Pics or it didn't happen

March 27, 2015 7:27 PM

How I taught my dog to text me selfies
posted by a lungful of dragon (18 comments total)

THIS.
IS.
AMAZING!
posted by Fizz at 7:34 PM on March 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

I am a little disappointed by this, I have to admit. It's would really be more accurately described as 'how I built and Arduino-controlled button for taking selfies (and also taught my dog to use it)'. Not that the engineering isn't mildly interesting in and of itself, but I wanted way more doggy amazingness than it really involved.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:36 PM on March 27, 2015 [3 favorites]

I wanted way more doggy amazingness than it really involved.

My dog is afraid of boxes so would never even get to the push the button part. From where I'm sitting, this is doggy amazingness.
posted by phunniemee at 7:44 PM on March 27, 2015 [6 favorites]

Yea these aren't so much selfies as "otheriese" (or more precisely inter-other selfie), I mean, it's a major semantic difference.
posted by polymodus at 7:47 PM on March 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Last night, I was looking into Arduino to make a remote control trash can because, oh lord, I hate garbage night. My pets are way too contrary to take selfies for me, but a trash can that could take itself to the curb would change my life.
posted by Ruki at 8:05 PM on March 27, 2015

Does he fetch selfie sticks?
posted by sexyrobot at 8:06 PM on March 27, 2015 [5 favorites]

rick

rick

rick
posted by entropicamericana at 8:10 PM on March 27, 2015 [38 favorites]

I downloaded a no-hardware-mod cat version of this, Snapcat, but my cat, like a true cat, refused to degrade herself by taking any selfies.

The dog knows "touch" and has no qualms about debasement, but her nose doesn't seem to set it off, and I don't want to teach her to bang her paws on the smartphone she already regularly knocks off my bedside table without any training.
posted by felix grundy at 8:19 PM on March 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Wow. WHO'S A GOOD DOG?!
posted by rmd1023 at 8:50 PM on March 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Cute beyond words
posted by Pocahontas at 9:01 PM on March 27, 2015

For some reason, the fact that the command for the dog is "selfie" kind of the best part. I rewatched this clip several times just because it amused me so much.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:06 PM on March 27, 2015 [2 favorites]

It's too bad that my dog could never in a million years learn to do this. She's a big beautiful, loveable fluff ball, but she is not particularly smart, and I've had cats that were way more inclined to be trained than she is. Oh well.

Thanks for this fun FPP!
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:11 PM on March 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Cool, but, needs more guilt-selfies of the dog looking sad and forlorn while everyone else is out of the house.
posted by mantecol at 9:15 PM on March 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Next step: teach this dog to take a selfie whenever she arrives at the dog park.
posted by bigendian at 9:26 PM on March 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

I like the cat on the ledge(?) by the light watch the dog do the light switch thing for a treat. You know that cat is laughing on the inside at how the dog will do anything for a treat even embarrassing himself.
posted by 724A at 11:04 PM on March 27, 2015 [1 favorite]

Has anyone tried calling the dog?
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 12:12 AM on March 28, 2015

YES, THIS IS ME.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:59 AM on March 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

What’s most exciting to me about this project, aside from the sheer novelty of my dog sending selfies, is how simple each component is. The button press is literally the second example from Massimo Banzi’s Getting Started with Arduino. The Python script is practically cut-and-paste from the Dropbox and Twilio getting started guides.

It's amazing what different definitions of "simple" we have! It would take me years to learn how to set something like this up. Still in glad this guy did it and his dog seems pretty happy, so, yay!
posted by onlyconnect at 8:57 AM on March 28, 2015