Life in the 21st century
Nov 21 2008
I saw this video on the news today and thought it was amazing. The Bronson Michigan Police Department shares this video of a deer who picks the wrong time to cross the road:
The deer actually got up an ran off. Unbelievable.
Nov 21 2008
Attorney General Mukasey collapsed last night while giving a speech:
Atty. Gen. Michael B. Mukasey was rushed to the hospital Thursday night after collapsing and losing consciousness during a speech on the war on terrorism, a Justice Department official said.
Mukasey slumped to the floor near the conclusion of his remarks before the Federalist Society’s annual dinner at a northwest Washington hotel, said Peter A. Carr, chief spokesman for the department.
Here is the video of his collapse and it is a bit disturbing:
The latest word on Mukasey is he seems to be OK, but they are keeping an eye on him:
Justice Department officials including Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip gathered at the hospital. In a formal statement released near midnight, department spokesman Peter Carr said: “The Attorney General is conscious, conversant and alert. He is receiving excellent care and appreciates all of the good wishes and prayers he has received. The doctors will keep him overnight for further observations.”
Hopefully, Mukasey will be fine and this will all be something we laugh about in the late night talk shows or Saturday Night Live in the weeks to come.
Nov 21 2008
In a lesson for those who have access to personal data, Barack Obama’s cell phone records were apparently breached:
Records from a cell phone used by President-elect Obama were improperly breached, apparently by employees of the cell phone company, his transition team said Thursday.
An Obama spokesman said the transition team was told employees at Verizon Wireless looked through billing records.Spokesman Robert Gibbs said the team was notified Wednesday by Verizon Wireless that it appears an employee improperly went through billing records for the phone, which Gibbs said Obama no longer uses.
In an internal company e-mail obtained by CNN, Verizon Wireless President and CEO Lowell McAdam disclosed Wednesday that “the personal wireless account of President-elect Barack Obama had been accessed by employees not authorized to do so” in recent months.
This goes to show you that everyone is susceptible to a breach of personal information. You take someone with the “rock star” status of Barack Obama and the temptation for employees is just too great. It’s in our nature to be curious, but it is unforgivable to invade someone’s privacy like this. Here is another example of our voyeuristic society.
Nov 20 2008
Today, I attended Day 2 of the HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo. This was the final day of the conference and had a slightly shorter agenda than yesterday.
For me, the highlight of today’s presentations was one from Dr. Albert Villarin called Clinical Decision Support in the Trauma Center: A Practical Guide to Clinical, Administrative and Quality Informatics. The talk centered around an impressive use of technology to improve efficiencies and care in a busy Philadelphia trauma center. As a recovering programmer, I was intrigued to discover they were using Cold Fusion 8 as their primary development language. Apparently, reports of Cold Fusion’s demise were greatly exaggerated.
At the end of the conference, a couple of things stuck-out in my mind. First, the integration of process improvement techniques through healthcare information technology (IT) continues to make significant gains in clinical operations. I’m seeing more use of data analysis for the purpose of improving processes and producing better clinical outcomes. My biggest frustration in IT is when IT is used for IT’s sake; not to make significant process improvements. Thankfully, we are seeing more evidence of the “proper” use of technology.
The second major learning for me was the use of Web 2.0 tools that surrounded and augmented the conference, but were not actually part of the conference. HIMSS had a Twitter account and used Twitter to promote and connect attendees during sessions. Personally, I met many others who shared my interests in HIT and Web 2.0 through the use of Twitter. While the conference structure had a “lounge,” the purpose of the lounge seemed more about sales and not so much about networking. Tweeting on Twitter afforded me the opportunity to talk to others about presentations while they were occurring. In a typical conference setting, that type of cross-talk would be frowned upon. Here, it proved to be very beneficial.
For the next virtual conference, I believe HIMSS should explore adding more Web 2.0 features into their conference structure and encourage more of these connections. When establishing my profile, there were opportunities to enter an Instant Messaging ID, but who uses IM anymore? What if the conference took place in Second Life and had actual speaking avatars and meeting rooms? That would be interesting. Perhaps we could leverage professional profiles in LinkedIn to create your vCard as a way of connecting individuals. They could encourage using Twitter in lieu of the Q&A sessions. Perhaps contests could be established to promote use of these and other tools. After all, how can one learn the benefits of emerging technologies unless there is a meaningful purpose to use them?
I found a lot of value in the conference and look forward to the next one in June. I also hope HIMSS will be open to extending the networking capabilities and would be happy to do my part to help.
