Krispy Kickers

Krispy Kickers
Originally uploaded by kmichaels97

Wisconsin Cat Tests Positive for H1N1

Amplify’d from www.veterinarypracticenews.com

Wisconsin Cat Tests Positive for H1N1

Posted: February 14, 2011, 6:20 p.m., EDT

A 6-year-old male domestic shorthair cat in Wisconsin has tested positive for the H1N1 influenza virus, the first confirmed case of H1N1 in a U.S. pet since January 2010, according to Idexx Reference Laboratories. The Westbrook, Maine-based company confirmed the test result with its Feline Upper Respiratory Disease RealPCR Panel.

The AVMA urges pet owners to monitor their pets’ health very closely, no matter what type of animal, and visit a veterinarian if there are any signs of illness. Read more at www.veterinarypracticenews.com

 

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Now how am I supposed to use my minutes?

Amplify’d from www.engadget.com

AT&T rolling out unlimited calling to any mobile number

Following a trend started by Sprint back in 2009, AT&T has just announced that it'll start offering its customers unlimited calling to any mobile number in the US, regardless of carrier, starting tomorrow (currently, only AT&T numbers qualify). There are a few catches, of course: you've got to sign up, you need to be on the company's unlimited messaging plan, and you need to on a "qualifying" Nation or FamilyTalk plan. Unlimited messaging runs $20 for individuals and $30 on family plans, so the perk isn't exactly free -- but for many, it should take a big load off the minute bucket.

See more at www.engadget.com

 

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Untitled

Amplify’d from finance.yahoo.com

The $20,000 Pet

It's no secret that Americans love their pets. But these days, all that love is leading to an unprecedented level of expense for millions of owners, who are only beginning to understand the pet-world concept of sticker shock. Caught up in a wave of new medical options and lured by an increasingly sophisticated cadre of veterinarians, pet owners across the country are forking over thousands -- and even tens of thousands -- of dollars to treat illnesses that would have gone undiagnosed or untreated just a few years ago. And then doing it again if they have to. Of course, pet owners and most vets have the animals' best interest in mind. But that doesn't make it any easier: With health insurance covering the humans in many families, it's not unusual for pet owners to spend far more money on health care for their cats and dogs than for their sons and daughters. Even the Great Recession failed to take a bite out of Fido's health care tab. According to a report by market-research company Packaged Facts, Americans spent $20 billion on veterinary bills in 2010 -- an 8.5% increase from a year earlier and more than double the amount spent just a decade ago. Read more at finance.yahoo.com

 

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Play paper songs on this turntable. It could be a good party gimmick.

I can see stores selling a pack of songs (like a pack of baseball cards) if this thing gets popular. We'll see.

Amplify’d from www.engadget.com

IDEO constructs RFID turntable, hearkens back to mixtapes of yore (video)

Once upon a time, you could touch your music -- or at least caress a 7- or 12-inch vinyl disc -- but these days the cool kids stream MP3s (and OGGs, and APEs) off the internet. However, design studio IDEO recently decided to see if they could get back in touch with their audio roots, and -- taking a page right out of the industrial design treatise I Miss My Pencil -- they built the above machine. To put it simply, what you're looking at is a box filled with specially-angled Arduino Pro Mini boards constantly searching for RFID tags on top, and a set of cards each with two RFID tags, with each tag representing one song. When you drop one on the turntable, it begins playing within a second, thanks to the clever array of Arduinos underneath, and you and your High Fidelity soulmate can leave multiple cards on the table to create an impromptu mixtape, or, presumably, flip one of the "cassettes" to play Side B. It's a good thing IDEO isn't selling the device and packs of cards, because we're afraid we'd be compelled to collect them all, and our poor wallet doesn't need any more heartbreak. Read more at www.engadget.com

 

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Garmin launched OpenCaching.com for geocachers!

I signed up. The site looks very clean and I'm looking forward to posting some caches.

Amplify’d from www.engadget.com

Garmin launches OpenCaching community, pushes caching closer to the mainstream

The GPS maker has just opened up a new online community at OpenCaching.com, hailed "a completely free online community for creating, sharing and finding geocaches around the world." Read more at www.engadget.com

 

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Consider donating your old phone, computer, older tech toys to a charity.

Amplify’d from insidetech.monster.com

How to Safely Dump Your Tech Trash

Guiyu, in Guangdong Province, receives more e-waste than any other site on earth. The recycling companies located there employ men, women, and even children to harvest the metals and valuable components of electronics so that they can be resold. In Guiyu, as in many e-waste hubs around Asia and Africa, workers work without masks or adequate skin protection in small, poorly ventilated workshops using acid to burn plastics and metals over open fires. Waste and ash is released into the air and dumped into local water systems or the ocean. Because of the lack of protection for the workers and the environment, Guiyu has become one of the most polluted places on Earth. According to a report from Shantou University, the air in the city has the world’s highest levels of carcinogenic dioxins, women are six times more likely to experience miscarriages there, and 70 percent of the city’s children have hazardous levels of lead in their blood. Read more at insidetech.monster.com

 

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