In 2021, GNN reported that a painting of a Sulawesi warty pig on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia had become the oldest cave painting ever discovered—dating back 45,000 years. Well not only has that record been broken—with another painting on the same island—but the new discovery also sets the record for the oldest narrative […] The post World’s Oldest Narrative Cave Painting Is at Least 51,200 Years Old, Scientists Say appeared first on Good News Network.

The post Truly Free Cleaning Products Review 2024: A Detailed Look by Gabrielle McGhee appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Click to Skip Ahead About Truly Free Key Features Reviews  FAQ Our Experience Our Final Verdict We give Truly Free cleaning products an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. Variety: 5/5 Efficacy: 4.5/5 Ingredients: 5/5 Packaging: 4.5/5 Value: 5/5 Check Price on Truly Free Our pets often make messes which require more than water to clean. But most cleaning products contain chemicals that leave harmful toxins around our households. Humans and animals alike can experience acute reactions to these toxins, but more serious health issues can arise with long-term exposure. Babies and household pets often prove much less resilient to toxin exposure, and as their trusted caregivers, it is our responsibility to provide them with the cleanest, safest environment possible. This is exactly the reason Truly Free was created. Truly Free CEO Stephen Ezell was horrified when his 3-week-old newborn developed a horrendous skin rash. After consulting with the pediatrician and being offered only powerful medications to combat the symptoms, Ezell began to consider that it might be a reaction to something in his baby’s environment. He started to look at the chemicals being used in his household, namely their laundry detergent. His family experimented by making their own laundry soap, and miraculously, the rash vanished. This experience opened Ezell’s eyes to the invisible toxins in our homes, and ultimately led him to develop a line of non-toxic cleaning products that are safer for us, our pets, and the environment. At a Glance: What We Received Image Product Details Space Freshener Sweet orange & rose bouquet scent Works on hard surfaces, fabrics, and room air Non-toxic CHECK PRICE Aloe Hand Soap Scent-free Non-drying Perfect for sensitive skin CHECK PRICE Everyday Cleaner Unscented Suitable for a variety of hard surfaces No sticky residue CHECK PRICE Floor Cleaner Citrus scent Suitable for a variety of flooring Streak-free formula CHECK PRICE Odor & Stain Eliminator Removes tough stains and odors Gentle on fabrics No harsh scents CHECK PRICE Enzyme Stain Remover Removes tough stains Versatile application Skin safe CHECK PRICE Cleaning Cloths Multi-purpose Super absorbent Washable CHECK PRICE About Truly Free Who Makes Truly Free and Where is it Produced? The origins of this Michigan-based company can be traced back to 1982 when laundromat employee Ruth Smith began making her own hypoallergenic laundry wash to protect her family’s skin. After 25 years of using it in her own home, Smith decided to market her product to the public under the name Selestial Soap. When Truly Free CEO Stephen Ezell discovered her booth in 2008 at a farmer’s market, the meeting would influence a whole new direction for Smith’s company. Ezell had previously experienced the benefits of using homemade laundry wash after his newborn developed a skin rash from harsh store-bought detergent. When he learned about Smith’s product, he realized there was a greater need for safer household cleaning supplies in America, and he and Smith would ultimately collaborate to develop Truly Free’s predecessor, My Green Fills. This online-only subscription-based company supplied a single reusable jug to customers, followed by regular concentrate refills of Smith’s non-toxic laundry soap shipped directly to their homes. The product line expanded over time and was rebranded as Truly Free to better represent their mission to “FREE over 10,000,000 homes from harmful toxic chemicals and excess plastic waste.” Which Types of Pet Owners is Truly Free Best Suited For? All pet owners with indoor animal companions are wise to consider non-toxic cleaning supplies for their homes. Some animals, like birds, are especially prone to ill effects, including death, from airborne chemicals released by deodorizing room sprays. Dogs will readily lick up toxic residue left by mop water, especially if they’re licking up some tasty crumbs they dropped. And cats will happily lap up pooled water from a freshly bleached tub or sink, then go lounge in a sunny spot to continue ingesting trace amounts of these harsh chemicals while casually grooming their paws. With the three root causes of cancer in our furry family members being genetics, age, and environment, why wouldn’t you want to make healthy changes in the only area you have control over? By using products around our pets that are free of toxins, we improve their environment and thereby their lives, helping them to feel better and hopefully live longer. Key Features Check Price on Truly Free Truly Free’s line of household cleaning products was developed to be safe for every living being in your home, including adults, children, infants, and pets. But this company has made it their mission to use their platform to do as much good as possible. While this starts with your family, it has grown to envelop the health of our oceans, empowerment of women, creation of new ministries, and so much more. Truly Free is a brand that is truly servicing humanity across