Alisa.wray

The post Age Adjusted D-Dimer Testing appeared first on R.E.B.E.L. EM - Emergency Medicine Blog.

Artist Lynn Aldrich has created a fantastic series of coral reef sculptures out of household objects like plungers, mop heads, and sponges. She has more sculpture work, much of which is made from found objects, on her website.

photos via Lynn Aldrich

via Junk Culture

Sulo Karjalainen, the proprietor of Kuusamo Large Carnivore Centre in Kuusamo, Finland, has become locally famous as the “bearman” due to the incredibly close bond he has with the fully grown black bears that he raised from tiny cubs.

The 73-year-old runs Kuusamo Large Carnivore Centre with his brother Jalo, which has been home to more than 20 orphaned brown bears. After working on a research project studying Finnish carnivores, Sulo was asked if he would mind taking in some cubs. And over the years a deep bond has grown up between Sulo and his furry companions.

“Bodyscapes” is a body art series by artist John Poppleton that uses fluorescent pigment to paint landscapes on female models. He then photographs the models under UV light for the final fluorescent effect.

photos by John Poppleton

via Distractify, My Modern Metropolis

Instructables designer Natalie Walsh has created a stunning fiber optic dress that is covered in a free-flowing array of fiber optic filaments. She’s posted detailed instructions on how to make the dress on Instructables. We previously posted about her Disco Ball Helmet.

photos by audreyobscura

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Designer Yoni Alter has created a delightful print series in which he represents different cities around the world with overlapping silhouettes of their most famous landmarks. The illustrations are part of his series “Shapes of Cities.” Prints are available for purchase.

images by Yoni Alter

via Colossal

British inventor Colin Furze heats things up as he shoots 12-foot flames from his wrists with a homemade X-Men Pyro flamethrower. Colin also made a 9-minute video tutorial that shows how he created the wrist-mounted flamethrower. We previously wrote about Colin’s homemade Wolverine claws and magnetic Magneto shoes.

music by March to the Grave – “BMX Haircut“

2005-2010. Image via Wittgenstein Centre

“The Global Flow of People” is a fascinating interactive infographic that visualizes human migration between world regions from 1990 to 2010. The visualization can be viewed in five year increments, which gives a sense of how population flows have changed in recent decades. The infographic was created by Nikola Sander, Guy J. Abel, and Ramon Bauer at the Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital and was published back in March in Science magazine.

1990-1995. Image via Wittgenstein Centre

via Boing Boing

Artist Jennifer Mones recently made an adorable plush octopus backpack. Mones is also an illustrator in addition to her design work — her illustration work (some of which is also octopus-themed) is available for purchase.

photos via Jennifer Mones

via Dragons, Doodles, and Doodads, Boing Boing

C’mon Benny, it’s your time to FLYYYYY…SHIT!

Lomo’Instant is an instant camera by Lomography featuring a built-in wide-angle lens with a fisheye lens and a portrait lens both available as attachments. The camera can take multiple exposures, long exposures, and can use color gels to infuse photos with color.

Lomography is currently raising funds via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for the design and production of the Lomo’Instant.

photos via Lomography

via Lomography

We’ve learned the hard way, that a “free range” chicken is pretty much a “dead” chicken.  Out of 15 chickens we’ve owned.  We have 4 left.  Four were predator deaths.  One was old age.  Six were killed by their own stupidity: hanging themselves on fences they couldn’t quite jump, ramming themselves under fences they couldn’t escape, chasing dogs, fighting goats for domination of the yard, etc.  So that, and the constant splats on the back porch convinced us to get a Precision Pet Products Hen House Chicken Coop.  We actually got ours on sale at Tractor Supply for under $200.

It assembled in under an hour.  However, don’t drag it across the concrete after you build it; the wood is soft.  See below.

Also notice the bricks under the coop.  The wood is SOFT, y’all.  So unless you’re yard is bone dry year round, you will need to put it up on something.   We built two brick outlines so we can hop it to the next square for scratching variety.  If you don’t toss straw in there, though, you would need to move it every few days.

Totally unnecessary is the Retractable Wheel Kit.  The whole thing is so light, my 8 and 10 year old can put it anywhere I want.  However, be it known that the ramp WILL pull away from the screws when you lift it (or roll it on that wheel set).  If you plan to move it often, do secure that ramp, bottom and top.  In the top picture, you can see that our ramp is gone.  We gave up reattaching it when we realized the chickens could just jump up there anyway.

