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I came across this video yesterday and, like most people, thought, "Oh, no way!" This is a spiffy example of science and engineering. So I had to cross-post it.  I was also amazed at how much Derby looks like my dog, Shadow.  This is Derby (image courtesy of 3dprint.com): Derby without his prostheses - Image from 3dprint.com  This is Shadow the Arizona-Alaskan Malamute, image courtesy of the bajillions of pictures I take of him: Shadow in Prescott with his toys. The resemblance is uncanny. #malamutes

Courtesy of our business membership in Local First Arizona , I just learned about an exciting visual arts center opening in Prescott - the Milagro Arts Center . They have a Kickstarter campaign open until January 30, 2016.  You can learn more about the plans for the arts center at the Milagro Arts Center  blog .  Since the Spore Consulting, LLC " Commensal Fund " is a bit dry this year, we're being selective about the charities and non-profit organizations we support with 10% of our profits. We just signed up as an official backer ($75) of the Milagro Arts Center Kickstarter Project! We're looking forward to receiving our supporting membership (and t-shirt) when the project is fully funded. If you scroll down on the  Kickstarter information page for Milagro Arts Center , you'll see their "What We Believe" statements and the "Milagro Manifesto." Some of the statements of Milagro's "What We Believe" resonate with what we believe ...

So, Christmas is over. You can all breathe a sigh of relief (until you receive your credit card bill, that is). Maybe you received all the presents you schemed for, and hopefully you gave more than you received. Chances are that you received some shiny new electronics � a new cell phone, a new TV, the latest tablet computer. The question is: What do you do with the old electronics? There are many options for you to choose from: If the electronic equipment is still fairly new and functional, the manufacturer might buy it back, refurbish it, and re-sell it at a reduced price.  If the electronic equipment is still fairly new and functional, you can always factory reset it and sell it yourself on an online platform (think eBay or something similar). If the electronic equipment is still functional, ask around in your social network to see if anyone has use for it � just because you�re done with it doesn�t mean someone else won�t find it useful.  If the electronic equipment is still...

In keeping with requests from my loyal readership, here is the "making of" for the 2015 Holiday Manga. The following steps and associated pictures explain my very un-scientific process at completing a manga.  Step 1: Find relevant portions of Fullmetal Alchemist that portray roughly what I'm trying to draw. This is for several reasons, including my limited time and limited talent - I'm pretty decent at revising an existing work, but have difficulty "seeing" the layout and characterization on my own. Plus, it is significantly faster for me to use existing work. Step 2: Develop the layout and story for the page. Step 3: Pencil sketch each panel to make sure it will fit and makes sense. The Industrious Hygienist's 2015 Holiday Manga - pencil sketch and layout planning. Step 4: Ink each panel with changes in the outfits and facial expressions as needed. The Industrious Hygienist's 2015 Holiday Manga - inked product just before full coloring. I'm ...

In this year's much-anticipated Holiday Manga , the Industrious Hygienist takes you to the mall (a place she dares not venture alone). If you're shopping for holiday gifts this week, remember to focus on your personal safety and security while attempting to adhere to your budget.  Some mall safety and security tips from the Industrious Hygienist: Make a list. Check it twice. (Otherwise you'll end up buying a bunch of random useless stuff.) Shop with a buddy. (This helps with safety, security, possibly reduced spending, and more fun.) Be aware of your surroundings. (Park in a busy area with good lighting.) Don't overload yourself with gifts. (Maintain proper visibility, and if you're a safety nerd, use the NIOSH Lifting Equation .) Practice defensive techniques. Escalators are scary things. Watch for pinch points and use the handrails.) The Industrious Hygienist's 2015 Holiday Manga - with mall safety and security tips. Since the Industrious Hygienist's fami...

I came across this laboratory safety video by Oliver Berger while searching for my Sock Puppet Safety video on YouTube. I'm sharing it in the interest of science education puppet solidarity.  It's pretty spiffy to see the kind of improved video quality you get when working with a team of semi-professionals with real sets. Here at Sock Puppet Safety, we're a nerdy husband and wife team with two iPhones and a cheap Canon FS40 video camera. So we're doing the best we can with the limited tech and time available.  As a side note, we were going to term our sock puppets as "soppets" (because it makes sense), but it looks like there is already a YouTube video channel called "The Amazing Soppets ." We haven't watched any of their videos yet. But we're on the hunt for a new term for our sock puppets. 

