alan.bradford

Snazzy Googley Mappy Maps in Phoenix and Tucson

I know this news is a couple days old, but I had to post this video up for y'all to see. Even if you've seen it before, it's still pretty entertaining. Google has been creating more and more of these informative video announcements. I look forward to what they have next. Enjoy: [youtube=

Let The Games Begin: Microsoft Releases Web-based Medical Record Manager

[screen shots from NY Times] Whodunnit? Microsoft dunnit. In a groundbreaking move for the health industry, Microsoft launches HealthVault. This web-based health/medical record management system is the first of its kind available to the general public. I couldn't believe my eyes yesterday when I read this article. If you've been reading here for a while, you know that I have plans to attend medical school and become a doctor. Pair that up goal with my passion for technology, and this story has be all giddy like a fly on turds. Let's break it down:

1. The problem: Doctors, hospitals, and patients have never had a very effective way of communicating information between each other. Why is this a concern? This lack of communication and unnecessary duplication of records is inefficient, costly, and potentially dangerous for patients.
2. The solution: Create a super-secure, web-based system that can be accessed by a patient and all of his or her health care providers. Information is shared at the discretion of the patient. Patients can allow doctors and hospitals to add information to their profile and determine who should have access to it. (example: lab reports, x-rays, medications are added by doctors to a patient's profile)
3. The (potential) concern: "I don't want Microsoft -- or any big huge corporation for that matter -- to have access to my medical information." Privacy, by the nature of the industry, is a top priority when it comes to health care. Although I am not a Microsoft fanboy, I'm not so concerned with this. To quote from the NY Times article:

   Microsoft’s privacy principles have impressed Dr. Deborah Peel, chairwoman of the Patient Privacy Rights Foundation, a nonprofit group. In terms of patient control, and agreeing to outside audits, “Microsoft is setting an industry standard for privacy,” said Dr. Peel.

4. The future: Rest assured Microsoft will not be the only big player in this arena. Based on recent posts at The Google, the boys and girls from Mountain View will soon be on the map with something to offer. And if the past is any indication, Google's version will be much easier to use. Although VP Adam Bosworth who was in charge of the effort recently left Google to pursue other interests, that hasn't stopped anything. According to the article,

   The company has been developing offerings broadly similar to Microsoft’s — personal health records stored in Google data centers, and enhanced health search. Google will not discuss the timing of its health plans. Marissa Mayer, the Google vice president now overseeing the health team, said, “We hope the products we’re working on will give people access to better information about health that is more relevant to them and help them manage and control their own information.”

So maybe it's a good thing Microsoft jumped out of the bushes first. It'll give others time to perfect what they (will probably) screw up. It's an exciting time to be in the health care field. Especially for nerds like me.

10 Things I Can Now Do With All My Readers

I've been watching my reader count on my fancy Feedburner sidebar widget lately. It seems to be growing. I'm going to have to tear down some walls and build a few new bedrooms if this keeps up. It's more than doubled in the past month. (It's fun saying that, only because I've barely broken into the double digits.) It's got me thinking...if I was in a room with all my readers, what could we do? I came up with a few ideas. Let's see if you can help me out with more.

1. We could start a baseball team and still have two relief pitchers. (I call 1st base!)
2. We could split into teams and have a basketball game with two referees.
3. We could start up a small-scale Civil War reenactment and host events for veteran charities.
4. We could start, like, four three-person bands.
5. Or three four-person bands
6. Or a miniature orchestra. (I play a mean cello.) (not really.)
7. We could play a serious game of Monopoly. Probably with teams of three so it wouldn't take seven years to finish.
8. We could start a Jubilee Choir and sing songs about technology on the streets of Europe. (Raise your hand if you sing alto.)
9. Kickball anyone? you know you wanna.
10. I could delegate all my homework assignments to all y'all and then kick back by the pool and relax for a couple of months.
11. *BONUS ITEM* Red Rover double-elimination tournament with cash prizes. (readers will supply the cash.)

So I say let Darren Rowse keep his 32,869 readers. He can have 'em. John Chow and his 9,063 faithful followers - who needs it? I don't see either of them organizing sweet events like the bigUGLYcouch. Because c'mon, seriously - how are you going to get 32,869 people to play in a kickball tournament together? That's kooky-talk. (Plus, I'd probably still get picked last.) So, boys and girls - what say ye? What else would you like to do together as fellow readers and commentators of the bigUGLYcouch? Commence comments...

