Does anyone ever look at the “Favorite” tweets on other people’s Twitter profiles? Until that question occurred to me the other day, I don’t know if I ever had done so. Admittedly, the “Favorites” feature on Twitter is one I tend to forget about periodically. If my hunch is correct and people seldom look at each other’s favorite tweets, then what good is this collection of favorites that I’ve been compiling in fits and starts?

So hear this: I have some favorite tweets — and damn it, attention must be paid. I am boldly risking my reputation by giving the following tweets the imprimatur of my favor. ¹ Lastly, I should mention that the embedding code for these tweets was generated by socialditto.com; I tweaked the CSS format a little to blend with the design of this blog.

An anonymous source with direct knowledge of product development at Apple has provided me with the following list of applications and devices currently in the works. In order to honor my pledge to keep the information quiet, I am publishing it on my blog.

• iPaddle — Attachable wooden handle for the iPad; available in table tennis or aquatic conveyance sizes
• iOta — Encyclopedia containing only miniscule specks of information
• iRate — Easily records your angry screeds about local businesses and uploads them to the web
• iKea-fy — Inoffensive but bland interior design generator; assembly required
• iAye — Maritime lingo dictionary and recorded lesson series
• iD — Consolidates all your sensitive personal information into one convenient, easy-to-steal file
• iTalic — Kink-in-the-neck therapy app; skews your entire screen image slightly to the right
• iDeals — Crawls your online and offline user history in order to detect your most deeply-held values, and returns a list of current market prices for the selling out of each. Currently in beta testing limited to the Los Angeles area.
• iDle — Inactivity generator
• iRish — Belligerence inducement app for the chronically meek; Plus edition includes taunts from rowdy Notre Dame fans
• iDog — Full-fledged virtual assistant for the blind; development currently delayed because of system vulnerability to cross-species biting attacks
• iRon — App that overheats your iPhone to the point where it can be used to press a garment
• iCelandic — iPhoto plugin for use on headshots which makes you look more gorgeous and Nordic
• iCon — Mugshot generator for the frequently arrested; Plus Edition includes both front and right-profile angles. Compatibility with iCelandic to come in v. 2.0.
• iVan — Driverless family vehicle controlled via Apple’s iCal schedule application; development currently delayed by pesky Russian accent bug in onboard voice prompts
• iSh — Approximate measurement tool

This is a little bit of a cheat, but what the hell. First up, an audio clip of “Last Night on Earth” by Green Day, from their 2009 album 21st Century Breakdown; following that, the video of a revolutionary cover version by Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong and his canine housemate, Rocky.

I’m not entirely sure what the correct term for this musical arrangement would be… A self-cover? A partial cover duet?

Then, of course, there is the question of how to describe the musical arrangement. Sheet music publishers would probably oversimplify it to “piano and vocal,” which is entirely insufficient in light of Rocky’s distinctive vocal instrument. The one other musical opus I know of that makes use of a canine vocalist is P.D.Q. Bach‘s half-act opera The Stoned Guest, in which the role of “Dog” is scored for a houndentenor. The 1970 recording of the work (pictured at left) features a St. Bernard named Bernice in the role. However, a quick listen to the highlights from album reveals that the houndentenor voice is really a percussion instrument — nothing more than a simple bark.

All this leads me to conclude that it has fallen to me to name Rocky Armstrong’s vocal range. I’ve given it a good deal of thought… and I’m stuck. All I’ve come up with are “howlentenor” and “contrahowlto,” neither of which I like that much because they don’t feel dog-specific (I’ve heard many human singers who could well have been described as one or the other).

Help me out, readers: leave a comment with your idea(s) of musical descriptors for Rocky’s voice. Then we can have a vote for the top nominees. Sing out, people!

I’ll be darned if it isn’t End-of-the-Year Recap List Season again. Sounds like a good opportunity to rest, reflect, and scheme to drive some traffic to my blog. Like everyone else on the web, I like both top ten lists and funny video clips—so I think we all know what needs to happen: a countdown of my ten favorite web videos of the year, one each day for ten days, with a recap of the entire list at the end. Let’s do this thing.

Kicking it off at number 10 is this little clip I’m calling “Shofar Demonstration.” I can’t remember how I came across this clip, and after a brief glance at the ShmaisVideos YouTube channel I’m doubtful that it contains any other similar hijinks.

That was Rabbi Benny Zippel on the shofar; unfortunately the other musician was not identified.

Due credit: Soup, via dminkin