Jon Katz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | August 8, 1947 |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Jon Katz (born August 8, 1947) is an American journalist, author, and photographer. He was a contributor to the online magazine HotWired , the technology website Slashdot , and the online news magazine Slate . In his early career as an author he wrote a series of crime novels and books on geek subculture.[ clarification needed ] More recent works focus on the relationship between humans and animals.
Katz initially worked as a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer , The Boston Globe and The Washington Post , and later as of the CBS Morning News. His media criticism, columns and book reviews appeared in such periodicals as Rolling Stone and New York (he was a contributing editor to both magazines), Wired, GQ, and The New York Times. [1]
Expressing "disenchantment with the world of old media", [1] he joined the now defunct HotWired, the online version of Wired magazine, to which he contributed articles on technology, culture and the media. In 1998, Katz left HotWired after a redesign, not knowing where he would land next. [2]
He joined Slashdot , where many of his contributions to Slashdot were focused on the youth subculture of geeks and social misfits, for example examining the degree of alienation of the Columbine killers.
Katz's first article for Slate appeared in December 2005 and he has since become a regular contributor to the online magazine. The majority of his writings at Slate revolve around animals and his rural life. [3]
Katz has written several novels as well as non-fiction works which cover topics ranging from geek culture to people's evolving relationship with animals. He wrote a successful series of mystery novels centered around the character Kit DeLeeuw, a former Wall Street financier turned private investigator, based in the fictional Rochambeau, New Jersey. His more recent work explores his own relationship with his dogs (and other animals) on his farm in upstate New York and broader issues of animals' place—both physically and emotionally—in the modern world.
Many of Katz' books have described his relationships with dogs. He began writing about them after taking in a difficult Border Collie, whom Katz credited with changing his life by causing him to take up shepherding and move to a farm. He has written extensively on the way we train dogs, arguing that most approaches fail because they are too inflexible, and because—as dog owners—we over-anthropomorphize our companion animals: "we give them too much credit, make them too complex, muddying our communications" by treating them as "soul mates" rather than understanding and respecting their animal nature. [4] "I can't imagine life without a dog", Katz said in a 2002 interview. "I don't think dogs are substitutes for people, but I must confess I often find them more reliable." [5]
Katz began to blog in 2007 and concurrently learned photography, using his photographs to illustrate blog posts. These photos feature portraits (primarily of animals) as well as landscapes and scenic shots taken on his farm and in the surrounding rural areas and small towns of upstate New York. Since shortly after initiating his blog, he began using his own photos as the cover images on all of his books.
Katz's writing was often criticized by Slashdot readers. [6] Some criticism was leveled at Katz when he posted an article about an e-mail message he purportedly received from a teenager named "Junis" in Afghanistan who had just rejoined the Internet in late 2001. Some Slashdot readers believed the e-mail message to be a hoax or parody designed to fool Katz. According to Katz, Junis wrote his e-mail from "his ancient Commodore computer", which he had "dug up" and was now using to download movies, pornography, and MP3s thanks to the recent liberation of Afghanistan. [7] Because of the unlikelihood of performing these activities on the Commodore 64, some Slashdot readers felt this demonstrated Katz's lack of technical knowledge about computers. An article in the Technology section of The New York Times discussed the Slashdot piece and its criticisms. [8]
Katz's books about dogs have received favorable reviews in the literary press, [9] but have been met with a hostile reaction in segments of the Border Collie community. Notable examples of this criticism have included Donald McCaig's review of The Dogs of Bedlam Farm in [The Bark] magazine, [10] and Penny Tose's review of Katz on Dogs in The American Border Collie magazine. [11]
Katz wrote a book on the controversial subject of the New York carriage horses titled Who Speaks for the Carriage Horses: The Future of Animals in Our World in which he supported the continuance of the carriage trade in New York City. The book was published by Roadswell Editions in July 2014.
Katz's marriage to Paula Span ended in 2008. He married artist Maria Wulf on their New York farm in 2010. Katz is the father of Brooklyn sportswriter Emma Span.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. In addition to maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an annual event which predates the official forming of the AKC, the National Dog Show and the AKC National Championship. The AKC is a non-member partner with the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. The AKC recognizes 200 dog breeds, as of 2022.
The Border Collie is a British breed of herding dog of the collie type of medium size. It originates in the region of the Anglo-Scottish border, and descends from the traditional sheepdogs once found all over the British Isles. It is kept mostly as a working sheep-herding dog or as a companion animal. It competes with success in sheepdog trials. It has been claimed that it is the most intelligent breed of dog.