ASU's on Wall Street

The Wall Street Journal, that is. In a story that has been causing quite a stir lately, ASU has been profiled in an Wall Street Journal article that focused on the major overhaul of the University's multiple back-end computer systems. View the full article here. (actually - to view the full article, you have to be a subscriber. If you would like to see it, contact me and I'll email you a PDF.) The University has been the subject of a lot of criticism for the way it rolled out the new technology. I talked yesterday about Dr. Adrian Sannier's personal blog. Today he posted a very informative reply to the Journal article that sheds more light on the situation. Today's post is one more in a series that he has written to describe just how flawed ASU''s systems really were. If you're interested, you should read this too. Like I said in the comments to Dr. Sannier's post, I have (recently) worked for a large corporation that was not equipped with adequate technology. It was a large frustration for many employees. I can't imagine the turmoil that would have erupted on campus should the old systems crashed and burned before the new ones were rolled out. I'm very proud to be a Sun Devil. It's neat to see a college be at the forefront of new technology.

Not Counting My Chickens Yet...but...

I don't really feel comfortable advertising something before it happens, but I figured I should at least post an update on some recent events. Some of you may know that I have been meeting with ASU's Technology Office. This was the result of University Technology Officer, Dr. Adrian Sannier reading one of my recent posts about ASU. The meetings have gone very well. A little too well. (cue Twilight Zone music) I have put together a proposal for Dr. Sannier that would allow me to become an official blogger for the Technology Office. Dr. Sannier manages his own blog, but this would be a little different. Here's the idea so far:

• Topics would include:
  • Interviews with Technology Office Staff
  • Interviews with ASU Alumni business owners
  • Lifehacks to make student life easier through technology
  • "Ask-a-Nerd" weekly feature (Q&A with technology topics)
  • Product reviews
  • Contests for students
  • "How-to" videos
  • Extensive coverage of ASU's Google Applications tools
  • Announcements from ASU Technology Office
  • Plenty more...

We're still negotiating the details (hence this post's title), so nothing is set in stone yet. At this point it may or may not happen. But I've got a good feeling about this. I'll announce it here once more details are solidified. All of my old English teachers would be so proud of me right now. Using my mad writing skillz to git me thru kollij.

I'm Starting a Petition

If you've been watching television lately, you have likely seen an advertisement for AT&T. (You know - "Cingular is now the new AT&T..."?) Their latest tagline is "your world is wireless. AT&T is wireless" or something to that effect. Every time I hear that line it sends a shiver up my geeky spine. I'll tell you why. I admit, I'm a geek. I don't handwrite notes. I bring my laptop to class and type them. I don't use Post-its. I send text messages to my email address for later reference. I am a Human Nutrition major at ASU's Polytechnic campus. There's a Nutrition building here where nearly all of my classes are. Unlike most other buildings on the campus, the Nutrition building does not have wireless Internet. Boo. (that's why my spine is shivery) Instead there is one computer lab with about 12-15 computer terminals available. Most of the time it's packed. This is making it hard for me to use ASU's Google Apps software to manage my assignments and take my notes. So, I've decided to start a petition. If you would also like to see wireless Internet come to the Nutrition Building, please go sign your name. If you're returning and would like to check out the list so far, go here. Maybe this will do something, maybe it won't. But this is America and it's worth a try.

Google Presentations Have Hit the Fan

I just logged into my ASU Google Docs & Spreadsheets account to work on some homework and I discovered a fancy new addition that I've been waiting for ever since the announcement. Presentations are Here, boys and girls. I can't wait to try it out. Below are some thumbnails of what I've discovered so far. Click the images to view a bigger shot. You can publish your presentations online, share the URL with friends or clients, and chat live with everyone who is viewing the slide show.

Quickly change the theme of the slide show by using any of their pre-made templates. In Google Docs & Spreadsheets fashion, never worry about saving your Presentation. It's automatically saved, along with versions. Email your presentation to friends or enemies

That's just a glimpse. I'm sure there will be much more neat-o stuff to come. Still not convinced that it's for you? Take a look at this video that was featured on the Official Google Blog announcement that describes why a switch to Google Docs is a smart decision: [youtube= Go sign up now.

Auf Wiedersehen Volkswagen, Hello Honda

If you've been reading for a while, you know that my wife and I recently went through a bunch of car trouble with our little VW Golf. It was a painful experience, both for us and our checkbook. This past weekend, we finally called it quits. We are taking a political stance on pollution and have decided to walk everywhere we go, so we sold the car. We traded in the little guy and made a major purchase. My wife will now be scooting along to work in a Honda CRV. It was an overall good experience. The dealership was courteous, our salesperson wasn't pushy, and there was plenty of bottled water on the showroom floor. This was the first time either of us had purchased a new car, so I learned three things during our five (long) hours at the dealership.

