Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Get a load of this...
With the holidays here, it's time to think about recycled paper sources. One of my favorites is Poo Poo Paper who makes orderless paper products from Elephant Poo. You can check out their stuff here: http://new.poopoopaper.com/
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Moral of the story: Don't piss off your tattoo artist
This story cracked me up: http://www.iol.co.za/news/back-page/woman-sues-over-poo-tattoo-1.1190957
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Water Conservation
Snapple Real Fact #700
Turning the faucet off while brushing your teeth can save up to five gallons of water.
Turning the faucet off while brushing your teeth can save up to five gallons of water.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
LEED® registered building
I’m very excited to be moving into a GREEN building tomorrow!!
Here are some design highlights that contributed to the building's LEED certification (i.e. LEED = Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design):
Eco-roof absorbs heat, filters rainwater and offers organic views
Stormwater planters collect rain runoff and irrigate landscaping
Environmentally appropriate plants including native species
Water-efficient toilets and low-flow fixture to reduce water consumption
Green power derived from wind farms
Efficient heating equipment like programmable thermostats and insulated building skins
Energy Star appliance to reduce energy usage
Recycled materials used in carpets, tiles, and the building structure
Locally sourced products to reduce transportation pollution and put money back into the local economy
Rapidly renewable flooring called Marmoluem made from linseed oil, wood flour and pine resin
Daylight maximizing design saves energy by reducing light usage
Non-toxic finishes and material use little or no VOC (volatile organic compound)
Building recycling program to lower environmental impact
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Fleas!
So, I just moved into a new apartment and it's infested with fleas - AHHHHH!
I've done some research about fleas and have discovered it's a never ending battle against blood sucking insects. Fleas have to be some of the most annoying, because they seemingly appear out of nowhere and last for ages!
Fleas are a wingless, blood sucking insect that feed on animals and humans. There are many different flea species, but the most common flea causing problems in a household is the cat flea, or Ctenocephalides felis. And, since we know the previous occupants of our apartment had cats, I'm sure this is the type of flea we have. The good news with this flea is that it doesn’t transmit plague (unlike the rat flea which spreads bubonic plague). The bad news is it is still a blood sucker, and therefore still really annoying to anyone unlucky enough to get infested.
The cat flea will bite humans for a blood meal. Flea bites present as small, round, red marks, usually on the ankles or lower legs. People who are sensitive may see raised bumps and experience intense itching and rashes. Sever allergic reactions take approximately 12-24 hours to develop, and can last over 7 days. In the case of a bad reaction, a topical antihistamine cream, and an oral antihistamine may be used to treat the symptoms.
Fleas have a relatively simple life cycle, which makes interrupting said life cycle easy. The female flea must take a blood meal in order to produce eggs. She then lays her eggs within 2 days of her first blood meal. The eggs are found in carpet, bedding, upholstery... The eggs are tiny (1/50th of an inch), white, and generally round. They are rather delicate, and can be dried out by many products. A single female flea can lay up to 27 eggs per day for around 9 days.
The female flea also excretes what she doesn’t use of the blood meal as feces, often termed “flea dirt” which serves as food for her young. The feces looks just like dirt, and can most easily be seen in the fur of infested animals.
The eggs hatch between 2 days and 2 weeks after being laid (depending on temperature–optimum temperature for this species seems to be between 80 and 90 F, with a relative humidity of 70%. They will hatch at lower and higher temperatures, just not as quickly or readily. They don’t seem to hatch below 50 F) into a small, worm-like larvae. These larvae are the most vulnerable stage. The larvae live in the carpet, bedding, or upholstery, feeding on flea feces in those same areas. The larvae go through several stages, or instars, in this form, and stay as larvae for as few as 6 days, to well beyond 2 weeks, once again depending on temperature.
Once the larvae have finished their instars, they begin to collect debris in their immediate area–things like hair, dust, dirt, fibers, etc. They use these debris and a silky material produced by their saliva to construct a hard casing around their entire body. This casing is almost impossible to see, because it is to completely camouflaged with its surroundings. The flea undergoes a complete metamorphosis inside the casing, where it breaks down its body into its basic components and reforms it into the adult flea form. This stage is very hardy–it can take a lot of stress and abuse without dying. In fact, most insects use the pupal form to survive adverse conditions, such as winter or drought. Fleas are no exception, and it is very, very hard to kill the pupal stage.
Pupae take between 7 and 10 days to emerge into adults. However, if conditions are adverse, they newly formed flea may stay in the pupal casing until it is all but guaranteed a blood meal after emergence. This is why an empty home can suddenly have a flea infestation right after you move in. Fleas can stay dormant in the pupal stage for months at a time, waiting to sense a blood meal. Vibrations caused by walking and moving appear to trigger the dormant insects into emerging all at the same time.
