photo credit: Infidelic

Medical News Today carried a story about a program at Ohio State University where doctors are storing large amounts of medical information on secured USB drives for heart surgery patients to carry with them. Should the patient suffer an emergency, the treating physician could review the patient’s entire history quickly.

“We usually include their most recent clinic visit, ultrasounds of their heart, heart catheterizations and, in some instances, if it’s important, we may have images of their heart,” says Dr. Curt Daniels, a cardiologist at Ohio State University Medical Center.

Dr. Daniels and his staff came up with the idea of using the jump drives. Daniels says the medical history of some heart patients is very complex, and if they ever find themselves needing medical attention in another city or country, every minute matters. That’s where the jump drive can help. Any doctor, anywhere in the world, can simply plug it into their computer to answer any questions they might have.

“What heart surgeries have they had? How should their heart really be arranged, and how strong or weak is their heart? Do they have valve problems? Is that part of their history? Having that information right away, we believe, will improve medical care for our patients,” says Daniels.

I tried tracking down exactly what application, if any, is used to store the data, but couldn’t find anything. I suspect they simply use encryption software to protect the data, and store files in folders. It would be interesting to see someone develop a software application that encrypts the data, automatically runs when the USB drive mounts, and provides a searchable index to all information stored on the drive. Extra points for automatic language translation for patients travelling to other countries.

If you’re interested in creating one of these jump drives yourself, work with your doctor to accumulate the medical information pertinent to you and use a program like TrueCrypt to protect your data. Just make sure you carry instructions on decrypting the data, and don’t leave both the drive and the instructions at the same restaurant in Italy.

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photo credit: e.marie

It’s not every day I read a story on blogging when flipping through health and science RSS feeds. The Science Blog and Science Daily have released articles discussing a study conducted at UC Irvine studying “blog readers’ online habits and experiences, as well as how they perceive their roles in blog-based communities.” Blogging and “citizen journalism” continues to be a growing phenomenon – even the federal government is taking a look at how it can better communicate using Web 2.0 style methods. Recognizing the growing phenomenon, apparently the scientific community is taking a hard look at social interaction and information consumption:

The UCI study examined in-depth the blog-reading habits of 15 participants of various ages to determine how they consume content and interact with blogs and blog writers. The research found that some readers frequently post comments, while in others “lurk,” or visit without commenting.

“With the increased popularity of blogs, various tools like Blogger and Movable Type have made writing a blog easy for a wide audience,” said Baumer, who studies informatics. “But, until the technology embraces the role of the audience, the full social potential of blogging remains untapped.

The researchers hope their work will prompt further studies about the roles of blog readers and how features such as commenting and linking create new ways to interact with authors and text.

This potential change in research approach would be similar to a shift that occurred in literary theory in the 1960s and 1970s, when scholars began taking into account readers’ responses when studying literature.

“This study is really just the beginning,” said Tomlinson, an ICS professor and affiliate of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology. “With the rapid expansion of online social media such as Flickr and YouTube, understanding how people consume these media will be vital to understanding their broader social impacts.”

It appears the target audience for this study is other scientists – bloggers already study and are intimately aware of how they interact with their readers; blog readers don’t care about the science behind their interaction, they just enjoy receiving RSS feeds and having the opportunity to offer feedback and participate in discussions. Perhaps among those in the social science community, the “blogging movement” represents the same sort of paradigm shift quantum mechanics wrought on the “hard science” community – there is no longer such a thing as an objective observer. Of course, atoms and quarks don’t participate in discussions about what it means to be a quark and how quarks are being denied a voice in the current elections, so there’s possibly even a more thunderous change on the horizon for social sciences – not only is there no such thing as an objective observer, but interpretations and feedback offered by the observed participants have to be factored into the study.

