Worst ... user experience ... ever (how to turn on your wireless radio)

[Doing a little more searching after I wrote this, I eventually learned that it's not just a few oddball brands that have this problem, and that some models really do have physical switches.  If you're banging your head trying to get your wireless turned on, this list might help.  It told me where to look again for the small, black-on-black slider switch on the laptop I was dealing with.


As always, I make no warranty that this will help you.  I particularly don't vouch for the spammers halfway down offering to crack passwords for you.  --DH]

OK, this isn't really much to do with the web, except that you can't really talk about the web unless you can actually connect to it, and it's really just a bunch of griping, but ...

Who in the Windows world decided it was a good idea to make laptops keep their wireless radios turned off until you find the right magical incantation to turn them on?  Did Steve Jobs sneak into Steve Ballmer's house at night and put an iPod loaded with subliminal messages under his pillow?  "Turn the wireless radios off ... trust me ... people will love it!"   Did someone decide that having wireless connectivity was too simple and useful?  No?  What, then?

I'm trying to imagine a portable device in this day and age that you don't want to be able to connect to the the nearest hotspot.   Smartphones do it.  Tablets do it.  Netbooks do it.  Even set-top TV boxes and video games do it.  One of the first things you do with most new gadgets is locate the nearest hotspot, connect up to it and say "Ah ... that's better."  At least if you're me, anyway.

Is this supposed to save the battery?  I can see that, but why have a separate control?  There's already a "disable" option for the wireless if you want to go offline (or wired, or into "airplane mode").  That should turn the radio off, no?  Conversely, if I enable the wireless I want the radio on.  Duh.  Do I really have to spell that out?  Evidently.

OK, fine.  You need to turn the radio on before I can use the wireless.  How do you do it?


Typically you futz around the network area of the control panel until you stumble on a help message that says to flip a switch on the front or side of the laptop.  I have never seen such a switch.  Why would there be such a switch?  How many other such switches are there on a modern laptop?  Typically, there's a power button and ... um ... yeah, that's about it.  [As mentioned up top, I have now seen such a switch.  I am no more impressed than before.]

I've seen other attempts at handy buttons for some novel function, but always in the keyboard area, and never for very many product cycles.  A switch is another moving part and an added design and manufacturing expense in a cutthroat business.  It only makes sense if it's for something that people really want to be able to do in one quick step.  Who, exactly, is asking for the ability to instantly make their mobile, web-enabled computer nearly useless?

So there's no physical switch readily apparent.  That leaves the software equivalent.  The previous time I had to jump through this hoop I was able to find some forum somewhere that said what to run to do the trick.  This time -- as you an probably guess -- not so much.

Oh, there's a function key that will pop up a grayed-out-looking but otherwise pretty little box with an icon denoting the wireless radio, x-ed out with a nice red x (Dedicated function key?  Who are all these people asking for a shortcut to do something I've never, ever wanted to do nor known anyone who admitted to wanting to do?).  Clicking on the box does nothing.  Pressing the function key again in hopes that it's a toggle that I somehow just turned off does nothing.

There's in icon in the tray at the bottom, bearing a similar x-ed out icon, that you can right-click on.  It will tell you that you need to turn your radio on.

There's a setup application supplied by the hardware manufacturer (this is one area where closed architectures like the Mac win).  It offers to set up the wireless hardware for you.

But first you have to turn the radio on.  Of course.

Search the forums.  Someone suggests uninstalling the drivers and rebooting.  Well naturally.  If I want to turn on the lights in my house the first thing I do is uninstall the wiring (never mind rebooting).  Try that.  Nope.  Flip a couple of checkboxes buried deep in the bowels of the "Device manager" menus.  Nope, sorry.  Maybe the drivers -- that the manufacturer shipped with -- are out of date?  You could try updating them.

If you had an internet connection.

Maybe drop-kicking the thing off the roof of a tall building will do it?  Seems worth a try ...

Nylabone Puppy Chew Toy Starter Puppy Loves This

Nylabone Puppy Chew Toy Starter Kit Read more...

The safe and appealing shapes satisfy a puppy's natural urge to chew.

These chews encourage puppies to develop non-destructive chewing habits.

Made in the USA!

White bone made of kryptonite White bone is made of kryptonite so super puppy won't even look at it. Left bone entertains for two minutes once a day. Right bone was consumed in two days! Buy three throw away two not so great.
Puppy Loves This My puppy loves this and this is the perfect thing to distract her from biting us. Her sharp little teeth have not yet been able to penetrate them and they look like they will last a long time. However the edible bone in the packet lasted less than an hour and I was a little concerned that it was too much for her to ingest and ended up taking it away and letting her play with it a little at a time.
Puppy Approved! My puppy loves all of these bones. She switches back and forth between the white and the brown chew bones depending on her mood. The white bone is very hard and the brown bone if flexible and softer. The only problem with the edible one is that she eats it too fast. I thought it would last her longer so I do not purchase the edible ones too often. She also enjoys the blue raised bristle dental nylabone not pictured in this pack but found in other packs. But you have to be careful your dog doesn't eat any of the bristles because she has chewed some of the bristles off. I also recommend the teething keys for teething puppies only. They are not for adult dogs. This is a great starter pack to see what your puppy prefers.
Great for teething puppies My puppy is teething and LOVES the nylabone. She gnawed on that since the day I brought her home and over 2 months she finally wore it down to a level where I had to throw it away for fear she might try to eat/swallow it. She also loved the edible bone in the pack which I gave to her in two parts over different days since she's quite small. I haven't introduced the white bone to her yet she loved the nylabone so much she didn't even pay attention to the other.
My Puppy Says 4 woofs My 11 week old Aussie loves these more than my socks or shoes. Not surprising as I have had other Nylabone products with other Dogs in the past. Nylabones are great products. They last forever and Dogs love to chew on them.
Dog chet tot I got this for my puppy The dark brown one is soft rubber and he tore it up in 1/2 houre.The light brown one is hard but brittle. he ate it before i noticed.The white one is hard plastic and it seems safe. he's still enjoying it.
My dog choked on the Edible Bone Warning to other dog owners the edible Nylabones are extremely dangerous for dogs with a big & greedy appetite. My dog swallowed it whole within 30 seconds of giving it to her and choked on it. She was fully unconscious before I could dislodge the bone and breathe into her nose to bring her back to life We almost lost her over this bone. If your dog is a greedy chewer or eater then please don't buy edible Nylabones.
Very much liked. I bought these bones for my son's two pit bull puppies. Needless to say they loved them especially the bacon flavored one. Only problem was that it lasted only a short while the bacon one that is. By the way the female munched down the bacon bone obviously anything I buy for her in the future will be bacon flavored. I think they are very much worth the money and I would buy these again.
My labradoodle couldn't care less I brought Nylabones because of a friend's recommendation but my 10 week old puppy doesn't even give these a second glance I haven't given her the edible one yet but the white bone and the gelly bone simply lie around gathering dust.
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• KONG Puppy Kong Toy, Small, Assorted Pink/Blue Perfect Chew Toy! We recently adopted 3 wonderful adorable pups 2 of whom are still in their chewing stage. Based on the recommendation of friends we decided to give the Kong a try and it's awesome!Kongs are made to be extremely strong so they don't fall apart ...Read the full


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KONG Tugga Wubba Large Colors Favorite

KONG Tugga Wubba Dog Toy, Large (Colors vary) Read more...

