Electronic Medical Records

Only a small number of hospitals in the United States have comprehensive electronic health record systems currently in place. The biggest obstacle to adopting such systems are costs, which can run as high as $20 million to $100 million, plus the reluctance of doctors to change their ways. The report is published in the March online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Researchers questioned 3,049 US hospitals about their electronic health record systems. They found that only 1.5 percent had comprehensive systems. A comprehensive system was defined as hospital-wide clinical documentation of cases, test results, prescription and test ordering, plus support for decision-making that included treatment guidelines.

Eight percent of hospitals have electronic records that include physician and nursing notes, but these systems do not have decision support.

The new healthcare bill aims to change all that within the next five years, by offering incentives for implementing electronic medical records systems. Some see difficulties remaining, with the incentives falling way short of costs. In addition, it can take multiple years to implement a comprehensive system.

Bureau of Communication

This site has a collection of fill-in-the-blank forms, from an apology, to events, like birthdays, etc., and even a last will. The forms have spaces to type in information, then can be emailed to anyone. Fun diversion.    http://bureauofcommunication.com/

Origin of Frisbee

Walter Fred Morrison, like most other college kids in the 1930s, spent a great deal of time throwing around pie pans from the Frisbie Baking Company. But it wasn't until he joined the Air Force that he learned about aerodynamics and he realized he was doing science during those pan-flinging sessions.

So, Fred took what he learned about basic aerodynamics from the Air Force and made a prototype of a better flying disc, that didn't have bits of pie crust stuck to it. And instead of tin, he went with plastic. He dubbed his creation the "Pluto Platter," which was ultimately renamed the "Frisbee" and went on to provide hardcore leaping motivation for extreme college kids everywhere.

September 10

The only thing more painful than learning from experience, is not learning from experience.

I have learned from experience to always have a Happy Friday!

Timex Nail Watch

 This cool watch for your nails was actually announced in 2008, but is lately getting some new press. It snugly fits on your nail and lights up in the dark. Press the end of your thumbnail, and the watch will light up for you.

The watch is the runner up result of the recently organized Timex Watches competition with the code name Timex 2154. It is an extremely thin digital watch made up of translucent material and comes in different color lighting which rhyme in mood with the ambient lighting. No specific release date or cost has been announced.

Google Realtime Search

For those news junkies, or tweet followers, or just those who want an up to the minute (or look back in time) look at breaking stories or topics, Google has a new tool.

You can access Google Realtime Search at its own address, www.google.com/realtime There is a link just under the search box "Learn more about realtime search" that has a video and some tips for using the new feature.

On the new homepage you’ll find some great tools to help you refine and understand your results. First, you can use geographic refinements to find updates and news near you, or in a region you specify. So if you’re traveling to Las Vegas this summer, you can check out tweets from Vegasonians to get ideas for activities happening right where you are. You can check out other things, like earthquakes, etc. and follow the stories from real people in real time.

In addition, there is a conversations view, making it easy to follow a discussion on the real-time web. With the new “full conversation” feature, you can browse the entire conversation in a single glance. Tweets, or other conversations, are organized from oldest to newest and indented so you quickly see how the conversation developed.

There is also an update to Google Alerts, making it easy to stay informed about a topic of your choosing. You can create an alert specifically for “updates” to get an email the moment your topic appears, or you can set alerts to email you once per day or week. The web may have much useless and useful information, but it also provides honesty and truth that is not available from politicians or the media. In the future, it will be difficult to rewrite history when it is available from the web, as it actually happened.

Gusto

Whatever happened to the word gusto? It has been around for over 400 years, but we do not hear it much anymore. The definition says, "vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment'." Maybe we do not have enough vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment about much these days. If we each go out and do something with gusto today we can bring in that delectable word - and have some fun doing it.

YouTube

It has launched a fresh Movies category on its website, gathering about 400 full-length films for your on-demand viewing pleasure, all free of charge.

What's in a Name

Alfredo di Lelio, an Italian chef, was concerned about his wife who was feeling weak after recently giving birth. He prepared a sauce made from cream, butter and Parmesan cheese to help her regain strength. He then added fettuccine and a wonderful new Italian dish was born, Fettuccine Alfredo. It jumped in popularity in the United States when Hollywood couple Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford tried the recipe at Alfredo’s restaurant on their honeymoon in Rome.

Helen Porter Mitchell began her opera career and became a famous singer with the stage name Nellie Melba. While staying at the Savoy Hotel in London in 1897, Auguste Escoffier invented Melba Toast in her honor (very thinly sliced and toasted bread usually served with soups). Around the same time, Escoffier and César Ritz met and team up to create the first Ritz Hotel.

Exercise Underwear

True - The Japanese have come up with T-shirts and boxers that are supposed to help you lose weight. Uniqlo is marketing a new line of products that claim to help wearers burn more calories from just suiting up. 

Called the ‘Easy Exe’ series, after a phonetic shortening of the word “exercise” in Japanese. The design of plastic dots and lines that traces the gluteus maximus and lower back is said to encourage better posture, which will lead to a more efficient way of walking, according to Uniqlo. Both the boxers and T-shirts cost 1,500 yen ($17). The products are currently available online and in select outlets around Japan. If you buy these, I have this bridge. . .

Mums the Word

This means to keep quiet and comes from Shakespeare in Henry VI, Part 2, Act 1, Scene 2:  “Seal up your lips and give no words but mum." It was actually pronounced with a mmmmm, as in a hum.

Bacon Butty

You probably have not heard it by that name. 'Butty' is a term the English use for sandwich. Seems the new prime minister, David Cameron is a fan of bacon butties. Daniel Craig, (James Bond), demands them on the set when he is filming and has them flown in from England.

According to a scientific study (True), an integral part of a successful bacon butty is the aural factor - how loud the crunch is when you bite into it. A classic bacon butty is soft white bread, butter, bacon fat, crispy streaky bacon. Other names are bacon bap, bacon sanger, and bacon sarnies. Ah, by any other name - Yumm!

Old Spice Gets Bacony

Here is a LINK to a quick YouTube about Old Spice, a zeppelin, a heart attack, and bacon - all in 38 seconds.

Reduce Garlic Breath

Scientists reviewing garlic odor recently came to the conclusion that water and fat can reduce garlic breath. They determined that milk, yogurt, a non-skim latte, or even ice cream, are all good breath fixers as they help move garlic quickly through your system.