Congratulations on your purchase of a new cellphone! While this tiny rectangle of metal and glass may not look like much, you will soon find yourself drawn into its world — inexorably. So as not to become one of those zombie cellphone users you see around you, crashing their cars, walking off cliffs, and ruining… Continue reading Tips for using your cellphone
Category: Society
Reacting to Terrorism in Nice
Every other year Cardiostim, a major international convention for cardiac electrophysiologists, is held in Nice, France. Starting in 2000, and up until I retired, I made it a point to attend this meeting. The sessions were fun, but more fun was the chance to get away from it all and enjoy the sunny ambiance of the… Continue reading Reacting to Terrorism in Nice
Stranger in a Strange Land
Reading about the opening of the Noah’s Ark Theme Park in Kentucky brings to mind the days when I worked as a physician in that state. I had moved from an academic position in Colorado and joined a large group of private practice cardiologists in Louisville. I found that people in Kentucky were different from those… Continue reading Stranger in a Strange Land
Is Apple Really Serious About Protecting Privacy?
I had thought the answer to the question of the title was “yes,” given Tim Cook’s stance on strong encryption. But if a recent experience at my local Apple Store is any guide, the theoretical views of the Apple CEO on privacy have not trickled down to daily practice at the Apple Stores. My wife’s… Continue reading Is Apple Really Serious About Protecting Privacy?
Paris, Je t’aime
It is said that one shouldn’t write an email when angry. That also probably applies to blog posts. But I am too angry to heed my own advice. Since 2014 my wife and I have spent 6 or 7 months out of each year in Paris. We intend to go back again this January. There is… Continue reading Paris, Je t’aime
Index Verborum Prohibitorum
The Catholic Church for centuries maintained a list of banned books, the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, only abolishing it in 1966. Governments, particularly fascist ones, also have had a pronounced tendency to ban books for moral, religious, or political reasons. Such censorship is a repugnant form of thought control. It is no surprise that the fascist… Continue reading Index Verborum Prohibitorum
Memories of Van Cliburn
In the long struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, from the end of World War II until the end of the Soviet era in 1991, there were intense moments of high drama, like the Berlin Blockade and the Cuban Missile Crisis, intermixed with moments when the icy hostility melted a bit. With… Continue reading Memories of Van Cliburn
Whatever Happened to Netiquette?
Let’s harken back to the early days of the Internet, say the 1990s. In those days of yore, characterized by limited bandwidth and lack of flash animations, people by trial and error attempted to work out the dos and don’ts of online communication. This was before Facebook messaging and tweeting, before SMS and MMS. Communication… Continue reading Whatever Happened to Netiquette?
Doctors Concerned About Possible Brain Injury From the Ice Bucket Challenge
Well, not really. But it does seem ironic to me that the ALS Foundation has embraced what is essentially a blow to the head with ice cubes and water as a fund-raising activity, in order to treat a disease which may in part be related to head trauma. A large number of football players have… Continue reading Doctors Concerned About Possible Brain Injury From the Ice Bucket Challenge
A New Treatment for Chronic Health Syndrome
The XYZ Drug Company Internal Memo August 29, 2014 CONFIDENTIAL For internal use only AntiRobustium™ Marketing Strategy Introduction With the anticipated FDA approval of AntiRobustium™ (arsenic trioxide), the first and so far only treatment for CHS (Chronic Health Syndrome) will soon be available to the general public (prescription only). As with the introduction of drugs for other… Continue reading A New Treatment for Chronic Health Syndrome