It’s interesting to see the blogging movement through the eyes of scientists. For example, their findings included:

• Some readers frequently post comments, while in others “lurk,” or visit without commenting.
• Readers have diverse opinions of what makes a blog a blog. Academic definitions generally refer to blogs as frequently modified Web pages with dated entries listed in reverse chronological order. But study participants identified a wide variety of characteristics in what they considered to be blogs. These included both technical aspects like RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds and trackback links, as well as social aspects, including the presence of conversation or personal content.
• Regular blog reading often becomes more habitual and less content oriented. Similar to e-mail checking, blog reading can become ingrained into users’ online routine. Sometimes, even the usefulness of the blog content itself can be less vital than the activity of reading or skimming the blog to fulfill a person’s particular routine.
• The timing of a blog post is not nearly as relevant to readers as its position among the other entries. Readers are more likely to read the most recent posts at the top of the screen, and are generally less concerned with the exact age of a post. A vast majority of participants said they were not bothered when they were not able to read each and every blog post, challenging a common theory that users tend to feel overwhelmed by the need to remain constantly up to date.
• Blog readers feel a responsibility to make insightful contributions. While past research noted readers expect bloggers to deliver frequent, high-quality posts, the UCI study found readers also place pressure on themselves to produce coherent, worthwhile comments in response to good blog posts.

Sound familiar? If you read “blogs on blogging” like John Chow, this kind of information is frequently discussed. However, my guess is scientists in general don’t blog much, and their fascination and study of the semantic web is proof we are living through a major shift in social science.

If you’re interested in reading more about blogging or semantic web and informatics, here’s some good places to start:

• O’Reilly Radar
• ReadWriteWeb
• iLibrarian
• John Chow
• Dosh Dosh
• PureBlogging

With more people in the science and medicine community jumping on the semantic web bandwagon, it will be interesting to see studies like this one conducted on information consumption, social networking and how it changes our social behaviors.

Do you want your doctor blogging about your checkup? Take our poll and tell us how you feel. Do you, as a blog reader, consume more of your information online than other media? Do you simply go through a daily routine of checking RSS feeds, or do you actually read articles to stay up-to-date on current events and topics that interest you?

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Now, to see what this fuss is all about. Looks like there’s a couple health channels among some other interesting stuff. Wonder why Bridezillas is worldwide except America? Not that I wanted to watch it…

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First, a word about licensing.
I originally wanted to provide the one-step Audacity/LAME installer as a downloadable file, but started reconsidering after looking into license issues. Audacity and LAME are themselves covered by GPL/LGPL and therefore are re-distributable; however, I can’t tell what the SetupStream license terms are, and the patent mess covering the mp3 format may prevent distributing a package that installs Audacity with built-in mp3 output. Since I can’t really tell, I listed the steps required to make your own installer, and you can choose how you use or distribute it.

Step 1
First, I downloaded the tools I’d need. Since I was creating a custom installer, I needed the zipped version of Audacity, not their installer. Additionally, I needed LAME and an installation creator with the ability to insert registry keys. After trying a couple install creators, I chose SetupStream – it’s easy to use, freeware and offers a wide array of features, including all those I need.

• Audacity 1.2.6 – look under “Optional Downloads” for the zipped version
• LAME 3.97 – I used the 3.97 bundle available at RareWares (direct download link)
• SetupStream 2.082

Step 2
Next, some preliminary steps: unzip Audacity into its own folder, then unzip the file lame_enc.dll from the LAME zip file into the the same folder that contains Audacity.exe. Install and start SetupStream, select Create New Setup and click Next.

Step 3
SetupStream now prompts for basic program information – enter at least the program name and version, select Announce as Application (I’ll explain more about this feature later) and click Next.