The Industrious Hygienist has just posted the extended edition of "Cautionary Tales in Lab Safety," our #IHFundance third place winning video from AIHce 2015!  We hope you enjoy the extended edition, which includes roughly 22 seconds of content we had to cut or shorten from the original video to meet the 2 minute time limit for #IHFundance. We're working on more videos for 2016, including a short spill response training video, a video about Chemical Hygiene Plans for laboratories, and another general laboratory safety video. Thanks for watching and sharing Sock Puppet Safety!

So, let's assume that you're an occupational health and safety specialist or industrial hygienist looking to expand your technical knowledge and professional network. If you haven't attended a professional development conference before, why not plan to attend one in 2016?  The Industrious Hygienist is a regular attendee at the following conferences, attending at least one per year: American Society of Safety Engineers ( ASSE ) - Annual Safety Professional Development Conference and Exposition American Industrial Hygiene Association ( AIHA ) - American Industrial Hygiene Conference and Exposition (AIHce) Safety 2015 was held in Dallas, Texas. Safety 2016  (#Safety16) will be held in Atlanta, Georgia. The Industrious Hygienist will be co-presenting a concurrent session on gender equity in occupational safety and health programs at Safety 2016 with Dr. Ilise Feitshans and Dr. Aubrey Hb. Check out Session #769 "Remember the Ladies: Gender Equity for OSH Programs" on ...

The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH) is the official publication of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). JOEH released a supplemental journal issue for 2015 entitled: � Special Issue: State of the Science of Occupational Exposure Limit Methods and Guidance .�  This supplemental issue contains nine research articles and two introductory/summary articles detailing recent research in occupational exposure limits (OELs). Members of AIHA and/or ACGIH can log in to their respective member portals to view the research articles referenced below. This blog post is a high-level summary of each of the articles, including best practices that can be used by practicing industrial hygiene and safety professionals. The Past and Future of Occupational Exposure Limits This introductory article by Jonathan Borak and Lisa M. Brosseau about � The Past and Future of Occupational Exposure ...

(The following is a lightly edited and dramatized build-up to the awesome holiday card I made for a colleague at Apex Environmental Safety and Health Consulting Inc. ) Industrious Hygienist: "Hmmm, let's pop into LinkedIn for a few minutes and see what everyone is doing. A message? I rarely get messages!" Nira (Message): "Hi Morgan, thought I'd take advantage of your artistic talent and see whether you can design us a Christmas card for Apex with an IH theme. We can have Shutterfly print it for us. Love the blog. Mahalo, Nira." Industrious Hygienist: Holy fudge muffins, somebody actually reads my blog? No way! Wait, a Christmas card that other people will actually see? Keep it together and sound professional, dang it. Industrious Hygienist (Message):   "Hi Nira! I'd be happy to - how soon are you wanting it? Did you want something like the elves from last year's holiday blog, and do you want it to be a cartoon (I assume so)?" Nira (Messag...

Ah, the joyous Holiday Season begins � a time for rampant illness (cue flu season), unsportsmanlike behavior* (never step foot in malls and big box stores), and increased levels of non-work-related injuries and illnesses (decorating and getting the house ready for guests). I�ve come to one iron-clad conclusion about the whole holiday thing: the Christmas trees are getting revenge . It could be because the trees are fed up with only being associated with this winter holiday hoopla, or because they resent having to die and be used as decoration, or because they don�t want to spend their last living weeks laden with lights and tinsel and heavy ornaments.  I�ll give the disclaimer that I don�t decorate for the holidays anymore, except for a smallish wooden wreath placed somewhere in the front room and three stockings, one for me, one for the Exceptional Spouse, and one for the dog. I will admit that having a 100+ pound Alaskan Malamute with a penchant for gnawing on ornaments was the o...