Nov 20 2008
Disturbing news out of Houston today regarding Packers Wide Receiver Donald Driver’s dad, Marvin Driver:
The father of a noted NFL player was in critical condition Wednesday, two days after an incident in which his family says Houston police officers beat the man while arresting him on outstanding traffic warrants.
Police said Marvin Driver, the father of Green Bay Packers wide receiver Donald Driver, was taken into custody about 1:30 a.m. on Monday. He was unresponsive when he arrived at the Southeast Jail on Mykawa, police said.
Family members say 56-year-old Marvin Driver was beaten by officers after being arrested at his mother’s house in southeast Houston.
Late Wednesday, Houston police spokesman Victor Senties declined to address specific questions regarding the allegations. But in a statement, HPD noted that the internal affairs division is investigating claims “that injuries he sustained following his arrest were the result of an assault on Mr. Driver by two HPD officers.”
Wait, he was arrested and left the house in good shape and arrived at the jail having been beaten? How did this all start?
The incident began late Sunday when Driver was dropping his brother, Winston Driver, off after the two had moved furniture, family members said.
Officers stopped Marvin Driver Jr. in front of his mother’s home, relatives said. An argument took place between police and Driver’s family, as well as between Driver and officers over the language police were using, according to the written statement issued by family members.
Police told relatives Driver was being taken to jail for the outstanding warrants, relatives said. “Later, the family found out he never made it to the jail,” the statement said.
Something is missing here. I’d like to believe that HPD officers are not roaming gangs of thugs that randomly beat individuals for no reason, there has to be more to this story. Quanell X has appeared on the scene to help the Driver family and had this to say:
Houston Activist Quanell X says Marvin Driver was taken behind a local gas station by police officers, kicked and beaten. Quanell X also said officers allegedly forced Marvin Driver to swallow something and allegedly taunted him by saying, “This is going to take you to Jesus.”
What? “Take you to Jesus?” Really, that’s what they said? Isn’t there video of the event from the police car? HPD does not comment on cases like this, but I’m very interested in their side of the story. From the sports perspective, the Packers are giving all the time and support Driver needs to be there with his father.
The Packers previously had planned to give Driver, their 10th-year veteran receiver, time off from practice on Wednesday and Thursday because the 33-year old has been dealing with several nagging injuries, but coach Mike McCarthy said Driver has “had a personal situation that has come up, and he’s dealing with that right now.”
McCarthy declined further comment but said he believed Driver would be back with the team in time for Monday’s game at New Orleans.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he has not spoken with Driver but was aware of the situation.
“This is a family in here, and we support each other,” Rodgers said. “It’s a difficult situation, and we’re just going to come behind him and pray for him and be there for him when he returns.”
All I can say is, my thoughts are with the Driver family and I hope for the speedy recover of Mr. Driver. I also hope for a quick resolution of the events of this case and the guilty be punished with the same level of intensity used in the beating of Mr. Driver. If this case is found to be an act of brutality, HPD will have a lot of explaining to do.
Nov 20 2008
Yesterday, I attended the first day of the HIMSS Virtual Conference & Expo. HIMSS is the Healthcare Information Management & Systems Society and they describe themselves this way:
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industry’s membership organization exclusively focused on providing leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare.
I’ve been a member of HIMSS for the past couple of years, attended the HIMSS conference in 2006, and received my CPHIMS (Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems) certification in May of 2007. Suffice it to say, I believe in this organization and the role they play in healthcare IT.
My background includes spending time in many industries; always in an IT capacity. However, my current position is my first experience in healthcare and HIMSS has played a key role in my education and understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the healthcare industry. As we all know, finding the time for professional development and the budget for travel is becoming an increasing challenge. So, how does a professional find the time and the money to attend training? We attend virtually.
HIMSS offers a virtual conference to their members. The interface is slick and prompted my 17-year-old to say, “Cool” when he first saw it.
Of course, once you get past the glitz of the interface, it all boils down to the presentations which are delivered via WebEx. Let’s face it; a conference is only as good as the presenters and their materials. Fortunately, there were many quality presentations on Day 1, but the highlight was: “Smart Citizens, Smarter Patients: A Primer on Social Media and the Wisdom of Patients” by Jane Sarasohn-Kahn (www.healthpopuli.com). This presentation provided a wealth of information and gave me renewed hope that Web 2.0 and patient-focused care will ultimately improve both the care of patients and promote healthy living.
Now, I’m off to attend Day 2 and perhaps drop-by the vendor area. I’ll post a more complete update later today. If you attend the conference, let me know what sessions you found most useful and I’ll be sure to checkout any good presentations I missed.
Nov 19 2008
Correction: the Final Four will be in Houston in 2011 and 2016, not 2010 as originally reported.
