Catbox Archives Two

This is, as you might have suspected, past Catbox stories that aren't quite as topical as they once were but, as personal vanity would have it, are too good to excise. Deal with it.

What you're looking at here is no ordinary Calvin & Hobbes comic panel. This is, in fact, the only C&H cartoon that was never reprinted (Unless you live in the UK, then all bets are off!). You won't even find it in the massive 3-volume collection of supposedly every C&H ever created. The story, as I've been told, is that this was sent out as an alternate and was only printed in a handful of newspapers and was then forgotten. No need to thank me as it's all in a day's work for Infinite Cat Boy.

My Little Lion.

The odd-looking creature to your left is my little black cat-ette, Poozy. She was once a VERY hairy kitty until I treated her to a lion cut. Why? About three months ago I noticed she'd lost a lot of weight, almost four pounds, and several trips to the vet revealed almost nothing apart from a mild fever. After some antibiotic treatments she resumed eating moderately but coughed up a lot of hairballs, almost one every day even though I groomed her rigorously. After putting two and two together (Texas heat + thick fur coat = miserable kitty) I hustled her down to the groomers last month for a haircut. The difference has been like night and day as she's more playful, loving, and, it seems, appreciative. I heartily recommend the procedure for anyone who owns a cat under the same circumstances. Wish I'd thought of it sooner.

Kitties in the Crossfire

As with Katrina, the massive outflow of the residents from northern Israel has left a lot of abandoned pets in their wake. Jonathan, a doctor in Ma'alot, Israel, offers his personal view of this story and has included a video of the multiple cats he's since taken under his wing. The video requires Quicktime.

Kudos to Jonanthan and let's all hope this conflict ends soon.

Cats Love Macs.

It's no secret that I lovvvve the kitties but I also lovvvvvve them Apple computers. Apparantly cats appreciate them, too, as evidenced by this massive collection of images of Mac-lovin'-cats hosted by flckr.com. Click here to start your journey.

A Really Bright Idea!

I was wandering my local Behemoth Hardware Store and saw these new fluorescent bulbs that claimed 60 watts of light for just 15 watts of power. In the past they were just too darned expensive for my taste but at $10 for a 6-pack I decided to try them out.

I'm pleased to tell you they work GREAT! They do, indeed, put out plenty of light and they don't get hot, just warm, which is ideal for small, hard-to-cool areas. They light immediately with no flickering and are full-spectrum so they don't cast that "cold" light so common with fluorescents. The better ones are guaranteed for 5 years of use, which ain't too shabby.

The most important thing about these bulbs is their low power requirement. I've read that if everyone switched to these units it would be like taking 8 million cars off the road, which is quite an impressive number.

I've yet to find an on-line source for these bulbs that beats the local store (once you factor in shipping) but I'll keep looking. For now, do your pocketbook and the environment a favor and give them a try.

This fabulous animated short, Freedom River, was made back in 1971 and features the voice of Orson Welles. Whether you're Red or Blue it has a surprisingly relevant message for every American. Courtesy of our friends at youtube.com.

Tyger, a short film

I just discovered a terrific short film called "Tyger", a mix of live-action bunraku puppetry, traditional animation, and lyrical digital effects. Click the link at left for the medium-sized version but be aware it logs in at 37mb. There's also a much larger, higher-quality version to be found here.

No one has ever stopped me and asked me what the Academy Award winning Best Cartoon of 1946 was, which is probably a good thing since I had no idea until just a few moments ago when I found a copy of "The Cat Concerto", starring Tom & Jerry, on our old friend, youtube.com. Your life won't be totally unfulfilled if you don't take a moment to watch but, hey, what the heck. It beats watching a re-run of American Idle.

Courtesy of youtube.com and the National Film Board of Canada comes this Oscar-nominated short film based on the song "The Cat Came Back". You're gonna love this! If you'd like a copy for yourself (plus other incredible NFB films), click here.

Note: The video is hosted courtesy of youtube.com so if you only see a blank, white square that means they're experiencing technical difficulty, which seems to happen a lot lately.

CATS, an Orisinal Game

The people at orisinal.com (Yes, that's how it's spelled) produce some of the most beautiful little Flash games you'll find on the internet, and this one features a brace of elegantly rendered felines. The object of the game is a little offbeat but you'll enjoy the retro soundtrack. Be sure and explore the site as there's suprises around every turn. Click here to play "Cats".

Arbuckle

The comics page is full of strips that long ago outlived their usefullness. I can name a few, quite a few, but for now I'll focus on Garfield which ceased to be amusing, thoughtful, or inventive about twenty years ago.

Not anymore. Garfield is funny again but now it's called "Arbuckle" and Jim Davis has little to do with it. The secret with this variant is that old Garfield gags have been redrawn but this time Garfield never speaks. This results in a remarkably poignant and funny strip about a sad and lonely man who has odd, one-sided conversations with his cat.  I love this kinda stuff. (Oh, and they're using a couple I created with the help of Red Meat's on-line comic creator.)