the globe, so know that when you spend your dollars with Truly Free, you’re supporting a better world for everyone. Ingredients The ingredients used in Truly Free products are what sets them apart from other cleaning supplies on the market. By choosing effective ingredients with high safety ratings from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) in Washington, DC, this brand has consistently put out a product line that tackles the worst messes without compromising the user’s health. Truly Free avoids synthetic chemicals and instead focuses on sustainable plant-based ingredients that are eco-friendly and non-toxic to humans and animals alike. The brand also offers full transparency by maintaining a complete and detailed list of product ingredients on their website that explains what each ingredient does, tells what product it’s in, and includes its EWG rating. How to Order Although one-time purchases are available through Truly Clean’s website, the most cost-effective way to order products is to build your subscribe-and-save box, which gets you free shipping, up to 40%-off product discounts, and can earn you free items. You choose what products you want and how often you need them delivered. You also have the option every cycle to modify your product selection and shipping frequency. You can cancel anytime. Truly Free also has their own Amazon store, which has a subscribe-and-save option, and offers free shipping on orders over $35. What to Expect Upon receiving your very first order from Truly Free, you will receive some empty reusable bottles and your chosen selection of liquid concentrate refill packets. Your products will be packaged snugly in an appropriately sized cardboard box. When you get your products, just follow the instructions to combine each concentrate with water, give the bottle a shake, and you’re ready to start cleaning! If you have any questions about a product, each item has an informative video on Truly Free’s website regarding usage. When your next order arrives, you will only receive the refill packets, so make sure to keep those bottles and keep plastic waste out of our landfills and oceans! Efficacy Despite the absence of harsh synthetic chemicals in Truly Free’s line of cleaning products, these products WORK. Every product undergoes rigorous evaluation and reevaluation by the brand’s chemists and formulators to ensure these products are not only safe but effective. If a safer alternative for any ingredient is determined, this brand is happy to update the formula to make sure Truly Free continues to live up to not only their own mission, but also the expectations of their customers. Quantity Discounts Not only does Truly Free offer free shipping, but they also offer quantity discounts. The biggest bang for your buck is building a box with five or more products to be auto-shipped in whatever time interval you choose. The discount breakdown is as follows: Subscribe to 1-2 items and get 10% off, plus free shipping Subscribe to 3-4 items and not only get 20% off and free shipping, but also one FREE item Subscribe to 5 or more items, get a whopping 40% off, free shipping, and TWO FREE items! Auto-ship subscriptions can be modified or canceled at any time, so there’s no risk, and all reward! Reviews of the Truly Free Cleaning Products We Received Before I break down each product that I tested, here are key features you’ll find throughout Truly Free’s line of formulated cleaning products: Made in the USA Eco-friendly Dye-free Fragrance-free Cruelty-free 1. Space Freshener Check Price on Truly Free This delightful room spray uses three kinds of citrus oils with rose bouquet essential oil to bring freshness to any room of the house. No harsh chemicals to inhale and no toxic residues left on surfaces. It has a variety of uses and is great to have on hand anywhere unpleasant odors may arise. This product can be used safely in place of deodorizing wall plugs, scented wax burners and candles, and harsh air freshening sprays that contain chemicals linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and nervous system damage. This spray is absolutely essential to anyone with stinky pet beds in their home, as a trip through the wash doesn’t always eliminate odors on these items. And for expensive cat trees that can’t be laundered, Truly Free Space Freshener tackles that dingy fabric covering without introducing harmful toxins to your cat’s favorite napping spot. Pros Essential oils instead of synthetic fragrances Pleasant but gentle scent Inhibits bacterial and fungal growth Can be used on fabrics or room air Can be sprayed directly in kitchen garbage cans Great for freshening car interiors Effective with only 1-2 spritzes Cons Initial scent is short-lived Only comes with one refill pack (other products come with two) 2. Aloe Hand Soap Check Price on Truly Free Packed with all-natural aloe vera, this gentle, foaming hand cleanser is not only great for everyday use, but also ideal for frequent hand washers. Suitable to use in bathrooms, kitchens, or anywhere you have a sink, the non-drying formula softens hands with each use, and is even safe for baby fingers and toes. No more red, raw, flaky skin – just smooth, moisturized hands. And no need to worry about what chemicals you’re washing down the drain either – this hand soap is completely eco-friendly. Pros Free of harsh chemicals Softens hands Non-drying Gentle on sensitive skin Safe for frequent handwashing One pump is all you need Cons None found 3. Everyday Cleaner Check Price on Truly Free This clear liquid spray is tough on grimy messes, yet gentle on our skin, eyes, and