MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'The Haversian Canal' source. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:54:33 +0100 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/11/why_do_we_think_about_numbers.php A visitor to Edward Tufte's forum, Angela Morelli, asked me by email why we understand numbers and graphs differently. A revised and sources-cited version of my response is below. People interpret numbers and graphs differently because they are handled differently in the brain. Numbers are generally handled by the verbal linguistic system and graphs are handled by both the non-verbal linguistic system and the limbic system. The bit rate of the visual system is about 10 million bits/second (see Tufte's original thread). The rate of reading, listening, braille, typing, maxes out at around 150-400 words per minute. To understand how this works, and provide a foundation for further reading, a *very* brief review of the relevant neuroscience seems in order. Visual processing begins in the re... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1945169 Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:17:47 +0100 1945169 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/10/starbucks_fail.php I just ordered a coffee at Starbucks. I always order "a medium cappuccino for here, in a ceramic cup". It's redundant, but I want to make sure I don't use a paper cup. So today the girl took out a paper cup, after I told her three times I wanted a ceramic cup, she wrote my order on the paper cup, dropped it in the ceramic cup, and gave it to the barista, giving me a look, like "You didn't expect me to be *that* clever, did you, silly customer?" Why not just tell the barista "medium cappuccino"? (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1907572 Sat, 25 Oct 2008 22:31:06 +0100 1907572 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/09/copyright_in_the_constitution.php Article I: The Congress shall have power to . . . [do a whole list of things, including] . . . promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries; Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . . Just in case anyone obsessed with their "intellectual property rights" missed it. If you're not promoting the progress of science or useful arts, your attempts to restrict freedom of the press are in violation of the spirit of the Constitution. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1815215 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:56:27 +0100 1815215 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/09/simple_models_of_cell_phone_ra.php There are two basic ways electromagnetic radiation can transfer energy to a biological system to cause damage: thermal and molecular. Thermal energy is cooking, heating, sunburns. You need a large amount of energy and it's typically in the range of visible light (in order: radio -- infrared -- visible -- ultraviolet -- x-ray/cosmic ray/nuclear). The peak instantaneous power output from any cell phone is 3.6 watts; the average power output is substantially lower. The capacity of a Lithium-polymer battery is about 300 Watt*hours per liter (Wh/L); a cell phone battery is about 6 milliliters, so the average cell phone battery has a capacity of about 2 Watt*hours. Given that people typically charge their phone once a day and probably talk between 30 minutes and 1 hour per day, plus the constan... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1812673 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:43:48 +0100 1812673 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/08/uss_nimitz_cvn_68_transiting_t.php I've always been proud of this cover. I wrote the transit plan that brought together all the assets you see here; it was the first carrier to get underway after 9/11. After entering the Atlantic we turned south to transit Cape Horn. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1676937 Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:06:38 +0100 1676937 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/07/journal_club_and_surgery_subre.php For anyone who uses reddit for their news, I started a couple of subreddits: Journal_Club and surgery. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1648944 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:42:15 +0100 1648944 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/07/setting_up_mailman_in_centos_5.php The first thing: use the repos. I didn't see an svn checkout, and a simple make install is going to have dependency errors. The one I recall was something about python. Next: note that the install goes to /usr/lib/mailman, not /usr/local/mailman The biggest thing is that CentOS splits the contents of mailman's default "data" directory across two system directories, /etc and /var/lib. The contents are split as you might expect. /etc/mailman/adm.pw /etc/mailman/aliases /etc/mailman/aliases.db /etc/mailman/creator.pw /etc/mailman/mm_cfg.py --> /usr/lib/mailman/Mailman/mm_cfg.py /etc/mailman/sitelist.cfg /var/lib/mailman/archives /var/lib/mailman/data /var/lib/mailman/lists /var/lib/mailman/spam You will need to know one or another of these tidbits in virtually every chapter of the instal... