So you’re a gadget geek and you’ve been wondering whether you want to drop some of your hard earned cash on a gps. No not for your car, but for your pet.

Well, I’ve been wondering about getting one too, however Bo can’t outrun a turtle these days so there’s really not much of a need in my household for one of these. Copper isn’t going anywhere, she knows how good she’s got it and Logan, well he’s too fond of our bathroom to be gallivanting around the neighborhood without human supervision. Alas, I don’t have an excuse for getting one these cgps devices.

But you, my friends, may have a few “runners” on your hands and need to know if purchasing one of these doodads is a viable option. Well, the LA Times did a review of two such devices a little ways back that will give you some insight on how these operate, the drawbacks and the cost.

Two companies are making collar-attached models that send a warning if a dog leaves its designated area. The gizmo then gives the animal’s location, allowing you to find it without driving endlessly around the neighborhood, shouting its name.

Looks like technology has solved another one of man’s great problems. Or has it?

In theory, it’s a cool idea. In practice, neither of the devices — Pocketfinder or Zoombak — is quite ready for puppy prime time. And both are rather expensive because of monthly fees

Both devices have a monthly fee of $15 with the Pocketfinder unit itself costing $130 and the Zoombak $200.

It’s a pretty cool idea and will no doubt only get better as the wrinkles are ironed out.

Read the full article to get the detailed the scoop on these devices.

I know I’ll be getting one, as soon as I adopt the next Hairy Houdini.

It’s always nice to see Dogster and its members in the news. This weekend the Boston Globe had an article about virtual gifts in the online social networking world.  You know virtual gifts; they’re the balls, paws and chicken hats we all love to give to each other.

Joni Gleason of Haverhill spends about $100 a year on gifts for her pet-loving friends. But the gifts can’t be held or wrapped. They can’t even be seen unless her friends are online.

As a member of Dogster.com, Gleason, 62, sends fellow dog owners virtual candles and angel wings when their pets get sick or die. When Gleason feels playful, she sends virtual squirrels or, one of Dogster’s newer gift options, a can of Spam.

It’s an interesting read about the trend toward virtual gifts in the online world.

As you can imagine, some people don’t necessarily agree they have any value at all.  Ted Rheingold, Dogster’s founder, responded to that argument by stating in the article:

“They may not be something you can hold in your hand, but the sentiment that comes with giving or receiving, is the same sentiment.”

I agree. The point naysayers are missing is that social networks consist of people who are connected by a shared purpose.

In our case, it’s the cute, lovable and nutty creatures that run our lives. Just because the gifts we give online don’t have physical properties, doesn’t change the feelings associated with giving and receiving them. What better way to know someone is thinking of you than receiving a Boo Boo Bandaid when your dog is ill?  Isn’t there value in that gesture? I think so.

Now, if you’ll pardon me, I have a few SPAM hats to give away.

Security. It’s all the rage in this internet age and can be a thorn in one’s side.

Take for instance the verification code that you have to enter to gain access to a lot of sites, just to prove you aren’t a robot. You know the codes I’m talking about. They’re the ones that are all warped and wavy making it difficult to discern a 0 with an o or an I with a 1.

Now there’s a better solution.

Asirra stands for Animal Species Image Recognition for Restricting Access. Basically it’s an HIP [verification process] that requires you to differentiate photos of cats and dogs, a task that is nearly impossible for even the most sophisticated bots.

The cool thing about this technology isn’t really the technology but the fact that Microsoft Research has partnered with Petfinder.com to serve up pictures of the more than three million photos of cats and dogs available for adoption. A user is required to select all the pictures that are dogs (or cats) in order to gain access to the site. What’s really great is that each picture has a link to the animal’s petfinder.com adoption page. So now you can get verified and help place a pet at the same time!

You can read all about it here or go to the Asirra home page to find out more.