airways. Other brands’ cleaning sprays contain harsh chemicals which can release fumes that irritate eyes, noses, and throats, and are also harmful to skin. With Truly Free’s Everyday Cleaner, there are no harmful solvents, fragrances, or dyes added, and no need to gear-up with protective equipment just to wipe down a countertop. This product is safe, and suitable for a variety of surfaces including counters, appliances, stainless steel, sinks and tubs, door handles, kids’ toys, pet bowls, and litter boxes, just to name a few. Pros Suitable for a variety of hard surfaces Works on tough messes Safe to use on baby and kid items Dog and cat safe No harsh fumes or residues Non-irritating for sensitive skin No lingering odors Non-bleaching Cons Not suitable to use on unsealed wood Not recommended for glass 4. Floor Cleaner Check Price on Truly Free Typical big-brand floor cleaners tend to be some of the most toxic cleaning products on the market, because floors tend to be some of the dirtiest surfaces in our homes. Most of these solutions are formulated with sulfates, chlorine, and ammonia, which are harsh on skin, eyes, and lungs. But the floor that every member of our household walks on needs to be safe. To put it simply, we can’t avoid touching the floor, so this is one area of the home that we must apply only non-toxic products to. That’s where Truly Free’s Floor Cleaner saves the day. Engineered with ZERO toxic chemicals, this product’s plant-powered formula is tough on dirt and grime and leaves behind only a pleasant citrus scent delivered by way of an all-natural citrus extract. No need to worry about walking barefoot on your laminate flooring. No need to rush your crawling baby to safety when you spot them on your freshly mopped marble. And no need to cringe when you see your cat or dog licking up some kitchen crumbs from the linoleum. It’s also helpful that it can be applied in three ways – spray directly on flooring, squirt onto a mop head, or pour the solution into a steam mop reservoir. Pros Suitable for a variety of hard flooring Multiple applications Clean citrus scent No harsh chemicals No harmful fumes No toxic residue Non-bleaching Streak-free shine Cons Not suitable for unsealed wood or stone 5. Odor & Stain Eliminator Check Price on Truly Free This non-toxic spray uses beneficial bacteria to break down organic stains, removing the unsightly mess but also neutralizing any odors that may have come along with it. It works great on pet stains and is safe to use on carpet or furniture, but can also be used to clean trash cans, deodorize gym bags, pre-treat laundry stains, and even clean car upholstery. There are no harsh chemicals in this spray and no overpowering synthetic fragrances. Because it works so well, there’s no need to scrub the stain after spraying. And since this product is safe to use around kids and pets, there’s no need to rinse either – just spray and let air dry. Pros Powerful stain remover Eliminates odors at the source Works on pet stains Suitable for fabrics and hard surfaces Safe on carpet Non-bleaching Can be used as a laundry pre-treat No need to scrub Pet and baby safe Cons Not designed for use on inorganic stains 6. Enzyme Stain Remover Check Price on Truly Free This packet of water-activated enzymatic powder is tiny but mighty! To spot-treat stains on clothing, bed sheets, or pet beds, it only takes one impossibly small scoop mixed with a small amount of water (it’s so safe, you can mix it with your fingers) to apply to organic stains like blood, vomit, feces, etc. And when you have dogs and cats, you are going to encounter these types of stains, whether you like it or not. Just apply the slightly drippy paste to the stain, rub the treated portion of the fabric together to activate and soak the material, and let sit for 5-10 minutes. If the item you’re cleaning is small enough to throw in the wash, just add the pre-treated blanket, pet bed, or clothing to the machine and run it through a normal cycle with the rest of your laundry. When it comes out, it will look good as new. For items too big to launder, you can use a damp cloth to wipe away the excess paste, but the stain should already be gone. Pros Water-activated enzymes Minimal ingredients Works on tough organic stains Non-bleaching 1 tiny scoop treats up to 45 loads of laundry Can make a paste for direct application Fabric safe Skin safe No unpleasant odors Cons May require rubbing to fully remove stain Direct application is messy 7. Cleaning Cloths Check Price on Truly Free Although one of Truly Free’s missions is to reduce plastic waste, they didn’t forget about paper. According to the EPA, paper makes up the largest portion of waste coming out of people’s homes. Of course, paper is normally biodegradable, but that doesn’t make it eco-friendly. In addition to the millions of trees cut down annually for single-use products like paper towels, there can also be toxins in paper towels. In fact, most paper towels on the market contain both chlorine and formaldehyde, which can transfer to our skin and household surfaces with use, and have harmful, sometimes devastating effects on human health with prolonged exposure. As part of Truly Free’s line of non-toxic, eco-friendly cleaning products, they have included reusable cleaning cloths made of sustainable viscose, a fabric blend of rayon and wood pulp. These cloths are a nice size for cleaning purposes, and washable so they can be used again and again, rather than discarded after one use. Each absorbent cloth can be used alongside any of Truly Free’s spray cleaners, on the end of a dust mop, or as a hand