While they have many fantastic engineering features, I would stay away from them in a residential home if at all possible. In a house fire, trusses tend to burn and collapse very rapidly. A nice solid wooden beam, while expensive, can give you valuable time in a fire. The average time for collapse of a truss is around 5min if I recal, which is generally when the fire department arives. So you end up putting both yourself and the firefighters trying to save your but at risk.
I was actually talking about a needle for suturing (putting in stitches). They come in various size and shapes, but they are like small sewing needles with an eyelet, or a similar shape but with the "thread" attached to the end (its kind of a small crimp).
While the technology is not ready for use in something as small as a needle, hopefully its not too far off.
Just to clear up a bunch of misconceptions, there are already systems in place to prevent this kind of problem, but its not foolproof.
Everything that gets used during an operation is counted (all the boxes say what's in them and how many). Each sponge, scalpel blade, etc. usually does have its own little outlined slot that it gets placed back into at the end of an operation. Towards the end of the operation (and multiple times for more complicated surgery) the scrub nurse will lead a count of all equipment. In the ideal situation, everything is accounted for and all is well.
This simple process can be complicated by the fact that you often do counts before you close the patient (no sense in closing up, and then figuring out you left something behind). However, at this point you still have to close the patient (and those needles used to stitch em up also need to be counted, along with sponges used for closing, etc). The point is, there is a lot going on. Regardless, at the end of the operation, the final count should have everything accounted for.
However, what do you do when the count comes up short? Obvious answer is to not close the patient and find the missing instrument. Still, we had a case yesterday where we came up short one needle. We spent two hours looking for it, and recounting everything while we waited for a fluoroscope (they were tied up). We finally x-rayed the pt, and determined that the needle wasn't inside and we could wrap it up. The conclusion: we never found the needle. Now an OR is pretty small, so it was in there somewhere, we just couldn't find it. How often have you lost something and been unable to find it, especially a tiny little thing like a needle? In our case we were lucky that it would have easily shown up on x-ray so we could be pretty certain it wasn't in the patient and no longer a risk, but this is not always the case.
So in this regard, lets stop bashing some of the docs for being lazy/cheap/out to make money etc. No one wants to leave something behind (especially a sponge). Its not good for the doc, the patient, nor the hospital. Its also not something you can really cover up. First off, you always find out, sponges inside of people -> infection and problems. So the family will know, and the docs insurance will settle with them (and so will the hospital because its bad PR). End result, no one is happy.
If this technology worked, the other systems would stay in place, this would just be an additional check, another safeguard. It would also allow for greater reassurance that nothing was in the patient when a count came up short. Anyway, if they can work the kinks out, it would be a major improvement, and one that should be welcomed.
A metal detector won't work. Think about how sensitive you have to make it in order to detect a small piece of metal. Now lets think of all the other pieces of metal that are around the OR and on the table. Not to mention that you do counts are various stages (you really don't want to discover that you left something behind after you close...
Anyway, most surgical instruments do have metal in them, but not so they can use a metal detector, but rather so you can xray the pt and see whats there. However, since you don't want to expose the pt to unnecessary radiation (and the cost), you only do this if the count comes up short.
Um....last I checked, both server 2000 & server 2003 can handle more then 4gb of ram. This might not be for the most basic standard edition, but advanced or enterprise (don't remember the names for different lines) can handle plenty more. The limitation is that no single process can use more then 4gb of memory (so I don't know how a ram disk on that would work.)
Additionally, any descent mobo these day can handle greater then 1gb and good server boards can handle over 4gb without a problem.
I'm not sure exactly what program you are talking about. But there is currently a program, though both the Army and the Navy, that will pay for your medical school in exchange for your service. It works out that you serve one year of active duty for every year they pay, with a minimum of three years. They not only cover your tuition, but they also pay for your books and supplies, and give you a living stipend. So while it might not be the exact program you describe, it seems pretty close.
Did you start getting discoloration of the skin? Other the that it was pretty normal?
Just a guess, but I would say Pityriasis versicolor, aka Tinea Versicolor. But then again I'm cheating, its helps to know what the treatment is before you get to diagnose.