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1630957 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:44:13 +0100 1630957 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/07/logs.php There's a recent thread on the DR-ED mailing list about student logs. One administrator talked of how they took their student logs so seriously that made the submission of logs required for graduation. As a student I have to say, I find these logs a rather odd thing. Most students I know (and I'm including multiple schools here) fill these logs out just before they're due and forge whatever requirements they don't recall actually accomplishing. Logbooks started on ships in the days of celestial navigation. They used the speed of the boat, which they determined by dropping a log in the water, tied to a rope with knots. The log would float and the number of knots that landing in the water in one minute would be recorded in a book. The logbook. In the days of celestial navigation beyond si... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1605835 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:34:50 +0100 1605835 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/06/fascist_bias_in_censorware.php The original title was "Political Bias in Censorware?", but considering even military projects that might have the potential of spreading democracy are also censored, I can't say this is a liberal-vs-conservative sort of thing. It's unambiguously the neoconservative flavor of fascism . . . Secure Computing is a network security company originally funded by DARPA. It has parlayed those tax payer development dollars into profitable business in such enlightened countries as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and China. China purportedly has their own home-grown proxy filter, but Secure Computing is happy to 'add value' ('subtract freedom'?) for Chinese corporate and government computing. Their SmartFilter proxy prevents people from accessing websites and comes with a pre-loaded set of banned w... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1525986 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:35:05 +0100 1525986 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/06/potential_for_an_alternator_ex.php The OLPC peripherals mailing list is *consumed* with how to deliver power to these laptops. One recent thread called for manufacturing alternators. While I applaud the idea of manufacturing alternators, perhaps exporting scrapped alternators is another viable alternative. Alternators are something that requires access to industry, not only for machining but also bearings, copper wire, case castings, and enamel. The one place you're likely to find all those things outside a manufacturing plant is in motor rewind shops. I suspect the highest concentration of motor rewind shops is to be found within two kilometers or so of any port. Certainly the biggest rewind shops will be near the ports. how many alternators are we talking about? I tossed this to my brother and dad . . . seems like there ... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1502487 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:33:02 +0100 1502487 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/06/cell_phones_can_pop_popcorn.php (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1501248 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 04:47:05 +0100 1501248 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/05/brief_list_of_useful_commands.php wget -- download a file from the internet to the directory you're currently in, eg: wget http://wordpress.org/wordpress-2.5.1.tar.gz tar -- extract an archive in the directory you're currently in, eg: tar -xzvf wordpress-2.5.1.tar.gz mv -- technically this moves a file or directory, but it's effectively used to rename things: eg, to rename the directory wordpress-2.5.1 as blogs : mv wordpress-2.5.1 blogs ls -- list directory contents (ls -al lists all, including hidden, and shows permissions and owners cd -- change directory top -- what processes are running, sortable by cpu time, memory, etc w -- who's online right now write -- exchange messages with someone else online. Eg: write tim less -- read a file from the terminal. Use up/down to scroll, use f and b to jump half a page at a time m... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1477832 Fri, 30 May 2008 03:57:00 +0100 1477832 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/05/ripped_xo_keyboard.php My picture of a ripped XO keyboard, which I posted on the olpc forum, was picked up by engadget, gizmodo, the eee pc blog, and pocket-lint. The comments on those articles lodge a number of accusations against me: 1) I should use a better camera and I'm an incompetent photographer. Huh? I think the ability to appreciate which camera is fastest, most readily available, and able to convey the information is pretty sophisticated thinking, but here's a fancy picture. Check. Of course, I think you'll agree the information conveyed by the photo really didn't change using a DSLR, macro lens, and putting it near an open window on the north side of the building so as to get that nice large-source sidelight.      