot after that. I may be able to get in some questions in between, but more than likely, it will be tonight, after we are done filming. (Today is the second of 2 days of filming)

The Germans viewed canines as being almost as intelligent as humans and attempted to build an army of fearsome 'speaking' dogs, extraordinary new research shows.
Hitler hoped the clever creatures would learn to communicate with their SS masters - and he even had a special dog school set up to teach them to talk.
The incredible findings show Nazi officials recruited so-called educated dogs from all over Germany and trained them to speak and tap out signals using their paws.
One mutt was said to have uttered the words 'Mein Fuhrer' when asked who Adolf Hitler was.
Another 'spoke' by tapping letters of the alphabet with his paws and was said to have speculated about religion and learnt poetry.

New Line Cinema is developing a live-action family comedy by the name Furry Friday. (Umm… be careful when you google that.) The story is an animalistic twist on Freaky Friday, where a cat and a dog switch bodies. New Line took one look at the first draft and said, “No, this does not meet our standards for a cat/dog body-switching comedy.” Variety reports the studio has hired David H. Steinberg to rewrite the script. Steinberg is a co-writer on the upcoming Shrek spinoff Puss in Boots, and he’s in post-production on his feature directorial debut, Miss Dial. Cathy Schulman (The Illusionist) and Adam Stone (Limitless), the team that sold the project on spec to New Line, will produce for Mandalay Pictures.

IDW Publishing and Nickelodeon today announced that the first TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES comic series, featuring the beloved "Heroes in a Half-shell," will premiere in August 2011. The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES will be back in action and ready to fight off evil once again, with an impressive creative team led by TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman!

Starting in August, IDW's TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES will kick off with a brand new installment of the original series, led by Eastman and co-writer Tom Waltz (Silent Hill: Past Life, Infestation: Outbreak). Phenomenal new-comer Dan Duncan will bring the Turtles to life with dynamic interior art, while Sam Kieth and Walter Simonson provide eye-catching covers for issues one and two, respectively. Eastman will also provide layouts for Duncan's art, as well as variant covers.

This first TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES series will feature new and exciting storylines that maintain the "turtle power" core beloved by millions of fans. Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael reunite to bring their ninja aptitude and teenage attitude in these all-new, action-packed adventures based on the original series. The first story arc will tell the origin story of the Turtles and introduce a new villain, the fearsome mutant alley cat, Old Hob. Featuring a cast of familiar characters, including Master Splinter, April O'Neill, Casey Jones, and true to the spirit of the original comics created by Eastman and Peter Laird, theTEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES are bigger and badder than ever, and ready to rock old and new fans alike.

IDW and Nickelodeon have a long-term partnership to offer an all-new installment of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and graphic novels. IDW's new comics are part of a larger initiative to bring Turtles to a new generation of fans, starting with these new storylines from the original series that recapture the magic of the original Turtles comics. Additionally, in fourth quarter 2012, Nickelodeon will premiere a new CG-animated version of the wildly popular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

Jason Squirrel grows tired of fetching heavy bags of nuts for food each day, and devises a plan to form a nut-collecting company that will provide more leisure time. While Jason thinks his idea is quite genius, his friends kid the squirrel for his naivety; Jason is soon denied a loan from Stan the Banking Turtle to start the business.

Jason persists with his dream and educates himself on the aspects of running a business, from finance to marketing to staffing. When he finds an investor in Grandpa Crow, the squirrel begins to overcome the obstacles that block him from achieving personal success with his nut-collecting startup.

"When I was young, I never even had the idea that I could start my own business," Steimle said. "It wasn't until I was older and in college that I realized it would be possible. Since then, I thought there should be more books for younger children that talk about building your own company."

The 30-page illustrated children's book details how Jason's business endeavor becomes successful, so much so that he hires a group of raccoons to help with his workload.

Steimle's story of Jason and his nut-collecting company shows young children that they are capable of doing anything through hard work, determination and perseverance.

Sonic Generations will star both the classic blue hedgehog you remember from your childhood and the tallish smirking blue hedgehog of the modern day.