By any chance did you get infront of a woods lamp (uv light)? if its what I think it was you would have flouresced. Its pretty cool.
Why didn't you make your own inquires to the school as to how the matter was handled. Yes, schools (like everyone else) will often choose the path of least resistance and whatever they feel will make them look the best. In this case, the school decided that it would be better for them to allow the football players get away with this, then it would be to loose their upcomming football game.
How can you change this?
If suddenly there are more people in the community (who vote on school budgets, etc.) who are complaining about these kids getting away with crap, then there are people complaining about a 'poor football team', you will see changes.
Well, I'm kind of jumping into this conversation a little late....but here goes:
Technology and the internet in general has been one of the greatest advances to medicine. Pretty much any book that is published on a given topic can be considered out of date by the time it reaches the consumer. In this regard, it is fantastic for doctors to be able to look up the latest papers on line in one place. Additionally the ability to follow footnotes directly to the cited paper allows for greater understanding of the topic.
When a doctor diagnoses a patient they call upon not only their book learning, but also upon years of experience in dealing with other similar patients. So even when a doctor has graduated medical school, and has learned all of the anatomy, physiology, histology, pathology, etc. they are only getting ready to start acting like a true physician. They must build on the experience of seeing similar symptoms in order to make such judgments.
Now one could argue that all of the signs that the doctor is looking for could simply be entered into a computer and a technician just plug in the symptoms to get the result. However, these sign and symptoms are not just 'fever', 'headache', 'nausea'. A significant amount of communication between a doctor and a physician is non-verbal. The doctor must know how to read their patients body language to help come to a diagnosis. Perhaps it is simply the way the patient is sitting up in bed, or where they are holding their hands. Even when it comes down to simply taking a medical history (asking the patient questions) a skilled physician has a significant advantage. The skilled physician can use what he/she sees and the obvious signs to help steer his/her line of questioning. Even to the point of recognizing things that the patient might not even pick up upon.
I could go on, but I hope I have begun to make my point that there is more to being a doctor them simply objectively listing symptoms and coming up with a diagnosis.
As for the cost of medicine, perhaps you should start looking at the HMO's and the administration of hospitals. The fact that every insurance company uses a different form, etc. A doctor can expect to go to college for four years and then another four years of medical school. At this point they will be ready for a five year residency where they will begin making $35,000/year (oh yeah, and they are now about $250,000 in debt from school). Now this $35,000/year is only going to be for an 80hr work week since congress tried to help doctors, you know, buddy-buddy like. So in the end, if you give them a couple weeks a year off, that gives those residents making less then $10/hr. So after there fellowship (they start making a little more), a physician (now a junior in their field) can expect to start making about $100,000 per year at the age of about 31. Now considering that most people who go on to medical school, probably could have been making at least oh.... $75,000/yr from the time they graduated college, I don't think its that unreasonable for doctors to end up making anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000 by the time they are in their late 30's (and most will probably be closer to $120,000)
Pacemaker batteries tend to last about 10 years. At the point the device is generally replaced with a newer model with a fresh battery. So far, the improvements made over the 10 years warent the surgery, hense there has been no real rush to develop a way to charge the battery.
Pacemakers are usually located just under the patients left collar bone, and the surgery can usually be done on an outpatient basis. Additionally, when simply replacing an older pacemaker, the leads are not replaced, greatly simplifying the surgery. The greatest risk comes from infection associated with the small incision in the chest.
Perhaps I'm just being naïve, but you don't need to use their install/recovery disks. Purchase of the machine included a license to run one version of windows XP (or whatever version we are talking about). So in this case, just find someone else with the same version, who has the real install media, and you should be all set. Your license should work on the machine no matter how it was installed.
I have an old HP Laser Series II that is more then ten years old and still working almost perfectly. (For reference it was first used on an IBM 8086) The only work that I ever have to do to it is replace the toner cardridge and clean it out once in a while. The only problems it has ever given me was when I used cheap generic cartridges that leaked toner (took a lot of cleaning to bring it back to life). Though the printer cost a fortune when I bought it, it print documents nearly as good as any new laser printer and its pretty fast. The only real downside is if you want to print graphics, it just doens't have enough memory to handle that, but for everything else its great. This printer has actually outlived 4 computers, and is currently attached to its 5th.