Step 4
Now we add the files to be installed. Due to a quirk with SetupStream, to maintain folder structure each sub-folder has to be independently added to the project; otherwise, all files in sub-folders will be installed into one main root folder. We’ll start with the files contained in the main Audacity folder: click Add, enter <Install Root>\ in Destination Folder, click Browse and Add Folder Content, then select the folder containing our unzipped Audacity files and click OK. SetupStream will prompt to include files in subdirectories, click No Change the text in Destination Folder to <Install Root>\Languages, click Browse and Add Folder Content, then select the Languages subdirectory in our unzipped Audacity folder, and click No to prevent subdirectories from being included. Repeat the process for the Nyquist and Plug-ins subdirectories, first changing the text in Destination Folder then adding the files. When finished, click OK then Next.

Step 5
SetupStream now prompts for any registry changes the installer should include. Audacity stores the location for the lame encoder (the lame_enc.dll file) in the registry; if that registry key doesn’t exist, Audacity will prompt the user for this file. By inserting this registry key as part of the installation process, the end-user suffers one less confusing step. Click Add, then select or type the following values:

• Root: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
• Path: \Software\Audacity\Audacity\MP3\
• Key: MP3LibPath
• Value: C:\\Program Files\\Audacity\\lame_enc.dll
• Type: String

Step 6
SetupStream now prompts for a License Agreement – you can leave this blank.

Step 7
SetupStream now prompts for Windows Compatability and whether to Require Reboot. Leave All Versions checked and Require Reboot unchecked, then click Next.

Step 8
SetupStream next prompts for the Default Destination Folder – enter <ProgramFiles>\<AppName>, leave Enable Serial Checking unchecked and click Next.

Step 9
SetupStream now prompts for start-up shortcuts. In my opinion, it’s a good idea to at least insert a short-cut on the Start > Programs menu, as most computer users look there for programs, and possibly also on the Desktop. To avoid cluttering a user’s Desktop, I instructed SetupStream to add a short-cut only on the Start menu by clicking Add, then selecting or entering the following values:

• Location: <StartMenu>\<AppName>
• Target: <InstallRoot>\audacity.exe
• Parameters: left this value blank
• Caption: Audacity
• User-specific Short-cut Icon: left this value unchecked and blank

Step 10
SetupStream now prompts for any DLL or OCX files to register – leave this blank.

Step 11
SetupStream now prompts for any Additional Commands to execute post-installation or pre-uninstallation. Leave these blank.

Step 12
SetupStream next prompts for the location and type of install file to create. I directed the finished installer to a folder on my desktop, chose Web as the installation type (CD will create a root folder complete with autorun.ini file) and left Unattended Setup blank. Click Next to compile the installer, Finish to exit the program and enjoy your new, easy-to-use Audacity and LAME installer!

Screenshots of the resulting installation program:

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Clean your (Windows-based) computer of any viruses or spyware.  There is a growing trend of not running anti-virus, anti-spyware or firewall software.  Even if you use real-time scanners, there are a couple of steps you should take:

1. Update your software.  Most security software apps rely on updates to definition lists and scanning engines.  Usually, real-time scanning software automatically updates, but it’s a good idea to hit the update button just to make sure.
2. Dump the debris.  Empty your temp files and temporary Internet files.  Although you can do this manually, I suggest using a software app with an easy-to-use interface and solid reputation in the anti-spyware community, like CCleaner.
3. Scan your computer.  Real-time scanners typically protect your computer by scanning files as they are used (opened, closed, saved, downloaded, etc), but it’s a good idea to run a manual scan once in a while.  After updating, initiate a manual scan and make some coffee – it’ll especially take a while if you enable advanced options like heuristics and archive scanning.
4. Get a second opinion.  When doing spyware/virus removals, I always use at least two different virus removal programs and several spyware removal apps.  IMPORTANT: if you install more than one antivirus software application, enable the real-time scanning engine for only ONE application.  My favorite freeware products include:
   • Antivirus
   • Avira AntiVir
   • AVG
   • Avast
   • Spyware
   • Ewido
   • Spybot S&D
   • Adaware SE Personal
   • A-squared
   • Inoculate / Sandbox
   • SpywareBlaster
   • Sandboxie
5. Get a third opinion.  Use a web-based scanner, like PCPitstop or Trend.