Recommended for dogs 30-pounds to 65-pounds

Reinforced fabric and stitching

Perfect tug and toss toy

Interactive toy

Squeaking toy

Almost Pitbull Approved. This is a good toy. Strong material. The center squeaking part requires a tough squeeze great for my Pitbulls. The ends came apart after 3 weeks. It wasn't due to normal play one of the dogs is an aggressive chewer. I wasn't home to see it but shortly after the ends were ripped the center plastic piece came right out.I would give this 5 but I really feel like the stitching on the ends could have been a bit better. It's difficult to find tough toys that will last long with dogs that like to play and chew but this toy beat most and I would recommend as it is a nice dog toy.
Not a chew toy I have a 1 yr old Australian Shepherd and he was born with cryptochordism no testes. Hence he is a small dog but still a heavy chewer. I got this to play tug of war with him thinking that a Kong toy would be able to last for a while. MY DOG HAS NO BALLS AND HE STILL TORE THIS APART within 30 minutes! The center piece is intact but all the tassels on either end easily come off at the seams. Now it's just an annoying squeaky toy. After the tassels come off there is no more use for this toy. You'd be better off buying your dog a rope.
Puppy love My dog absolutely loves this toy. I can't really explain why but as soon as I gave it to him he spent all day trotting around the house and yard with it in his mouth.Squeaking it is a sure fire way to get his attention.
NOT A CHEW TOY This toy is not a chew toy. It's a tug and toss toy. I didn't realize this in the product description online but it clearly says so on the product packaging.My 30 pound puppy chewed two pieces off of this toy in five minutes.The squeakers are really squeaky though.
Kong Tugga Wubba Large My pup has had a blast with this toyit has began to rip @ seams but he is an agressive chewer.
Love it! I don't know what these other people are talking about! I've got a large 170lb st. Bernard puppy just a 1.
Favorite This is my dog's favorite toy. She is a 7 month old German Shepherd Mix. After 4 months one of the bands holding the tails together has come off and the cover is starting to slide off the squeaker but it has lasted through endless very rough games of tug and fetch. This is always the toy she brings to us when she wants to play. Not a chew toy but excellent for games of tug and fetch.
A Goldendoodle's best friend My dog Peaches loves these toys. They provide her hours of enjoyment. So much so that she will beg to go outside and play with it and I will see her outside alone throwing it in the air and running all over the yard with it in her mouth. These are pretty durable as well. The one that this one is replacing lasted almost a year with daily play. That's pretty good with three large aggressive chewers. There is a squeakier in this one our last one did not squeak so I don't know how long that will last. Amazon had a good price and as always prime shipping was extremely fast.
OUR DOGS LOVE THIS This toy turned out to be a favorite toy of our dog. So we got it for Chrismtas presents for the granddogs also.
Another Kong success! I am a Kong fanatic because I've got two dogs one under 10 lbs. and a puppy who will end up around 2530 who love to chew and play tugowar. This toy is small and durable enough to withstand tugging and puppy teeth so far. There's one small fray on the barrel of the toy but nothing that appears to be anything more than a little tear.
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• KONG Wubba Friend Dog Toy, Extra Large (Assorted) Kong toys are great and this is one of the best! I have a tough chewer. We are talking TOUGH. He can eat through walls furniture and toys in a manner of seconds. Plush toys he is particularly rough on since he tends to pull all the fur off then rip it to shreds. Not ...Read the full


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• KONG Air Squeaker Spinner Dog Toy, Large, Yellow Long Lasting Fun & Material Well I found a toy that my 10 month olf Keeshond has not destroyed right away. He loves the material and the shape the way it spins and the squakers three. He usually destroys squeakers right away and he has now played a lot with this toy ...Read the full


• KONG Pet Stix Dog Toy, Large (Colors May Vary) VERY disappointed in quality I have purchased many toys for my dog and many Kong toys. I have trusted the Kong name up until I received the stuffed Stick it is overstuffed and ready to burst. The fabric that looks durable is actually very ...Read the full

Extreme Kong Extra Large Black Serious Toy for Serious Chewers

KONG Extreme Kong Dog Toy, Extra Large, Black Read more...

Made in the USA of nontoxic, extremely durable natural rubber

Keeps dogs busy and help deter misbehavior

Stuff with KONG Treats and Ziggies

Measures 5-inches long, for dogs 60 to 90 pounds

Recommended for power chewers

Love this toy I can't say enough good things about this toy. It has saved me many headaches. My dog has some separation anxiety when I leave in the morning and this helps him get through the worst of it. I just put regular peanut butter in it before I leave in the morning and it keeps him busy long enough to realize nothing bad has happened since I left. Then he normally goes back to sleep for a few hours and then plays with it and his Colman dinosaurs when he wakes. Then when I get home he wants me to refill it but we just take it outside and he will chase it for a few throws and then runs around the yard with it.
Dane Tested Dane Approved These toys are great they hold up the best of any toy on the market. Sometime a little too good. Our dog love to tear things apart and she gets disinterested because of it. I will take that with not having to replace toys every few weeks with replacing every year.
Great for high strung boxers! This is great for boxers or any high strung dog! My dogs absolutely love it. I have a pretty big boy who is very high strung and has separation anxiety and this thing actually keeps him busy for a good 30 minuteswhich is amazing for him.If i stuff ithe is giving his all to get the stuff outevery dropand if it is just laying around he is constantly chewing on it instead of chewing all of his balls in half. I think i have had it for a lil over a month and he has not put one mark in it. I would recommend this to any one.
LOVE IT My 2 yr old Pit loves this toy. I was worried he would destroy it because he loves to chew for hours and is very determined to rip every toy apart. He loves to play fetch with it chew on it plays with it all day long and I don't even fill it with treats. This definately is his favorite toy so far.
It might show marks but you can't kill it. Our Rhodesian Ridgeback + something fierce mix can chew through telephone poles and car tires however this product lasts. We now own four and would like to upgrade to a week's supply. When our beast is housepent these provide at least an hours worth of dine time if they are frozen.I put some kibble peanut butter and turtle or pinto beans in typically. That said you can go crazy with what you stick in this thing. At first our couch monster was enthralled by it now she is casually hopefully when they come out.
Good for my pitbull I have tried every kind of dog toy and this toy is hands down the toughest. My pitbull will tear through any stuffed animal squeaker rope toy rubber balls etc. This toy has remained durable enough that my pitbull has yet to destroy it.
Kong toy Every dog should have this toy. My dog has gone through every chew toy there is. He loves it and plays for hours. I highly recommend the Kong for all dogs.
Serious Toy for Serious Chewers I have a 95 lb labrador that is sweet in every way. However he loves to REALLY chew his toys and it was getting expensive buying him new ones to replace the ones he's performed surgery on. Most rubber toys he is able to destroy within 5 minutes. Ropes last him several hours. I needed to get him a seriously indestructible toy for his powerful chewing skills. The Kong Extreme fit the bill completely.I've had mine for over a week now he carries it around constantly chews it constantly and it doesn't even have DENTS! I'm thrilled.He loves it. Sometimes I put peanut butter or a milkbone in there but he will play with it no matter what. Sometimes after really giving it a good chew he puts it down and looks at it to assess the damage as he used to do with his old toys. It's pretty funny to see his confusion.
Great for a Big Dog This stands up to the extreme in its name. It goes in the crate with a 80# very destructive german shepard puppy every night and is not a bit chewed up.
so far so good my german shephard mix will tear up ANYTHING that i have given him..
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KONG Squeaker Dumbbell Large Yellow Another Home Run From Kong !