Compare this to any of the newer printers I have bought recently. All of the DeskJets and lower end laserjets seem to die for various reasons. The most common being the rubber rollers drying out. What I can't figure out, is why these old rollers on my LaserJet Series II have survived while these don't. Even the higher end printers like the 8100 series seem to have considerably more problems with jams and such (granted the 8100 has a much more complicated paper path then my old printer).
Still, for me it was certainly worth paying the extra money once and having a quality pritner that lasted, rather then going through 5 cheaper ones that would break and cause agrivation.
I'll second that. Where I work we often will run around installing things off of whatever cd we can find, despite the fact that we own liceses and have at least a dozen "fuffilment cd's" somewhere.
And the comment about ghost is certainly accurate (though we tend to use altiris.....), pretty much all of our machines use the same cd key because the images were all made at the same time, by the same tech (one of whom actually memorized both the windows and the office keys) and compounded by imaging.
Just as I have every right to do what I want in my front lawn (including putting up signs which read "No Fjordboys or Females")
You have the right to put a sign on your lawn which says "No Fjordboys or Females", but the moment you open up your house as a place of business, you can no longer do this. Once its a place of business, you have to abide by certain rules. As such, putting that sign up would be discimination, see civil rights. Its the same way that there is no smoking in any public place in California, even a Tobaco shop. This doesn't mean you can't smoke in your house, but once you open up your house to the public, you have to stop.
I think the real factor for the business, will be deciding if this software can be used by their compeititors. If its a customized piece of code that wouldn't really by helpful to the compettion, they are much more likely to make is OS. However, if they feel that their competition could use this code against them, then they probably would want to keep it closed source.
Nope, its still illegal. Creating the software is not illigal, but once the law was passed (according to the complaintant) the software now violates the law and becomes illegal. So as long as he stops distributing/using the software after it has been deemed illegal, he is doing nothing wrong.
Office for Mac is written specifically for the Mac. I don't want crappy ported software that looks like it belongs on Windows, I want good Mac software (same argument applies in reverse when I'm using my Windows box btw).
Sorry to burst you bubble, but Office for Mac is not written specifically for the Mac. I don't know about the entire suite, but I am certain that Excel is written as platform idependent code. There is an underlying interface that allows the code to be run on the mac, but it is based off the same code as the windows version.
I currently work for a rather large school district. We have choosen to impliment an almost entirely Microsoft based system (basicly win2k clients running Office2k and XP, off of 2k advanced servers). The decision was made because it was felt that we should be teaching whatever is most relevant to the current job market. Money was not really an issue (hey, isn't that nice for a change), and the school decided that it should be teaching tools that students were most likely to see when they leave. Thats not say that we don't use other software. We still have a full lab of Macs (some G3's and G4's), in addition to some fileservers and out mailserver running linux.
E911 is very important
on
GPS Meets PCS
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· Score: 4, Insightful
I can tell you as someone who volunteers for both a fire department and an EMS service, how important E911 is. There are very often times where passing moterists will call 911 and report a car fire on the expressway, somewhere around exit 30 eastbound. Now often this is enough information and we can easily respond to the call. However, if they tell us its after exit 31, and it turns out to be before exit 30, then that means we have to continue down the expressway, turn around at the next exit, circle back at least to the exit before the accident, then turn around again and get back on in the right direction. This has just caused a delay in our response by at least a couple of minutes which can often mean the difference between some insulation burning under the hood, or the total loss of a car. On the other hand (EMS side) a five minute delay can mean the difference between saving a life. If someone is involved in an accident and loosing blood quickly, every second counts.
Re:Useful for satelites
on
Flywheel UPS
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· Score: 1
I think it goes somethings like, "Every action has an equal and oppsite reaction". If you tried to start a flywheel spinning in space, you would also cause the entire satalite to start spinning in a different dirrection. Not a good thing.
Slashdot Mirror
Stay away from trusses.
