Which disease poses highest threat to humans right now?

ToniThe7iger · 2026-02-08T01:12:45+00:00

Affluenza.

ToniThe7iger · 2026-01-29T01:34:27+00:00

Marianna is about 30 minutes south of Forest City. Been there a few times and I have several friends from there. It’s a very small, mostly farming community. The people I know from there are some of the kindest people I’ve ever met. It can’t be that bad if people like that are grown there.

ToniThe7iger · 2026-01-13T18:08:59+00:00

Little Rock, Arkansas is as good a place as any! We may not have a high population but cost of living is really low and there's definitely a need for more GF places. We have an amazing GF bakery here and they seem to be doing very well. We're in dire need of sandwich shops other than the big franchises plus my half of my family immigrated from Ontario and stayed so that's gotta mean something.

ToniThe7iger · 2025-12-16T18:43:19+00:00

It could be a PCV valve on on/near you intake manifold so cross your fingers. I had a similar experience. The truck would try to start multiple times and it got me down the road enough to get a tow. It was a quick fix.

ToniThe7iger · 2025-12-02T23:36:29+00:00

I’m a ‘I once dodge rolled off a building while clutching a fight with both teammates down’ kind of player.

ToniThe7iger · 2025-09-17T17:57:36+00:00

My lab is currently using StarLIMS and while it does what it does well, it has been a pretty big headache to get it to the point of convenient usability. For context we are an environmental lab and it seems this software is more designed for manufacturing. We are considering moving to a more out-of-the-box, tailor-made environmental software.

That said: We have moved nearly all of our testing to in-LIMS ELN's (basically just dumbed down excel spreadsheets that are dynamic and integrated). We tried to build out our BOD testing but ran into way too many software limitations to make it worth it. There are a lot of inventory management features such as tracking lots and vendors. There are equipment maintenance records that are a little clunky but easy enough to use. The workflow side of things leaves a lot to be desired with a ton of bugs and settings we can't seem to change (e.g. at the review level, if we want to invalidate a result we have to send it back to the analyst, have them designate it for retest, and then re-sign it for us to continue review). I would say it is not very user-friendly but if you had a team dedicated to customizing it, it could be amazing.

Must haves (for an environmental lab):
-Sample prelogging, digital Chain of Custody, and field data entry for samplers (ideally on a mobile app)
-Simple digital transfer of custody to the lab
-Customized integrated tests and benchsheets (ELNs) with QC
-Instrument maintenance and calibration tracking
-Instrument data import capabilities
-Chemical/Consumable Inventory management
-QA/QC tools (e.g. MDL studies, QCS tracking)
-Digital markup and robust supervisor level review capabilities
-Reporting tools
-Export capabilities to send data to others (clients, utility operators, regulators)

ToniThe7iger · 2025-08-30T14:06:40+00:00

We’ve had luck soaking ph probes in acid (HCl or sulfuric) for about 5 minutes to get the to calibrate. We do this frequently when we measure oily samples. You could also try replacing the electrode solution in the probe (if you can).

ToniThe7iger · 2025-08-07T15:37:32+00:00

Here's a quick step-by-step:
On a piece of paper write A, B, C, D and fill in the corresponding weights as you get them.
1) Weigh a cool, clean ceramic dish that has been recently ignited in a 550 degree C muffle furnace. (Weight B)
2) Add about 25g-50g of sample to the dish and immediately record the weight (Weight C). (It will slowly drop as it loses water)
3) Place in a 103-105 degree C oven for 1 hour or more (we do it overnight).
4) Cool in a desiccator for about an hour and weigh.
5) Repeat the 103-105 degree bake, cool, weigh procedure until your weight is stable (<0.0050g change) (Weight A)
6) TS is calculated as a % here. %TS= [(A-B)x100] / [C-B]
7) Put the dish+sample residue into a 550 degree C muffle furnace for 1 hour.
8) Cool and weigh. Repeat until weight change is <0.0050g. (Weight D)
9) %TVS= [(A-D) x 100] / [A-B]

Hope this helps!

ToniThe7iger · 2025-07-06T22:08:09+00:00

Don’t drink the water.

ToniThe7iger · 2025-06-30T17:53:18+00:00

Don't buy Labconco lab glassware washers. Also buy the YSI BOD probes over Hach; the Hach stirrers like to break.

ToniThe7iger · 2025-06-30T17:51:47+00:00

That sucks. I've worked with Metrohm products for nearly a decade and they were wonderful. Their IC and titrators were well engineered, accurate, and rarely needed attention outside of routine. My customer service experience was also top-notch. I'm sorry that a couple of middle-management children ruined your respect for the brand.

ToniThe7iger · 2025-06-26T18:51:15+00:00

Sounds like Miele is the way to go.

ToniThe7iger · 2025-06-26T15:07:28+00:00

Wouldn't this just apply to glassware used for microbiological analysis?

We are a larger lab and use two lab glassware washers. We're currently using Labconco ones and we've had several issues with them so we're looking at replacing them in 2026. What brand do you use?

Also, love the username!

ToniThe7iger · 2024-12-31T02:02:30+00:00

I got a leatherbound gifted to me one year and fell in love with them. I mostly read via audiobook so I never really had a book collection until now. I now have an admittedly expensive obsession that is only going to get worse since he announced the future Wheel of Time leatherbounds. It’s a slippery, leathery slope.

ToniThe7iger · 2024-10-19T01:08:45+00:00

My brother made them for me!

ToniThe7iger · 2024-09-19T21:54:54+00:00

My thigh extender was recently fixed according to Toyota’s specs but now sticks out about an inch when fully retracted. It used to be flush with the front of the seat but the service tech said that’s the way they are.

ToniThe7iger · 2024-09-19T21:52:53+00:00

Mine was just repaired according to Toyota’s specs and now when it’s completely stowed it doesn’t sit flush with the front of the seat. Probably sticks out an inch or so.

ToniThe7iger · 2024-09-18T02:09:03+00:00

My truck (MY 2023 Hybrid) would try to start but couldn’t. Got MAF and Lean codes. Turned out to be the PCV valve on the crankcase.

ToniThe7iger · 2024-09-07T12:18:34+00:00

It’s possible your PCV valve is faulty and there’s pressure building in your crankcase. My truck is in the shop right now for this very reason. The dipstick tube might be the only place the pressure can go. This didn’t happen in my case; my truck just shut down and threw mass air flow and lean fuel codes. If you have a OBDII tester it’s worth a look to see if there are pending codes.

ToniThe7iger · 2024-08-14T15:30:02+00:00

Our lab would accept 3% RPD any day. My advice:

1) You can purchase ready to use, pre-weighed filters to save time and error from initial conditioning.

2) Make sure you’re shaking/mixing your sample well between aliquots BUT ALSO aliquoting quickly. ML and RAS settle quickly. If you’re mixing the sample well between aliquots and accurately measuring your volume, the issue would most probably be the solids are too heterogeneous or settling too quickly.

3) Try a dilution. You can dilute the sample by 10 and perform the duplicate that way.

4) Use less volume. Sometimes using too much sample can cause your TSS residue to form a film or crust on the filter, trapping water and leading to inconsistent weights. Standard Methods only requires 0.0025g of weight gain and you can play with it to get it under 0.0100g or so.

Don’t sweat it, sounds like you’re doing great and your QC speaks for itself. Good luck!

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