KONG Air Dog Squeaker Dumbbell Dog Toy, Large, Yellow Read more...

Recommended for larger breeds

Measures 9-inches long

Hidden squeaker; felt covering won't abrade dogs' teeth

Made in the USA from durable, high-quality tennis-ball material

Combines two canine favorites; the squeaker toy and the tennis ball

fun toy holds up well I have a Weimaraner puppy who loves balls he can get a little obsessive when he plays with them and he chews on them until they pop. It only takes him about a day to destroy them so they have to be a outside toy only. However I make an exception with this toy. He has had the medium or large one for about two months now and it is holding up great. He likes to carry it around the house and squeak it. That is the one thing I don't like. The squeaker is loud and high pitched. I have given the toy a timeout a few times because my dog will squeak it for hours and it can grate on your nerves but it helps him stay calm when I have to go to work and he can squeak it to his heart's content when I am away I would recommend this toy for most dog owners it hold up better then regular tennis balls and doggy tennisballs. The shape also helps keep his from destroying it.
2 Paws up as usual Our 4 labradors love Kong toys of all types but especially those with the yellow tennis hide. Normally these funloving energetic labs rip right through plush toys to get at those mysterious squeakers. Not their Kong toys. They take a licking and a chewing and keep on squeaking sorry Timex for the play on your words. Great value and safe toys for your pets.
Better than a stuffed squeaky toy Kong dumbbell has so far outlasted any other squeaky toy we tried with our 50# dog who is not a very aggressive chewer but nonetheless quickly destroys any stuffed toy that comes his way. This toy is safe to leave lying around because our dog does not chew it just for the fun of it. Most of the time he brings it to us when he wants to play tug or fetch which is fun to do with this toy since it makes a loud squeak that gets our dog exited.Although made by the same manufacturer that brought us the durable rubber Kong toys the dumbbell cannot compare to their ability to withstand constant chewing action. If your dog is an agressive chewer this is probably not the best toy. Otherwise Kong dumbell can be a nice addition to your dog's collection of toys and can serve as good substitute for the flimsy soft squeaky toys that don't last.
Another Home Run From Kong ! Our six year old 92 pound Old English Bulldog and his partner in crime our 6 month old puppy of the same breed are the certified kings when it comes to destroying even the toughest toys.A long time fan of Kong products because they design toys with the dog in mind and not humans.A rarity among dog toys that beg for our attention with an army of adorable kitty cats bunnies and an endless parade of cute toys.With the majority of them resembling road kill in a very short time.That said we had a feeling this particular toy being soft as opposed to the hard yet pliable Kong material would be destined for a very short life.However after a week of serious dedicated chewing and chomping this toy despite expected small tears is still no worse for wear.
NOT for agressive chewers. This toy lasted barely an hour. My dog peeled it like a grape and chewed a big hole in the end. If your dog is an agressive chewer I would not recommend this toy. Our dog is a 50lb jack russell/ shepherd mix. She is an insane chewer. So far the only toy she hasn't chewed up is the origional red kong and the West Paw Design Zogoflex Dog Toy Tux and not for lack of trying. We have tried almost every toy for agressive chewers and so far these are the only two toys that have held up. We have had them for nearly 6 months and they are still completely intact. I would definitely recommend them but not this.
wonderful toy with some caveats Our golden LOVES these. They are her favorite soft toy.Soft toys don't have a long lifespan with this hound. On the contrary. That said she will happily play with this thing even when it is in virtual tatters squeakerless and the two tennis balls decomposed. And that's something.I will note that the toy is available in stores even Target which is seldom a bargain palace for a lot less than they are being sold for here.
So sad it made us cry! Joy oh joy! My 2 year old Malamute was overcome with joy to get a new squeaky toy!!!! It brought happy tears to my eyes to watch him tip his head in curiosity and anticipation what's in the bag Mom? What's that noise? And it looks and feels like a tennis ball!!!! He bounded around happily squeaking his new toy. We threw it around he caught it on the bounce squeaking it joyously..until..within 2 minutesmute.sad sad sad and confused brown Malamute eyes. Where's the squeak Mom? He pauses and bites down whooshy toy? Whooshy sound? not so exciting.. Ok. He's really big and has huge wolf teeth. But really 3 minutes?I'm on a quest for a better squeaky toy.
dogs love it My dog loves this toy. We've already had to replace one because the first one became half dumbbell half ball but she is rough on her toys. She runs around the yard squeaking frantically much to our neighbor's chagrin but they'll get over it.
Very Durable Toy
Kong dumbbell toy The product has held up very well. Not like a typical hard rubber Kong toy. The dogs chew up the tennis ball material quickly.
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Getting Smart with email

It appears that two participants in a prominent scandal -- if you're reading this now, you know which one, and if you're reading this later, it won't really matter -- tried to cover their email tracks by not actually sending email at all.  Instead, they shared an email account and would write messages but save them to the Drafts folder for the other to read.

I'm a bit unclear on how this helps significantly, particularly since it doesn't seem to have worked all that well in this case.

The act of sending email itself is reasonably secure.  If you and your recipient are both using one of the major providers (the same provider, that is), then sending email just means copying some bits, if that.  Nothing need go out over the public internet.  Likewise, reading that email just means logging in and viewing it.  You are using HTTPS, aren't you? Probably, even if you don't know it, but it's worth checking your email settings just in case.

If you're up to no good and storing email on an unencrypted local drive, you deserve to lose.

So it really comes down to how many passwords you would have to crack to get at the messages.  Consider two scenarios:

1. Alice and Bob have separate accounts with MyEmail.com, which supports two-factor authentication.  That means that it's not enough just to know the password.  When you log in, you give not just the password, but a magic number from a text message sent to your phone, or from some other kind of device that produces single-use magic numbers.
2. Alice and Bob share a TOP SEEKRIT "drop box" account with just a password.

In scenario 2, if I can crack that one password, I can see the whole correspondence, so long as I think to check the Drafts folder.  Alice and Bob basically have a password plus a bit of security through obscurity, otherwise known as "no additional security".

In scenario 1, I have two passwords to try to guess, which means two chances at success instead of one.  So far, so good. I crack one of the passwords and log in.  The login screen then says "enter the magic number we just sent to your phone".  Oops.  Not only do I not have the magic number to log in with, Alice (or Bob, as the case may be) now knows that someone is trying to log in.

I suppose it would be possible for Alice could set her phone to forward magic number messages to Bob (or vice versa, but not both!) and use two-factor authentication that way, assuming no one will ask why Bob is getting strange texts with random numbers in them for no apparent reason.  I'd then have to crack the shared password and steal a phone, more or less what I'd have to do in scenario 1, except instead of having a choice of passwords to crack, I have a choice of phones to steal.

Note that some two-factor authentication schemes use a cryptocard or something similar as a second factor.  That would make sharing the account physically impossible, unless Alice and Bob are in the same room, in which case the Cone of Silence is probably the better option.

