June 20, 2013

The IBM Watson Computer Moving to Medicine

March 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Now that Watson has conquered Jeopardy, the computer is now moving into the field of medicine.

IBM released a statement that states that the organization will work with a voice recognition firm called Nuance Communications to integrate the technologies into the Linux-based Watson computer.  These technologies may help the company perform roles in the healthcare industry.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Columbia University School of Medicine are also participating in this project. Physicians at the University of Maryland are evaluating opportunities to determine ways that Watson can provide maximum assistance to health care practitioners. At Columbia, the doctors are looking for critical issues in health care that Watson can address.

The fact that Watson can understand the human language – both in meaning and context –and quickly process information opens up avenues to help doctors and nurses.  The computer may be able to surf through large amounts of information and discover answers that the medical professionals may not have considered. For example, Watson should be able to go through a patient’s medical record, summarize the information, and suggest possible areas for concern. Watson may also be able to alert physicians about how a specific treatment has worked on patients of similar backgrounds and diagnoses. Watson may also be able to help with patient office visits; the cumulative effects would be that Watson could perform as a Physician’s Assistant.

The first projects and products should be available for use in 18 to 24 months. Nuance and IBM also have a 5-year research initiative to advance the field of natural language processing.

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SoGo Groupware: A Replacement for Enterprise Suites

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

SoGo groupware is another Linux-based open-source software server which supports basic groupware functions. SoGo was originally called Scalable OpenGroupware.org and was developed as a potential drop-in replacement for different enterprise suites like Lotus Notes or Exchange.  The focus of this application is scalability and simplicity. SoGo contains a calendar and address book, email, and task management that all groupware applications have. However, the developers have worked to integrate the ability to collaborate with other third-party providers. This server also allows persons who use Microsoft/Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird/Lightening, Blackberry, and iPhone to work together on one platform; these users can share calendars, emails and address books.

To prevent data integrations, data directory applications or synchronization issues, SoGo uses existing services like an active directory from Microsoft, a SQL database or a specific server.  SoGo uses few resources and thus is a very fast program; a single server can manage thousands of clients.

Users can access the server through the web, a mobile device or desktop clients. The web interface can be available in over one dozen languages; supported desktop clients include Thunderbird, Apple iCal, and Microsoft Outlook. The connectors for both Outlook and Thunderbird are free no matter what version you employ. All modern web browsers are supported and mobile devices use the Funambol connector to interact with the server.

Installation of SoGo can be done quickly. You can establish a test server or use a binary Linux distribution. The architecture of SoGo is horizontal and allows more servers to be added easily. Support for this platform is also strong; there are installation guides, configuration guides, frequently asked question documents, and mailing lists for answers.

The free version has unlimited capabilities unlike other groupware platforms; however, there is a commercial edition that adds Oracle Corporation support and load-balanced clustering. The open-source version includes everything except the Oracle support, clustering and any Outlook support.

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How Does Cloud Computing Affect You?

February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Diagram showing overview of cloud computing in...

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We keep hearing about “cloud computing” but the average computer user may not really understand what the term means.

Almost all computer users have been using cloud-based computing services for quite a while. Cloud computing allows you to have all of your mobile devices in sync and being able to access all of you private data at any time. Examples of cloud computing that you might be aware of are Gmail and Google Docs.

This type of computing means that your computing is location-independent; it does not matter where you are. The processing occurs in an unknown location.  In a cloud, you can sync up your data between all of your devices and access shared data – like data from social network sites, blogs, banks, and newsrooms. Cloud users do not own the servers and rent their usage from third-party vendors.

This convenience is great but are there any concerns or pitfalls you should be concerned about?

  • Your cloud of personal information connects to other people’s personal clouds – and to the public cloud itself. Every place on the Internet – as well as every person — that you visit can be connected to each other. You can determine what you want to make public or private. But some privacy experts complain about the ease that the companies that run the cloud servers can monitor your communications or data without your permission. Social networks will have to develop more levels of privacy than what exists currently; privacy may be one of the biggest concerns.
  • Security of your data is also a concern; however, the cloud companies spend significant resources to ensure the security of the data. An organization called Cloud Security Alliance is one of the several organizations that have been formed to promote best practices in security for cloud computing. Security of your data is also another important concern.

Over the long run, cloud computing may lead to devices that can predict your next move and desire. While this may seem unnecessary, cloud computing is a part of our world that will only continue to grow.

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First Diagnostic Application Approved by FDA

February 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The FDA has recently approved the first medical imaging application; mobile technology continues to make its way into medical care.

The application allows doctors to view medical images and make diagnoses on the Apple iPad or iPhone. The software is called Mobile MIM and gives the physicians the opportunity to look at either magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET) scans. The application was not approved for the viewing of mammograms or regular x-rays. This technology is not meant to replace workstations but can be used when there is no access.