While they have many fantastic engineering features, I would stay away from them in a residential home if at all possible. In a house fire, trusses tend to burn and collapse very rapidly. A nice solid wooden beam, while expensive, can give you valuable time in a fire. The average time for collapse of a truss is around 5min if I recal, which is generally when the fire department arives. So you end up putting both yourself and the firefighters trying to save your but at risk.
I was actually talking about a needle for suturing (putting in stitches). They come in various size and shapes, but they are like small sewing needles with an eyelet, or a similar shape but with the "thread" attached to the end (its kind of a small crimp).
While the technology is not ready for use in something as small as a needle, hopefully its not too far off.
They already do this.
Just to clear up a bunch of misconceptions, there are already systems in place to prevent this kind of problem, but its not foolproof.
Everything that gets used during an operation is counted (all the boxes say what's in them and how many). Each sponge, scalpel blade, etc. usually does have its own little outlined slot that it gets placed back into at the end of an operation. Towards the end of the operation (and multiple times for more complicated surgery) the scrub nurse will lead a count of all equipment. In the ideal situation, everything is accounted for and all is well.
This simple process can be complicated by the fact that you often do counts before you close the patient (no sense in closing up, and then figuring out you left something behind). However, at this point you still have to close the patient (and those needles used to stitch em up also need to be counted, along with sponges used for closing, etc). The point is, there is a lot going on. Regardless, at the end of the operation, the final count should have everything accounted for.
However, what do you do when the count comes up short? Obvious answer is to not close the patient and find the missing instrument. Still, we had a case yesterday where we came up short one needle. We spent two hours looking for it, and recounting everything while we waited for a fluoroscope (they were tied up). We finally x-rayed the pt, and determined that the needle wasn't inside and we could wrap it up. The conclusion: we never found the needle. Now an OR is pretty small, so it was in there somewhere, we just couldn't find it. How often have you lost something and been unable to find it, especially a tiny little thing like a needle? In our case we were lucky that it would have easily shown up on x-ray so we could be pretty certain it wasn't in the patient and no longer a risk, but this is not always the case.
So in this regard, lets stop bashing some of the docs for being lazy/cheap/out to make money etc. No one wants to leave something behind (especially a sponge). Its not good for the doc, the patient, nor the hospital. Its also not something you can really cover up. First off, you always find out, sponges inside of people -> infection and problems. So the family will know, and the docs insurance will settle with them (and so will the hospital because its bad PR). End result, no one is happy.
If this technology worked, the other systems would stay in place, this would just be an additional check, another safeguard. It would also allow for greater reassurance that nothing was in the patient when a count came up short. Anyway, if they can work the kinks out, it would be a major improvement, and one that should be welcomed.
Yes they need a precise count.
A metal detector won't work. Think about how sensitive you have to make it in order to detect a small piece of metal. Now lets think of all the other pieces of metal that are around the OR and on the table. Not to mention that you do counts are various stages (you really don't want to discover that you left something behind after you close...
Anyway, most surgical instruments do have metal in them, but not so they can use a metal detector, but rather so you can xray the pt and see whats there. However, since you don't want to expose the pt to unnecessary radiation (and the cost), you only do this if the count comes up short.
Um....last I checked, both server 2000 & server 2003 can handle more then 4gb of ram. This might not be for the most basic standard edition, but advanced or enterprise (don't remember the names for different lines) can handle plenty more. The limitation is that no single process can use more then 4gb of memory (so I don't know how a ram disk on that would work.)
Additionally, any descent mobo these day can handle greater then 1gb and good server boards can handle over 4gb without a problem.
I think you meant 160MB drives. Claims they were purchaced for 2 dollars each.
I'm not sure exactly what program you are talking about. But there is currently a program, though both the Army and the Navy, that will pay for your medical school in exchange for your service. It works out that you serve one year of active duty for every year they pay, with a minimum of three years. They not only cover your tuition, but they also pay for your books and supplies, and give you a living stipend. So while it might not be the exact program you describe, it seems pretty close.
Did you start getting discoloration of the skin? Other the that it was pretty normal?
Just a guess, but I would say Pityriasis versicolor, aka Tinea Versicolor. But then again I'm cheating, its helps to know what the treatment is before you get to diagnose.
By any chance did you get infront of a woods lamp (uv light)? if its what I think it was you would have flouresced. Its pretty cool.