All bets are off if The Man is able to force MyEmail.com to give up access to the account, but that applies equally well in either scenario.

Kyjen Babies Original Series Platypus dogs had a good time!

Kyjen Egg Babies Dog Toy, Original Series, Platypus Read more...

Fun plush toy with elastic opening on bottom

Keeps pet entertained and occupied

Includes 5 removable squeaking eggs

Measures 9 x 9 x 10 inches

Long-lasting toy for dogs that love to seek and destroy

Pup's favorite toy above all others even chewies!For For whatever reason this is my Shihtzu pup's very most favorite toy! We took all the eggs out of the belly so it is more flat he prefers it that way and that platypus sees more action then all the other toys combined! We have rawhide twists nylabones squeaky toys balls and this is his always goto favorite toy.We bought it because it was the least expensive dog stuffed animal at the local pet shop because our 7 y.o. insisted he needed a stuffy and we've been amazed by his love of it. Interestingly our sitter says she has the same platypus for her dog and he loves it too. What's up with the love for this odd stuffed dog toy?Highly recommended.
Favorite Toy Months Later!!! When we first got this toy my puppy didn't really get it. I tried teaching her like the product recommends and my puppy didn't seem to care. I gave up and just left the toy in her basket. I am not sure when it changed but at some point she became OBSESSED with the eggs! Once she wanted the eggs when I would put them in she'd get them out! It takes her very little time to do so though. So I guess the trick is to get the dog to want the egg first! But even months later she doesn't care about the platypus but is OBSESSED with the eggs! She loves hiding them under the couch under the bed etc.
DO NOT BUY THIS! My dog swallowed the eggs and they got stuck in his stomach. He had to have surgery as a result. I am thankful he's alive and want to share this info with others.
dogs had a good time! Dogs loved it! Doxies.
This is SO fun but some dogs may need a little extra help My puppy is 6 months old. He might be a little slower than other dogs or maybe it's his age or both but it took him a little longer to get this. When we first got it as other reviewers have mentioned he wanted to tear apart the alligator and wasn't interested in the eggs even though I followed the instructions. So I took the alligator away and we just played with the eggs for a couple of days.
Great toy! I bought this for my Akita who loves plush toys and does not tend to be destructive with them. This is by far his favorite toy and he's had it over a year and has not destroyed it yet nor have the two Shiba Inus he lives with. They find something very satisfying about digging out the eggs and it seems to be enough for them so they don't try to rip up the toy too.My Akita is 120 pounds but is not a destructive chewer. He looks pretty silly carrying the eggs around in his mouth but he does! I like to rotate toys so they don't get too bored with stuff and as soon as this toy comes out again he grabs it and hides it upstairs because he doesn't want one of the other dogs to get it. He's really crazy about it!I wouldn't recommend this for a strong chewer or a dog who had a history of tearing up plush toys but if your dogs plays well with other toys and enjoys ripping out the stuffing of other toys he may find this a satisfying toy instead.
Well Made & Fun Dog Toy When I first received the Kyjen Egg dog toy I thought that it would be too big for our 12lb dog but upon removing the three eggs plus you receive two addtional spare eggs the toy become more floppy and it wasn't a problem. The toy is well made and our dog makes a hobby of destroying his toys. Over a month latter it is still in good shape cheaply made doesn't last past a week with our dog I like that it is a platypus being originally from Australia and a pleasant and novel change from the usual pigs chickens etc. Good buy and well made.
Platypus with eggs I have bought egg babies before for my dogs. The dogs love them and will play with them for hours. Beware of the eggs on the platypus. My Boxer puppy almost swallowed one of the eggs whole. It was very fortunate that she was able to cough it out. The eggs used to be larger. I was very disappointed in this toy and threw the eggs out.
Platypus Needs Surgical Intervention I have been buying a bunch of dog toys for my 4 month old cocker spaniel lately on Amazon. Some have turned out to be keepers and some have been put in a puppy toy box to be taken out when my pupster is older and maybe has forgotten he didn't really like the toy. Platypus is being placed in that box for future playtime when he is older. The main reason my puppy didn't play with Platypus is that he couldn't get the eggs out of her stomach. Geesh I even had a hard time getting them out when I was showing my pup how to do it. I had to cut open the opening to make it wider. The elastic opening didn't open wide enough even with the surgical intervention. It was still difficult to get the eggs out and I have opposable thumbs. My puppy is used to playing with other toys where he can snout into the openings and get their treasures out to play with. The squirrels in the tree house and esp. the IQube are great for him. So he is smart enough to nose and chomp on the toys while they are inside the larger toy. I don't think it is the difficulty level since it takes him some time to get the balls out of the IQube but he loves that toy. I thought he would really like the Platypus since it is brown like he is and when he was just a week old he looked like a platypus squirming about not able to walk. Guess he doesn't relate to toys with the emotional connection like I do hmmmm. I gave it 2 stars because he does like to carry around the eggs in his mouth when I get them out for him. He also likes me to throw them so he can retrieve them. But I wanted a toy he could play with by himself to teach him some self quieting skills so that defeated the purpose of the toy for me. Btw Platypus is soft and plushy as are the eggs. My pupster likes these kind of toys and surprisingly his little piranha teeth don't feel the need to rip it apart like he does with some of this other toys.
Brilliant! My dog LOVES it! I would like to say that the idea of eggs in a Platypus is brilliant. The toy stood up for over a month without much wear for my 5 month old Boston Terrier puppy. After about a month and a half he was able to chew the bill off but it's still going strong two months in other than that. It comes with extra eggs which is another plus. They are great fun to play fetch with.
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• Kyjen PP01056 Hide-A-Squirrel Pet Toy, Large NF Terrier playing with this toy

