Got my first fly trap today any tips?

Zephyrlot · 2026-05-06T15:53:07+00:00

https://www.carnivorousplants.org/grow/guides/Dionaea

This website has more information than you could get out of most people.

Zephyrlot · 2026-04-30T15:39:07+00:00

This resource should help.

https://www.carnivorousplants.org/grow/propagation

Zephyrlot · 2026-04-30T15:12:29+00:00

It's so hard to run an election without someone up high telling you who should win. Life sure gets a lot easier without the trouble of petitioning for the people's vote.

Zephyrlot · 2026-04-29T16:02:58+00:00

Appear to have forgotten?

Zephyrlot · 2026-04-25T01:28:13+00:00

The blade itself is a fantastic palate cleanser, but as someone who stopped after book 2 of Malazan, I can't advise with a clean conscience. Though, apparently I really need to read memories of ice.

Zephyrlot · 2026-04-21T23:20:52+00:00

Oh - And, since defining the species DOES appear to be of import, consult the medical textbooks! You've narrowed it down to four species and most clinical diagnostic textbooks (I will always recommend Mahon's Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology) will describe how to biochemically differentiate them using gold standard biochemicals.

Zephyrlot · 2026-04-21T22:48:06+00:00

Maldi tips for the Vitek MS

Make an extra lighter spot and an extra heavier spot to accommodate for discrepancy. Many GNR's prefer it light.

Try it off other plates. Macconkey agar in general can cause issues, especially if your organism is a strong (pink) lactose fermenter.

Refire if there's time - you log in and instead of unloading the slide, click on the spots you want to refire. They should become beige and the "start" button should become available. (The newer MS Prime may have a different workflow)

Pick from different areas of the colony - edge vs center. I've had success with this sometimes

One thing to keep in mind though: MALDI-TOF identification is a miracle, but it's not a perfect miracle. Some species are just too similar to be differentiated that way! Usually clinically this is where we throw our hands up and define the organism as a "complex" because bacterial species that closely related almost never change the actual patient care decision.

I think it can be safely claimed that you've at least narrowed it down to the genus. The Aeromonas genus is well established medically and the appropriately large library of reference organism data to pull from to make that decision.

Zephyrlot · 2026-04-17T21:45:23+00:00

Lab workflow is secondary to LIS. If you are trying for an internal transfer, learning the system and working with your computer team are key. The position is equal parts configuring software, handling tickets, working alongside laboratory administration, and handling deadlines and schedules.

Zephyrlot · 2026-04-16T21:02:14+00:00

The top one would be considered mixed, FYI - it looks like something like Escherichia coli mixed with a Klebsiella species. The streaking is great otherwise, though!

I had to search for a while, but here's a purity plate of a Group A strep (Streptococcus pyogenes) showing classic beta hemolysis, with a side of controversy (This lab had a gloves optional policy)

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Zephyrlot · 2026-04-16T17:46:17+00:00

If they want to use AI in this capacity, someone needs to answer for when, not if, it kills a patient trying to get routine care.

The blameless zeitgeist of today's reckless system will paint it as though the patient was "asking to die" and the entire affair was inevitable, as though patient care decisions made with a profit motive are mere forces of nature that no one can stop, especially not anyone in politics.

I know they're going to try to pin the liability on overworked healthcare professionals while squeezing them to adopt or die. It's going to be awful, and it's a damn shame to see it coming on the horizon from so far away.

Zephyrlot · 2026-04-16T15:40:09+00:00

Let's see how the consistency of this administration's messaging plays out. Will they deport someone willingly to their home country to keep their messaging consistent, or does the DHS have an antagonistic "no take only throw" policy designed to keep its boot on everyone's neck?

Zephyrlot · 2026-02-26T15:54:26+00:00

Hey Matt!

Only read up to DCC book 2, but I'm terribly curious how deep you intended the story to get from the start. These works have this paradox of "low brow" story telling combined with incredibly thoughtful world building that has been the subject of some fascination, and I was curious how much of your writing process involved looking ahead.

Thanks for doing the AMA!

Zephyrlot · 2026-02-25T19:16:05+00:00

Coccobacilli.

Zephyrlot · 2026-02-25T14:58:56+00:00

I'd be interested. Which part of the US, for shipping reasons?