duster. Pros Multi-purpose Plastic-free Durable Washable Sustainable Holds up to 15x its weight in liquid One cloth replaces up to 1200 sheets of paper towels Cons May shrink in the wash Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Are Truly Free cleaning products effective? Yes! These products are just as effective as any of their competitors, without the added harsh chemicals. Are Truly Free cleaning products safe? Yes! Truly Free’s guiding principle is “safe without sacrifice”, and to live up to this notion, they have avoided harsh chemicals in their product formulations, using instead eco-friendly, plant-powered technology that is safe for humans and pets alike. How affordable are these products? Truly Free has taken a two-tier approach to keeping their products affordable. On one hand, they have kept their shipping costs at a minimum by selling only product concentrates, thereby eliminating heavy water weight that would increase shipping charges. And because the refill packets are so compact, they’ve also been able to offer incredible quantity discounts to customers. The more products in that shipping box, the greater the savings passed on to you! Can I get free shipping? Yes! Subscription members always get free shipping from the Truly Free website. The brand also has a store on Amazon, which offers free shipping on orders over $35. What charities does Truly Free work with? Truly Free has assisted a variety of important causes around the world, including the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf in Jamaica, the Texas-based Cleaning For a Reason which provides cleaning products to people with cancer, and they have worked to free and empower women in sex slavery in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. To learn more about the groups that Truly Free has helped, visit the About page on their website. Our Experience With Truly Free Cleaning Products Check Price on Truly Free I recently ordered a group of products from Truly Free to test out in our guest bathroom, which we refer to as “the cat’s bathroom” because it houses Luna’s food, water, and litter boxes. it tends to need frequent cleaning, but I worry about her walking through cleaning residue and licking it off her feet. That’s why I decided to give Truly Free a try. The products I chose from Truly Free were the Everyday Cleaner, Floor Cleaner, Odor & Stain Eliminator, Space Freshener, and Aloe Hand Soap. Since I ordered 5 products, I qualified for 2 extra products free, so I also got Cleaning Cloths and the Enzyme Stain Remover. I was pleasantly surprised by the results from all these products! Everyday Cleaner: was used on her water bowl, the bathtub where her water bowl sits, the door handles, light switches, and the painted baseboards. Floor Cleaner: was used to spot-clean around her litter box and food bowl. Odor & Stain Eliminator: flawlessly dissolved some unknown stains from the cloth shower curtain. I will also be using it to thoroughly clean her litter pan when I do a full litter change. Space Freshener: was used in the bathroom, on my pet beds, Luna’s cat tree, and my couch. I also sprayed it on my car’s backseat upholstery where the dogs ride. I wish the scent lasted longer. Aloe Hand Soap: was placed by the bathroom sink, and I love how non-drying it is! I am hyper-aware of germ transfer, so whenever I am cleaning areas like the bathroom, I am constantly washing my hands. Some soaps dry out your skin with frequent washing, but not this one! Cleaning Cloths: were used to wipe the areas I sprayed with my products, and what most impressed me was their absorbability. I hate when cloths or paper towels leave liquid behind or become so wet that they drip. These cloths just keep on absorbing – no smears or drippage! Enzyme Stain Remover: worked like magic on one of my dog’s mats where a torn toenail had left a small bloodstain. The bed had been washed and dried several times already, and I did not have much hope that this product would be effective on the stain, but how wrong I was! I am officially a fan of these products! Not only do they work, but I can rest easy knowing I’m not spreading toxic chemicals all over by using them. There are just two areas that I feel could use improvement. One is that the Space Freshener, while initially providing a pleasant scent, is not long-lasting. Within a few hours, the scent is gone. However, there is an ingredient in it that inhibits bacterial and fungal growth, so I like that it’s invisibly working to keep my home cleaner. The other is the refill packets – since you have to cut the top of the packet, the product occasionally drizzles in an unintended direction when filling your bottle. A built-in pour spout would improve this. Conclusion Truly Free has gone above and beyond to not only create safe and effective cleaning supplies for every type of home, but they also created an ingenious business model that keeps these products affordable while minimizing harm to the environment. The fact that they work closely with multiple charitable organizations is icing on the cake, and just one more reason to spend your money with Truly Free. There’s a saying that you can create the world you want to live in by voting with your dollar, and by purchasing your cleaning supplies from Truly Free, you are creating a safer, cleaner world that supports a healthy planet, healthy people, and healthy pets. That’s a world I want to live in – how about you? The post Truly Free Cleaning Products Review 2024: A Detailed Look by Gabrielle McGhee appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

