There has been a lot of news over the past 4 weeks regarding the problems of the iPhone 4.
I pre-ordered an iPhone 4, and shortly thereafter was worried that I would receive a brick. After 2 weeks of constant use, however, I am pleased to report that the iPhone 4 is … awesome! The phone is MUCH faster than my iPhone 3G, the camera is great, the phone reception is much better, and I have yet to drop a call. I do have a case, and maybe this is the magic juju that keeps me from dropping calls. Still, I do not understand what all the fuss is about.
I gave a presentation at SIIM2010 last week and although the overall AV support was excellent, the laser pointer was horrible. It was red and weak. I should not complain, however, since I did
not bring my own laser pointer. Red is a suboptimal color for pointing out something on a projected image. Why? Look at the sensitivity of the human eye to red.
Our eyes are not very sensitive to red but red laser pointers were the first mass produced laser pointer due to technical constraints. Now, however, laser pointers are available in other colors and at a reasonable price. Specifically, green laser pointers are available. In the visible light spectrum, the human eye is most sensitive to green, thus a green laser pointer appears much brighter than a red laser pointer at the same power output. Furthermore, green laser pointers are no longer prohibitively expensive. Thus, if you plan to purchase a laser pointer, then consider a green laser pointer.
BestBuy…the victim of many jokes. I would like to report, however, that I recently had a superb buying experience at Best Buy. After many years, I finally purchased a gaming console…sorry, a blue-ray player with Netflix streaming that could also be used to play a game now and then. Yes, I purchased a PlayStation3.
Although I researched the current state of gaming consoles, my knowledge of gaming consoles is fairly weak. Do I have to turn in my geek card? The PS3 seemed to be the best choice given my wants. So I went to our local Best Buy and asked a blue shirt for help purchasing a PS3. First, he was professional and knowledgeable. Everything he said matched data obtained during my research on gaming consoles, and he taught me things I did not know – which I later verified. He showed me various accessories that he felt could enhance my PS3 experience but did not push me into purchasing any of the items he recommended. He then started discussing games with me and after a few minutes suggested that he get one of his colleagues who had more knowledge. This really impressed me – he was willing to admit the limit of his knowledge and was willing to ask for help. The next blue shirt really knew his games and made some suggestions which I took. A few hours later, I really appreciated the suggestions as I played Call of Duty – World at War.
In short, I now have a more positive attitude toward the BestBuy experience.
I did it. I finished 3rd year of medical school. Overall, it was one of the most enjoyable years of my education.
The 3rd year of medical school is the first time many medical students feel like they are a “physician” because, for many, it is the first time a student is assigned a patient. This does not mean that you, as the medical student, are solely responsible for the individual. There are a number of checks and balances to ensure patient safety. But your team of residents, fellows, and staff does expect you to treat the individual you have been assigned as “your patient.” The medical student is expected to know the patient’s history, test results, and current treatments. Furthermore, most teams expect the medical student to have these bits of information about the patient on the tip of his or her tongue, ready to spout a needed piece of knowledge when asked. This is a big change. The medical student’s role changes from passive to active. Furthermore, the medical student is often asked to make recommendations regarding the care of the patient. The team may agree or disagree, but the medical student’s opinion is expected.
The 3rd year of medical school is also where I understood the importance of being able to say, “I don’t know.” A surgeon asked me a question at the beginning of third year to which I responded, “I think…” The surgeon immediately cut me off and said, “do not think…KNOW.” He was not being arrogant; he was reminding me about one of the critical aspects of patient care. If someone asks you a lab value, test result, or a drug dose, the answer should never start with, “I think…” If you are not sure, then say, “I do not know and will look that up.” (This is why you quickly learn to have important patient facts written down and with you at all times.)
Learning how to say, “I do not know” if one of the most valuable lessons of medical school. Actually, it is one of the most valuable lessons anyone can learn. ”Not knowing” is continually reinforced as a “bad thing” and there are certainly things that any medical student must know. Worse than “not knowing”, however, is pretending that you do know. This is how people get hurt.
I am DONE with inpatient rotations for 3rd year (there is much rejoicing!) Throughout the year, people asked me about some of the unique items that I carry around in my coat to help me out on the wards. Here is what they are and were I got them.
The White Coat clipboard – My classmate Dan Chan gets credit for introducing me to this foldable clipboard. I am still wondering what I did before I had this thing.
The best pen ever – Again, Dan Chan gets credit for introducing me to my favorite pen.
Rayovac LED penlight - You can spend A LOT of money on penlights at medical stores that are of poor quality. Instead, go to your local hardware store and pick up this beauty of a light. Bright, well-built, and cheap – this pen light has been indispensable on countless occasions.
Moleskine – You need something to write notes in…might as well use what Hemingway used. Seriously, Moleskine makes the best notebooks/sketchbooks.
