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GROVE RESORT COMPUTER CLUB BULLETIN June 2008 |
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Google
Offers Free Medical Records Service
By Ira Wilsker, APCUG Director; Columnist, The Examiner, Beaumont, TX; Radio & TV Show Host Iwilsker(at)apcug.net Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups. WEBSITES: http://www.google.com/health https://www.google.com/health/html/privacy.html http://www.keyt.com/news/local/19222464.html Google recently opened for free public access the beta version of its “Google Health” service at www.google.com/health. This service offers users access to a comprehensive user created database where the user can selectively store medical records. In addition to the storage of personal medical records, Google Health also allows for the importation of medical and prescription records from a variety of services, and the voluntary exportation of medical records to several diagnostic services. Google Health allows user approved physicians, hospitals, pharmacists, and other healthcare services to access the medical records. To open a free account at Google Health requires registration; users with existing Google accounts may use their existing usernames and passwords for access. Once registered, opening the website at google.com/health offers the users an intuitive menu. The primary links in the center column of the page are: “Add to this Google Health profile (Learn about your health issues and find helpful resources)”; “Import medical records (Copy and get automatic updates of your records)”; “Explore online health services (Find online tools for managing your health)”; and “Find a doctor (Search by name, location, and specialty)”. On the left column of the opening page are hyperlinks to personal profile information, and the right column displays a profile summary. Clicking on “Add to this Google Health profile” opens a menu with the headings “Conditions”, “Medications”, “Allergies”, “Procedures”, Test results”, and “Immunizations”. Under “Conditions” a condition or symptom can be entered in the search box, or the user can click on any condition in a lengthy alphabetical list to “Add” that condition to the user’s profile. Many of the conditions have a “Reference” link that will provide more information on the condition, as well as any symptoms and treatments. The “Medications” heading allows the users to enter both prescription and non-prescription medications, vitamins and minerals, as well as herbal products. The search box displays selections as the product name is typed, or an alphabetical directory can be accessed. “Allergies”, “Procedures”, “Test results”, and “Immunizations” are entered in the same manner as “Medications” and “Conditions”, with a search box or alphabetical menu. The main page selection “Import medical records” allows the user to securely import medical and prescription records form a variety of sources, including clinics, laboratories, and pharmacies. Included on the currently short list of such resources are Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic, CVS Minute Clinics, Quest Diagnostics, Medco, RX America, Longs Drugs, and Walgreen’s. It is clear in reading about the service that this small listing is in its infancy, as Google Health is trying to sign up additional partners. To experiment with importing data, I clicked on the link for the prescription manager Medco, which is utilized by my health insurance plan. Clicking on the “Link to profile” icon under the Medco listing opened the secure Medco website where I had to enter the username and password I use at Medco. Seconds after approving the transfer of my prescription history, it appeared on my Google Health profile under “Medications”. The information transferred to Google Health by Medco was not just the prescriptions I ordered from Medco, but also recent prescriptions I filled at local pharmacies where insurance was claimed. Medco can automatically update my profile as new prescriptions are entered and filled. Items filled at local pharmacies under their respective $4 or $5 generic program, where no insurance was filed, did not appear on the Medco list. The menu item “Explore online health services” opens a list of over a dozen services that offer online personal health services. These health services which can be linked to Google Health and utilize the information provided to Google Health (but only with the express consent of the user!) include such well known services as the Cleveland Clinic, the American Heart Association “Heart Attack Risk Calculator”, “MyCareTeam- Diabetes” diabetes management system (requires monthly or annual subscription), and several other services. While several of these personalized services are free, others are fee based. Most of the services listed require some form of registration in order to utilizes those services and integrate them with the users’ Google health information. The “Find a doctor” link opens a simple pair of search boxes, the first (left) of which is a directory of specialties, and the second box (on the right) is where the user can enter a zip code, city, or other information in order to generate a listing of physicians, chiropractors, and specialists that meet the selected criteria. The listings provided included physician or practice name, address, and phone number, as well as links to the practice website (if any), driving directions from Google Maps, and a link to “Save to medical contacts”. Once information is entered, a personal profile is created, and several analyses are made by Google Health. One that may be critically important shows up in the left column on the main page with the label “Drug Interactions” with a red exclamation point if there is a potentially dangerous interaction between prescription and non prescription drugs, vitamins, and herbals. On my personal page there is one advisory about a synergetic effect between two of my medications that says “Discuss with your doctor soon” (this effect is desirable in my case), and another interaction between three of my non-prescription medications that is labeled with a red icon “Requires immediate attention” (I already checked, and it is OK in my case). In its privacy