Newly emerged adults must have a blood meal to survive. They will attach to any animal that happens to be in the area, feed, mate, and repeat the cycle.
So, in an indoor habitat, let’s assume that the average temperature is 75 F most of the time. This would put the life cycle at 1 week for the egg stage, 10 days for the larvae, and 10 days for the pupae (approximately). That’s about 27 days for a flea to go from egg to adult.
Flea bombs are a way to quickly kill adult fleas, but they present their problems. They must be used in a tightly closed area, and are designed for specific square footage. If you attempt to use a bomb incorrectly, it will not kill the adults at all. Secondly, there are really only a few pesticides licensed for indoor use. Fleas have this annoying ability to evolve, and the more they are exposed to a pesticide, the more likely they will become immune from it. Plus, you have to remember the life cycle–you can easily kill the eggs and larvae, but the pupae are a pain. You may have to wait them out for up to 2 weeks then re-bomb. In other words, you cannot free your space of fleas I one day. It's a long process filled with many toxins.
It's clear I need to move.
I've done some research about fleas and have discovered it's a never ending battle against blood sucking insects. Fleas have to be some of the most annoying, because they seemingly appear out of nowhere and last for ages!
Fleas are a wingless, blood sucking insect that feed on animals and humans. There are many different flea species, but the most common flea causing problems in a household is the cat flea, or Ctenocephalides felis. And, since we know the previous occupants of our apartment had cats, I'm sure this is the type of flea we have. The good news with this flea is that it doesn’t transmit plague (unlike the rat flea which spreads bubonic plague). The bad news is it is still a blood sucker, and therefore still really annoying to anyone unlucky enough to get infested.
The cat flea will bite humans for a blood meal. Flea bites present as small, round, red marks, usually on the ankles or lower legs. People who are sensitive may see raised bumps and experience intense itching and rashes. Sever allergic reactions take approximately 12-24 hours to develop, and can last over 7 days. In the case of a bad reaction, a topical antihistamine cream, and an oral antihistamine may be used to treat the symptoms.
Fleas have a relatively simple life cycle, which makes interrupting said life cycle easy. The female flea must take a blood meal in order to produce eggs. She then lays her eggs within 2 days of her first blood meal. The eggs are found in carpet, bedding, upholstery... The eggs are tiny (1/50th of an inch), white, and generally round. They are rather delicate, and can be dried out by many products. A single female flea can lay up to 27 eggs per day for around 9 days.
The female flea also excretes what she doesn’t use of the blood meal as feces, often termed “flea dirt” which serves as food for her young. The feces looks just like dirt, and can most easily be seen in the fur of infested animals.
The eggs hatch between 2 days and 2 weeks after being laid (depending on temperature–optimum temperature for this species seems to be between 80 and 90 F, with a relative humidity of 70%. They will hatch at lower and higher temperatures, just not as quickly or readily. They don’t seem to hatch below 50 F) into a small, worm-like larvae. These larvae are the most vulnerable stage. The larvae live in the carpet, bedding, or upholstery, feeding on flea feces in those same areas. The larvae go through several stages, or instars, in this form, and stay as larvae for as few as 6 days, to well beyond 2 weeks, once again depending on temperature.
Once the larvae have finished their instars, they begin to collect debris in their immediate area–things like hair, dust, dirt, fibers, etc. They use these debris and a silky material produced by their saliva to construct a hard casing around their entire body. This casing is almost impossible to see, because it is to completely camouflaged with its surroundings. The flea undergoes a complete metamorphosis inside the casing, where it breaks down its body into its basic components and reforms it into the adult flea form. This stage is very hardy–it can take a lot of stress and abuse without dying. In fact, most insects use the pupal form to survive adverse conditions, such as winter or drought. Fleas are no exception, and it is very, very hard to kill the pupal stage.
Pupae take between 7 and 10 days to emerge into adults. However, if conditions are adverse, they newly formed flea may stay in the pupal casing until it is all but guaranteed a blood meal after emergence. This is why an empty home can suddenly have a flea infestation right after you move in. Fleas can stay dormant in the pupal stage for months at a time, waiting to sense a blood meal. Vibrations caused by walking and moving appear to trigger the dormant insects into emerging all at the same time.
Newly emerged adults must have a blood meal to survive. They will attach to any animal that happens to be in the area, feed, mate, and repeat the cycle.
So, in an indoor habitat, let’s assume that the average temperature is 75 F most of the time. This would put the life cycle at 1 week for the egg stage, 10 days for the larvae, and 10 days for the pupae (approximately). That’s about 27 days for a flea to go from egg to adult.