Thank you Thomas X. Hammes. This quote is one of the best descriptions of the effect of a badly designed PowerPoint presentation. The quote originated from a great NY Times article about the use of PowerPoint in the military and the problems caused by the application.
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” -Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride
Seriously, why has the word “organic” become so pervasive in the Web 2.0 lexicon. I am often confronted with individuals using the word “organic” to describe their site or their product, and every time I wonder, “what do they mean?” Is their website made of carbon?
What is the definition of organic? According to Google, organic means:
relating or belonging to the class of chemical compounds having a carbon basis; “hydrocarbons are organic compounds”
being or relating to or derived from or having properties characteristic of living organisms; “organic life”; “organic growth”; “organic remains found in rock”
involving or affecting physiology or bodily organs; “an organic disease”
of or relating to foodstuff grown or raised without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides or hormones; “organic eggs”; “organic vegetables”; “organic chicken”
simple and healthful and close to nature; “an organic lifestyle”
a fertilizer that is derived from animal or vegetable matter
Organic is the sixth full length studio album CD by heavy metal, hard rock, progressive metal band Freak Kitchen. It was released on 27 April 2005, globally, through Thunderstruck Productions.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_(album)
At its most basic level, organic wine is made from grapes that have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and …en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_(wine)
Organic describes forms, methods and patterns found in living systems such as the organisation of cells, to populations, communities, and ecosystems.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_(model)
Organic foods are made according to certain production standards. For the vast majority of human history, agriculture can be described as organic; only during the 20th century was a large supply of new synthetic chemicals introduced to the food supply. …en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_(food)
In military terminology, organic refers to a military unit that is a permanent part of a larger unit and (usually) provides some specialized …en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_(military)
An organic compound; pertaining to, derived from, like, of the nature of, an organ of the body; relating to the compounds of carbon, relating to natural products; of food or food products, grown in an environment free from artificial agrichemicals, and possibly certified by a regulatory body …en.wiktionary.org/wiki/organic
Where is the Web 2.0 definition? The Urban Dictionary gives us this definition:
As an analogy in the creative process, used to describe a work such as a novel or movie script made in such a way that the various parts developed as they were written/painted/whatever, one from another, rather than sticking rigidly to a preconceived plan.
or
allowing something to happen naturally or run its course without manipulation.
OK. This could be applied to a website or a product but then is “organic” a good thing. Planning is quite useful in website design. The Urban Dictionary also give this definition:
“Organic” used in a social context describes a situation that happens naturally and with ease, such as an interaction between two close friends or two people with good chemistry.
A social networking site could facilitate an “organic” interaction, but the site itself is not necessarily organic. Another definition found in the Urban Dictionary for organic is:
To be cool, spiffy, gangsta, amazingly awesome.
A website or product can be cool, amazing awesome…but why not just say that instead of organic?
If you decide to use the word “organic”, then please explain what you mean by “organic”. Have you ever asked someone who just said “organic” what they mean? Did you get the response, “you know…organic…” Have you ever used the word organic? Did you know what you meant or did you use “organic” as a place filler?
I am catching up on my podcasts this weekend since I am between clinical rotations and am -gasp- not working. Truthfully, podcasts have change the way I consume media. Our society is becoming more “on-demand” everyday as people have less free time. Rarely, do I get to listen to a radio show at its scheduled time. Instead, I find myself downloading the show (i.e. the podcast) and listening to it when I can. (What is a podcast? Check out the wikipedia entry.)
If a meeting is proving to be useless, then why do we continue to sit through the meeting?
New rule: Every 15 min, the meeting chair needs to ask, “Is this meeting continuing to be useful to the participants?” If then answer is “no”, then the chair should either 1)work to make the meeting useful or 2)say “this meeting is no longer achieving its intended purpose. Shall we adjourn?”
We need to change the attitude of “it is OK to waste people’s time since a calendar says we are all supposed to be sitting in this room having a meeting even though nothing is being accomplished.”
One thing about the web that people forget is how permanent the web has become. What to know the state of the web 5 years ago? Check out the wayback machine on the Internet Archive. Comments, pictures, and moments of your life that you want to keep private will not remain private if posted online. More and more people are posting unprofessional comments online. This behavior has become so prevalent that JAMA recent published an article discussing this phenomena. There is an assumption that information that is marked “private” on many social networking sites is private. This may not be the case.
Employers, residency programs, medical schools…it is quiet possible that you will be Googled by a future employer and what this potential empolyer finds may hurt you.
Even the President is warning people to be careful about what they post online.
The web is an amazingly permanent place, thus think twice before hitting “post.” Assume any information you post if public instead of assuming the information is private.
Yes, I purchased a PlayStation3.
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