statement (www.google.com/health/html/privacy.html), Google Health explains the confidentiality of the information entered, and how it will not be released or shared with any third party without the express consent of the user. By my personal choice, I would be willing to allow my personal physician (if he participated), as well as any specialists or hospitals that I visit, to access my information. It could be a great time saver to allow them to access my medical records online, rather than me having to complete hand written forms at each office I visit. Because of its inherent completeness, this online “Personal Health Record” (PHR) can also be a life saver by providing healthcare establishments instant access to medical histories, medications, and allergies. By having a voluntary service, such as Google Health, Microsoft’s upcoming competing service “HealthVault”, or “Revolution Health” (bankrolled by by AOL’s co-founder Steve Case), which can be securely accessed by health care providers, it becomes easy to create and maintain an accurate health profile for both the benefit of the user and healthcare providers approved for access by the user. It should be noted that there are always security and privacy risks of posting sensitive information, such as health records, online. It is quite conceivable that hackers could penetrate the security of any establishment or server that contains or has access to sensitive personal information. While I know that they are not perfect, I basically trust Google Health with my information. While there are many other “PHR” systems and services in use, often administered by corporations for their employees, others are offered by health insurance companies, as well as some regional PHR services, Google Health has the reputation and distribution (as well as the deep pockets) to create and securely maintain such a system, and sign up participating partners who are willing to allow the sharing of medical records. I knowingly volunteered to post my medical records on Google Health. I hope the project succeeds, and more local physicians, pharmacies, labs, and hospitals partner with the service. As more healthcare providers transition to purely digital medical records, it will become easier to securely share this vital information. This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above). |
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iPod Replacement
by Sandy Berger, CompuKISS www.compukiss.com sberger(at)compukiss.com Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups. Too many technology stories are sad tales of aggravation and obsolescence. So today I’m going to tell you a story about a digital device with a happy ending. About 2 years ago, I decided to purchase an iPod. After shopping around, I found that the iPod nano was selling for $149 just about everywhere. However, the Sam’s Club in Cary had it for $138.77. So why pay more? When I made the Sam’s Club purchase, the store clerk offered me a service policy, which I immediately rejected. When he asked why I wasn’t interested, I told him that I had learned from past experience that most of these insurance policies were a waste of money because they were expensive and didn’t cover the problems that I might actually have with the item. He assured me that this policy was different. For just $14.88, I could get a 3-year policy that gave me a new iPod for most anything that went wrong with my iPod, including a battery that ran out of juice. My husband suggested that since I am a heavy-duty iPod user, I should go ahead and purchase the policy. Since I use my iPod in the car and at home in a dock every day, I was fairly sure that the iPod battery would give out before the 3-year deadline, so it seemed like a logical move. I purchased the policy. Yet all the time I was wondering if the clerk was just a good salesman or the policy was really that good. Last month, I found an answer to that question. My iPod started acting weirdly. It was completely freezing up. No matter what button I pressed, it gave no response. Although I had encountered problems like this with computers, I was surprised to find my iPod acting just like a Window’s computer. In computer world we call it the blue screen of death. I don’t know if it has a name on the iPod, but it turned out to be a similar type of aggravation. At first it didn’t seem like much of a problem because Apple had a solution. Just turn the Hold button on and off a few times, then press and hold the Menu button and the center of the scroll wheel at the same time. Hold them down for about 10 seconds until the Apple icon appears on the screen. This worked great, restoring the iPod immediately, without losing any of my audio programs and music. Unfortunately, the freezes became more and more frequent. I was having to perform this reset 4 or 5 times a day so it became a real pain. It was time to go back to Sam’s Club, but I agonized with that. How could I show them the problem since it happened only sporadically? My discomfort turned to glee when the Sam’s Club clerk didn’t even try to duplicate the problem. She asked me for the receipt and earbuds and charging cord that came with the iPod. Once I produced those, she promptly refunded the price of the iPod plus the price of the insurance policy. I could have just kept the refund, but instead I headed over to the electronic aisle to pick out a replacement. My old model iPod was no longer available, but I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the new models were selling for exactly the same price I had paid for the older model. On top of that, the new IPod nanos had twice as much memory, larger screens, and the ability to play videos. This was turning out to be really good! For exactly the same price, I was able to purchase a new, more capable iPod with a new 3-year insurance policy. Talk about a happy ending…… I am now enjoying watching video podcasts on my new iPod in addition to using it for audio podcasts and music. If anything happens to it in the next 3 years, I can get another replacement. While I don’t usually purchase insurance policies for digital equipment, this one turned out to be a real winner. This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).
