Dance with your dog (Crufts, 2015)

YouTube link.

The video above is the encore performance of the winning team at the 2015 Crufts "freestyle heelwork to music" competition.

Readers who really love dogs will want to watch this extended video of the entire competition.

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Canine agility champion

YouTube link.

Filmed at the 2015 Westminster Kennel Club dog show.  Wikipedia has a wonderfully comprehensive article on dog agility competitions.

Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. Consequently the handler's controls are limited to voice, movement, and various body signals, requiring exceptional training of the animal and coordination of the handler....

Because each course is different, handlers are allowed a short walk-through before the competition starts. During this time, all handlers competing in a particular class can walk or run around the course without their dogs...

Each dog and handler team gets one opportunity together to attempt to complete the course successfully...

Dogs are measured in height at the peak of their withers (shoulders). They are then divided into height groups... Dogs are further divided into their experience levels...Dogs are not separated by breed in agility competitions... 

Lots more details re the individual obstacles and the training techniques.

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Texas sportscaster speaks out about race relations

YouTube link.

"Kids have to be taught to hate." 

The speaker is Dale Hansen -

In 1987, Hansen was honored with the George Foster Peabody Award for Distinguished Journalism. That same year, he won the duPont-Columbia Award for his contribution to the investigation of SMU's football program.

Sportscaster of the Year on two occasions by the Associated Press

Texas Sportscaster of the Year on three occasions by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association

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YouTube anniversary video compilation

YouTube link.

I'm not officially "back" at the blogging desk, but I wanted to post this brief compilation of excerpts from approximately 200 videos to keep you busy until I do come back.

The best feature is this playlist, which not only lists the videos, but supplements them with thumbnails.  And... if you play one of the videos in the playlist, it will automatically segue to the next video in the compilation - probably about 500 minutes of watching if you start at the first one and cycle all the way through.

It's almost scary how many of these are instantly recognizable from just a 1-second clip.

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TBS compresses Seinfeld - updated

YouTube link.

"Upper-right is a live feed from my tuner card from tonight's Seinfeld rerun. Lower-right is a digital recording from Fox Chicago about 10 years ago on the same hardware. TBS's broadcast gained 15 seconds in 3:22. This amounts to almost 2 full minutes for the entire episode."

Discussed at Reddit where there are comments that the image is cropped to make it "wide screen" and that the content is sometimes edited as well, and a notation that this is sometimes done with broadcast music.  The purpose apparently is to create more time for commercials.

Although the result is described as a "speeding up" of the program, I would think that even a 7.5% increase in speed would alter voice pitch, so I wonder if the process is instead some sort of computerized microediting - removing seconds of stares, views of a door about to open, shortening nonrolling credits, and such.  The process would be similar to time-compressed speech.

Confession:  I've never seen even a single episode of Seinfeld.  Apparently I'm the only living person with that distinction.

Addendum:  This video and the Reddit discussion generated a more-extended discussion of the technology at Digital Trends:

One provider is called Prime Image, which advertises a product called the Time Tailor. According to the site, the service “optimizes video runtime to seamlessly insert new ad spots, shrink content runtime without cutting scenes” and allow for several other solutions which alter programming to fit the network’s specifications. The service is automated, essentially allowing networks to program the time warping necessary, sit back, and collect that extra cash...

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Incredible short-handed hockey goal

YouTube link.

Although not 197 feet, as the announcer miscalculated on the spot (understandable in the excitement of the moment).  Toronto did come back to win the game 3-1, btw.

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You can "micro-volunteer" your time to help a blind person

YouTube link.

One more way smartphones are changing the world:

Be My Eyes allows you to “micro-volunteer” tiny portions of your time, perhaps less than a minute, remotely via your smartphone. 

The idea is to lend your sight to a blind person, via a one-way video link, and help them accomplish a task that is simple for you but impossible for them. 

Imagine cooking a meal, but being unable to tell one can of food from another. Or receiving a letter and not knowing if it was a bill, a wedding invitation or junk mail. Or perhaps you have taken a taxi to an appointment but can't find the correct doorbell...

All of these problems can be solved by a stranger donating just a few moments of their time, thanks to some clever coding. Be My Eyes is already available as an iPhone app and an Android version is on the way...

When a blind user requests help, a call goes out to a random sighted volunteer. The clever part is that there’s no pressure: if you’re in the middle of something, you can ignore it, and another user will pick it up. But if you are free you can answer with a tap and help with their problem...

Already there have been over 23,000 such interactions - tiny portions of time donated to make someones life easier. More than 8,500 blind users have signed up to the service, and 103,000 sighted volunteers.

More details at The Telegraph.

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Why you should "keep clear of the yellow line"

YouTube link.

A PSA from the 1970s.

Via A London Salmagundi.

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