Thoughts and Thoughts

Mark Crislip, MD, Infectious Diseases, 08:40PM Sep 7, 2009

Flu season is here, kinda sorta, it never really went away thanks to H1N1. I was rounding today, lucky me with the three day weekend, when one of my colleagues mentioned a post I had written a year ago at the old blog about the flu vaccine. It was printed and put up in the break room, and he saw it, took it home to his wife, who promptly mailed it to a colleague that is a proud “I never get the flu vaccine” kind of guy.

It is like people who are proud of being ignorant of science. I never understand why people brag about being ignorant or stupid. You would think they would be embarrassed, but then they are probably a… well, let us just see.

via A Budget of Dumb Asses: Rubor, Dolor, Calor, Tumor.

Adding any commentary is like distracting chatter during a poetry reading.  Just click through and read.

A review written by a self-described apple fanboy.  I think it is fair, and he brings up concerns about the build quality which I think are valid concerns (even if he hadn’t had any problems).  The iPhone just feels solid.  However, when discussing the OS:

WebOS

Simply put: it blows the iPhone out of the water. It rips it apart into little shreds… And even though most apps are better on the iPhone when taken individually, it doesn’t matter because the overall experience on the Pre is light years ahead. Apple painted itself in a corner with its strategy or lack thereof towards multitasking. And now that Palm is showing us how it’s done, Apple looks pretty silly. iPhone users who say “but the app starts right where I left off” are delusional. You can’t even compare although I just did. Ho well, they’re not in the same league.

And the service:

Service

I was careful not to mention this until now because I wanted to make a somewhat “fair” comparison. But it’s time to switch to the “real life” mode. Apple is stuck with those blood sucking con artists disguised as a telecommunication company called AT&T. So, as great as the iPhone is, it really doesn’t matter. I don’t claim to have any proofs of what I’m about to say, this is just my opinion based on personal experience (aka. “common sense”). I’m just exercising my freedom of speech when I say that (gotta be careful these days) AT&T is knowingly overselling its 3G network. They’re lucky they don’t sell Apple… pies, because if people could see the size of the slice they’re getting for a $100/month, they’d be burning AT&T flags on the streets.

Last week, before I switched to Sprint, every single phone call I made got dropped. Since I often use my cell for business, I had to switch carrier. On the Pre, using the web browser and google map works like in the Apple TV ads. You know the one I’m talking about, when the guy looks for “seafood” and it loads in less than 15 minutes. With Sprint, Google Map is almost instantaneous, sending emails works every time, no dropped calls, clear sound… I actually get to use the features available on my phone all the time now, and enjoy doing it!

I know this depends on where you live, this chart can help you get an idea of exactly how much you’re getting screwed by AT&T in your area. If you live in NYC though, don’t even hesitate one second. Yeah, AT&T is supposed to upgrade their network, blah blah blah… Bottom line: the iPhone in NY sucks because of AT&T. Right now, the experience on the Pre in Manhattan and Brooklyn is incomparable. It’s a no-brainer to switch to Sprint if you can, and see what you’ve been missing…

Is the iPhone better than the Pre? I think so. Is the Pre WAY better than an iPhone in NYC? I don’t have a single doubt about it.

I’ve been trying to illustrate this for a while.  Just saying.

Originally got he link from: Precentral.net

The evidence has been mounting for some time, and people are starting to notice.  TechCrunch recently posted about the problems with AT&T, and the article is also a good collection of references:

Since I switched to AT&T from Verizon just over 2 years ago to get the iPhone (which, of course, AT&T has exclusively in the U.S.), there have been no shortage of shortcomings by AT&T. But as of late, I’ve been noticing things getting much, much worse. And I’m hardly the only one. And so it’s time to call out AT&T on those failures. And plead with Apple not to renew its exclusive contract with AT&T when it expires next year.

via AT&T Is A Big, Steaming Heap Of Failure.

Everyone who uses the internet leaves some sort of footprint, even if it’s just a string of visited addresses. This presence is magnified if you’ve ever been in the news, been listed on a website (e.g., as faculty), or if you write a blog. Social networking sites such as facebook and Twitter add a whole new dimension of online presence. Everyone should be concerned about what their online presence says about them (if your public Amazon wish list is full of sex toys, for example…) but physicians should have special concerns which fall into some broad categories. First, we’ll briefly discuss types of online presence.

via Doctors and the potential pitfalls of an online presence : White Coat Underground.

I well written article reviewing some of the concerns of medical blogging.  I know that I write this blog fully aware that a patient or potential or current employer may see it.  I don’t mind them seeing that I can be silly, but you have to be careful want you rant about…

It helps to have a pretty common name….

These are really cool. They’re acapella versions of Michael Jackson’s songs. It’s like listening to MJ in a totally new way. My personal favorite is definitely “I’ll Be There.” His older stuff sounds amazing.

link to Buzzfeed.  With a hat-tip to Bing Shen through his Google Reader Shared feed.