The Mobile MIM technology allows the images taken by the diagnostic machines to be compressed so that it can be transmitted securely across the network and then sent to the appropriate wireless device. The physician can look at the image in a format that allows the doctor to measure distances on the scan as well as display annotations and measurement lines on the scan.

When testing the application, the FDA evaluated its performance on several devices while looking at the resolution of the scans or any distortion or noise in the images. Radiology specialists were employed for some of this testing; the images were examined under different types of light to see if there were any variances in quality.

The FDA also noted that the application contains safety features and labeling to lower any risk that may occur because of poor lighting conditions. To further mitigate the risk, an interactive contrast test is also included where a small portion of the screen is lighted differently than the rest of the screen. If the doctor can identify this area of the screen, it is a sign that lighting conditions are not interfering with the physician’s ability to note differences in contrast in scans. A safety guide is also being included with the application.

The Mobile MIM app is available in 30 countries already but will be available in the US Apple store during the middle of February 2011.

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The DreamPlug: A Computer that Fits into an Outlet

February 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Need a smaller computer? Your first thought may be to purchase a netbook or a nettop system which are good options. But you can go even smaller if you want to – this choice is called the DreamPlug. This computer does not require any desk space at all – it is a plug computer.

The DreamPlug is so small that it does not need a power adapter; you can plug the whole thing into your wall outlet. This tiny computer also does not have video graphics array, digital visual interface, or high definition multimedia interface because there is no graphics processor present. You can’t plug in a monitor and keyboard and use this computer in that manner but there are still a lot of functions this system can perform for you.

This system has a 1.2 GHz Marvell Sheeva ARM-based processor, 1 GB of storage, 512 MB of DDR2 memory along with USB, Ethernet and eSATA connectors. The DreamPlug also has WiFi, Bluetooth, a SD card slot and a headphone jack. If you would like to listen to music, you can use the S/PDIF audio jack to stream your tunes.  With the components that are present, the DreamPlug is best suited for managing a home security system, network storage as well as home automation. You can also use it as a media or web server that is always on and connected. It only needs 5 watts of power.

There are other plug computers available on the market like the GuruPlug Display. This plug computer is somewhat bigger and also contains a HDMI which would allow you to obtain 720p resolution.

The DreamPlug starts shipping later in February but you can pre-order your copy for around $149. If you want to develop applications for this tiny computer, you can add a JTAG board for debugging and programming; this add-on costs about $30.

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Diversification Keeps Microsoft Strong

December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Image representing Microsoft as depicted in Cr...
Image via CrunchBase

Recently, Microsoft announced strong gains for its first quarter, having what some called an exceptional quarter. While sales for the company’s computers were up, the company is seeing a return on some of the products it has branched out into in recent years.

The report shows a record gain for the company. According to compilations bys Thomson Reuters, Microsoft delivered $5.41 billion in net income. That’s a 50 percent increase over the same quarter a year ago. While Wall Street analysts estimated shares at 55 cents, they actually earned 62 cents. Overall, the company’s revenue should grow 25 percent.

What’s behind Microsoft’s success? For starters, the company was success in tapping into the gaming industry with the Xbox gaming console and games. It’s also seeing success with its smartphones devices, which are really miniature laptops with the dual purpose of being a phone.

The increased sales will allow the company to diversify into other areas, such as Internet search and software for smartphones. Currently, Microsoft offers a fraction of the apps of its top competitors, which consumers definitely take into consider when shopping for a new phone.

In October, Microsoft released its latest software for its smartphone. The Windows Phone 7 is getting great reviews and shows the strides Microsoft will take to capture its fair share of the market. Microsoft also made a deal with Facebook to boost its search engine, Bing. When users like a certain product, company or organization on Facebook, Bing will include the recommendations in its search results.

Of course, Microsoft won’t stop there. It also made a deal with a subsidiary of Alibaba to host shopping searches for Taoboa.com on Bing. And its corporate sales are going strong. All in all, there’s only one sure bet about Microsoft: It’s going to keep fighting to maintain its place as a computing giant.

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The Advancement of Front End Staffing In Hospitals

December 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

These days a hospital is becoming the most technologically advanced place anywhere in the world. Keeping track of all the patients and the various departments they are going to is becoming a necessity. These hospitals are using a very important software to keep up. The issue for a hospital however is more than just keeping track of the patient load. These days hospitals are turning to state of the art software to keep up with the front end of the hospital too.

Keeping up with the various staff in a hospital can be very difficult. There are a number of issues that can occur by being disorganized. Doctors may float between departments and not being able to coordinate their schedules can cause for a lot of issues with double scheduling. These days there are a number of hospitals that are employing top of the line software to help make business more efficient.

