I think that a medical records database is a great idea. To think that with a few keystrokes an emergency ward can see anyone's complete medical history will undoubtedly save lives, and improve the quality of life for many that are served by this.
I have two concerns, and they seem different from anything that I've read.
1) They aren't thinking big enough. Medical histories must include geneologies. Imagine being able to research how treatment of an individual affects children and grandchildren. Or how a recessive gene affects every other generation but only in the oldest child, etc.
Not "carefully controlled studies", but reality.
And not by spending millions of dollars to assemble a 10 years study that yields puzzling results contrary to what was expected.
Real answers in Real Time.
2) DNA. Concerns so far seem to be limited to finding out who has AIDS, who has been treated for drugs and/or alcohol, or other "today" problems.
The real problem is how this is used in the future.
Think about it -- combine the technology of everybody's medical records (including their DNA) in one place with the predisposition of science and politics to meddle.
While this combination of information could lead to tremendous advances in medicine, this is also where the greatest abuse will occur.
I'm going to hear it for this, but if it's going to happen, (and it is), entrust the Mormon Church to keep the data along with all their geneology data.
The fact that China would attempt to obtain software in violation of a license agreement comes as no surprise to me.
They have for years denied the validity of "intellectual property" as a means to obtain that that belongs to another and do with it as they wish.
I personally witnessed them install about $60,000 USD worth of proprietary software on a system for which they did not have a license. (The site had two mainframe class machines. System A was licensed for a particular software. The Chinese government declined to purchase a license for System B. Yet they deliberately installed the software on the second machine.)
The "irony/funny thing/cute part" is that in copying the software to the second machine, they made a mistake that hung the system and asked me to help them solve the problem. After having the software removed and the system returned to production, their staff again copied the software, this time getting it right. The local government even put up a large banner praising his success their systems' analyst for saving the government the license fees.
If you want to solve something with statistics, solve something that's determinable.
Tackling your problem, start with the known facts, and a bit of logic:
* Every physical object in the universe is composed of atoms, and an atom of hydrogen here on earth is just like an atom of hydrogen in any star in the universe.
* The very act of being a star brings about changes whereby the star is eventually reduced to heavier elements, mostly iron.
* Solar systems are created when enough matter condenses to form a star and satellites.
With these facts established, we extrapolate that the the life-cycle of solar systems are similar. They form, are comprised of the same elements, and fade toward the same end.
The two major variables are the balance (proportions) of the elements, and temperature.
Are we unique in the universe? Absolutely. But only in the sense that life evolves. The life on this planet today is unique with respect to any other day. Different people, difference plants, different animals, different species, etc...
When the elements blend with the right balance and a suitable temperature, there will be life.
Slashdot Mirror
I think that a medical records database is a great idea. To think that with a few keystrokes an emergency ward can see anyone's complete medical history will undoubtedly save lives, and improve the quality of life for many that are served by this.
I have two concerns, and they seem different from anything that I've read.
1) They aren't thinking big enough. Medical histories must include geneologies. Imagine being able to research how treatment of an individual affects children and grandchildren. Or how a recessive gene affects every other generation but only in the oldest child, etc.
Not "carefully controlled studies", but reality.
And not by spending millions of dollars to assemble a 10 years study that yields puzzling results contrary to what was expected.
Real answers in Real Time.
2) DNA. Concerns so far seem to be limited to finding out who has AIDS, who has been treated for drugs and/or alcohol, or other "today" problems.
The real problem is how this is used in the future.
Think about it -- combine the technology of everybody's medical records (including their DNA) in one place with the predisposition of science and politics to meddle.
While this combination of information could lead to tremendous advances in medicine, this is also where the greatest abuse will occur.
I'm going to hear it for this, but if it's going to happen, (and it is), entrust the Mormon Church to keep the data along with all their geneology data.
The fact that China would attempt to obtain software in violation of a license agreement comes as no surprise to me.
They have for years denied the validity of "intellectual property" as a means to obtain that that belongs to another and do with it as they wish.
I personally witnessed them install about $60,000 USD worth of proprietary software on a system for which they did not have a license. (The site had two mainframe class machines. System A was licensed for a particular software. The Chinese government declined to purchase a license for System B. Yet they deliberately installed the software on the second machine.)
The "irony/funny thing/cute part" is that in copying the software to the second machine, they made a mistake that hung the system and asked me to help them solve the problem. After having the software removed and the system returned to production, their staff again copied the software, this time getting it right. The local government even put up a large banner praising his success their systems' analyst for saving the government the license fees.
If you want to solve something with statistics, solve something that's determinable.
Tackling your problem, start with the known facts, and a bit of logic:
* Every physical object in the universe is composed of atoms, and an atom of hydrogen here on earth is just like an atom of hydrogen in any star in the universe.
* The very act of being a star brings about changes whereby the star is eventually reduced to heavier elements, mostly iron.
* Solar systems are created when enough matter condenses to form a star and satellites.
With these facts established, we extrapolate that the the life-cycle of solar systems are similar. They form, are comprised of the same elements, and fade toward the same end.
The two major variables are the balance (proportions) of the elements, and temperature.
Are we unique in the universe? Absolutely. But only in the sense that life evolves. The life on this planet today is unique with respect to any other day. Different people, difference plants, different animals, different species, etc...
When the elements blend with the right balance and a suitable temperature, there will be life.
Will someone please check that the original poster is taking all of her/his medication?
Let's see if I can make sense of this:
You sit up nights watching pretty color pictures on the Weather Channel that are really what a sensor detected as infrared or water vapor.
You pay your speeding tickets because some cop with too much electronics at his disposal told you that you were going to fast.
You plod merrily along as ILS systems land more than a million planes a year.
And you'll believe that planets exist in other solar systems as soon as someone floats a lens with anchors in Madagascar and the Sea of Tranquility.
If I were you, I'd seriously reconsider breathing between now and then.