2) People allege I live in a McMansion, my child is spoiled, I ga... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1413406 Thu, 01 May 2008 20:06:06 +0100 1413406 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/04/sauteed_morels_over_spinach.php I've never had morels before, and I rarely go to Whole Paycheck, but I picked some dried ones up and decided to try them. I don't know about you, but when I spend $5 on an appetizer-for-two's worth of protein and carbs, I do some research before preparing it. Seems many morel recipes, like many mushroom recipes in general, call for frying them. They're often halved and fried in butter or deep fried. I figure the average french peasant didn't do a lot of deep frying, so I went with the pan-fry. They're fairly dark, in about the same tonal range as blanched spinach, and often presented with a strongly contrasting white element. Garlic, shallots, and olive oil are common. A dark green is often added. We had a bag of spinach leaves, I don't like boiled spinach, and my wife loves it, so I thou... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1402936 Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:18:37 +0100 1402936 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/03/how_to_check_your_tulane_schoo.php You will need your AMCAS ID. It's eight digits. Once you find it, email it to yourself for future reference. *https://s4.tcs.tulane.edu/menu *Data Systems - Student Services Student Forms *youralias@tulane.edu *AMCAS ID (eight digits) *Some arcane answer to a question you probably forgot. *"Grades Check" (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1305659 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 03:53:45 +0100 1305659 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/03/some_examples_of_high_caliber.php Saul Hansell has a good article covering Google's position in the IP address privacy debate. But more important than the article itself is Peter Fleischer's explication of a particular logical device: I’m all for moving away from black and white thinking about the privacy implications of IP addresses. Indeed, most of the commenters in this chain state their case by analogizing to something else (like phone numbers or credit card numbers). But each of the analogies simply changes the factual and technical realities of IP addresses into something else, closer to the outcome that they’d like to see. Let's zero in on the device: analogies simply changes the factual and technical realities of [issue] into something else, closer to the outcome that [the party] like to see. There's another ... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1288926 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 06:14:03 +0100 1288926 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/03/proper_email_handling_between.php Derek's previously published howto used a redirect rule in Outlook to get your email from the Exchange server to Gmail. I stumbled across Gmail's ability to download email from another account using POP3 protocol, and after some digging, it appears you really can preserve the headers (which the previous redirect rule tended to strip), and Gmail will remove the email from the Exchange server, so your deleted items folder on the Exchange server never fills up! The key was the pop server address, which I found on this third party support company's site, here. Steps:GmailSettingsAccountsUnder "Get mail from other accounts": Add another email account enter your tulane email address (you@tulane.edu)Next Step>>enter your passwordmake sure the pop server is pop.tulane.edudon't change anything els... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1271266 Sun, 02 Mar 2008 01:39:41 +0100 1271266 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/02/paul_barron_students_arent_wor.php This is a recent reply to a very hard-working and well-meaning secretary of one of the departments at the medical school. She was trying to send a bunch of pre-read documents to all the students in an upcoming clerkship and expressed some anxiety that a number of the students' email accounts were bouncing as "undeliverable". This is my response. Oh, and she replied, confirming that most of the bouncing addresses were tulane.edu addresses. Dear Ms Phaknam, I got your email. What percentage of the "undeliverables" are from tulane.edu addresses? The reason I ask is that Paul Barron, in his infinite wisdom, decided that students are insignificant and gave us a whopping 75 MB of email space (Gmail provides 6+ GB, almost 100x more space). Microsoft Office documents (PowerPoint, Word, etc) can ... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1251725 Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:15:41 +0100 1251725 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/02/further_evidence_that_paul_bar.php Paul Barron recently decided everyone at Tulane needs to change their passwords regularly. This isn't bad policy in and off itself, but the managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by applying a bunch of rules that, as a bunch, are stupid. Here they are, let's dissect: Your password must:have at least 6 character(s)!have upper and lower case characters!have no more than 5 upper-case letter(s)!have no more than 5 lower-case letter(s)!have at least 1 digit(s)!not be an exact dictionary word match!not be your username!not be your username backwards!not contain your username!not contain your username backwards!not be your username with the letters rearranged!not be an old password! Okay, so let's look at the critical ones in more detail: have no more than 5 upper-case letter(s)!have... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1251726 Sat, 23 Feb 2008 20:05:32 +0100 1251726 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/02/california_judge_tries_to_bloc.php Press release here. Here's a list of alternate URLs by which you can reach wikileaks. Public Cover Names * wikileaks.la http://wikileaks.la/ https://secure.wikileaks.la/ * kiev.trade.org.ua http://kiev.trade.org.ua/ https://secure.kiev.trade.org.ua/ * home.e.co.za http://home.e.co.za/ https://secure.home.e.co.za/ * joburg.e.co.za http://joburg.e.co.za/ https://secure.joburg.e.co.za/ * new.alain.co.za http://new.alain.co.za/ https://secure.new.alain.co.za/ * wikileaks.be http://wikileaks.be/ https://secure.wikileaks.be/ * new.zzz.be http://new.zzz.be/ https://secure.new.zzz.be/ * wikileaks.de http://wikileaks.de/ https://secure.wikileaks.de/ * stockholm.divx.se http://stockholm.divx.se/ http... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1239209 Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:54:57 +0100 1239209 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/02/my_tax_dollars_support_religio.php Money doesn't grow on trees. Every deduction you can take on your taxes means someone else has to pay more, or the country runs a bigger deficit. It's not quite direct funding, but, really, that's the net effect. Here are some of the gems I found in TurboTax's Glossary of Deductions and Credits: Your tax dollars support religious parties: High Holy Days tickets. Deduct amounts you pay to a synagogue for tickets to special religious events. Enter them in Deductions and Credits under Donations powered by ItsDeductible(R). The church now taxes the government: Pew rents. You can deduct fees you pay to a church for pew rents. Enter them in Deductions and Credits under Donations powered by ItsDeductible(R). Dream-readings (fees for psychologists and psychiatrists are listed separately): Psych... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1238129 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:15:39 +0100 1238129 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/02/another_reason_to_buy_a_mac_or.php With the government now searching laptops at borders and airports with abandon, and even holding those laptops indefinitely, there's another reason to start buying Macs or using Linux, especially on your home desktop. All major operating systems, except Windows, come with Secure SHell (OpenSSH to be precise) installed, which allows computers to securely serve files over the internet through strongly encrypted "tunnels". This allows you to have a laptop with substantially less personal information. Simply log in from your laptop, get the files you want to work on, work on them, and put them back. Just like your office. Your home desktop computer becomes a "fileserver". And, like your desk and file cabinet, you simply get things out, you work on them on your laptop, and then either send them... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1216464 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 21:08:34 +0100 1216464 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/02/backup_software_options.php What I want: automated, incremental backup of multiple systems at root level over a local network. Backup options available (not yet clear which truly can be used to restore the OS) Linux: rsync rdiff-backup flyback, which is basically rsync with a GUI. Mac: Time Machine SuperDuper Windows XP: Acronis TrueImage Windows System Restore (haha!) For disk recovery: SpinRite. Internet: Amazon S3 + JungleDisk Mozy or Carbonite Articles on the topic: Andy Brice Jamie Zawinski, via Jeff Atwood. Zawinski's advice is so important, I'm reproducing it in the extended post, just in case his site goes down (oh, the irony). (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1204618 Tue, 05 Feb 2008 01:38:42 +0100 1204618 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/02/why_im_not_voting_for_hillary.php She continues to propogate the politics of fear. Her main comparison point between herself and Barak Obama is that she has been through it before, and don't you want someone who's proven able to fight? Well, I can fight my own battles, thank you, but the country needs leadership. Not fighting. They need someone who's out in front, leading the thinking, without stimulating the fear. Fear is like crack: it's a powerful stimulant, but the addiction will eventually kill the patient. I think Hillary has some great ideas about healthcare, and Obama should think hard about stealing those ideas, but that one issue doesn't make her a president. The co-presidency idea that's been sprouting is at least as disturbing. Bill Clinton has a great mind, but more soap operas in the White House is the kind ... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1199808 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:12:24 +0100 1199808 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/01/a_big_reason_im_voting_for_oba.php From his site. “I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not get a job in my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president.” — Barack Obama, Speech in Des Moines, IA, November 10, 2007 And, by-the-by, the code on his site is nice and clean. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1187102 Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:37:58 +0100 1187102 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/01/microsoft_money_or_why_i_still.php I have approaching a decade of hard-earned receipt-level data in Microsoft Money and my wife and I both know how to use it and we really are getting a better grip on our finances. I would rather use an open source program, but I'm not willing to flush all my data down the drain. A week ago Scott Carpenter wrote the most exhaustive review I've seen of KMyMoney and migrating from MS Money, and his advice is to kiss my old data goodbye. Well, if that's the state of things, I guess I'll have to wait until GnuCash, KMyMoney, or some other application figures out how to preserve the hundreds of hours my wife and I have put into this dataset. From the looks of it, KMyMoney is the better option in terms of interface, but the data migration is still a long way from where I need it to be. TurboCash ... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1181614 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:32:29 +0100 1181614 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/01/forcing_freedom_on_the_data_fr.php Andrew Vickers reports on the lack of data sharing among medical researchers in today's New York Times in Cancer Data? Sorry, Can't Have It. At first I thought encouraging patients to add the GNU Free Documentation License to their consent forms when agreeing to participate in the trial, but that wouldn't liberate the entire dataset. Institutional Review Boards could mandate the freedom of information, but at the end of the day IRBs really only do what they do under the force of federal laws, and the situation would remain in the same patchwork state it is now. If even federally funded projects refuse to release their information, the existing statutes seem to be insufficient. Would a FOIA request have standing? If not, it seems a FOIA request procedure for medical trials data would be a s... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1169579 Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:01:29 +0100 1169579 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/01/so_what_is_it.php A two year old boy presents with a rash for one day. Three weeks ago he fell and hit his right cheek on a sofa, causing a superficial scrape 2 centimeters across (see slideshow). He did virtually the same thing again two weeks ago (1 week after the initial injury). Six days ago his father documented an additional area of irritation at the right corner of his mouth (slideshow). Three days ago his mother brought him to a general pediatrician because the scrape was not getting better. A topical steroid was prescribed. Two days ago the boy vomited "until there was nothing left" about two hours after dinner. The parents the vomitus was only partially digested food and wasn't red, green, particularly mucusy, or full of anything that looked like coffee grounds. The boy vomited again after drinkin... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1167164 Tue, 22 Jan 2008 04:02:28 +0100 1167164 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/01/big_brother_comes_installed.php Imagine a world where you don't have ultimate control of the things you believe are yours. I'm not talking like a mortgage, I'm talking like 1984. Microsoft, Intel, and their minions have been working on it for a decade. They call themselves the trusted computing group. Here's a hacker's perspective on trusted computing. The trusted computing idea has roots at least as far back as 1997. The central idea is to put an encrypted co-processor in every device, often called a Fritz chip after the senator who sponsored numerous bills in support of the effort. Apple started deploying TPM motherboards in 2005,. The Trusted Computing Group's next members meeting is 26 to 28 February, 2008. I think their consistency over time and the timeline itself suggest just how serious these folks are. From the ... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1166331 Mon, 21 Jan 2008 20:23:03 +0100 1166331 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/01/mark_warschauer_olpc_news.php This article, and a number of the articles that it links to, may be of interest to those interested in technology in education. quick summary of things that might relate to higher education: 1) The modes of learning and testing on laptops are perhaps not the same as traditional methods (IMHO: mathematics, including physics and what little math is done in chemistry and biology, is a remarkably robust example: derivations are still mainly done on paper or chalkboard. 