  Kyjen Plush Puppies Squeaker Mat Long Body Gator Dog Toy with 16 Squeakers Please read this review for the safety of your dog! I rarely leave 1star ratings. This review will probably get lost in the numerous reviews and disappear.My adorable dog isn't a huge chewer but he kept chewing this product. He started ...Read the full Kyjen Oakley the Octopus Junior Plush Pet Toy Dog loves Oakley the Octopus Jr   Ourpets DT-10504 Smarter Toys IQ Treat Ball , 5 Inches , Colors may vary great onmouseover= ...Read the full Kyjen Squeakin' Eggs Plush Dog Toys, 3-Pack My girls LOVE these!!! I do not usually review items that I have purchased but this is an exception. My girls LOVE these toys. They are just squeeky enough but do not have a ton of stuffing surrounding them that entice them to shred the toy so they actually last for ...Read the full Wednesday, February 13, 2013 Crowdsourcing the sky Astronomy has been likened to watching a baseball game through a soda straw.  For example, the Hubble Deep Field, assembled from 342 images taken over the course of ten days, covers about 1/500,000th of the sky, or about the size of a tennis ball seen a hundred yards away.  It's quite possible to survey large portions of the sky, but there are trade-offs involved since you can only collect so much light so fast.  To cover a large area and still pick up faint objects, you need some combination of a big telescope and a lot of time.  The bigger the telescope (technically, there's more to it than sheer size) the faster you can cover a given area down to a given magnitude (how astronomers measure faintness). The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is designed to cover the entire sky visible from its location every three days, using a 3.2 gigapixel camera and three very large mirrors.  In doing this, it will produce stupefying amounts of data -- somewhere around 100 petabytes, or 100,000 terabytes, over the course of its survey.  So imagine 100,000 terabyte disk drives, or over 2 million two-sided Blu-ray disks.  Mind, the thing hasn't been built yet, but two of its three mirrors have been cast, which is a reasonable indication people are serious.  Even if it's never finished, there are other sky surveys in progress, for example the Palomar Transient Factory. Got a snazzy 100 gigabit ethernet connection?  Great!  You can transfer the whole dataset in a season -- start at the spring equinox and you'll be done by the summer solstice.  The rest of us would have to wait a little longer.  My not-particularly-impressive "broadband" connection gets more like 10 megabits, order-of-magnitude, so that'd be more like 2500 years, assuming I don't upgrade in the meantime and leaving aside the small question of where I'd put it all. Nonetheless, the LSST's mammoth dataset is well within reach of crowdsourcing, even as we know it today: Galaxy Zoo claims that 250,000 people have participated in the project.  Many of them are deadbeats like me who haven't logged in for ages, but suppose there are even 10,000 active participants. The LSST is intended to produce its data over ten years, for an average of around 2-3Gbps.  Still fairly mind-bending -- about a thousand channels worth of HD video, but ... Divide that by our hypothetical 10,000 crowdsourcers and you get 200-300Kbps, not too much at all these days.  Each crowdsourcer could download a 3GB chunk of data in under an hour in the middle of the night or spread it out through the day without noticeably hurting performance. Assuming you kept all the data, you'd need a new terabyte disk every few months, so that's not prohibitive either. The hard part is probably uploading a steady stream of 2-3Gbps (bittorrent wouldn't help here, since each recipient gets a unique chunk of data).  As far as I can tell the bandwidth is there, but at that volume I'm guessing the cost would be significant. In reality, there would probably be various reasons not to ship out all the raw data in real time, but instead send a selection or a condensed version. Bottom line, it's at least technically possible with today's technology, to say nothing of that available when the LSST actually goes online, to distribute all the raw data to a waiting crowd of amateur astronomers. Wikipedia references a 2007 press release saying Google has signed up to help.  As usual I don't know anything beyond that, but it does seem like a googley thing to do. Tuesday, February 12, 2013 Tuffys LIL Oscar Sea Creatures It is larger than I thought it would be. Tuffy's LIL Oscar Sea Creature's Dog Toy Read more... For all sizes of dogs Machine washable, air dry and they float Tuff Scale rating of 8 The toy's dimensions are 12 x 12 x 5 inches Vet recommended and approved Total cost about a dollar a minute I had such high hopes for this toy after my dog destroyed Captain Kurklops in about 45 minutes by chewing through his mouth I thought for sure this one wouldn't have any weak spots. But she decided to perform brain surgery on this poor octopus and chewed straight through his head in about 20 minutes. Side note you wouldn't believe how much stuffing is in one of these little guys! If you have a really strong determined chewer you may end up disappointed too. My dog is a yearold bull terrier and she is really hard on toys. good toy I agree with above reviewer. My guys have had this toy for over a year. The head was the first to go in very short order. I revamped the resewed the head and they are still playing tug of war with it. The legs have lasted. I have purchased other toys from this manufacturer they grade according to tuffness. The others I have purchased have been graded 9 and 10the tuffest and they are lasting my two chew crazy Boston Terriers far longer than any toy except Kongs. Buyer Not Thrilled! Toy is supposed to be super tuff so I figured that I would spend a little more $ on it.Within the first 20 min. My Jack Russel had the top of the toy broke open and some of the stuffing pulled out. By the end of the day he had the squeeker from the top pulled out too. I will never waste my $ on these supposed tuff toys again. It is larger than I thought it would be. Our puppy is quite the chewer. He is a medium size dog. Most toys do not last very long. The material of this one seems to be stronger than most with stronger edging also. We don't let our dog play with it unsupervised and only for short periods of time. It seems more durable than most toys. Tuffy this toy is NOT! My dog is quite the chewer I must say. He is a beagle mixed with something im not too sure. If your dog is the type of dog that will chew and chew and chew at something with a vengeance then this toy is not for you. Dog is going nuts for this as I type I didn't realize that this toy was out of the size range for my 14 lb Cairn Terrier but she doesn't care. She loves it. She is pushing chasing hassling and chewing this thing like no other toy. She seems to like that it is harder to pick up than most of her other toys. She hasn't figured out the squeakers yet. amazing After reading all the reviews i didn't expect much from this toy but gave it a shot anyways. After 2 weeks it's still in tip top shape. My 20 lb terror can't get enough of playing with it and can't seem to destroy it. I'm thinking it's gonna be awhile before this octopus ends up in the pile of dead toys.This toy is perfect for a 20lb dog who loves to rip ears and feet off toys. Not tuff enuff! Purchased 1 of these locally & had high hopes given the tuff scale. 1 of our dogs loves squeakers & I was so excited at the prospect of this toy having squeakers at the end of each arm & in the head. I had also purchased 2 of Tuffy's nEELmo Sea Creature toys locally a few months ago & while they are on their last legs leg! I figured that given their endurance this new toy would certainly surpass them. The toy did create a great deal of excitement & fun between our 2 cattle dogs but unfortunately the poor creature was deheaded destuffed & desqueaked in less than 3 days. Yes a great deal of tugging & pulling was involved but that is also what the eel sea creature & fire hose squeak 'n fetch toys go through daily. Too tough for chewing and playing Our 60 pound golden retriever found this toy too tough to really pick up and chew and play with. Couldn't make it squeak and it was awkward to pick up she hasn't played with it at all. Definitely appears sturdy though. Good for small dogs who like to chew I have a 15 lb jack russel mix not very big or powerful but he loves to chew. Aside from playing with them he likes to pick one spot on a soft toy and chew it relentlessly until the stuffing is exposed which he then proceeds to eat.Lil Oscar lasted much longer than other conventional toys and my dog really enjoyed carrying it around shaking it and squeaking the arms. It lasted about a 5 weeks until he trotted up to me and dropped a chewedup squeaker in my lap. There's no layer of stitching in between Oscar's arms and body so despite him still being mostly intact he couldn't be salvaged couldn't risk the dog pulling all his stuffing out.Overall it was a good buy and I