Free Republic

If you have a cat, you’ve probably wondered what escapades your feline friend gets into when you’re not around.   Jürgen Perthold, a German-American engineer, was similarly curious about where his cat, Mr. Lee, went when he disappeared from his South Carolina home, so Perthold designed a special camera for him to wear. Weighing less than 3 ounces, the camera is engineered to capture continuous photographs for two days straight and fits around the cat’s neck.   It took several attempts, but eventually Mr. Lee returned with the camera intact and photographic evidence of his days-long adventure. Perthold published the...

Two months ago, the website added an official Congress channel, inviting Democrats and Republicans to share quirky political messages with voters. But analysts say the move has been hampered by politicians’ inability to adapt to an online audience. Andrew Rasiej, founder of the political technology site Personal Democracy Forum, said too many messages consist of warbling monologues that miss the point. Other postings, including one by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, were said to be too eccentric or random to resonate. In a minute-long video, Mrs Pelosi showed footage of her life behind the scenes in the Capitol Building...

Curiosity may kill the cat but now their inquisitive owners can find out exactly what their pets are getting up to - by hanging a tiny digital camera from their necks. That’s what a group of British cat lovers have done and the pictures they posted on the internet have sparked a new craze all round the world. The initial inspiration came from physiotherapist Jessica Bavinton, 32, from Islington, North London, who had always wondered where her Burmese cat Sarty disappeared to during the day. She bought the £40 camera - called a CatCam - online, set the timer to...