The doctor will iChat you now

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My former family physician was/is a very wired guy. Very web/tech savvy. That was handy because I could shoot him an email when I had a question and he’d respond. When he hung up his stethoscope, I gave up any notion of finding another doc similarly disposed.

I’m pleased to report that my new doc (who must remain nameless) is equally geeked out. So when he suggested we might try a “virtual office visit,” I was surprised and delighted.

We did a little trial run this morning (not him or me in the photo). I had a few questions and he answered them. It was like sitting in his examining room. Of course, there will be times when he’ll need to lay on hands but for  a lot of doctor-patient communication, video chat works fine.

Is this the future of medicine? Who knows. Certainly not for everyone. But for the right physician and the right patient… it’s a pretty efficient use of resources and time.

Einstein: “A horse for single harness”

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“My passionate interest in social justice and social responsibility has always stood in curious contrast to a marked lack of desire for direct association with men and women. I am a horse for single harness, not cut out for tandem or team work. I have never belonged wholeheartedly to country or state, to my circle of friends, or even to my own family. These ties have always been accompanied by a vague aloofness, and the wish to withdraw into myself increases with the years.

Such isolation is sometimes bitter, but I do not regret being cut off from the understanding and sympathy of other men. I lose something by it, to be sure, but I am compensated for it in being rendered independent of the customs, opinions, and prejudices of others, and am not tempted to rest my peace of mind upon such shifting foundations.”

Excerpt from an essay by Albert Einstein (Living Philosophies):

Josh Brolin to play W in Oliver Stone movie

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Oliver Stone’s next move is “Bush,” a film focusing on the life and presidency of George W. Bush. Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) will portray W. In an interview in Variety, Stone says he wants to present a “true portrait of the the man.”

“How did Bush go from an alcoholic bum to the most powerful figure in the world? It’s like Frank Capra territory on one hand, but I’ll also cover the demons in his private life, his bouts with his dad and his conversion to Christianity, which explains a lot of where he is coming from. It includes his belief that God personally chose him to be president of the United States, and his coming into his own with the stunning, preemptive attack on Iraq. It will contain surprises for Bush supporters and his detractors.”

I think Oliver Stone is capable of making a good (or great?) movie. I loved Platoon and Wall Street. JFK, not so much. But it sounds like they’re trying to get this movie in theaters by November and that makes me a little suspicious. Why not wait until the guys is out of office?

PS: Bet W loves the choice of Josh Brolin (“Damn! It’s like lookin’ in a mirruh!”)

Chainsaw attack at homeless shelter

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“A man with a chainsaw attacked four people at KNLJ Channel 25 Saturday, leaving two critically injured. Police say twenty-eight year old Matthew Watkins is originally from the St. Louis area and authorities say he’s been staying at the homeless shelter that sits on the grounds of the T.V. station for the past couple weeks.

When deputies arrived on the scene just after two o’clock p.m.Saturday they found the suspect wielding a chainsaw.  Deputies then arrested the suspect at gunpoint.”

I only mention it because it happened just up the road in New Bloomfield. (For the record, I didn’t write the last sentence in the first ‘graph.)

Update: “One of our staff members apparently had a mental breakdown – I guess you could say he went ballistic,” Tom Branham, an employee, tells the Fulton Sun. “First he was running around poking people – he poked a guy in the neck with, I think, a pencil – then he came after people with a chainsaw.” [USA Today]

Poll reveals declining trust in news media

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Broadcast Engineering reports the findings from a new Sacred Heart University poll showing a significant decline in the percentage of Americans who say they believe all or most of media news reporting (compared to a 2003 poll).

“Currently, 19.6 percent of those surveyed said they believe all or most news media reporting, down from 27.4 percent in 2003. Just less than one-quarter in 2007 said they believed little or none of the reporting, while 55.3 percent suggested they believed some media news reporting.

The poll revealed that Americans generally gave the national news media poor ratings in six different areas measured. The average positive ratings were:

* Quality of reporting — 40.7 percent
* Accuracy of reporting — 36.9 percent
* Keeping any personal bias out of stories — 33.3 percent
* Fairness — 31.3 percent
* Presenting an even balance of views — 30.4 percent
* Presenting negative and positive news equally — 27.5 percent

Additionally, the poll showed a growing perception that the media try to sway public opinion, 87.6 percent, up from 79.3 percent in 2003, and public policy, 86 percent versus 76.7 percent in 2003.”

Hmm. Only a third of those surveyed think the media keeps personal bias out of stories. In 35 years, I’ve never met a reporter who didn’t believe he or she was totally objective and free from personal bias. Wonder who’s right?