Great news for Houston sports fans today:
Reliant Stadium has been selected to host the men’s basketball Final Four in 2016, the NCAA announced today.
The national finals that year will be April 2-4 in Houston.
That’s great news. We hosted a regional final this past year and it went very well. Everyone who I spoke with thought Reliant Stadium worked as a basketball venue and the environment was great. The NCAA announced other cities who will be hosting the Final Four games as well:
In addition to New Orleans getting the 2012 event, Atlanta will host it in 2013, Dallas-Fort Worth in 2014, Indianapolis in 2015 and Houston in 2016.
The 2014 Final Four in Dallas-Forth Worth will be held at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium that is in the final stages of construction.
That will be a trick to host the games in an 80,000+ seat venue. Good luck Dallas…
In the past few years we have hosted the MLB and NBA All Star games, Superbowl XXXVIII, NCAA Regional Finals, Big 12 Championship game, Bowl Games, and the World Series. Now, all we need is a real football team and maybe we could host an NFL playoff game! Here’s hoping.
Nov 19 2008
News out of Washington today on another Obama cabinet choice:
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle has accepted President-elect Barack Obama’s offer to be Secretary of Health and Human Services, Democratic officials said Wednesday.
The appointment has not been announced, but these officials said the job is Daschle’s barring an unforeseen problem as Obama’s team reviews the background of the South Dakota Democrat. One area of review will include the lobbying connections of his wife, Linda Hall Daschle, who has done representation mostly on behalf of airline-related companies over the years. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorize to discuss the matter publicly.
What does the choice of Daschle indicate about the Obama Administration?
As Health and Human Services chief, Daschle will be responsible for helping set health care policy. He supports a government-funded insurance program for the nation’s uninsured.
Daschle has also been the head of the health care working group in the Obama transition team. Democratic officials shied away from a term some are throwing around — “health care czar” — but say Daschle “is likely to play a leading role in the passage of health care reform and the strategy to implement it.”
Other sources lay out substantial work being done by the incoming administration to enable health care reform, all of which indicates Obama does intend to move on this issue in spite of the monumental difficulties, including financial obstacles.
Get ready for some serious change in the health care industry. Goodness knows, we need it.
Nov 19 2008
For those football fans without cable TV, you are now officially in trouble:
ESPN and the Bowl Championship Series confirmed Tuesday that they have reached agreement on a four-year television deal beginning in 2011 that gives the cable network broadcast rights to the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl and the national championship game, which rotates among those three plus the Rose Bowl. Sources from both sides said the contract is worth $500 million.
Perhaps this is a sign of the times. It’s getting harder to find the “free lunch” in the sports world. Prime sports are moving more toward a pay-per-view option:
ESPN and other cable network providers say this isn’t a big deal, noting that in most American homes today, subscription TV is a utility, like power and water. An estimated 98 million of America’s 118 million television households have cable or satellite systems.
Moreover, some of that other 20 million are a step ahead, not a step behind. They’re iPhonegeneration kids who skip cable so they can get higher-octane Internet - and watch TV that way.
But still, for the 15 million to 20 million households that only have broadcast TV, Tuesday’s announcement is the bluntest declaration so far that they’re being shut out of one of America’s biggest cultural common denominators: major sports.
It is true, as cable and sports operators note, that this is a business with costs, and no one has a right to enjoy the product for nothing.
OK. So most of us already have ESPN and having access online helps those who do not have cable. Add to that the digital TV conversion in February and it looks like not having cable/satellite is no longer even an option for sports fans or TV viewers in general.
I know the “bottom-line” mentality has been around since the first exchange of goods, but it seems that we are getting out-of-hand. Advertising is squeezed into every possible corner, even on the field of play and the player’s uniforms. Commercials run over top of plays and have worked their way into the play-by-play. We are already paying for the right to view sports. At what point does it end?
Nov 19 2008
The number 2 man in Al-Qaida has the first public Al-Qaida response to Barack Obama’s presidential victory:
CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri has criticized President-elect Barack Obama, calling him a demeaning racial term implying that Obama is a black American who does the bidding of whites.
In an audio message which appeared on militant Web sites Wednesday, al-Zawahri said that Obama is “the direct opposite of honorable black Americans” like Malcolm X. He called Obama a “house negro.”
He added that Obama’s plan to shift troops to Afghanistan is doomed to failure, because Afghans will resist.
Oh boy, you had to expect this type of insult from Al-Qaida. It makes no sense to anger the American people with such a stupid comment. Bottom line, these are people who simply hate. They hate everyone but themselves and I don’t think they are especially pleased with themselves.