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Hewie's
Views and Reviews for May 2008
By Hewie Poplock, Vice President, Operations, Central Florida Computer Society www.cfcs.org Info(at)hewie.net Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups. Welcome to this issue of Hewie's Views & Reviews. Be sure to visit Hewie's Favorites at http://www.hewie.net/ . ++++ My upgrade to Microsoft Vista SP1 ++++ New additions to Hewie's Favorites ++++ My upgrade to Microsoft Vista SP1 I have been anticipating the first service pack for my two Vista computers. It was recently released, but quickly retracted due to some installation problems. It’s now available through the standard Windows Update Service. A couple of weeks ago I spent the several hours backing up my main system to prepare to upgrade to Service Pack 1. I installed all of the current updates, which should be done prior to upgrading. Once I did that, I checked Windows Update and SP1 was not listed. After searching Microsoft’s Knowledgebase, I discovered that Vista checks your system and if there are potential problems with drivers, it will not be available. There were so many warnings to check all of your hardware and software for SP1 compatibility before downloading a generic version, that I decided not to try updating. Then The Windows Update Service had 11 updates. The day after installing all of them, I had the notice that Service Pack 1 was ready to download and install. Once again I backed up the entire system. I then activated the update. A message stated that his could take an hour or more. It downloaded about a 65 Megabyte file and started the install. Then it had to reboot to complete the installation. While shutting down, the screen said it was completing Part 1 of three parts, then came the second. It then shut down and rebooted to a black screen. I could see the hard drive light pounding away on the drive. The black screen never became a screen, but after a while, I noticed a Vista Logo and a graphic that I recognized as part of the screen saver that came up when Vista was waiting for a user to sign in. When I moved the mouse, it went back to just a plain black screen for several minutes, and then the logo showed. I was convinced it was at the log-in screen and waiting for my input. However, I only saw the dark screen. Since I added an ATI graphics card to the system to support 2 screens, I figured that perhaps the video driver was confused. When I unscrewed one of the monitors and plugged it back in, I saw the sign-in screen, then it faded to black. I decided that it was either safe to reboot or time to restore from my backup. I shut off the computer and turned it back on. It came up with the log-in screen. When I logged it, I got a scrambled screen, with items where I did not expect them to be, but workable enough for me to get to the ATI Control Center. Once there, I made some changes and I was good to go. While my update to Vista SP1 worked, the problems that I had could have been unfixable for the novice or a person with little patience. So much for an idiot-proof operating system. Next I have to try the update on my laptop. I wonder what problems await me there. Oh, and I don’t know what I gained by updating. I will check on that and get back to you with that information. ++++ New additions to Hewie's Favorites There are more new sites this issue, because we skipped a month. Farecast http://www.farecast.com/ Search multiple travel sites, compare airline prices, search our travel deals, and receive free fare predictions Evolution of Security http://www.tsa.gov/blog/ TSA has opened their own blog CrunchBase http://www.crunchbase.com/ Free directory of technology companies, people, and investors that anyone can edit Speed Trap http://njection.com/speedtrap/ Mashup (Web application hybrid) that combines Microsoft Live Maps and the ability to pinpoint and review speed traps located anywhere on the planet Topper Search http://www.toppersearch.com/ Uses your unique preferences and builds a model that represents your tastes or intent. PDFescape http://www.pdfescape.com/ Online PDF Reader, Editor, Form Filler, Form Designer, Solution TubeMogul http://www.tubemogul.com/ Free service that provides a single point for deploying uploads to the top video sharing sites, and powerful analytics on who, what, and how videos are being viewed MLBroadcast http://www.mlbroadcast.com/ Real Estate Listing Broadcast Syndication Via Video Podcasting and Video Sharing Sites Buzzillions http://www.buzzillions.com/ Find the right product for you! Read the most credible product reviews from Verified Buyers about Digital Cameras, Sporting Goods, Appliances, Mens and Womens Shoes, Toys and Video Games, and more. FARK.com http://www.fark.com/ Fark has news about anything and everything posted by users filehippo.com http://www.filehippo.com/ Fast downloads of the latest free software OVGuide Online Video Guide http://www.ovguide.com/movies-tv.html OVGuide is the ultimate free online video portal and