The post Catlog Smart Cat Collar Review 2024: A Detailed Look by Sara Seitz appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. Click to Skip Ahead About Catlog Smart Cat Collar Overview Key Features Is It A Good Value? FAQ Our Experience  Our Final Verdict We give the Catlog Smart Cat Collar a rating of 4.75 out of 5 stars. Design: 4.8/5 Functionality: 4.8/5 Phone App: 4.6/5 Value: 4.7/5 Check Price on Catlog Ever wonder what your cat is up to when you’re not around? Or maybe you’re concerned about their eating habits or changes in behavior. Whatever has you curious about what your kitty is doing when you’re not looking, Catlog has your answers. This cat tracking collar is more than a step counter. It uses advanced AI algorithms to detect when your cat eats, sleeps, grooms, drinks, and more. It takes this information and breaks it out into various formats that allow you to get an in-depth look at your cat’s day so you can keep better track of their health and wellbeing. As the owner of a very mischievous, disaster-prone kitty, I was excited to try this smart collar out. After a few weeks, I can say it has done what I hoped it would do while offering a lot more than I expected. Find out what I loved about this collar and where it fell a little short in my full Catlog Smart Collar review, below. About Catlog Catlog, which is owned by RABO Inc, is a Japanese company started by Yukiko Iyo. In Japan, cats are almost as popular as dogs as pets, making it a fitting setting for this cat-centric company. Iyo started Catlog with a mission to help cat owners everywhere gain a better understanding of their felines so that they can live longer, happier lives. Where Are Catlog Products Produced? Catlog products are designed at RABO headquarters in Tokyo. The company makes two products, the Smart Collar and the Litter Box Monitor. Both are made in Japan. At the moment, only the Catlog collar is available in the USA. Which Types of Cat Is the Catlog Smart Cat Collar Best Suited For? Catlog is a great option for indoor cats over the age of six months. Because it requires a constant wifi connection to transmit data, it is not a good choice for outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats. While kittens could wear the collar, the AI algorithms and collar sizes are made for cats who have reached or are nearing their full body size. While all indoor cats can take advantage of the many features of this product, it is an especially great option for owners who want to keep an extra close eye on their kitty. Whether your cat has behavioral issues or health concerns, Catlog will warn of changes in activity, sleep, and eating patterns that may signal something is wrong. It can also help you determine the right amount of food for your kitty based on their activity, making it a great option for obese and overly skinny cats. Smart Cat Collar Overview Check Price on Catlog Here is an overview of the Catlog Smart Collar by RABO Inc. We’ll look at how this collar works, its many features, the phone app, and the cost. How It Works Each Catlog Smart Collar kit comes with a base station and a collar. This station acts as both the charging dock and the connection between the collar and your phone. To get started, you first need to download the app, then follow the prompts to connect the base station and add the collar pendant. To connect the base to wifi you need to ensure your router is running on 2.4GHz and does not use WPA3 security measures. Once the app is set up, you can add a profile for your cat, including their age, weight, sex, and a photo of them. Once the collar is on them, the app will begin recording data about their activities throughout the day and night. The collar uses intelligent AI algorithms to interpret your cat’s movements to determine what they are up to. Each base station can connect to up to four collars. Features This intelligent collar has more features than many human fitness trackers. In terms of basic functions, it detects and records different activities your cat engages in throughout the day and night, including: Eating Drinking Walking Running Grooming Resting Sleeping In the app, you can see what your cat is up to at the moment and also access the “diary” page to see what they’ve been up to. You can also take an in-depth look at each specific activity to see how your cat’s habits compare day to day, week to week, and month to month. Once you get enough data on each activity, the app will even tell you how your cat’s habits compare to other cats of similar sizes and ages. Another great feature of this collar is the ability to compare how much your cat eats versus how many calories they expend each day. To activate this feature, you first must add your cat’s calorie intake. The app makes this easy by allowing you to choose your food brand and recipe type to add preloaded calorie content. From there, you just need to measure how much you feed in grams and enter it into the app. Catlog will then compare this number to how many calories your cat burns throughout the day based on its calculations. One of the most important features this product provides is warning you when there is a change in behavior or activity, such as if your cat’s activity levels suddenly drop off or if they are not eating as often as they usually do. The Phone App All of the information Catlog provides is accessed through the phone app. This app is highly intuitive and has a lot of great features. At the top of the home screen, it displays what your cat is doing right now. This data has about a two-minute lag time, assuming your cat is within range of the home base. All of the data is recorded