The Shetland Sheepdog, also known as the Sheltie, is a breed of herding dog that originated in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. It was formally recognized by the Kennel Club in 1909. It was originally called the Shetland Collie, but this caused controversy amongst Rough Collie breeders of the time, so the name was changed. It is a small dog, clever, vocal, willing to please, and trustworthy.
A working dog is a dog used to perform practical tasks, as opposed to pet or companion dogs.
A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a type of dog that either has been trained in herding livestock or belongs to one of the breeds that were developed for herding. A dog specifically trained to herd sheep is known as a sheep dog or shepherd dog, and one trained to herd cattle is known as a cattle dog or cow dog.
Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many types have a distinctive white color over the shoulders. Collies are very active and agile, and most types of collies have a very strong herding instinct. Collie breeds have spread through many parts of the world, and have diversified into many varieties, sometimes mixed with other dog types.
The Smooth Collie is a breed of dog developed originally for herding. It is a short-coated version of the Rough Collie of Lassie fame. Some breed organisations consider the smooth-coat and rough-coat dogs to be variations of the same breed.
The Rough Collie is a long-coated dog breed of medium to large size that, in its original form, was a type of collie used and bred for herding sheep in Scotland. More recent breeding has focused on the Collie as a show dog, and also companion. The breed specifications call for a distinctive long narrow tapered snout and tipped (semiprick) ears, so some dogs have their ears taped when young. Rough Collies generally come in shades of sable and white, blue merle, tri-coloured, and colour-headed white.
The Bearded Collie, or Beardie, is a herding breed of dog once used primarily by Scottish shepherds, but now mostly a popular family companion.
Thomas Noel Rettig was an American child actor, computer software engineer, and author. He portrayed the character "Jeff Miller" in the first three seasons of CBS's Lassie television series, from 1954 to 1957, later seen in syndicated re-runs with the title Jeff's Collie. He also played the young orphan adopted by British star David Niven in Niven's film titled "No Identity," for the TV anthology series, Four Star Playhouse. He also co-starred with another former child actor, Tony Dow, in the mid-1960s television teen soap opera Never Too Young and recorded the song by that title with the group, The TR-4.
Albert Payson Terhune was an American writer, dog breeder, and journalist. He was popular for his novels relating the adventures of his beloved collies and as a breeder of collies at his Sunnybank Kennels, the lines of which still exist in today's Rough Collies.
Dogs have a very very long history in warfare, starting in ancient times. From being trained in combat, to their use as the scouts, sentries, messengers, mercy dogs, and trackers, their uses have been varied and some continue to exist in modern military usage.
A Dog Year is a 2009 American made-for-television comedy-drama film written and directed by first-time director George LaVoo and starring Jeff Bridges. It was originally broadcast on HBO on September 3, 2009.
Jean, also known as the Vitagraph Dog (1902–1916), was a female collie that starred in silent films. Owned and guided by director Laurence Trimble, she was the first canine to have a leading role in motion pictures. Jean was with Vitagraph Studios from 1909, and in 1913 went with Trimble to England to work with Florence Turner in her own independent film company.
Donald McCaig was an American novelist, poet, essayist and sheepdog trainer.
Brian Kilcommons is an American author and dog trainer. He is a protégé of Barbara Woodhouse, and the only North American to have studied under Woodhouse in Great Britain. Kilcommons is the author of pet training manuals. In 1992, New York magazine described him as one of the most respected dog trainers in the US.
Lad: A Dog is a 1919 American novel written by Albert Payson Terhune and published by E. P. Dutton. Composed of twelve short stories first published in magazines, the novel is based on the life of Terhune's real-life Rough Collie, Lad. Born in 1902, the real-life Lad was an unregistered collie of unknown lineage originally owned by Terhune's father. Lad's death in 1918 was mourned by many of the story's fans, particularly children.
The Intelligence of Dogs: A Guide to the Thoughts, Emotions, and Inner Lives of Our Canine Companions is a 1994 book on dog intelligence by Stanley Coren, a professor of canine psychology at the University of British Columbia. The book explains Coren's theories about the differences in intelligence between various breeds of dogs. Coren published a second edition in 2006.
The New Zealand Heading Dog is a New Zealand breed of working and herding dog derived from the Border Collie. The dogs are sturdy, long-legged and even-haired, and use their visual prowess, intelligence and quick movement to control sheep. They are generally black and white in colour, but may also be tan.