1. Set clear expectations with your customers. | If we would have known that we were going to be there for five hours, we would have packed a lunch. I wasn't opposed to being there for a long time, but we definitely weren't prepared. It would have been helpful if they told us: "It's going to be another 30 minutes or so until the finance department is ready for you - why don't you take these coupons and go grab a bite to eat at XYZ Deli around the corner?"
2. Under-promise, Over-deliver. | We left our garage door opener in the car we traded in. We also noticed that the car pulled to the right a little bit on the drive home. So we came back to the dealership the next day. When we brought it through the service bay, we were told that they might not be able to look at it because of their busy schedule. (there's the under-promising) We walked inside to get our garage door opener and back to the service bay. While we were gone, the service manager had already jumped in our car and was test driving it to figure out the problem. (there's the over-deliver)
3. Survey for Satisfaction. | While we were filling out some paperwork, the sales manager stopped by to say hello. He informed us that we would be receiving a survey about our experience in a few days. He asked us to give them 100% on each question, and that if we couldn't do that to let him know right then what they needed to fix. Nothing is more powerful than word-of-mouth advertising (be it negative or positive), so do everything you can while your customer is in your hands to ensure those words are positive.

The car drives great. I would recommend Honda Cars of Mesa to anyone in the market for a new Honda. Ask for Shane Smallwood - he was a great salesperson. In the meantime, my wife and I will be enjoying the fact that we don't know what the check engine light looks like in our new car.

The Cornell Method Has Me Taking Notes Like a Pro

About a month ago (when I was employed), I sat down at my desk to handwrite a note in a package I was sending. I realized something pretty shocking. It was difficult for me to write. I have become so accustom to typing everything, that the muscles in my hand used for handwriting had become a sloppy mess of un-toned laziness. The note I wrote was only a few lines long, and my hand sort of hurt afterwards. Ridiculous. Since I bring my laptop to all my classes and type out notes during lectures, this hasn't become a problem yet. But I think I will be purchasing little hand-weights so I can get my phalanges back in shape, because I just stumbled on something cool. I attended a free workshop at ASU about learning styles and study techniques. I found out (not surprisingly) that I am a Visual/Kinesthetic learner. What does this mean? I learn by seeing and by doing things hands-on. I received a few handouts about the different styles, complete with tips for lecture learning and tips for when I'm reading my text book. But this isn't what has me excited. I also received some information about different note taking techniques that can help enhance learning/retention/all that good stuff. I am now officially in love with The Cornell Method of note taking. (Don't tell my wife. She'll be jealous.) It was developed in 2005 at (I'm assuming) Cornell University or (I'm assuming) by some shmo named Cornell. (Who names their kid Cornell?!?) The concept is simple, and it enables people to adhere to the 5 R's of Note Taking (not to be confused with the 5 D's of Dodgeball):

1. Record
2. Reduce
3. Recite
4. Reflect
5. Review

By dividing your paper into different sections, your notes will be more organized and easier to understand when going back for a review. Here is a picture of what your paper should look like:

[image courtesy of http://www.wcupa.edu/_ACADEMICS/cae.tut/TCornell.htm] After typing "Cornell Note Taking Method" into the Google, I happened upon a very cool tool that allows you to make a customized PDF file with the Cornell layout. I would highly recommend visiting if you'd like to get yours. (Mucho thanks to the folks at Eleven21.com who created it.) This isn't just a good idea for students. Imagine if businessmen and businesswomen around the world actually started paying attention in meetings and taking notes. Decisions would get done faster, confusion would become a thing of the past. Post-it® notes would become irrelevant. World hunger would subside. The war would be over, and men would stop going bald and experiencing E.D. Just think of the possibilities.

Finally, a Video That Easily Explains RSS

I just updated my "Subscribe" page to include a very informative video that explains RSS beautifully. If a picture is worth 1000 words, then I believe a well-made video can be worth millions. So thanks to Lee LaFever and the folks at CommonCraft for putting this video together. If you've got a blog out there and you want more subscribers, this may be a great video to send around to your friends and family. Heck - send it to your grandpa if you want. Check it: [youtube= I'm also a big fan of Google Reader. Especially now that you can search your feeds from within your Reader account. Oh happy day.