It's about time for The Digital Journalist to acknowledge an unofficial but notable side of digital life, comprised of photographs and short videos that come across our desktops on a daily basis via e-mail. These visual bits are often amusing, outrageous or thought provoking; they can be downright amazing and are almost always entertaining. It is rare that the sources are identified, making most of this e-flotsam and e-jetsam unattributable, yet these little gems enjoy a wide distribution to a huge, uncontrolled and varied audience. In the spirit of Life Magazine's "Parting Shots," we'd like to present "E-Bits," a little desktop madness - some old and some new - which we hope will amuse and delight you as it does us.

When possible, we'll name the photographer or filmmaker, but in the event we cannot, we invite feedback revealing the authorship of anything that appears as
an E-Bit.

Our debut begins with a series of photographs and an unforgettable video of a canine athlete of astonishing prowess. The photos in "Only In" have been making the rounds lately and most of you have probably seen one or more of them by now. Anyone who has been to Calcutta could believe someone might feed milk to the neighborhood rats. As a transplant to Texas, I would say that even though I've never seen someone washing a longhorn steer at a carwash, it is totally within the realm of possibility, especially in West Texas. None of the "Only In" photographers are known, but their images are memorable.

The video E-Bit is of Tyson, the Skateboarding Bulldog. This is one of those, "you have to see it to believe it," and here it is. Tyson is the real deal, a mighty talented pooch from Huntington Beach, California, who has become a celebrity in his own right. According to the FAQ's on his web site, he is totally self-taught, and began trying his paws at "hanging 20" as a pup after fooling around for a while with a board in his backyard. Tyson clearly loves what he does, and you can see more of him under PICS & MOVIES at http://www.skateboardingbulldog.com. Here are two of Tyson's most widely-circulated videos, shot in October 2003 by Rick at HBPier.com.

Watch Tyson skate [ Windows Media - #1 ] [ QuickTime - #2 ]

View the "Only In" Gallery