Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)

I broke all the etiquette rules, PZ, because I did not ask your wife or daughter before I got a virtual pet for you for your hatchday. However, this pet is a little different than most because it does not use a litter box, it doesn't have to be walked three or five times per day, nor can it starve to death!

I know that you like animals and technological wizbangery, so my virtual gift to you, PZ, is the delightful roboraptor. The roboraptor stands 32 inches tall, has built-in touch and motion sensors that allow it to react to its environment and, best of all, it can either roam freely or it can be controlled via the supplied joypad. This glorious pet only consumes AAA batteries, housecats (pictured) and, er, fingers (pictured at top), but only when he's in a predatory mood. In fact, this state-of-the-art pet is the next great leap in the evolution of pet technology because it is sophisticated enough to possess a personality, as the ad states;

Stroke him when he's feeling playful, and he'll respond like a faithful puppy. Go near him in hunter mode, and he'll act like Naomi Campbell being confronted by the paparazzi.

The best thing is that roboraptor behaves like a dog in many ways, except that it won't lick its balls when you have company.

Click on the image to learn more about your virtual gift. And be sure to peek around the blogosphere for more virtual hatchday wishes because there are a bunch of us out here -- some of us in the most unlikely of places -- who are jumping from behind virtual potted plants and out of virtual closets to wish you many happy returns. I have seen some of these wishes already and they are great! You (PZ) have 24 hours to find all of us before you are magically transformed into calimari.

Note: All links for PZ's birthday greetings will be published here at this same time, tomorrow, so PZ will be sure to see your birthday wishes if he doesn't find them earlier than that. Be sure to email links to me to be included.