Over the summer my partner taught our local gang of crows that if they come to our house in the morning and the afternoon and make some noise, she'd come out and throw them peanuts and meal worms. We're not on petting them terms, but we've got an understanding. :D
Actually, I'd love a generalized countdown clock. Not necessarily for my lifespan, but set it up for goals like, "My side project will be profitable in 2 months."
I couldn't figure out how the quadrocopters were coordinated. Turns out it's a high-speed motion capture. More here: http://www.flyingmachinearena.org/