2) Maintenance is nontrivial 3) The degree to which the learner has, and has had, access to computers in the past effects the relative value the learner places on the time they spent with a school-provided laptop. And it is possible a student can over-value their machine time. 4) The investment is measured in tens of thousands... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1162496 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 16:15:48 +0100 1162496 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2008/01/lifting_the_lid_on_the_netflix.php Netflix released an anonymized sample of their user database last year to aid in a competition to develop a better recommendation system. Bruce Schneier, a well-known American cryptographer, leads today's Cryptogram newsletter with a piece on how this and other anonymized datasets have been de-anonymized. In the case of Netflix, the set was compared against user reviews on IMDB. But it's not just the IMDB reviewers who were identified. 99% of the dataset was identified! Anonymized datasets are certainly useful to researchers, but the social fingerprint is hard to smudge. Before releasing data into a networked world, leaders need to compare the nature of the information to the potential consequences of compromising privacy. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1153941 Wed, 16 Jan 2008 03:33:07 +0100 1153941 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/12/stethophone.php Here's a 10 second recording of a normal 5 year-old boy's heart, recorded over the left sternal border, and two visualizations of it: the raw waveform, and a Fast Fourier Transform of that waveform. The original recording was made with Sound Recorder, the waveform and mp3 conversion were made with Audacity (and lame) and the FFT was made with Amarok. All done in Ubuntu. I captured the sound with a stethophone I made out of a Littman Classic II SE stethoscope head, a piece of tubing from a lab, and a lapel microphone from Radioshack. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1097623 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 17:41:29 +0100 1097623 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/12/flexible_obstetric_forceps.php Obstetric forceps throughout history have been used to rescue babies during vaginal delivery. They aren't used unless the obstetrician feels they're necessary because they tend to cause complications and babies almost invariable show signs of facial injury. Here's an idea I had for some obstetric forceps that could be more easily inserted compare to standard forceps, and at the same time could distribute forces over a wider and more customizable area. The key would be to make sure it holds the baby's head safely and firmly, that is, that the articulated inner spine, which would have to be made of a harder plastic, would have to be able to withstand the tension. I think a mechanical stop on the tension and a safety tension release on the cable (release) would do that. I'm not exactly a big ... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1094129 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:40:27 +0100 1094129 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/11/is_it_possible_the_new_england.php I had an idea while studying for boards last spring that the New England Journal of Medicine Image of the Week database could be used to develop a question bank, so I told their IT guys (email exchange in the extended entry below). Looks like they've recently fielded a version of this idea. Nice to think someone might be listening... (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1063518 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 05:32:21 +0100 1063518 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/11/interesting_background_image_f.php I took this picture of a field while sitting in the fifty mile line of cars waiting to get back into New Orleans on Labor Day 2005 after Katrina. I had totally forgotten about it until recently, when I finally tried out Picasa and found it as I was looking for pictures to add to the screensaver. I thought it would make a nice desktop background, so I put it in a folder of desktop backgrounds. Now, a few weeks later, on a lark, I thought I'd try it as a background for Compiz. To my delight the different depths of field combined with my transparent cube to create an intense illusion of depth, with two crepe myrtle saplings in the middle of the cube! If you like it, here's the original image. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1063519 Sat, 01 Dec 2007 03:08:06 +0100 1063519 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/11/203_days.php Bailey Barash's 203 Days is a 27 minute video compilation of a woman's last 203 days of life. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1058253 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 05:09:31 +0100 1058253 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/11/get_the_worlds_msot_innovative.php The OLPC laptop is here. This could be the biggest thing in educational computing ever. Some of the brightest minds in computer science have teamed with some of the biggest names in IT to bring this product to market. Only catch is it's only available to countries and only in the developing world. Until today. From now until November 26th, if you donate one laptop, they'll sell one to you as well. I'm getting one for my kids. Maybe the next time they're available I'll get another one and they can both play. Get it here. