Fryer's Blog in the Mountains

HIMSS12 - Aventura - location based personas for hospitals

With over 1,000 vendors at the 37,000 attendee HIMSS12, I admit getting a wee bit glassy eyed.  Then a friend showed me Aventura.  It's a virtual desktop for use in hospitals.  Yet this is not just another EMR, it is a framework in which all your applications run.

What's cool about it, is that it is location aware (through a tap of a RFID card).  Not only does it hook you up to the nearest working printer, but it changes your applications.  For instance it might be great to IM and email in your office, but not in a patient's room.  There you want to see that patient record.  With an extensive rules based engine, it makes sure you have the tools you need, when you need it.

And for those who carry around an iPad, as soon as you swipe your card, your iPad displays just what you need.

But that's only half of the story.  The person who gave the demo was an actual living and breathing developer. 

Why is this important?  Because when your developers actually work with real customers, great things happen to your applications.

Taking the Twitter Plunge

I have been blogging since 1999 when my friend Doc Searls convinced me it was the next thing.  I think that's like 100 years ago in Internet time.  My biggest issue is staying on top of the technology wave.  For years I have relied on RSS feeds (thanks Mr. Winer). 

As usual healthcare IT lagged the market in adopting new technologies, but I found out that there are some great tweets out there now.  So here I am @b_fryer

I guess the turning point came when I upgraded my phone to a not-so-smart phone.  But it does 3g data, so the wap browser is quite responsive.  And I can compose T9 messages with my thumb faster than using a keyboard (and I don't spill my beverage).  

 

Old Travel Decals for your car

I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday before that football game they have once a year.  Turns out he has an extensive collection of vintage travel decals from the 1940's and 1960's.  I remember as a little kid seeing these things plastered all over the back window of station wagons.  We would look at them and wonder just where these exotic place were like Utah.

Pretty cool.  Check them out. 

Upgrading your Sprint phone? Try Amazon first.

It was time to upgrade my phone.  I did a lot of research, went to the Spring store and looked at the unit.  They wanted $148 (of which I would receive in 4-6 weeks a $50 gift card).  I then go to wireless.amazon.com and the identifical phone is $30.   Why?  Even after the Sprint store rebate, the phone was $20 cheaper and Amazon does not charge $36 for activation and $12 for overnight shipping.

And finally, Amazon didn't stick me with an $8 / month "insurance" policy like the Sprint store does (without your permission).