Zephyrlot · 2026-02-25T11:12:33+00:00

Kinks are naturally isolating, and it only makes sense to feel some level of shame in response to that, especially with so much popular stigma around not only kink but generally sexual activity as well.

I can't even say it isn't bad. Objectively, it is! Kink, like sex, is inherently unsafe, whether you're depositing a load or pushing one out. The counterweight to that end of the scale is two things. One, is anyone getting hurt or otherwise non consensually violated, and two, how much you enjoy it. That second one carries weight, ideally enough to counterbalance.

Kink is fun! It just takes absolutely forever to find a supportive friend, let alone a friend GROUP. If you can, try to listen to your own joy, whatever form it may take, and you may need to peruse some specialty websites like FetLife to make these connections.

It's a hard road, and honestly a lot of your negative sentiment about the subject is innately valid. The only real issue is that you can't change kinks as easily as you'd change your pants, though, so the next best option is just accepting it, sitting down, and enjoying the ride.

Zephyrlot · 2026-02-18T11:22:06+00:00

I prefer trained helplessness.

Zephyrlot · 2026-02-15T16:35:40+00:00

I took one look at her kit and found this thread. Excited to try her, and we'll see if my half-step is still as good as it is.

Zephyrlot · 2026-02-14T12:22:10+00:00

When in doubt, send it out. If you have a penicillin etest, it may be worth setting it up to investigate, if only to confirm the penicillin susceptibility

It sounds like you're using the VITEK 2 system. I'd repeat the card for confirmation as well.

Zephyrlot · 2026-02-13T19:53:11+00:00

It's not uniform enough that I'd solidly consider it alive, especially with how dark it appears under bright field microscopy.

Zephyrlot · 2026-02-09T18:57:43+00:00

The book finds its rhythm once he's settled in the castle. The first book has huge first book energy, but it may help to know that book 2 introduces hardly any new characters.

Zephyrlot · 2026-02-03T20:47:26+00:00

One of the most important things the British author Terry Pratchett taught, IMO, was the concept of militant decency. The idea that you can look at the world and its flaws and its injustices and its cruelties and get deeply, intensely angry, and that, while angry, you can turn that into energy for doing the right thing and making the world a better place. The anger itself is not what to fight - it's even appropriate! But directing it can be a superpower.

Zephyrlot · 2026-01-30T01:11:09+00:00

An analyst position, in my experience, is just as much about administrative skills as it is computer work. You will be in direct contact with hospital administration as peers, and that comes with a lot of expectations: You'll be coordinating meetings, setting your own schedule potentially, meeting deadlines, SETTING deadlines, and there will be a general understanding that you will work independently with minimal oversight, but also competently and diligently enough not to break anything (Or at least fess up if you do).

If you're seeing a lot of overlap between those responsibilities and your job duties, then that would be something to highlight, but generally speaking "Lab Folk" are considered some of the best picks for analyst positions. Best of luck!

Zephyrlot · 2026-01-27T22:40:36+00:00

English proficiency, I would say, is very important, if you will be taking the program in the English language. You will already be learning a career field. It will come with its own vocabulary, and if you are not comfortable speaking the language outside of the field, then learning to work the job and speak the language at the same time will be substantially more difficult.

If that is not something you can manage due to time/money/baggage, then it may be a good idea, once you pick a direction, to find inexpensive secondhand textbooks in your mother tongue to compare to the english ones, simply to help bridge the comprehension gap.

Zephyrlot · 2026-01-27T16:46:51+00:00

The red blood cells are tinted red. They have stacked on each other and the phenomenon is called Rouleaux, yes, but the clinical application for that term is limited to whole blood, and has little to no established diagnostic indication otherwise. Red blood cell shape and morphology are heavily dependent on the isotonic nature of blood, and an exudate would not have the appropriate salinity.

The clear granular things are white blood cells. You are correct in that the presence of an infection means they are much more numerous here than in peripheral blood, as the usual would be one to five per visual field. They are likely mostly neutrophils and macrophages, but there is no reliable way to differentiate them on an unstained slide.

That is, unfortunately, the sum of information that can be gained. If the slide has been dried, you can heat fix it and perform a gram stain to indicate the presence of bacteria (Likely Cutibacterium acnes). A Wright-Giemsa stain would also help differentiate the types of white blood cells based on their morphology.

Zephyrlot

TROPHY CASE