How’s that all going to work, exactly? We tried the game’s E3 2011 demo at a sneak preview event last month. Put simply, although the entire game features 3-D graphics, there are two types of levels: Ones on a 2-D plane that star Old Sonic and are in the style of the classic Genesis games, and 3-D levels starring New Sonic where the camera is hovering over his shoulders. The E3 demo features two different takes on Green Hill Zone, that leafy checkered field where all Sonic games begin.
In this Wired.com video, a Sega spokesperson walks us through the basics. Sega hasn’t said whether New Sonic and Old Sonic will meet up during the game and play any sort of hybrid levels, or whether their gameplay will remain as separated as is shown in this demo.

Sonic Generations will be available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this November. A separate version will be released for Nintendo 3DS.

The waiting area outside Courtroom 4 at the Bucks County Courthouse in Doylestown last week was no place for a child.
Standing in small groups, lawyers and clients engaged in hushed arguments. A woman left the courtroom in tears and marched angrily down the hall. A prisoner's handcuffs clinked as he shifted in his chair, head bowed so low with grief it almost touched his knees.
The 12-year-old girl waiting her turn to see the judge was oblivious to the chaos. Maggie, a tiny black poodle with doleful eyes, demanded her full attention.
"She's so soft," the girl whispered shyly as she petted the dog.
Maggie, and several of her four-legged friends from Roxy Reading, a Doylestown-based therapy dog group, made a guest appearance at the courthouse last week as part of a pilot program launched by county Judge Robert Mellon.
The judge, who oversees court cases involving children who've been removed from their parents due to abuse, neglect, mental health issues and other reasons, said the dogs provide a much-needed distraction for traumatized kids.
"I recognized early on how stressful court is for children," Mellon said. "Some children are so nervous they can't even speak."
Helping kids cope with the rigors of court is going to become a bigger issue soon, due to new rules handed down recently by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Starting in July, dependent children will be required to attend a hearing at least once every six months.
While steps are taken to shield vulnerable kids, they must sometimes share courtroom space with angry or distraught parents. Although this can be upsetting, the high court's reasoning behind increased court appearances is sound, Mellon said.
"We're obviously here to make sure the child is safe, and that their educational, medical and emotional needs are being met. The only way to do that is to see the child," the judge added.
Most of the dogs stayed outside the courtroom, but at least one accompanied a child onto the witness stand.
"We were a little nervous about how that would work out, but the dog did fine. And the girl who was in front of me, who usually says only a few words, she was so relaxed with the dog next to her that we had a full conversation," Mellon said.
Roxy Reading is a volunteer-driven nonprofit. There's no cost to the taxpayers to bring the program into the courthouse, Mellon noted.
Linda McCrillis, a board member and Roxy reading volunteer, said the therapy dogs love the attention.
"This is what they're trained for," she said, as Maggie leaned against her leg, tail wagging furiously.
Scientists know that man's best friend can be a real comfort. A recent study by the State University of New York in Buffalo concluded that pet owners generally have lower blood pressure levels while under stress than their pet-less peers.
Local child advocates are thrilled with the program.
"This week, I have seen the dogs light up the faces of children, their parents, the attorneys," and others who work at the courthouse, said Stacy Leffler. She's the foster care supervisor at the Bucks County Children and Youth Agency, the county social service agency that oversees the care of dependent children.
"Our court process can sometimes be overwhelming and stressful for all parties. I know that I felt the tension in the courthouse a little less this week," Leffler added.
Children and youth caseworker Stephanie Schwartz agreed.
"I witnessed both children and adult clients interacting with these dogs and the comfort it gave them, as well as the smiles it put on the people's faces," she said.
Schwartz praised the Roxy Reading volunteers, saying, "It takes special people to be willing to devote their time and efforts to such a cause."
Mellon said he hopes to make the therapy dog program a monthly feature at the courthouse.
Bailiff Mary Ellen Roche, who coordinates scheduling and is tasked with calling reluctant children into the courtroom, said she hopes it continues.
"There was such a difference in the mood out here this week," she said. "You could actually feel the tension diffuse."

Hub TV is hoping to capitalize on a cultural trend no one saw coming: the kids’ show My Little Pony is the new, hip thing among the geekerati. Now the company is reaching out past the brand’s traditional little-girl demographic to this new fan base with an oh-so-slightly ironic music video. It’s a careful approach. Too careful.

Exclusive 90 Second Extended version of Equestria Girls for http://www.equestriadaily.com/!

The Hub would like to let everypony know that this will be airing officially after their Saturday Night Movie this week, along with more shout outs to bronies everywhere! Check it out!