would recommend this toy for smaller toys with a powerful instinct to chew. Read more... Related Products Tuffy's Larry Lobster Sea Creature's Dog Toy Better than most   Tuffy's Shack Shark Sea Creature's Dog Toy Design flaw in typically great brand We have had good luck with Tuffy's toys for our one year old 125lb Great Dane puppy Beauregard. Typically other toys last hours if not minutes but we discovered Tuffy's and we now get months out of their toys. However the shark ...Read the full Tuffy's Burtle Turtle Sea Creature's Dog Toy shredded in an hour Trying desperately to find a dogtoy that the goldens won't shred and thought I had with this one. Nope. Even ordered a Class 10 and that one lasted a couple hours before the insides of it were on the living room floor. ...Read the full Tuffy's Mega Creature Large Octopus Dog Toy, Tiger Print Outstanding Toy For Tough Chewers I bought this directly from VIP about 6 months ago. This Octopus is rated a 10 which is the strongest they offer and what I needed for my pit bull and doberman. They shred toys quickly.First off this toy is huge. It's well over a ...Read the full Tuffy's Ultimate Ring Dog Toy, Red Paws Not a chew toy. Only use to play with the dog then put away The first one I bought I was really excited about. I spent $25 on it in a retail store. Within a couple day my Boarder Collie & Lab had started pulling the fabric apart and getting at the stitches. It was ...Read the full Friday, February 8, 2013 Film studios ... not dead yet. A few years ago I ran a series of posts (starting with this one) questioning a 60 Minutes piece on online video piracy.  My take was that 60 Minutes was parroting the MPAA's stand on piracy at the time without critically examining it as one might expect from an investigative news program. I stand by that. In one segment, director Steven Soderbergh doubted whether films like The Matrix could be made any more, since piracy was putting the studios out of business and keeping them from financing original works from outsiders.  At the time of that interview, Avatar was on its way to grossing an all-time record 2.8 billion dollars on a budget of $237 million.  Granted, James Cameron is not exactly a hollywood outsider (more on that below), but if the studios aren't financing new faces, it doesn't appear to be for lack of money.  Six of the top ten highest-grossing films have been made since that interview, and ten of the top twenty.   Comcast (owners of Universal) has nearly tripled its stock price.  Disney, Time-Warner and Viacom (owner of Paramount) have approximately doubled. Overal box-office grosses have been basically flat since that interview, which would indeed be bad news for studios, if that were the only way that they made money.  But it isn't.  Video on demand and DVD/Blu-ray releases, with much lower overhead than the box office, have been a standard part of movie releases since before that interview was done. Home video numbers seem harder to come by than box office grosses, but there's no doubt that, however much illegal copying may be going on, there's plenty of legal rental going on as well.  It doesn't look like the ability to copy bits online is hurting the film industry any more than the ability to copy them on videotape did. In fact, the folks at South by Southwest seem to think that video on demand is actually helping get original films from outsiders made and seen.  The title of the panel, How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love VOD, is itself instructive. Nor do I think anyone seriously sees this as a triumph of the brave heroes at the MPAA against the evil pirates.  Rather, the industry has adjusted to the new technology and figured out how to make money off of it.  Which is their job. KONG Squiggles Large Colors vary No match... KONG Squiggles Large Dog Toy (Colors vary) Read more... Approximately 13-inches long; for pets 30-pounds and larger Quality, non-toxic materials Great interactive fun Minimal stuffing for minimal mess Shake it, stretch it and squeak it best dog toy for two dogs to play together Our dogs a 4monthold beagle puppy and 10yearold golden play together with this toy for hours playing keepaway and then tug of war. They will each hold one end and the fact that it's springy so that some times it will fly across the room when one dog lets go and both ends squeak seems to make the game that much more fun for both of them. They've played with it for nearly two months now and it's still holding up so it's very durable. Misleading title and picture The picture displays four items. The title says there are multiple Kong Squiggles But I only received one item. I believe I got ripped off because it shows four items and the title has multiple. Cute but bad squeekers! Firstly..they come with too many tags and unnecessary packaging in my opinion. My little dog at first was so excited about this but after a few minutes of trying to get it to squeak you could see the disappointment on her little face. The darn thing won't squeak unless I step on it! and then it screams 'NO NO . Favorite My 8wk old Shiba Inu absolutely loves this toy! It is by far her favorite. I just bought another one This is a great toy for dogs who like to tug. My two poodles LOVE this toy.After a couple of years of play they ripped the old one so this is the replacement. It's reasonably priced and pretty durable for smaller dogs.I bought the medium size for my two miniature poodles.I will continue to buy replacements as long as they get so much enjoyment from them. No match I've got a 55lb dog who has yet to find a durable toy he peels the lining off tennis balls. This one lasted about 20 mins with the stuffing removed and head decapitated. Lol. The medium size one was cheap enough that I did not mind. The body is still intact so he and my other dog can still play tug of war with it. Expensive! The toy is fun and my dogs love it but the description said 4 varied styles so I was very disappointed to get only one toy for $7.99. The company did return my email right away but just said they are working to get the description changed. Maybe they should change the picture too. Good playability but only moderate durability We have a very playful Papillon. She loves toys like this. In one day of play she had gotten to the minimal stuffing. She has other stuffed or semistuffed toys and they last longer especially a set of squirrels which have lasted a couple of months so far.Per my title of this review Good playability but only moderate durability sums it up for me. If your dog is not so rough I think you will be happy with this. Note that there are several different styles in the photo but your order consists of only one toy. My 5 lb Chihuahua's favorite toy! My dog loves it. I bought the small size for her & we play tugofwar with it & she chews it too for a little bit. She's not a strong dog nor a big chewer so it lasts. It's one of her favorite toys because of the squiggles & the squeeks & the lightness of it. Fun for 2 or 1 Both of my cocker spaniels and my jack russell terrier like this toy. They love to use it for tug of war. It is also good for the dogs that like to toss their own toys in the air or play fetch. I find it to be very durable. My dogs tug on it full force and they haven't even torn it. They have shredded other toys though so they are not gentle. Maybe there is a quality control issue because I can't imagine these being easy to tear. I plan to buy another one. If there is a problem will do an update. Read more... Related Products Dog Toy Pet Stages Cool Teething Stick Fantastic Puppy Toy! This toy is a fantastic toy for puppies. It's meant for teething puppies to cool their sore gums but it also has appeal for puppies who are no longer teething. The crinkling edges ribbons and knotted ties have a lot of appeal. Beware ...Read the full Pet Stages Soft Toss Ring pups love it My pups love this to fetch play tug a war with each other and just teeth on. Some of the pieces around the sides make a crinkling sound so it always is effective to distract them if they are chewing on something they shouldn't. ...Read the full Nylabone Puppy Teething Rings Chew Toy Great Puppy Toy My 3 1/2 monthold Welsh Corgi is teething and is in constant need of something to chew on. He prefers ice cubes as a matter of fact which gets a little complicated if I don't want to take him outside every ten minutes. I ...Read the full Kyjen Oakley the Octopus Junior Plush Pet Toy Dog loves Oakley the Octopus Jr   Multipet International Original Loofa Dog Mini 6-Inch Dog Toy 6 inch Loofa Dog My dog loved this product. I wish I would have bought the bigger version. ...Read the full Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Shave and a haircut: two bitcoins Someone the other day was mentioning Bitcoin, which calls itself the first decentralized digital currency.  Regular readers of this blog, a select group to be sure, will probably not be surprised that this sent my not-so-disruptive-technology sensors into high gear.  