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1021223 Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:27:19 +0100 1021223 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/11/albert_einstein_on_religion_an.php When I was a fairly precocious young man I became thoroughly impressed with the futility of the hopes and strivings that chase most men restlessly through life. Moreover, I soon discovered the cruelty of that chase, which in those years was much more carefully covered up by hypocrisy and glittering words than is the case today. By the mere existence of his stomach everyone was condemned to participate in that chase. The stomach might well be satisfied by such participation, but not man insofar as he is a thinking and feeling being. As the first way out there was religion, which is implanted into every child by way of the traditional education-machine. Thus I came - though the child of entirely irreligious (Jewish) parents - to a deep religiousness, which, however, reached an abrupt end at... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1012306 Thu, 08 Nov 2007 01:23:44 +0100 1012306 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/11/fire_paul_barron.php There's an old business saying that nobody ever got fired for buying IBM. Well today it's Microsoft. Nobody gets fired for buying Microsoft. After the storm Tulane had PriceWaterhouseCooper consultants come in to help make some of the big changes that the board didn't want to grapple with themselves. I don't think anyone believes the outcome was particularly good, but that's what happened. Among other things, the consultants had a pow wow with the medical student leaders. At that meeting, among other things, they floated the idea of migrating email to Microsoft Exchange, and I strongly recommended against it. I believe my exact words were "Before you buy satan-in-a-box, please keep in mind the people who you will be abusing are the students and faculty who make the university". Well, they ... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1000940 Fri, 02 Nov 2007 22:07:19 +0100 1000940 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/10/fixing_suspend_to_ram_on_dell.php If you loaded Gutsy on your Dell 820, loaded the nvidia driver, and were then wowed by the beauty but then devastated when suspend didn't work on your laptop, pretty much making the most beautiful operating system ever absolutely useless on a practical level,like Tomas Restrepo and I were, then you'll want to check out these modifications of xorg.conf and acpi-support from Geoffroy Carrier, a fine french fellow. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=968237 Mon, 22 Oct 2007 04:36:34 +0100 968237 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/10/free_music.php (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=953965 Tue, 16 Oct 2007 02:57:04 +0100 953965 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/10/helminths_and_their_treatment.php I recently put together a table of medically common helminths and their treatment, organized by their classification system. I think you'll agree this is the easiest way to understand which drugs to use for which bugs. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=933950 Mon, 08 Oct 2007 02:35:14 +0100 933950 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/09/how_to_fix_your_doctor.php These are the notes I took today while reading Jerome Groopman's book How Doctors Think. Dr Groopman holds the Dina and Raphael Recanati Chair of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Imagine looking for a person on a train, while standing at the station. You might be able to recognize the face if the train moves slowly enough, but if it's too fast, or you sneeze, you might miss it. And it's exhausting. That's primary care. And radiology. And emergency medicine. Ask all your questions. Write them down you need to. Ask the questions. Tell me your story, think of every symptom you can, but for goodness sake, try not to tell me any diagnoses until I ask. I tend to interrupt. If it's serious, bring a friend or family member. If you get the sense I don't like you, you're probably right, and I... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=911790 Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:29:57 +0100 911790 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/08/sources_for_hardtofind_maps.php I first posted this question on Edward Tufte's forum. Not a question about map programs, but about paper maps. This seems like the best thread. Can anyone recommend a good source for continent, country, provincial and city maps suitable for planning in the developing world? I have not been able to find a map store in New Orleans. I'm looking for both topographic and political maps and aeronautical and nautical charts that take pencil and are durable enough to take many erasures, foldings, tape, and pins. English language would be preferable, but not necessary. USGS is a good standard, and in the military I would literally just go to the base NIMA office and buy USGS quality maps of, say, Manta, Ecuador, for, I think it was $3 apiece. Where can I get similar international maps as a civili... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=825364 Tue, 28 Aug 2007 02:57:31 +0100 825364 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/08/frameworks.php C4I: Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence Four variables of project management: Time, Money, Quantity, Quality Types of capital: financial (not useful in most developing countries, where money is just "cash"), physical capital, institutional capital, human capital, security, and information. Public health: Infant mortality, HIV, TB, malaria, infrastructure (hospitals and clinics) Economics: Organize markets, $1 private investment beats $20 aid, reduce bureaucracy Ashraf Ghani's ten essential functions of the state * Legitmate monopoly over the means of violence * Administrative control * Management of public finances through wealth creation and involvement of the citizenry in taxation and redistribution * Investment in human capital * Provision of citizenship righ... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=780631 Sun, 05 Aug 2007 20:39:44 +0100 780631 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/08/aid_vs_trade.php $1 of private investment is worth $20 of aid. —— Ashraf Ghani, first post-Taliban finance minister of Afghanistan. (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=780632 Sun, 05 Aug 2007 19:23:55 +0100 780632 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/07/test_of_testwiseness.php Berk, R. A. (1998). A humorous account of 10 multiple choice test-item flaws that clue testwise students. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 9 (2), 93-11. Available at: http://ject.lib.muohio.edu/articles/pdf-to-pdf.php?article=170. (No longer available without subscription.) DIRECTIONS: Each of the following test items contains at least one flaw. Use this flaw to help you choose the correct answer. You will be able to answer each item without any content knowledge. (Is that a dream come true, or what?) 1. Which synthetic fabric, chemically known as "polyacrylonitryl," was discontinued by DuPont? A. Dacron B. Acrylon C. Rayon D. Pylon E. Who cares? 2. Which of the following is an onomatopoeia? A. hiss B. fizz C. kerplunk D. kerplop E. all of the above 3. Which country... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=778568 Wed, 01 Aug 2007 02:55:49 +0100 778568 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/07/identifiers_include_obvious_on.php The following is an excerpt from the CITI program's study materials on HIPAA and Human Subjects Research, by Anita Cava, J.D, Reid Cushman, Ph.D., and Kenneth Goodman, accessed on 30 July 2007. Identifiers Identifiers include obvious ones like name and Social Security number. Others are: * All geographic subdivisions smaller than a state, including street address, city, county, precinct, Zip Code, and their equivalent geocodes. * All elements of dates (except year) for dates directly related to an individual, including birth date, admission date, discharge date, date of death; and all ages over 89 and all elements of dates (including year) indicative of such age, except that such ages and elements may be aggregated into a single category of age 90 or older. * Voice and fax teleph... The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=768882 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 02:17:19 +0100 768882 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/07/algiers_ferry_schedule.php Operates 7 days a week; departs Algiers side at 5:45 am and runs every quarter hour until the last boat leaves Canal Street at 11:45 p.m. The pedestrian commuter boat runs at quarter-hour intervals, staggered against the main boat's schedule, Monday through Friday, from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Toll: $1 from the Westbank to the Eastbank for automobiles. Pedestrians and bikes ride free. Other facts: Canal Street Ferry carries up to 40 vehicles and 800 passengers (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=710470 Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:08:12 +0100 710470 http://nielsolson.us/Haversian/2007/07/bloodborn_pathogens_resources.php Take the quiz here. First report of occupational injury form (pdf). TUHC Employee Health – 5th floor hospital within Human Resources (504) 988-5525 TUHC - Emergency Department 1415 Tulane Avenue (504) 988-5711 Bloodborne Pathogen Coordinator at (504) 988-6608 Downtown Student Health Services Elk’s Place Building (2nd Floor) Mon thru Fri 8A to 4P: Call Downtown Student Health (504) 988-6929 All other times: Page the on-call physician (504) 538-7277 EPINet (Exposure Prevention Information Network) Bloodborne Pathogens Coordinator - (504) 988-6608 Primate Center ext. 6653 Work Cell - (504) 419-1391 Office of Env. Health & Safety (OEHS) - (504) 988-5486 (Source: The Haversian Canal) The Haversian Canal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=708757 Mon, 02 Jul 2007 05:18:58 +0100 708757