No, its not the same shit everywhere.
Why didn't you make your own inquires to the school as to how the matter was handled. Yes, schools (like everyone else) will often choose the path of least resistance and whatever they feel will make them look the best. In this case, the school decided that it would be better for them to allow the football players get away with this, then it would be to loose their upcomming football game.
How can you change this?
If suddenly there are more people in the community (who vote on school budgets, etc.) who are complaining about these kids getting away with crap, then there are people complaining about a 'poor football team', you will see changes.
I'd rather see the honour bestowed posthumously
Unfortunately the Nobel prize it not awarded posthumously. This was one of the contributing factors in the whole Rosalind Franklin and DNA issue.
Well, I'm kind of jumping into this conversation a little late....but here goes:
Technology and the internet in general has been one of the greatest advances to medicine. Pretty much any book that is published on a given topic can be considered out of date by the time it reaches the consumer. In this regard, it is fantastic for doctors to be able to look up the latest papers on line in one place. Additionally the ability to follow footnotes directly to the cited paper allows for greater understanding of the topic.
When a doctor diagnoses a patient they call upon not only their book learning, but also upon years of experience in dealing with other similar patients. So even when a doctor has graduated medical school, and has learned all of the anatomy, physiology, histology, pathology, etc. they are only getting ready to start acting like a true physician. They must build on the experience of seeing similar symptoms in order to make such judgments.
Now one could argue that all of the signs that the doctor is looking for could simply be entered into a computer and a technician just plug in the symptoms to get the result. However, these sign and symptoms are not just 'fever', 'headache', 'nausea'. A significant amount of communication between a doctor and a physician is non-verbal. The doctor must know how to read their patients body language to help come to a diagnosis. Perhaps it is simply the way the patient is sitting up in bed, or where they are holding their hands. Even when it comes down to simply taking a medical history (asking the patient questions) a skilled physician has a significant advantage. The skilled physician can use what he/she sees and the obvious signs to help steer his/her line of questioning. Even to the point of recognizing things that the patient might not even pick up upon.
I could go on, but I hope I have begun to make my point that there is more to being a doctor them simply objectively listing symptoms and coming up with a diagnosis.
As for the cost of medicine, perhaps you should start looking at the HMO's and the administration of hospitals. The fact that every insurance company uses a different form, etc. A doctor can expect to go to college for four years and then another four years of medical school. At this point they will be ready for a five year residency where they will begin making $35,000/year (oh yeah, and they are now about $250,000 in debt from school). Now this $35,000/year is only going to be for an 80hr work week since congress tried to help doctors, you know, buddy-buddy like. So in the end, if you give them a couple weeks a year off, that gives those residents making less then $10/hr. So after there fellowship (they start making a little more), a physician (now a junior in their field) can expect to start making about $100,000 per year at the age of about 31. Now considering that most people who go on to medical school, probably could have been making at least oh.... $75,000/yr from the time they graduated college, I don't think its that unreasonable for doctors to end up making anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000 by the time they are in their late 30's (and most will probably be closer to $120,000)
Pacemaker batteries tend to last about 10 years. At the point the device is generally replaced with a newer model with a fresh battery. So far, the improvements made over the 10 years warent the surgery, hense there has been no real rush to develop a way to charge the battery.
Pacemakers are usually located just under the patients left collar bone, and the surgery can usually be done on an outpatient basis. Additionally, when simply replacing an older pacemaker, the leads are not replaced, greatly simplifying the surgery. The greatest risk comes from infection associated with the small incision in the chest.
Perhaps I'm just being naïve, but you don't need to use their install/recovery disks. Purchase of the machine included a license to run one version of windows XP (or whatever version we are talking about). So in this case, just find someone else with the same version, who has the real install media, and you should be all set. Your license should work on the machine no matter how it was installed.
I have an old HP Laser Series II that is more then ten years old and still working almost perfectly. (For reference it was first used on an IBM 8086) The only work that I ever have to do to it is replace the toner cardridge and clean it out once in a while. The only problems it has ever given me was when I used cheap generic cartridges that leaked toner (took a lot of cleaning to bring it back to life). Though the printer cost a fortune when I bought it, it print documents nearly as good as any new laser printer and its pretty fast. The only real downside is if you want to print graphics, it just doens't have enough memory to handle that, but for everything else its great. This printer has actually outlived 4 computers, and is currently attached to its 5th.