chronologically in the diary page, so you can easily look back on your cat’s day or even reference a day from weeks or months ago. The app also reports the ambient temperature for the collar at any given time. This is a handy feature if your cat is home alone or out in their catio and you’re concerned they may be getting too hot or cold. The app works smoothly, though gaps in data are common. I’ve also noticed that push notifications do not always go through, which can leave you with a dead battery you didn’t know about. Cost The Catlog Smart Collar system is available on Amazon for about $99. This includes the home base, pendant, and collar band of your choice. You can choose from red with a gold pendant or blue with a white pendant. Collars are available in extra small, small, medium, large, and extra large. In addition to the upfront cost, you must also purchase a monthly subscription in order to connect and use the Catlog collar. This runs about $14 per month per cat. At the moment, there is no free trial period and no discount for a yearly rate. Pros & Cons Pros Provides data on multiple activity types Warns of changes in activity Diary tracks months’ worth of data Tracks calorie intake and calories burned Provides ambient temperature readings Cons Collar must be within range of base station to work Gaps in data are common Push notifications don’t always come through Key Features Check Price on Catlog Easily Check In With Your kitty From Anywhere With this intelligent collar, you can check in on what your cat is up to from anywhere. Whether you’re at work and worried kitty might be bored or you just woke up to a crash and want to see if kitty is downstairs playing, all you need to do is open the app. From here, you can see what your cat has been doing since the last time you checked on them. Track Changes In Behavior Catlog provides warnings of changes in behavior long before you are likely to notice them. It does this by comparing your cat’s typical activity, eating, sleeping, and grooming habits day after day. Any sudden changes trigger a warning in the app, giving you an opportunity to intervene before things become more serious. Get Your kitty In Perfect Shape This collar makes it easier than ever to figure out exactly how much food your cat needs to be healthy and happy. By inputting your feeding amounts and food type in the app, it will calculate how many calories your cat eats per day. It can then calculate how many calories they burn on average based on their daily activity numbers and tell you exactly how much you are over or underfeeding. Is The Catlog Smart Cat Collar a Good Value? Catlog is one of very few cat collars on the market made to track activity and behavior. Most options like it are focused more on GPS tracking than recording activity metrics. Truly comparable products range from slightly less than this one to almost twice as expensive. While the system itself is a good value, keep in mind that you must also pay a monthly subscription fee. While all the features Catlog has make this fee worth it, it is not a small amount of money in the long term. Plus, it comes with no free trial period even with the purchase of a full system. Frequently Asked Questions Can I use this collar outside of the house? In order to send data, the collar must be within range of the base station and the base must have a wifi connection. While it is possible to set it up at other people’s homes, it will not work outdoors or at boarding kennels or vets unless you have access to their wifi. How long does the battery last? The battery lasts about 10 days and takes about 1 hour to charge. Is there a warranty? Each Catlog product comes with a 1-year warranty. Our Experience With the Catlog Smart Collar Check Price on Catlog Anyone who has read my reviews before is probably familiar with my crazy rescue cat, Makoa. Among the many unique things about this Domestic Shorthair is his propensity for eating things he shouldn’t. Thanks to this condition, known as pica, he has already had two surgeries for intestinal obstruction in his short life. While we do everything we can now to keep certain items away from him, the surest method to keep him from going under the knife is to watch his behavior carefully. If he eats something he shouldn’t and we catch it in time, the vet can typically get him to throw it up before surgery becomes a necessity. This is where I was hoping the Catlog Smart Collar could help us out. Since this innovative collar detects changes in activity and eating habits, I was hopeful it could help us intervene early if Makoa started to feel off for any reason. The collar is small, super lightweight, and seems comfortable enough. It does not have a ring for a tag or bell but does have a breakaway clip, just in case. Makoa had no issues transitioning to this collar from his old standard kitty collar. Unfortunately, getting this product set up proved to be more difficult than I expected, largely because of my internet settings. While I have never had issues with other wifi enabled pet products, this one has very specific requirements. Luckily, the customer support team was helpful and I was able to get the base station and collar hooked up so I could start using the system. As soon as I signed in, I could see what Makoa was up to and review his activity on the diary page. This diary view is super helpful. It summarizes his activity at the end of each day, including how many times he ate and drank, and how many hours he spent sleeping, resting, and moving around. From there, I can scroll down and get an hourly summary of his activities. From what