Look for the padlock.  Make sure the address starts with https://, which indicates a secure connection with your bank or e-filing institution.  You may have to log in before the secure connection is initiated.

File with Linux.  Many Linux distributions offer a “live cd” version – pop this disc in your drive, boot from the disc and you have a fresh operating system complete with a browser for online banking and finance.  Ubuntu is a popular choice right now (I personally use Kubuntu, as I don’t like the Gnome interface), is frequently updated and is easy to learn.  If you become a linux convert, you can easily install the live cd onto your computer to speed bootup and file access.  Using a live CD prevents any malware infection possibly residing on your computer from snagging your financial information.  Of course, this option only works if you’re filing and banking through an Internet website.

Geek out – use a virtual machine.  A “virtual machine” (at least in this context) is a software application that emulates a second computer.  By installing a virtual machine application, you create a “sandbox”, or self-contained operating system that does not spread malware and virus infections to the entire computer.  This stuff is geeky and doesn’t lend itself to a short description; for more information, see wikipedia’s entry on generic usage of VMWare.  Popular virtual machine applications include VMWare (free versions here), Microsoft VirtualPC, Parallels and Xen.

While there are several approaches to installing and using the virtual machine, for maximum security you should format your computer to ensure no virus or malware infections exist, then immediately install the virtual machine for general Internet use.  If formatting is not an option, at the very least thoroughly clean your Windows host as outlined above before installing and using the virtual machine.  Simply installing a virtual machine inside your existing Windows host for e-filing and banking is not the most secure approach, as keyloggers and malware infecting your host operating system would still have access to information you type into the virtual machine.  The idea is to contain infection to the sandboxed virtual machine.

Never, EVER respond to solicitations for information.  Paypal doesn’t need to know your username and password, and your bank would never contact you via e-mail with a clickable link and an account termination notice.  If in doubt, always verify e-mail solicitations with a phone call.

Have tips of your own?  I’d love to hear them – share them in the comments below.

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I work on a laptop all day at work and for a couple of hours at home most nights, so being conscious of my posture and taking other steps to prevent strain and RSI are important to me.  Idealog has a good post on some hints for being ergonomically conscious, including:

• Sit with your weight on your sit bones with some weight on your feet.
• Get a portable laptop riser or use a book to raise the height of your display.
• Use a portable trackball at lap level, consider switching hands for mousing.
• Consider using a portable keyboard at lap level.

More tips and discussion are available at the idealog article.

Personally, the steps I take include the following:

• Make sure the brightness is high enough for my environment.  In low lighting, I don’t crank it up all the way to prevent glare and my eyes squinching; in bright lighting, I set the brightness all the way.
• Lift the heels of my hands off the keyboard.  When I rest my heels on the keyboard, it starts hurting my wrists, and I’m sure some ergonomic study has shown this to lead to RSI.  Doing this has the added benefit of preventing me from bumping the stupid trackpad accidentally.

I’m sure there are other sites that have lots of ergonimics tips.  Looking around the Internet I bumped into the International Ergonomics Association site.  Surely they have some ergonomics tips, right?  The best I could find at a glance was the IEA’s achievement of defining ergonomics.  Surely that couldn’t have been difficult.  Well, maybe so, looking at the actual definition:

Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

 

Derived from the Greek ergon (work) and nomos (laws) to denote the science of work, ergonomics is a systems-oriented discipline which now extends across all aspects of human activity. Practicing ergonomists must have a broad understanding of the full scope of the discipline. That is, ergonomics promotes a holistic approach in which considerations of physical, cognitive, social, organizational, environmental and other relevant factors are taken into account. Ergonomists often work in particular economic sectors or application domains. Application domains are not mutually exclusive and they evolve constantly; new ones are created and old ones take on new perspectives.

What a mouth-full.  Reading that definition is disruptive to my cognitive ergonomics.

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