I think my medicine is giving me side effects! - Geek Salad meets Tue 4/27 at 7

See you at Geek Salad this Tuesday Apr 27 from 7-8 AM at Kaldi's at 9th and Cherry.
I'll bring along the iPad again. More apps specific for the iPad keep appearing.
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RXplore: New Regenstrief tool lets docs instantly track down drug reactions
Video<http://www.rxplore.com/AMIA/> (2:44) no sound.
[cid:D9B77352-0A17-45A7-B91D-E074E0630C13]

This tool, being developed at the Regenstrief Institute, lets you know the likelihood of a particular medicine causing a particular side effect.

I've wanted a tool like this for some time.
Now, if it just integrated with my electronic medical record, or your personal health record, that would be nice.

You might wonder "which of my medicines could be causing swelling?"
This tool helps.

Jeff Belden MD | beldenj@health.missouri.edu<mailto:beldenj@health.missouri.edu> | 573-489-4206 m
Geek Salad | Tossing Ideas Around
meeting every other Tuesday at 0700
at Kaldi's Coffee on 9th and Cherry
http://geeksalad.posterous.com/
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iPad is Here - Come to Geek Salad Tue Apr 13 to play with one

Geek Salad meets Tue Apr 13 from 7-8 AM at Kaldi’s on 9^th and Cherry.

 

Steve Mays, George Kopp, and who knows who else will bring along their new iPads for show, tell, and play.

Wash your hands.

 

The instruction manual is incredibly short.

 

 

Jeff Belden MD | beldenj@health.missouri.edu | 573.489.4206 m | www.toomanyclicks.com

 

Playing with Prototypes at Geek Salad | Tue Mar 30 | Kaldi's 7-8 AM

I'm on a prototyping binge.
The iPad is coming April 3. I saw a blog post by OmniGroup, one of my favorite companies for Mac applications. They describe making a couple of iPad prototypes so they could start designing apps for it before they had their hands on a working model.

That got me to thinking.
What would an iPhone app look like for an EMR? What would I expect from it as a family physician? Would I use it in clinic at all? On hospital rounds? How would it be better than a laptop or an iPad? Would I glance at the schedule of patients for my office if I was 7th person in line at the coffee shop?

Those musings had me taking 8 pages of notes in my pocket notebook.

What if I had an iPad prototype?
Well, I had some foam board, black electrician's tape, a sharp shop knife, a yardstick, and access to Apple's website where I could get the exact dimensions. In no time I had a prototype. Make that 4 prototypes. Now I have 5.


One of them is a teacher's $3 masonite white board, including the first-grader writing lines on the flip side. Another one has a giant fluorescent green PostIt note consuming the screen area.

So, come and play with my iPad prototypes.
We'll role play doctor/nurse/patient managing blood pressure control using home measurements.

Bring your imagination, too!

Calendar for Geek Salad meeting dates

Want to add Geek Salad meeting dates to your calendar?
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Check the blog for the rare cancellations (around holidays mainly).

Geek Salad meets Tue Feb 15 at Kaldi's - Hear me rave about the Siri iPhone app

I just heard Merlin Mann of 43 Folders recommend this iPhone app on the MacBreak Weekly Podcast.
Siri uses voice recognition (powered by Nuance, who else?) to make finding things drop dead simple.
Just ask it "find Indian restaurants near here" or "what's the weather Sunday?"
I couldn't stump it.
Available for Blackberry, too.
Gorgeous interface. Nice tutorial. Guides novice users with suggested searches, leading you down a short path to treasure.

http://www.siri.com

Of course, we only talk about whatever you, the attendees find interesting or stimulating.
See you then!

Geek Salad Special Event Feb 2. See Office 2010 Preview with Windows Live simultaneous collaboration

Andrew Hutson will demo MS Office 2010 beta,
and with the help of Carl Hooker will demo simultaneous editing of documents in the Windows Live cloud.
We plan to have 3 computers attached to the TV via HDMI cables, so we can toggle between computers. Should be interesting to see that!
I like the new Sparkline feature in Excel 2010.
I'm on the bus. No way to grab a screenshot of 2010 right now.

We might mention the new Apple iTab.
[cid:3347462847_4664314]
I followed the Apple Event on Twitter via MacLife. Nice and comprehensive.
[cid:3347462847_4675266]
... And more.

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Jeff Belden MD | beldenj@health.missouri.edu | 573-489-4206 m
Geek Salad | Tossing Ideas Around
meeting every other Tuesday at 0700-0800
at Kaldi's Coffee on 9th and Cherry
http://geeksalad.posterous.com
to unsubscribe, reply with UNSUBSCRIBE in subject line

Type tells a story

Type tells a story: "

If you write it down, we're going to judge it.

Not just the words, we're going to judge you even before we read the words. The typography you use, whether it's a handwritten note or a glossy brochure, sends a message.

Some typefaces are judged in a similar way by most people you're addressing (Times Roman in a Word document or Helvetica on a street sign or Myriad Pro on a website) but even when you choose something as simple as a typeface, be prepared for people to misunderstand you.

If you send me a flyer with dated, cheesy or overused type, it's like showing up in a leisure suit for a first date. If your website looks like Geocities or some scammy info marketer, I won't even stay long enough to read it.

Like a wardrobe, I think a few simple guidelines can save amateurs like us a lot of time:

1. Invest some time and money up front to come up with a house style that actually looks the way you want it to, one that tells the story you want to tell. Hire a designer, put in some effort. A headline font, a body font, one or two extras. That's your outfit, just like the four suits you rotate through your closet.

2. 'What does this remind you of?' No need to be a pioneer (unless that's the story you want me remember). Find a combination of typefaces that remind your chosen audience of the sort of organization you want to remind them of. Hint: italic wedding invitation fonts in the body of your email remind me of nothing except other people who have wasted my time...

3. Be consistent. Don't change it when you get bored. Don't change it when your staff gets bored. Change it when the accountant and marketing guys tell you it's not working any longer.

Bonus! Books from John McWade, Adobe and Chuck Green

"