Compare this to any of the newer printers I have bought recently. All of the DeskJets and lower end laserjets seem to die for various reasons. The most common being the rubber rollers drying out. What I can't figure out, is why these old rollers on my LaserJet Series II have survived while these don't. Even the higher end printers like the 8100 series seem to have considerably more problems with jams and such (granted the 8100 has a much more complicated paper path then my old printer).
Still, for me it was certainly worth paying the extra money once and having a quality pritner that lasted, rather then going through 5 cheaper ones that would break and cause agrivation.
Errr.. So when you have an overdue book, the library sends you a notice that UID238573P is overdue by 1 week?
Errr, before you get all excited. This model has no internal battery, and if you want an external battery you have to pay more.
I'll second that. Where I work we often will run around installing things off of whatever cd we can find, despite the fact that we own liceses and have at least a dozen "fuffilment cd's" somewhere.
And the comment about ghost is certainly accurate (though we tend to use altiris.....), pretty much all of our machines use the same cd key because the images were all made at the same time, by the same tech (one of whom actually memorized both the windows and the office keys) and compounded by imaging.
Just as I have every right to do what I want in my front lawn (including putting up signs which read "No Fjordboys or Females")
You have the right to put a sign on your lawn which says "No Fjordboys or Females", but the moment you open up your house as a place of business, you can no longer do this. Once its a place of business, you have to abide by certain rules. As such, putting that sign up would be discimination, see civil rights. Its the same way that there is no smoking in any public place in California, even a Tobaco shop. This doesn't mean you can't smoke in your house, but once you open up your house to the public, you have to stop.
I think the real factor for the business, will be deciding if this software can be used by their compeititors. If its a customized piece of code that wouldn't really by helpful to the compettion, they are much more likely to make is OS. However, if they feel that their competition could use this code against them, then they probably would want to keep it closed source.
Just something to think about.
Nope, its still illegal. Creating the software is not illigal, but once the law was passed (according to the complaintant) the software now violates the law and becomes illegal. So as long as he stops distributing/using the software after it has been deemed illegal, he is doing nothing wrong.
Office for Mac is written specifically for the Mac. I don't want crappy ported software that looks like it belongs on Windows, I want good Mac software (same argument applies in reverse when I'm using my Windows box btw).
Sorry to burst you bubble, but Office for Mac is not written specifically for the Mac. I don't know about the entire suite, but I am certain that Excel is written as platform idependent code. There is an underlying interface that allows the code to be run on the mac, but it is based off the same code as the windows version.
I currently work for a rather large school district. We have choosen to impliment an almost entirely Microsoft based system (basicly win2k clients running Office2k and XP, off of 2k advanced servers). The decision was made because it was felt that we should be teaching whatever is most relevant to the current job market. Money was not really an issue (hey, isn't that nice for a change), and the school decided that it should be teaching tools that students were most likely to see when they leave. Thats not say that we don't use other software. We still have a full lab of Macs (some G3's and G4's), in addition to some fileservers and out mailserver running linux.
immature
I can tell you as someone who volunteers for both a fire department and an EMS service, how important E911 is. There are very often times where passing moterists will call 911 and report a car fire on the expressway, somewhere around exit 30 eastbound. Now often this is enough information and we can easily respond to the call. However, if they tell us its after exit 31, and it turns out to be before exit 30, then that means we have to continue down the expressway, turn around at the next exit, circle back at least to the exit before the accident, then turn around again and get back on in the right direction. This has just caused a delay in our response by at least a couple of minutes which can often mean the difference between some insulation burning under the hood, or the total loss of a car. On the other hand (EMS side) a five minute delay can mean the difference between saving a life. If someone is involved in an accident and loosing blood quickly, every second counts.
I think it goes somethings like, "Every action has an equal and oppsite reaction". If you tried to start a flywheel spinning in space, you would also cause the entire satalite to start spinning in a different dirrection. Not a good thing.