I have seen, they are fairly accurate in reflecting his true movements and behaviors. While Catlog provides some great insight into his activity, it is not comprehensive. Most hours throughout the day are missing an average of 30 minutes of data. This is true despite the fact that the Catlog home is centrally located and in an area where Makoa normally hangs out. Despite these data gaps, I am able to get a good day-to-day comparison of his habits and activity levels. This means it’s easy to see changes that might indicate a problem. After using the collar for about three weeks, I have yet to see any dramatic changes and the app has not reported any concerns. I have recently inputted his food amounts and am very excited to get information back about his food-to-activity level so I can better manage his hunger without overfeeding. Overall, I have been very impressed with the accuracy of this collar and how many activities it is able to track. I also appreciate the many features, including the warnings about changes in activity and the calorie tracking. Where I have been less impressed is with the large, unexplainable gaps in data throughout the day and night. But I am hopeful, given that this is a newer product for the US market, that these inconsistencies will be alleviated through software updates in the near future. For now, I am eager to keep using this collar to help keep a better eye on my mischievous kitty. Conclusion For cat owners who want more insight into their kitty’s daily routine, the Catlog Smart Collar is a great option. This intelligent, lightweight collar records your cat’s activities in real time (plus or minus two minutes) so you can see what they’re up to no matter where you are. And the activity comparison functions and daily diaries help you and the app identify behavior behavior changes that might be indicative of a problem. While you can expect some data gaps and have to pay extra for a monthly subscription for this product, I think it is well worth the downsides given all it offers. This is especially true for cat owners like me who have a good reason to watch their kitty more closely. The post Catlog Smart Cat Collar Review 2024: A Detailed Look by Sara Seitz appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. 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If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. It’s really a no-brainer both for politicians and those crafting the wording and perception of their policies. Namely – if you want genuinely complex and controversial initiatives (such as those related to mass surveillance and privacy infringements) fast-tracked both in legislatures and the media/public, just frame them as geared toward “child safety.” Job done. Not many will even attempt to stand up to this, even if arguments in favor are patently disingenuous. One gets the sense this is what Australia’s “chief censor” – eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant – is there to do – and she seems to understand her assignment well. Whether she succeeds, though, is a whole different question. For right now, Grant is not letting up on trying to attack online security and privacy via demands for swift implementation of age verification schemes by online platforms. Grant is now setting a six-month deadline and threatening mandatory codes unless these platforms play along. It might bear repeating, and louder, “for the people in the back”: The only way to truly verify anyone’s age online is for adults with a government-issued ID to present a copy of it to the platforms ruling the internet – ruled by governments. This effectively destroys online anonymity, and in many countries and under many regimes, people’s (physical) safety. To her “credit” – Grant does seem to always be more concerned about how her initiatives are perceived, rather than what they actually realistically can achieve. And so reports say her latest push is to have online platforms implement age verification over the next six months or be forced to do so by a “mandatory code.” The alternative to the country enforcing “child safety rules” is that these rules will eventually be imposed. (The rules in question are related to access to pornography but also “other inappropriate” content; “suicide,” and “eating disorders” are lumped into this, and, it’s unclear if “eating disorders” as defined by Grant, include only undereating, or overeating as well.) Effectively, Grant has set October 3 of this year as the deadline for tech companies to tell the Australian government how they plan to implement their own “codes” – before the government does it for them. As any good democratic government does /s. The scope of the envisaged standards is quite wide: standards for “app stores, websites including pornography and dating websites, search engines, social media platforms, chat services, and even multi-player gaming platforms check(ing) that content is suitable for users,” Grant is quoted. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Australia’s Chief Censor To Force Online Digital ID Within Six Months appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Read the original post "Cinnamon Roll Casserole" on A Modern Homestead. This Cinnamon Roll Casserole is ooey-gooey delicious and comes together quickly. Made with your favorite cinnamon rolls, eggs, milk, and a little maple syrup, it's an amazing brunch dish contribution! You can make it in advance or bake it right away for a delicious breakfast-style treat any time. This sweet treat is sure to be... Read More The post "Cinnamon Roll Casserole" appeared first on A Modern Homestead.