This is a nice story, even though I doubt the story since I have yet to meet a philosophy professor who gives life-advice like this…

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks about 2″ in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous — yes.

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and proceeded to pour their entire contents into the jar — effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed.

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your spouse, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your husband or wife out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.”

“Take care of the rocks first — the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers.”

via The Rock « WhiteCoat’s Call Room.

It is worth noting that I never used Boingo because I get good reception on my 3G network so I don’t feel I need to pay for Wifi service.  iPhone user feel otherwise.  Boingo should give AT&T a cut of their profits…

Boingo has also tracked what type of devices associate with Boingo operated airport Wi-Fi hotspots. In 2007, the first year the iPhone was available, the iPhone only accounted for 1% of all mobile devices. Windows CE Windows Mobile, was the leader in 2007, with 66% of mobile device connections. In 2008, the iPhone accounted for 51.7% of all mobile devices, with the iPod touch coming in second with 42.4%. For the first five months of 2009, the iPhone has taken an astounding 89.2% of all mobile devices accessing Boingo’s airport hotspots. The iPod touch has dipped to 4.7%. I talked to Jeremy Pepper from Boingo PR and he said that they think the drop in the price of the iPhone is the reason iPod touch access figures have dipped, with the iPhone taking its place.

Although these figures are only from one Wi-Fi access source, the number of users that access Wi-Fi at the airport provides what I consider a good sample for data collection. In two years, not only has the mobile access space increased 261x, the iPhone OS accounts for nearly 94% of all mobile connections.

Linked from TUAW

Ok, this is a really worrisome thing if it becomes a trend.  In this economy when people are struggling to find jobs, it is really unfair that they are asked to turn over this level of privacy…  Isn’t it also against Facebook/MySpace Service agreements to give out your password like this?   I don’t know.  Like most people, I never looked…

“Please list any and all, current personal or business websites, web pages or memberships on any Internet-based chat rooms, social clubs or forums, to include, but not limited to: Facebook, Google, Yahoo, YouTube.com, MySpace, etc.” the form reads. But Bozeman isn’t simply interested in finding out where to look for potentially embarrassing personal details; the city wants full disclosure, since the form demands username and password information for each. City employees will apparently be able to dig through any information applicants have put online, regardless of whether it’s accessible to the public.

This is especially ironic given that Bozeman’s website has an extensive privacy policy that indicates a significant familiarity with some of the major issues that have cropped up regarding the retention and security of information entrusted to websites.

This actually goes well beyond a startling invasion of privacy in a state that has a reputation for a strong independent streak; it provides a serious risk of running afoul of employment law. Employers are typically prohibited from digging into an applicant’s ethnic or religious background. An Internet search already runs the risk of picking up photos or text that can reveal these sorts of details; opening a person’s social networking accounts would seem to make the discovery of these details almost inevitable.

via City to job applicants: Facebook, MySpace log-ins please – Ars Technica.

Well written, well referenced post over at PalmAddicts, one of my favorite megablogs for a long time. I think there is a lot of truth in that statement that Apple sees Palm as a serious threat.

Isn’t weird how much free marketing Palm is getting off the iPhone?  Every newspaper article and gadget blog is comparing the iPhone 3GS to the Palm Pre, as if they are worth comparing.  As if this tiny company that was on the brink of bankrupcy has a device that is worth comparing on equal footing with the biggest hit the technological universe has known for… maybe the last decade.  Oh my! the iPhone is 11% faster.  Oh! the iPhone boots 20 seconds faster (who boots their phone?).  Palm really has something good going on right now…

Nope, the answer is much simpler than that. It is because Palm is the very reason itself, it’s because from all of the big companies out there Apple sees Palm as one of them who could actually become a serious threat in the future. Especially when Jon Rubinstein is now appointed as the new CEO, replacing Ed Colligan the longest running leader of Palm.

via PalmAddicts: When Palm and Apple play a poker game.

Animations can be used in a variety of contexts within a presentation, but one of the most common is to simply control the rate at which information appears to students. So, for example, on a slide dedicated to discussing four aspects of a given topic, the relevant text and images can be made to appear gradually, so that each aspect is discussed thoroughly before the next even appears. The alternative, dumping all the information to the screen at once, and then working through it verbally, would seem to have the potential to distract and overwhelm the audience. So, this seems to be a situation where animation should clearly help.

via Study: PowerPoint animations are comprehension killers – Ars Technica.

What is interesting about this is that the study wasn’t looking at complicated animations, but mostly at having certain lines show up on the screen.  They used the same slides (I would have though people who use animation put too many things on a slide, but this blows my theory).  Maybe it helps to be able to see the entire context for longer, so you get more of chance to process what’s on the screen.

This kind of thing is hard to study, but it certainly makes one pause about current Powerpoint habits.