search engine to the best movies, tv shows and all other video content on the web. Free Movies, Videos, TV Shows, Video Games. VirusTotal http://www.virustotal.com/ Free virus and malware online scan service Newspond http://www.newspond.com/ Hub for the latest tech, science, and gaming news. Articles are found and sorted electronically by real-time global popularity NutritionData http://www.nutritiondata.com/ Comprehensive nutrition analysis LiarCard http://www.liarcard.com/ Spy technology instantly detects lies your subjects voice. Global Incident Map http://www.globalincidentmap.com/home.php Displays Terrorist Acts, Suspicious Activity, and General Terrorism News Silobreaker http://www.silobreaker.com/ Online search service & insight for news and current events Animoto http://animoto.com/ Music videos for your images and pictures AnyClient http://www.anyclient.com/index.html Free No-Install FTP, FTPS, SFTP and WebDAV Client PictureTrail http://www.picturetrail.com/ PictureTrail is an online photo sharing and image hosting website. FACEinHOLE http://faceinhole.com/home.asp Who do you want to be today? Select a scenario - upload and adjust a photo or use your webcam Adobe Photoshop CS3 A - Z http://www.photoshop-a-z.com/ Website dedicated to the book Adobe Photoshop CS3 A - Z Tools and features. Illustrated ready-to-use reference. In Pictures Tutorials http://www.inpics.net/ Free online tutorials based on pictures, not words. They're the easiest way to learn computer subjects Unix Toolbox http://cb.vu/unixtoolbox.xhtml Collection of Unix/Linux/BSD commands and tasks which are useful for IT work or for advanced users htm2pdf http://www.htm2pdf.co.uk/ Convert webpages directly from your browser. All you need to do is drag the link to your bookmarks toolbar and save page as PDF BarCampOrlandoGroups http://barcamp.org/BarCampOrlandoGroups Related local groups and meet-ups CommonCraft Show http://www.commoncraft.com/show Explanations In Plain English Dimdim http://www.dimdim.com/ Free Online Meetings, Training, Desktop Sharing Please share these newsletters with your friends. To subscribe, send a blank messages to hewie_favorites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com (mailto: hewie_favorites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ) or sign up at the website at http://www.hewie.net . This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above).
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Product Review: Roxio Easy Media
Creator Suite (v.10)
By John Roy, President, The PC Users Group of Connecticut www.tpcug-ct.org johnroy1(at)comcast.net Obtained from APCUG with the author's permission for publication by APCUG member groups. Roxio, a division and brand of Sonic Solutions, has been a leader in burning software for many years. I personally have used the product since it was distributed by Adaptec several years ago. The CD/DVD burning software today far exceeds the basic functions that existed in those early days. Roxio Easy Media Creator (EMC) will accomplish so much more than the basic burning tasks and is now a full featured suite. Doing this review has allowed me to explore and appreciate the many applications within this suite. Because EMC is so comprehensive I will provide an overview in this article but follow up with more details in future issues of our newsletter. Before I start boasting about some of these neat applications I must discuss some installation issues. The product would not install on my primary computer! After trying several times to install under various scenarios I checked for possible solutions using Roxio’s web product support and also their user forum. None of those sources provided any clues so I connected with technical phone support. I was quite surprised that the wait time was very small and the technician was professional and extremely competent. Unfortunately after almost two hours of phone support the problem was not solved. The tech support effort involved major system modifications including deletion of all files associated with my original EMC version 9, my Nero burner software, a complete registry purge line by line of anything remotely associated with or influenced by Roxio software, removal of all anti-virus software and firewalls, elimination of all startup files except system essentials and running registry clean utilities. Nothing worked! A trouble report was left open but I never received any further calls. In their users forum I did find one other person with the exact same problem and no solution. Fortunately I have a couple of other computers at my house so I tried installing the version 10 on both an older desktop and on my primary laptop system. The install went smoothly on both of those systems. So until I get a chance to rebuild my primary desktop I won’t know if I can ever use the latest version on it. On a side note before trying to install EMC version 10 I had version 9 successfully working. After all the system changes I could no longer load my EMC version 9. So