Not Normal: Biden Campaign Ad's Personal Attack on Supreme Court Justices

Axios: 'The President Has Lost All Independence'

This week on Break It Down, why dinosaurs had to die so that we could have wine, the world’s oldest narrative art, the flying skills of hippos, evidence for pants in the Palaeolithic, turning meteorites into space LEGO, and a bunch of animals talking like humans that really shouldn’t be talking like humans. Available on all your favorite podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Amazon Music, and more.So sit back, relax, and let's Break It Down...LinksDinosaurs VS wineOldest narrative artFlying hipposPalaeolithic underpantsSpace LEGOTalking animalsRipper the duckNuclear blastsClimate change and healthBig Bang on TV

Psychedelic drugs such as LSD and magic mushrooms may be worth a shot when it comes to treating development stuttering, according to the authors of a new study. Analyzing all the available evidence supporting the use of hallucinogens as potential therapies for stammering, the researchers conclude that some mind-altering compounds may help to restore the neural imbalances that lead to impaired speech control.Developmental stuttering (DS) is a speech-motor disorder that encompasses numerous sub-types and symptoms, making the condition extremely complex and difficult to treat. As the study authors explain, the disorder is also likely to involve an array of different neurological processes, and our understanding of the brain mechanisms that cause stammering is still incomplete.However, given what we know about psychedelics and their apparent ability to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health issues, the researchers speculate that these drugs may have the potential to act upon “maladaptive neural functions in DS, thus restoring a more 'adaptive' plasticity in the neural networks involved.” In particular, they say that psychedelics could help to prevent speech-motor networks from becoming dysregulated as a result of anxiety – a trait that is strongly associated with stuttering.Drawing on a growing body of evidence, the study authors report that social anxiety is highly prevalent among people who stammer, and that this may “act in significantly worsening speech-motor performance and fluency.” The ability of psychedelics to alleviate anxiety and depression could therefore provide the key to better speech control, they hypothesize.At the same time, recent studies have hinted that activity within a brain region called the amygdala – which plays a role in fear and emotional regulation – may be correlated with stuttering. Separate research on psychedelics has revealed that these compounds reduce over-activity in the amygdala, providing yet more rationale for their use as therapeutic agents for DS.However, despite these arguments, the study authors note that there have been no proper studies on the use of psychedelics for stuttering, which means it’s impossible to draw any solid conclusions at this stage. Having said that, there are a few anecdotal reports of hallucinogenic drugs alleviating symptoms of DS.A case report published last year, for instance, described a 60-year-old woman who had stuttered her entire life, but experienced an almost immediate resolution of her speech disorder after receiving ketamine treatment for depression. Meanwhile, an analysis of relevant posts on Reddit found that three-quarters of those who reported using psychedelics for DS had a positive outcome, with around 60 percent indicating reduced stuttering and improved speech control.Combining all of these arguments, the researchers propose that psychedelics may treat DS by helping neural activity to become more focused while talking, ultimately leading to greater speech fluency. They therefore call for clinical trials to be conducted, and announce that they are currently in the process of securing funding to begin studying the impact of psychedelics on developmental stuttering.The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

By the end of the decade, there will be another station in orbit: the Gateway. But it won’t be in low-Earth orbit like the International Space Station (ISS) or Tiangong. It will be in orbit around the Moon, making it the first outpost for humanity in deep space. NASA has provided a gorgeous visualization to show it off. The Gateway is an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and the Emirates’ Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC). Construction on this is expected to begin next year with the launch of the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) and the Power and Propulsion Element.The propulsion will make the Gateway the most powerful solar electric spacecraft ever flown. The power is needed to keep the station in the particular “near-rectilinear halo orbit” or NRHO, which is roughly perpendicular to the orbital plane of the Moon.     It will send the Gateway in a 7-day elongated path around the Moon, getting it as close as 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) from the Lunar South Pole and as far as 70,000 kilometers (43,500 miles) from the North Pole. Astronauts will always have contact with Earth, not needing to disappear around the Moon. Plus, it doesn’t take too much energy to enter it from Earth or go up and down from the surface of the Moon. The vehicles that will do that are visible in the visualization. There is the Orion Capsule which will take Artemis astronauts from Earth on NASA’s Space Launch System, as well as the stand-in for the Human Landing System which in turn will be either SpaceX’s Starship or Blue Origin’s Blue Moon.What the Gateway's orbit will look like.Image Credit: ESADelays in Starship testing might delay Artemis III as the first crew to land on the Moon in decades. It is scheduled for September 2026, but recent analysis from the Government Accountability Office might suggest that the mission might be delayed until 2028. This might shift some of the key milestones for the Gateway's construction.Artemis IV is going to carry the Lunar I-Hab, an ESA structure with contribution from JAXA. The plan was to get this to the Gateway in 2028. It would then be followed by other modules in the following Artemis missions ending the first phase of construction in 2031.The Gateway won’t be permanently inhabited like the ISS, but it will see crew spending time there as they plan and return missions to the surface of the Moon, as well as conducting certain scientific experiments farther away from the planet than ever before.