Flea bombs are a way to quickly kill adult fleas, but they present their problems. They must be used in a tightly closed area, and are designed for specific square footage. If you attempt to use a bomb incorrectly, it will not kill the adults at all. Secondly, there are really only a few pesticides licensed for indoor use. Fleas have this annoying ability to evolve, and the more they are exposed to a pesticide, the more likely they will become immune from it. Plus, you have to remember the life cycle–you can easily kill the eggs and larvae, but the pupae are a pain. You may have to wait them out for up to 2 weeks then re-bomb. In other words, you cannot free your space of fleas I one day. It's a long process filled with many toxins.
It's clear I need to move.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Ape for iPad
Did you see the Milwaukee County Zoo has Orangutans who use iPads?
http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/plugged-in-primates-could-the-ipad-save-monkeys-in-the-wild-26496590.html
http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/plugged-in-primates-could-the-ipad-save-monkeys-in-the-wild-26496590.html
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Mushrooms
Have you seen these mushroom growing kits from Back to the Roots Ventures in Berkeley, Ca.?
You soak it for 24 hours and then put it back in the growing box and mist each day. Look at how cool my little 'shrooms look already! I get excited to go look at them each morning to see how they're progressing...and I'm especially excited to harvest the fungi.
Want your own mushroom growing kit? You can order one here.
You soak it for 24 hours and then put it back in the growing box and mist each day. Look at how cool my little 'shrooms look already! I get excited to go look at them each morning to see how they're progressing...and I'm especially excited to harvest the fungi.
Want your own mushroom growing kit? You can order one here.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Botox Mannequins?
I recently spotted these mannequins in a storefront… they appear to have botox injections!
Really?
Monday, August 1, 2011
Finding ways to interact with other species that doesn’t involve exterminating them
I recently enjoyed a presentation from Joshua Klein a guy who is fascinated by crows.
http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html
The gist is this: Joshua's friend was complaining about crows making a big mess in his yard. He acted like the birds were pests much like cockroaches and wanted to exterminated them from his yard. In researching crows, Joshua discovered these birds are intelligent: they learn from each other: and, they easily adapt to cultural changes.
Joshua has a great idea to create an environment that is mutually beneficial to crows and humans - he suggests that we should train a few crows to do meaningful jobs, such as cleaning up stadium trash. He proved his theory that crows are trainable by creating a vending machine.
I look forward to Joshua taking the next step in training the birds to perform more substantial labor.
http://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_klein_on_the_intelligence_of_crows.html
The gist is this: Joshua's friend was complaining about crows making a big mess in his yard. He acted like the birds were pests much like cockroaches and wanted to exterminated them from his yard. In researching crows, Joshua discovered these birds are intelligent: they learn from each other: and, they easily adapt to cultural changes.
Joshua has a great idea to create an environment that is mutually beneficial to crows and humans - he suggests that we should train a few crows to do meaningful jobs, such as cleaning up stadium trash. He proved his theory that crows are trainable by creating a vending machine.
I look forward to Joshua taking the next step in training the birds to perform more substantial labor.
Monday, July 25, 2011
I heart P.Nosa
P.Nosa is a talented artist. One of the ways he expresses himself is though free-hand machine embroidery. He travels with a solar powered sewing machine and makes free hand designs based on a 'five-words-or-less' challenge. My words were: 'Armadillo Peace Sign'… here’s what he created for me:
You can check out more of his designs at www.pnosa.com
More Poop
Okay, since I mentioned the "give a crap" fundraiser, which is a very worthwhile event, I had a "friend" send me a link to http://www.poopsenders.com/.
In case you're looking for such a service.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Virtual Choir by Eric Whitacre
Technology at its finest
if you haven’t seen this before, be sure to check it out now.
Give A Crap!
Walu is an organization dedicated to improving water and sanitation conditions in Papua New Guinea.
The idea behind "Give A Crap" is that every time you crap, you donate 50 cents to help others gain access to toilets and hand washing stations in Papua New Guinea.
Walu is hosting a fundraising event on July 28th in La Jolla, CA. If you can’t attend the party, you can still give a crap by going to http://www.waluinternational.org/ and click on the “Give a Crap” link.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Cardboard USB Drives??
I love these USB drives from ecowizer:
http://www.ecowizer.com/2011/02/cardboard-usb-sticks/
Russian design company Art Lebedev created a disposable USB drive called ‘flashkus’, made from a cardboard.
· it’s light
· environmentally friendly
· you can write on the card with a pen or pencil
· it’s disposable
http://www.ecowizer.com/2011/02/cardboard-usb-sticks/
Russian design company Art Lebedev created a disposable USB drive called ‘flashkus’, made from a cardboard.
The flashkus sticks come in sets of four, divided by perforations which make them easy to tear off and use. When you’re in need of storing or sharing data, just simply rip off one of the flash drives. They come in 4GB, 8GB or 16GB, the paper surface allows you to hand-write labels on the drives.
The Flashkus is a very simple product with some great advantages:· it’s light
· environmentally friendly
· you can write on the card with a pen or pencil
· it’s disposable
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