Below you can see there are an assortment of doors on this contraption.  To the right is the “big door” that you can almost crawl into.  The window door is almost never used by us.  Under the window door is a tray that pulls out for easy cleaning.  The next box in the back has it’s own door and there’s a little door on the opposite end.  All that is super-convenient for cleaning and feeding.

Overall, we’ve been very pleased with the coop.  We’ve had it for months.  I would like to add on the Chicken Coop Extension Pen some day to give the girls more room.  (It seems too cramped in there for four chicks, but I’m sure they much prefer being ALIVE to having unlimited elbow room.)  That and there’s no ROOST.  Chickens want to sleep in tree branches.  This coop doesn’t come with a roost, but you can buy a Roosting Bar or just wedge a dowel in there.

A baby elephant named Kyan, who lives at the Amersfoort Zoo in the Netherlands, gleefully rolls around in the dirt while remaining very much under his mother’s very watchful eye as shown in this 2013 video posted by elfje999.

via wykop, Daily Picks and Flicks

This Soy Braised Onion was one of my childhood favorite side dishes. My mother often made it whenever she had too much onions in the kitchen.

You will only need onions, soy sauce and olive oil. I added a little Korean style corn syrup and sesame seeds for extra lust and nuttiness, but you can omit them. It is extremely simple to make and delicious to top a bowl of rice. Perfectly vegetarian and vegan worthy.

Soy Braised Onion

Morgan Freeman has an iconic voice, which is why this new season 5 promo for the Science Channel’s Through The Wormhole is so much fun.

Morgan Freeman on helium. Day = made.

Check it out after the break.

(via Laughing Squid)

Carving out a woodblock to make prints isn’t a simple task, but artist Brian Reedy has mastered the skill. In his Etsy shop Woodcut Emporium, he offers incredibly detailed prints made from his woodblocks and they feature the likes of Darth Vader, Thor, Godzilla, and Lemongrab. The images are stamped onto rice paper, and they look unbelievably cool!

See more of the neat art after the break.

Product Page ($10 and up via Geek Tyrant and Technabob)

Many people use crayons to color art, but Hoang Tran turns the tools into art. We’ve seen his incredible crayon carvings of the house sigils from Game of Thrones, but he’s posted plenty of other colorful art online. His latest batch of crayon sculptures features the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Han Solo, Hello Kitty, Captain America, and more.

You can buy crayons and glass tubes for displaying them in his Etsy shop, Wax Nostalgic. The miniature pieces of art start at $32.

See more of Tran’s work after the break.

(MMM via GoA)

1. Vegas still overwhelms me… So many lights!! Oh and I got to drink soup from a chicken foot cup!

2. I secretly wish I was an amazing guitarist at times. After watching this, I know that will never happen…

3. I would eat every single one of these chicken and waffle concoctions. Every. Single. One.

4. Ummmmm this pavlova?? GAH, someone please deliver me one right now.

5. I just love Ellen. She rocks and this is only 1 of the thousands of examples.

6. This read on how Wikipedia could be so much more fun is SO TRUE. Conference calls? LOL yes, every single time yes.

The post April Tidbits appeared first on Cake 'n' Knife.

(Squirrel + Skunk = Squnk. Isn’t that the right spelling? Who knows, we’re makin’ this stuff up as we go.)

Ever seen anyone like thees? This little girl/guy was spotted in San Jose CA., and she’s/he’s called a “Piebald” sqwerl. Ah, let’s trot out The Big W for that one.

A Piebald or Pied Animal is one that has a spotting pattern of large unpigmented, usually white, areas of hair, feathers, or scales and normally pigmented patches, generally black. The colour of the animal’s skin underneath its coat is also pigmented under the dark patches and unpigmented under the white patches. Animals with this pattern may include horses, dogs, birds, cats, pigs, and cattle, as well as snakes such as the ball python. [+ SQUIRRELS. -Ed.]

Photos by the San Francisco Globe.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Squirrels, WHAT! IS! THAT?

These little guys can really pack it in. But where are the little tiny Hamster Napkins to wipe off their lil’ Hamster Moufs? Just sayin.’

From DP&F.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Hamsters, Prolly an Encore Presentayshe but I can't find it

It’s something special when a guy can use the most mundane of everyday objects to effectively explain something as complex as fluid dynamics. That’s exactly what Destin does in his Smarter Every Day series, and in this video he uses a minivan, a balloon, and his adorable kids in his demonstration.

It seems like a simple question. Which direction will the balloon tethered to the floor of the minivan move when Destin accelerates? You likely have an answer in your head and that answer is likely wrong. Watch as Destin explains the science behind it all in the video after the break…

(via io9)

Most underrated
The Snail just creeps right along…
Minding his/her biz

Photos by Vyacheslav Mishchenko, as seen on 123 Inspiration. Sent in by LOTZ O’ Cuteporters, thank U!