Here is the way it works. There are programs out there that can help businesses become better by simply making a coordination change. For instance, businesses out there set up a scheduling system in the mainframe. They start by assigning all hospital staff a profile. They can use that profile to assign each staff member a sign on. This, of course, makes it easy then for the staff to go in and request time or to clear there schedule if they are going to be at a conference or a meeting.

Once their online profile is set up they are funneled in and through the different departments they are working for. From there those departments can see their schedules and the department heads can see their schedules and approve time off. The nurses who run the hospital scheduling can also see the time off for the rest of the nurses and assign scheduling on the basis of need first. It’s these kind of improvements that are making the front end as organized as patient care.

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Computerized Systems for Better Patient Care

December 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Hospitals are facing new challenges everyday. While there are always going to be issues with the way they care for their patients, and there will always be new techniques for making patients better. The truth is that there are a number of issues that hospitals have with communication and when it comes to making sure they are getting the patient information correct.

The fact these days is that there are more and more patients whose health care isn’t with one hospital and isn’t simply with the same doctor. The world of medicine has become compartmentalized and for that it’s tough to know what is going on with a patient in one area of their health is not always communicated back to the other departments.

For that there have been advancements in the way that hospitals have set up their computer system. They are making things a centralized process. They are creating a profile for each and every patient that walks through their doors. They are putting in the basic information including address, phone number, email address, medical history, allergies, and health conditions. These things are the backbone of what a patient should have in their history. From there every thing that happens to a patient should be on the computer. So when a patient goes and sees a doctor about their kidneys and that doctor orders tests, not only will the test orders be on the system, but there will also be the results so that a liver doctor might not need to order more tests if they tests that were ordered covered information that they needed to know.

This keeps not only the hospital well organized but the patient also gets the kind of care that they need. They are alerting doctors to what is being done with them so that they don’t have to remember as much information. It’s these things that are making hospitals better at taking care of their patients.

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Small Business and the Internet

December 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Internet has created both a good and bad situation when it comes to small business. The business owners who operate these days tend to do so in cyberspace. The options for it are immense and the overhead is considerably lower. However, there is also a big pitfall to marketing online and businesses fold just a quickly as the do with a storefront, so which is the best way for a business to go?

The answer to this lies in the type of business that a person is planning on getting started. What has been the advantage to the Internet has been it’s disadvantage. Opening a business has been much easier because the physical workspace isn’t needed the way it was back in the 1950′s. There a person had to have an office or a storefront to which they operated out of. Now the store front in a web page and these pages don’t cost as much in insurance and monthly rent.

However, what happens is that the storefront, which was visible in the local client base, is no longer as easily seen. These days being in cyberspace might make the marketplace bigger, but it also makes the business harder to see. If a small business has a rather large budget for ad space and advertising it’s possible to get the word out there and increase the visibility of the site, but in most cases the budget is small and so are the efforts to increase the visibility.

The real question isn’t about the sustainability of the business as much as it is the quality of the goods or services provided. There has to be a point where the small business person must ask themselves if what they are trying to sell is really worth the effort it takes to give themselves a cyber presence. If it is then they should proceed. If it’s not then it’s time to cut their losses and move on.

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Android Gets Set to Release 2.3 Gingerbread

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Android Market
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Everyone knows the real power of smartphones comes from the applications available to download on the devices. When it comes to offering these apps, the Android market far exceeds the competition, making Motorola’s Droid phones an in-demand product. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the phone can be just any old phone. People expect their cell phones to work as well as possible. After all, nobody likes to spend a hundred dollars or more on a phone and have it fail to live up to expectations.

While Android keeps the market packed with fun applications, developers have to constantly work to offer new products and to update old ones. The same is true for cell phone manufacturers. Consider the Gingerbread for the Motorola Droid 2. This product has been getting a lot of hype because of it promises to fix some of the major issues with the original design. While people expected Verizon to roll out the update, it appears the update may not be quite what everyone was expecting.

Despite this, the upgrades will make some well-needed improvements. Users who upgrade to the new Gingerbread will see improved battery life, better screen response, a more sensitive proximity sensor, a weather widget that automatically shifts from portrait to landscape, better notifications, easier set up, improved email syncing, improved sound, help center, better GPS tracking. Users will also be able to use Gallery photos to identify callers. As an added enhancement, individuals will be able to transfer all the phone’s contacts to the SD card.

The Gingerbread 2.3 is already released, but more user reviews will need to come in before people can determine whether the phone is enough of an upgrade to make it worth the investment. If not, it may be better to skip this version and wait for the next upgrade.

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