So what's a decentralized digital currency? Virtual worlds often have virtual currencies, which citizens can earn by doing various things in the virtual world and which they can exchange within the world.  In at least some cases these virtual currencies have leaked into the real world, or been tied to real money to begin with, not always with happy results.  One can view Bitcoin as abstracting that process and removing it from the confines of a closed, proprietary virtual world. Bitcoin uses a modest ensemble of established crypto techniques to create a public audit trail certifying that a particular person has generated a Bitcoin, or that one person has exchanged some possibly fractional amount of Bitcoin with another (and by "person" I really mean "whatever has control of a given private key").  Generating bitcoins and certifying transactions requires a non-trivial amount of computation, much as generating money in a virtual world requires a non-trivial amount of whatever one does to earn money in that world. There are various safeguards to ensure that each unit of Bitcoin has exactly one owner and everyone has a consistent view of who owns what.  That view can change over time.  In other words, Bitcoin meets some basic requirements for a currency: It is transferable, limited in supply and difficult to duplicate or forge.  So far, so good. It occurs to me that there is actually already a very widely-used decentralized digital currency, namely money. While it is still possible to exchange cash for goods and services, an awful lot of commerce gets done without it.  Instead, various banks and other entities simply increment and decrement balances in various accounts.  If I pay you, my balance goes down, yours goes up and one way or another our banks and various intermediaries get to take a cut.  This is certainly digital, and it's certainly currency.  It's also decentralized, in that there are many banks, particularly once we move into the international arena, and not even the various central banks have complete control of what happens. However, it's not as radically decentralized as Bitcoin aims to be.  Bitcoin aims to take out all intermediaries.  If I pay you in Bitcoin, everyone in the system will be informed, reasonably soon, that I now own that much less Bitcoin and you own that much more.  All participants are an essentially equal footing.  There are no banks, clearinghouses or other such entities at all. More precisely, everyone learns that whoever controls my private key has that much less and whoever controls yours has that much more.  Whether anyone knows who controls what keys is a separate matter.    Bitcoin uses pseudonymity -- known names tied to possibly unknown entities -- to recapture some of the anonymity of cash transactions. The Bitcoin documentation is very careful to make the classic economical distinction between value in use and value in exchange.  The computational work done in producing Bitcoin and validating transactions is not inherently useful.  It basically consists of guessing numbers until one the right one comes up (technically, one that contains a given bit string and hashes to a particular value).  The value, if any, comes of people being willing to use Bitcoins in exchange, that is, as currency.  This is no different from printed pieces of paper or numbers in databases or, for that matter, materials like gold whose prices -- that is, their exchange rate with paper currencies -- are largely decoupled from their practical uses. So this looks well thought through and doesn't seem wildly implausible.  Why was my spidey-sense tingling? In trying to make sense of this I went back and reviewed the concept of currency.  Except there doesn't seem to be a nice, crisp, near-universally accepted concept of what makes currency work.  Scarcity is required, in the sense that the supply of currency must be bounded, albeit typically large.  Gold and other precious metals are hard to produce.  Coins are limited by fiat -- the king's mint will only put his face on so many coins, and woe betide the counterfeiter -- making it less important what the coin is made of.  Notes carry this one step further.  Clearly it doesn't matter much how much the paper and ink is worth, only that it's difficult to duplicate the note itself. Numbers in databases are completely abstract, and they seem to work fine.  So why not Bitcoin? At the end of the day, currency has to be exchangeable for something useful, for example, food.  This can only happen if the person accepting currency in exchange can be confident that they in turn will be able to exchange it for something useful to them.  Bitcoin works hard to ensure that it will behave essentially like physical cash and carefully-regulated changes in bank balances, but that still doesn't make it a currency. And that's the crux of it.  Will people trust that Bitcoin will remain exchangeable?  What is the mechanism for maintaining confidence?  Typically, this confidence is based on confidence in a government, but other systems work as well.  Failed states may continue to circulate currency well after the government has collapsed.  Some countries are perfectly happy to use another country's currency.  Local communities have been known to create their own currencies which rely on the communal bond among members.  All of these and more can work, so why not Bitcoin? Well, maybe it can. The best measure I can think of for the viability of a new currency is how it converts to and from existing ones, and there are Bitcoin currency exchanges which do just that.  From what I can tell, the jury is still out, if only because Bitcoin hasn't been around that long yet.  Bitcoin is currently trading around $14, but it's been as high as twice that in the past couple of months and much, much lower not long before that [and on 28 November 2011, around $2.75, less than 10% of the all-time high ... given that the earth shook slightly when the Swiss Franc dropped from around $1.27 to around $1.16 and that Sterling's fall from 2.80DM to around 2.55 helped bring down a government, this sort of volatility does not look good ... my source for the price, mtgox.com, is now offering options and margin trading on the bitcoin, just in case anyone wants an even bigger adrenaline rush -- D.H.].  On the one hand, a non-zero value is encouraging, but on the other, that sort of volatility doesn't inspire confidence. Personally, I don't see much reason to use Bitcoin in any significant way.  Money has worked fine so far, and if the US dollar should collapse, I'm not exactly convinced that Bitcoin would become a safe haven. Tuesday, February 5, 2013 What, if anything, is a magazine? A recent New York Times article tells the store of Esquire magazine's troubles in 2008 and 2009, and how it was able to survive them by adapting to the world of online publishing.  I'm not sure I've ever read Esquire in either print or digital form.  For that matter, I don't buy magazines much any more, but I do follow the (free) online content of some, particularly The Economist. So do I, or does a digital Esquire subscriber, read magazines?  Pretty clearly yes, just as there's pretty clearly more to a magazine than its print edition.  So what's a magazine?  Some thoughts: A classic magazine is almost always periodical, though a few publish irregularly.  On the web, content generally goes up when it's ready, regardless of the print publishing schedule.  Let's say a magazine is an ongoing publication.  There may or may not be a sequel to your favorite book, but part of publishing a magazine is the promise that there will be more. A magazine is not tied to any particular individual.  Even in cases like Forbes or Oprah, where a particular individual's identity is an integral part of the brand, the actual magazine is the work of many people.  It is an institution, that can survive the departure of any particular person (though in some cases better than others).  This is where we can probably best see the tie to the earlier sense of magazine as a storehouse, and it's also a distinguishing feature between an online magazine and a blog. Even though it's a group effort, a magazine does have a personality, or at least a good one does.  Even if its contributors don't always see eye to eye, there will be something about having that particular mix of opinions and styles that makes the magazine what it is. From this point of view, as long as there are ongoing publications with multiple contributors and a recognizable personality, there will be magazines, regardless of the actual mechanics of publishing. A corollary to that is that there ought to be just as much of a market for magazines as there ever was.  