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: creepy crawlies, Friday Haiku, snails

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” The saying couldn’t be more apt than in the case of shelter animals looking for forever homes: it has been repeatedly proven that good photos greatly increase their chances of being adopted. Inspired by this fact, Hungarian artist Sarolta Bán launched the “Help Dogs with Images” project in March.

Putting her incredible skills to work, she takes ordinary photographs of adoptable animals from across the globe and creates fantastical images with the hopes of increasing their visibility and, ultimately, getting them placed in loving new homes.

Currently, anyone can submit a photo of a homeless animal in need through Bán’s Facebook page to be considered for the project. Photos will be accepted through June 30th, 2014. Check out Sarolta’s site and fan page for more info and images.

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By: GDB Foster Care Coordinator Rebecca Hornick

We’ve all been through it; if you own animals, there is a tearful time when we have to say goodbye.  If you haven’t heard the term “Rainbow Bridge” it refers to the animal version of Heaven. It’s a nice thought to imagine our animals finding peace when they leave this life, but it is also a relief to know that they experience love and comforts here before they go. Some of us even feel privileged to be there for them in the most difficult time of all; the end of life.

This is why I want to sing the praises for the special foster care providers who are willing to take in hospice dogs.  Most of our dogs are lucky enough to find themselves living out their final days in the loving homes they already know: with their raisers, graduates or adoptive families.  But a few come to us in need of a new home and they happen to have the added challenge of a serious medical condition.  Our stellar veterinary staff continues to care for these animals and local volunteer foster care providers agree to house them until the end of their lives.  It is a huge gift they give these dogs and to their raisers and to the grads who had these dogs as guides.  After all, it’s not always possible for previous caretakers to continue to care for these dogs when they face some of the most challenging times of their lives.

Below are some thoughts from several California campus Foster Care Volunteers as well as comments from the graduate whose guide dog is in hospice care.

From Foster Care Provider, Edith Allgood and Philip Farmer:

There is no question that it really hurts to lose a dog, especially a particularly beloved one like Wilma. Death is inevitable, and there’s never a good time for it.  Very often people say, when they learn what we are doing, “I could never do that because I wouldn’t be able to deal with losing him or her.”  I don’t really understand that. When you decide to share your life with a perfectly healthy dog, you are accepting the inevitability of their death by virtue of the fact of their naturally short life span.
Because it is going to die somewhere, sometime, we think the dog should be with us, because we will love him or her and do everything we can to insure he or she has the best life possible while it lasts. As hospice care providers, we place the animal’s well-being and quality of life before our desire to keep the animal with us. This makes it less difficult to help make the decision for euthanasia when the end of the dog’s life is near. What motivates us to do foster care, as well as hospice care for GDB in particular, is that we feel that since the dogs have been bred to be service dogs, we owe them service when they are unable to do their jobs for us.

Doing this work with GDB is about as easy as it could be. Everyone wants the very best for the dogs and they work hard to insure that they get the best. The staff at GDB is tremendously supportive of all of its volunteers; we always feel appreciated and supported by the veterinary staff, the kennel staff, the foster care coordinator, the adoption folks and other foster care volunteers. If we had not taken Wilma into hospice care, we would not have had the pleasure of knowing and loving one of the best dogs ever.




From GDB Graduate, Rosalyn Butt:

Last October I had one of the scariest experiences of my life. Bryant, my eight-year-old Yellow Labrador guide, dog, became very sick one October evening. He had to have emergency surgery to remove his spleen and lab results confirmed that Bryant had hemangisarcoma, a particularly virulent cancer.  A few days later, he came home, where he began to heal from the surgery. I knew I couldn't take care of him permanently myself and nobody I knew was in a position to give him the care he needed and deserved. So after considerable discussion with GDB staff, it was decided that Bryant must retire and return to San Rafael to find a new home.

After being medically examined at GDB, Bryant met his new family and entered his new foster home. Bryant gives and receives all the love and affection he can handle. He goes to work often with his new Mom, Rebecca, and receives care at GDB's state-of-the-art veterinary clinic. He is pain-free and loves his retirement. Rebecca, her husband Mike, and their three sons enjoy the love of a wonderful dog. If Bryant becomes sick again, he will leave this world peacefully. Until then, he's having fun.