now I struggled with that problem for a few days. Once again not finding any online solutions I contacted a phone support tech who was able to direct me to a download utility that cleared the problem and allowed me once again install version 9. While the above debacle was frustrating don’t let it deter you from considering the purchase of this capable applications suite. So let’s look at why you should consider owning this product. Once you get past the install you will see a super clean interface with applications divided into seven primary areas; Audio, Data and Backup, Copy, Media and Devices, Photo, Video, and Tools. Each application provides another set of choices. Audio has (13), Data and Backup (5), Copy (5) Media and Devices (2), Photo (9), Video (11), and Tools (8). Now that is a huge chest of applications at your disposal. If you were to purchase each primary application separately it would cost you a few hundred dollars. This package sells for about $100 but if you watch for sales you can buy it for much less. When you think of Roxio and burning software the primary reason most people purchase the product is for those tools. The Copy and Data and Backup modules take care of those basic requirements along with some other goodies. For anyone familiar with an older version, you will still find the original Creator Classic still there but spruced up. That old standby is quite the workhorse. You select the type and size of disc you want to burn and it will keep you updated on available space as you move files or folders you want to burn into a holding area. Once your files and folders are selected you can burn your CD/DVD directly or make an image for later burning. Of course you have advanced options to define the type of disc, speed, copies, etc. You can also make a bootable or multimedia disc and go directly to creating disc labels of your burn project. The backup module provides capability to be selective of the files you want backed up or restored and at what frequency. If you want more powerful options then you will be provided an upgrade link. A range of backup devices and media including Blu-ray discs and HD DVD discs are supported. Large files can be automatically spanned across multiple discs as required. The Audio module provides thirteen selections that cover just about everything you could possibly want to do with audio. All the expected tools are there to rip CD’s into MP3 files or create audio CDs from other formats. You can make custom CD’s with fades, effects and mixing. Tools are there to edit song information and to do batch conversions to formats of your choice. One module allows you to instantly capture any audio playing on your computer, including streaming radio. There is one utility “Convert LPs and Tapes” that I was especially enthused about. At our meeting we have had the question of how to convert LPs and Tapes asked many times in the past. While there are several methods to accomplish this, Roxio EMC has made it easy and crystal clear with this application. So for those of you that have a desire to do this you should give Roxio EMC serious consideration. The Photo application contains a full featured photo suite with powerful editing, effects and touchup tools. It is complete with all the ancillary things you want to do with photos such as creating slideshows, panoramas, albums, greeting cards, calendars and layout templates. You can quickly optimize a group of photos for sending email. The Video application is another full featured suite for importing, editing, customizing and exporting video into various formats. Included is CinePlayer a full featured video player. The features are similar to those found in Pinnacle Studio or Adobe Premier. While some of Roxio EMC tools are not as robust as the leaders you will find some tools not available in the others. The fact that it may not be as flexible as the stand alone programs it will be easier for the novice. If you are a true video buff then even if you own other video software you would also want to have EMC in your software chest. The smallest stand alone module is Media Manager that enables users to easily browse, manage, share and protect their media files. The final application module is Tools. This module is used for creating disc labels, obtaining drive information, erasing discs, creating virtual disc drives and a few other assorted utilities. Roxio EMC is Vista compatible and includes gadgets for doing things directly from the desktop. I’m certain most computer users will find enough applications on Roxio Easy Media Creator to make the investment worthwhile. If this review has captured your interest pay a visit to Roxio’s website at http://www.roxio.com/. They have some great videos that will demonstrate these neat features This article has been provided to APCUG by the author solely for publication by APCUG member groups. All other uses require the permission of the author (see e-mail address above). |
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