The puzzle, as always, is reaching that market and making sure everyone still gets paid, which is why I find it interesting that the headline of the Times article is in past tense: "How Esquire Survived ...", not "How will Esquire survive ..." Monday, February 4, 2013 KONG Stuff A Ball Dog Toy Large Great multi-purpose toy KONG Stuff-A-Ball Dog Toy, Large, Red Read more... Measures 3-1/2 inches in diameter, for dogs 30 to 65 pounds The treat dispensing feature keeps dogs busy for long periods of time. Made in the USA of nontoxic, extremely durable natural rubber Patented Denta-Ridges effectively cleans teeth and massages gums Durable, interactive toy dispenses treats as dogs chew Great stuffable toy We have one of these and it has lasted 9 months since I bought it. The treats come out pretty easy but then the dogs roll it around playing with it. Highly recommend this toy. Great Dog Toy This is a great training/toy for large breed dogs like it alot better than the solid kong ball. Great multipurpose toy My 12 lb schnauzer/yorkie loves the Kong ball. The small is just the right size for her to be able to pick up with her mouth. I fill it with kibble and when she empties it we play fetch. I love that the ball is easy to clean and it bounces when we throw it. Our beagle dog was entertained for like 10 minutes Was looking for something to entertain our lazy sweet beagle so I ordered this among a few other things for her. She was excited and played with it for all of 10 minutes then became bored and it's been laying on the floor since. Maybe if I hide it then bring it out again she will play with it some more. Wasn't the toy I imagined it to be for her. I'll keep looking for the right one. Great entertainment for everyone! We received exactly what we ordered and quickly.Our dog loves the Kong Stuff A Ball. I have 3 two large and one smaller I have three of these balls I also have 3 dogs. A DDR German Shepherd at 96lbs a 60lb Husky mix and a 45lb Collie mix. The two smaller dogs love these toys. The shepherd Blitz saw me lightly toss the ball and treats fall out so Blitz will pick up the toy and throw it against the wall. HOme and toy still survives even today. Great way to keep dogs happy on a rainy day or before they go to bed. These can survive in my house I know they are built to last. The Best Kong Product Ever! I recently brought a yellow Lab puppy into my household and am exhausted trying to keep tabs on the little house wrecker. The Kong StuffABall is a wonderful toy for my little guy all I have to do is toss a few small treats into the ball give it to my puppy and he is happily occupied for at least 45 minutes at a time! The only problem has been my older dog a Maltipoo who has taken to stealing the Kong from the puppy. I'm solving this by ordering more Kongs two for each. KONG StuffABall Dog Toy Very very study product. My dogs are still trying to get the hang of it but I am sure they will. I would definitely recommend it. Nice and durable. I guess it depends on the dog but mine uses her tongue to try and get the treat out. She never actually chews on the tabs so wear has not been an issue at all. I have about 4 of these all over the house and they work out great. I recommend using biscuit sized treats for this kong in particular. My dog didn't like this at all I don't know of any of my friend's dogs who like this. Read more... Related Products KONG Classic Kong Dog Toy, Large, Red Proved me wrong I was hesitant to buy a Kong because it doesn't look like it would be much fun for a dog. I saw it at the pet store and it smelled strongly of rubber. I bought it anyway because of the glowing reviews here and other ...Read the full KONG Extreme Dog Toy, Large, Black For extremely extreme chewers size UP! I got the Extreme Kong black because my rat terrier had already torn apart a Classic Kong red. He goes through plush squeaky toys in no time flat. He has chewed pieces out of one Extreme Kong but not the other two. What have I ...Read the full KONG Stuff'N Snacks, Peanut Butter, 11-Ounce, Large Dogs love it in the kong That fat part of the snow man is the key to making the Kong work for your dog meaning keeping it engaged. I also like to throw a little peanutbutter inside and freeze it overnight. My dog lines up to go into the ...Read the full KONG Goodie Bone Dog Toy, Large, Red Perfect for bully sticks! I bought this for my corgi puppy and was disappointed because it didn't seem well suited to the Kong treats. So like many other toys it got put aside and forgotten.He absolutely loves to chew on bully sticks we feed ...Read the full KONG Jump'N Jack Dog Toy, Large, Red disappointed We gave this to our leagle lab/beagle mix and she loved it. It bounces erratically and is fun to chase. The ridges also make it fun to chew. Unfortunately with in 15 minutes of gnawing she was able to start removing tiny ...Read the full Saturday, February 2, 2013 Multipet Nuts Knots Ball Medium Too big for my Havanese. Multipet Nuts for Knots Ball Medium Dog Toy Read more... Woven Cotton Ball Cotton ball for dogs Too big for my Havanese. This toy hasn't been played with very much because it is bigger than I expected and too big for my Havanese. Even though he loves rope toys this one stays in the basket. Lasted 3 weeks! With a Rottie chewing it D My power chewer / destroyer of all things Rotty had this for 3 weeks! Not too many other toys last this long! Recommended for power chewers. Once unraveled it is a mess though.. Easily cleaned up though. Not very tough This item is not very tough. I have an English bulldog and she pull three ropes out in about 10 minutes of chewing. I think the ends are only glued in instead of somehow knotted together inside the ball. Excellent I purchased this toy for my dog. This item is VERY strong. Be careful removing the tag it might rip. Dog not interested My dog loves rope toys but he is not interested in this toy. Tends to last longer than most rope toys I have an 18 pound cocker spaniel poodle mix that destroys just about all toys within minutes. She has a harder time tearing these up and these tend to stick around for a few weeks. She has certainly destroyed a couple much quicker than that but all in all these really do tend to hold up better than most.Just keep in mind as you always should to supervise your dog with this toy as they shouldn't ingest the strings and if they managed to the get the knot apart that's exactly what they'll probably try to do. fairly good Tough ball for tough chewers! I have an 80lb husky/chow mix and he LOVES chewing on anything made from rope. I didn't have high hopes for this toy lasting very long but the first one lasted for several months before it was turned into rope confetti . This toy is very sturdy great for fetch and chewing. About as expected Yup it gets a bit chewed up in short order my black lab puppy is a voracious chewer. About as expected though and she really likes the feel of it. I guess that would be my high point is that she found this to be a really satisfying chew toy for her teething puppy mouth. Note though that I found this product for a little over half the Amazon price at a local retailer. Unusual but it happens. Love rope toys fell apart very quickly I feel that rope toys are almost ment to fall apart. My always do and it flosses my dogs teeth. However as soon as she got through on of the ropes in this knot the whole thing fell apart and I have pieces everywhere. I have had dogs my whole like they have always loved rope toys however NOT recommended. Read more... Related Products Nylabone Dura Chew Wishbone Chew Toy, Original Flavor, Wolf Our dogs love this chew   Ourpets DT-10504 Smarter Toys IQ Treat Ball , 5 Inches , Colors may vary great onmouseover= ...Read the full Multipet Nobbly Wobbly Ball Large Dog Toy Great fun for the dog It is a great toy. Our Sheltie could catch a ball in the air when he was only 10 weeks old and is ball crazy. This ball was one of his favorites. However dogs will gnarl and chew and if a Sheltie can chew it into tiny pieces I would hate to see ...Read the full Tug-O-Rope Rope Tug Dog Toy 20" Great Tug Toy Good price good quality. Not much more to say about a knotted up piece of rope. I'd buy this product again. ...Read the full Pet Stages Rag Rope Ball My dogs love this toy! I have two fullgrown Rhodesian Ridgeback/Rottweiler mixes and they both love this toy. It's been difficult finding toys that can withstand more than five minutes of play before being torn apart but these rope balls have lasted forever. In ...Read the full Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) Blog Archive ►  2014 (189) ►  November (14) ►  October (31) ►  September (30) ►  August (31) ►  July (30) ►  June (30) ►  May (23) ▼  2013 (115) ►  July (11) ►  June (17) ►  May (18) ►  April (16) ►  March (21) ▼  February (16) Worst ... user experience ... ever (how to turn on... Nylabone Puppy Chew Toy Starter Puppy Loves This KONG Tugga Wubba Large Colors Favorite Extreme Kong Extra Large Black Serious Toy for Ser... KONG Squeaker Dumbbell Large Yellow Another Home R... Getting Smart with email Kyjen Babies Original Series Platypus dogs had a g... Crowdsourcing the sky Tuffys LIL Oscar Sea Creatures It is larger than I... Film studios ... not dead yet. KONG Squiggles Large Colors vary No match... Shave and a haircut: two bitcoins What, if anything, is a magazine? KONG Stuff A Ball Dog Toy Large Great multi-purpos... Multipet Nuts Knots Ball Medium Too big for my Hav... 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