From Bryant’s Foster Care Provider Rebecca Hornick:

My family and I took in Bryant six months ago and as of right now, his cancer shows no outward signs. This beautiful dog shows only happiness and joy to everyone he meets, so it’s impossible to imagine he has any illness at all when he acts like Mr. Sunshine, wagging and smiling all the time. Dogs are like that – they can teach us how to embrace each moment and that every day can be a great day if we focus on all the good that surrounds us.

When I first told people I was fostering this terminally ill dog, a heartbreak waiting to happen, some wondered if it was fair to my kids (I have three boys, youngest is 10).  But I have always been the kind of parent who feels this can be one of life’s many lessons that teaches compassion. We know it will be hard to say goodbye, but we make the most of our limited time together and I can honestly say, having Bryant has been a joy for all of us. This experience has been so intrinsically rewarding, not only giving Bryant all the love he deserves, but also to give peace of mind to the graduate and puppy raiser who were unable to take on his end-of-life care.  Every time I share with his graduate the new funny nick names he has or about his latest adventures or new fans, I feel I am comforting her and myself. 

Obviously, hospice care is different, but somehow similar to the loss the puppy raisers must feel when they send their pups back for formal training. But I hope that once they sort through their pain, they feel, like me; so happy to have helped another person and a precious dog, through the gift of their time and love. 

Bryant has changed my family forever because he taught us that illness and future heartache doesn’t have to destroy all happiness. We have shared the greatest time together and treasure all of the happy little moments. Even though we know it won’t last forever, we still feel lucky because we have walked this path with this amazing animal and experienced the joys of unconditional love.

These Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle lights will make it look like the boys are breaking through your walls with their faces. The lights feature the 3D faces of Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo. Preorder now for delivery in May.

See the rest of the turtles after the break…

Product Page ($44.99)

I’d like to call Neila Rey a fitness guru or something encapsulating, but she eschews any kind of label on her site and the closest thing I could find was “Accessible Fitness & Active Lifestyle” on her twitter.

Whatever you call her, I call her a genius when it comes to making workouts geeky and easy to understand thanks to her poster series.

You can see more of her posters after the break.

From The Avengers to Game Of Thrones, she’s designed themed workout posters for just about everything. She also offers nutritional advice and some great recipes. I’d definitely suggest stopping by her site and checking out more.

(via Incredible Things)

Drugstore | NC, USA

(A customer and his two teenage children come into the store at the beginning of every month, when they get their food stamps. We don’t sell a lot of food – being a drugstore – but we have basic essentials like bread and milk, and also candy. Every month, they would spend their food stamps on the most expensive candy we have. A few days later, they would return it, without the receipt, which rewards them with a store gift card. They would then use the gift card to get things they really wanted. It takes several months of the same cashier/manager combination to figure this scam out, because they try to buy and return from different cashiers at different times of the day. When we finally catch on, the next time they try to return items for a gift card, they were informed that we would NOT be giving them a gift card, nor accepting the return.)

Customer: “Why not!? I return things here all the time! I’m a regular customer!”

Manager: “You are returning food items that you bought with food stamps in order to get non-food items for free. That is a violation of the terms of the food stamp program. Goodbye.”

Customer: *as he and his children are stomping off* “Well, we are NEVER coming here again!”

(It was only three weeks until they were in the store again! Way to teach your children, Dad!)

Toys don’t have to be made from LEGO bricks in order to be attractively blocky. Artist Amanda Visell does a fine job making angles with her wood idols. We’ve featured her Star Wars figurines in the past, and now she’s added superheroes and Disney villains to her portfolio. The unique figures aren’t quite like anything I’ve seen, and I love the take on the characters and the fact that Visell also makes the boxes. Her newest designs feature Wolverine, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain Hook, and more.

See more of the cool toys after the break.

(Comics Alliance via TMS)

South by Southwest takes place in Austin, and that puts the festival in the same town as Mondo Gallery. It’s a match made in art heaven. This year Oh My Disney is taking over the space with their “Nothing’s Impossible” show. The list of artists is impressive and so is their work. I’m head over heels for these takes on Disney and Pixar films and wish I could seem them in person. They’ll be on display from March 7-March 11. Hopefully we’ll be able to buy prints from Mondo one day.

The gorgeous Beauty and the Beast art pictured above is by Martin Ansin.

See more art after the break.

by Tom Whalen

by Rich Kelly

by JC Richard

by Anne Benjamin

by Kevin Tong

by Dave Perillo

by Tom Whalen

by Billy Baumann

by Tom Whalen

(via io9, pieces originally shared on EW, Wired, Oh My Disney, New York Times, and /film)