Kin9sPanK: Sirius Satellite Radio has a dog for its corporate logo. Why?
I thought that it was a nod to Victor, the mascot of the Radio Corporation of America or more familiarly, RCA. I mean, it makes sense and it is plausible, but it is more than likely just a coincidence.
Sirius is the Dog Star, the brightest star in the sky, and the reason that the dog has stars in its eyes.
Sirius would be visible to the ancient Greeks and Romans as it rose with the Sun during the 40 hottest days of the year. This period of time was known as the Dog Days in honor of Sirius, the Dog Star and would merit a canine sacrifice to appease Sirius.
The position of the Dog Star in respect to the solar system has changed since the time of the ancients, but the Dog Days live on.
The Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time. About 200 years ago it was considered a time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies"
Fortunately, none of this traditional craziness interfered with our Dog Day celebration this year. The Dog were better behaved than the Englishmen at this event. [:p] And according to my pal Oscar, the term "dog days of summer" comes from the fact that in America 44% of all hot dogs are sold in the summer time. [;)]
I would like to thank everyone for coming out to join us and show off their canine companions. Look for another dog event next year and remember that you cannot spell Kin9 without K9. [:D]