Virtual Quill

Even living on the other side of the planet, Candace Canid has continued in her position as tech support for Hare Link. Fenton and I have tried to make her job as easy as possible, by constructing an online infrastructure for our ISP that’s as bulletproof as possible. She’s then able to use her innate Border collie herding skills to guide callers to the solution of their problem, which usually turns out to be located between the monitor and the chair. Her real talent, though, is being kindly and supportive while guiding them to that conclusion. She enjoys her work, and allows her to stay connected to the world while she raises her adopted sheep daughter.
Her husband works at WETA, which is about to begin filming “The Hobbit” (Finally!) The offices are located in Wellington, which is on the North Island. On Tuesday, a devastating earthquake hit Christchurch, which is on the South Island. The Canids weren’t physically threatened, but the whole of the country felt the emotional impact.
WETA has offered its support, and is raising money for earthquake relief. Candace asked me to post this link on my blog, and I’m more than happy to. Go here.

It’s unusual for the CEO of a global corporation to man an employment booth at a job fair, but it shows just how important this new insectivore initiative is to Kell. As the firm’s largest shareholder R.L. has told her that his support hinges on the success of this strategy, so she’s handling the recruitment herself. She only wants to hire insectivores that she trusts completely to be enthusiastic and motivated. (Of course, Fenton and I would fall into that category but she knows that Dad needs us for Hare Link, and our schoolwork takes up the rest of our time.)
She ended up hiring 230 insect-eaters, plus one cow. (I’m not sure what the story is on that.) Worldwide, her goal is to hire 12,000 (more in the tropical climes) by the summer. The ones she took on this weekend will mostly be used to recruit the rest.
In Beige University news, something happened that disturbed Tree greatly. At the school’s main entrance are two 140-year-old oak trees that get covered in toilet paper after major sports victories. It was announced that a “fan” of a rival school (who, BTW, had never attended that school) had applied a massively lethal herbicide to the soil around the trees, giving them slim hopes of recovery. There was a rally for the trees yesterday which Fenton and I attended, even though it was during the daytime.
I wish I could’ve shielded our Tree from the news, but since she’s wired into the Internet she gets all of the new feeds even before we do. It frightened her to think that herbicide even existed. I had a long talk with her, acknowledging that while the poison could get into the groundwater and threaten other plant life, we’re a full three miles away from the location. Of course, she’s still nervous about the maple across the street being reconstructed into a bee colony, a process that will conclude next week.
The poisoned trees sit on the same corner as the Beige U. art department. I suppose someone who majored in art, who saw them every day, would have an even closer connection to them than most.

Tomorrow is our first Valentine’s Day as husband-and-wife. Yes, I keep track of those things, which shows that I’m still scientifically classified as a newlywed. Fenton and I will go out for a candlelight dinner at 5:00 a.m. on Monday morning, so it shouldn’t be hard getting a table while the non-nocturnals are just getting out of bed.
Meanwhile, the big news back home was Kell appearing on “Undercover Boss.” She made a show of it being good publicity for Herd Thinners, Inc. (which was true), but I think all of us in family knew the real reason: She’s missed hunting.
This was directly against Dr. Caduceus’s orders. It’s been two months since she suffered a serious concussion in her challenge fight, and he told her in no uncertain terms to lay off contact in the future. (Another consideration: she did recently have a birthday that was a significant milestone.) Outwardly she agreed not to hunt anymore, but this new development demonstrated that she’s chafing at being confined to a desk job.
She made a single kill of an aged elk, and fortunately she didn’t get hit on the head by one of the victim’s flailing limbs. (A common occurrence.) Still, I wish she wouldn’t push her luck.
The interesting thing about the show was her disguise as a feline. She got to show off her knowledge of the feline language, taught to her by Ms. Eyeshine. I’ll agree that it puts the company in a good light when the CEO is so obviously trying to reach out beyond her own kind. (Of course, that’s Kell’s life story.) Contrast that with R.L., who knew even more languages than Kell does but kept that a secret in order keep tabs on his unwary staff. Kell made an on-air apology to all the felines she’s ever chased up a tree, so we’ll see if that improves staff morale.
What are your plans for Valentine's Day?

For a brief period of time last week Hare Link hosted WikiBeaks. They’ve been staying one step of the authorities by being a moving target, and on Monday they approached Uncle Ralph for hosting services. He approved the contract before consulting Dad.
At one time Dad would have been one of WikiBeaks’ biggest cheerleaders, as he has always been for openness and transparency in cyberspace. (After all, that impulse is one of the reasons he started Hare Link and made it his life’s work.) However, now Hare Link’s biggest client is the city of Domain, a government entity.
Security-wise, it would have been easy for Fenton and me to ensure that Domain data stayed secret, but the problem wasn’t technical. The issue was one of appearances, and Dad didn’t want the political enemies of the current city council to use it to gain power and cancel his contract. Dad felt bad, but he is responsible for keeping Hare Link in business to protect the jobs of his employees.
So what happens? The site announces that Kell, the CEO of Herd Thinners, is married to Dad, a rabbit. Everyone ready knew this, of course (They’ve been on TV numerous times.) but they revealed other company data that was supposed to be secret. Kell was furious, and the Dad shut down the WikiBeaks server.
Dad and Kell quickly made up. (I suspect that Kell knew all the time it was her brother who was at fault, but didn’t want to single him out.) WikiBeaks, meanwhile, has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. It’s a complicated issue, and like a canine’s eyesight, it’s painted in shades of grey.