Folder Sync
Non-medical post: Nice little folder sync software. free
June 28, 2005
June 17, 2005
Pitted Keratolysis
My partner saw a case of Pitted Keratolysis today. Now we remember how to treat it .. and so do you.
- Keep feet dry
- Drysol
- Alcohol-based cleaning gel stuff
- erythromycin ointment for resistant cases
June 09, 2005
Stumble
Stumble is an interesting Firefox plugin .. here's the Medical area of stumble
June 04, 2005
Apple iMac G5 - DOA & service troubles
Well . perhaps it was the OS 10.4 reviews (generally good) and the
trouble we had with editing movies with the crappy Windows software ...
or I just wanted to see how the other side lived again (my 1st
computers were Macs .. and I lived over there on the "light side" for
!0 years before defecting in about 1995.
So far, the next Mac decade isn't going so well.
The imac arrived today and Sam set it up in the family room. All
was going OK until he called me in and suggested that I should help get
it to go on.
Everything was hooked together right, but it just wouldn't go on.
He said that it had powered up once and then "fell asleep." after about 30 seconds.
Subsequent efforts to get it on were unsuccessful.
That was about 10:00 PM
Apple Support is closed .. but they have "24 x 7 chat support" and an online troubleshooter.
I tried the troubleshooter while waiting for the online chat to
respond. The troubleshooter was good, but I hit a dead end when
it told me to push a button that doesn't exist on my model.
So far - it looks like we are victims of the well-documented G5 imac
power supply issues. But I think we have a world record for how
long the machine lasted. (under 1 minute!)
Here's the transcript of my chat session with Apple -- after waiting in their cue for 2 hrs:
-------------------
Jacob:
Hello.
Agent:
Thank you for contacting Apple Chat support. My name is kaushik.Please give me a moment while i pull up your records.
Jacob:
Received brand new imac today
Agent:
ok
Jacob:
powered up for 30 seconds
Jacob:
went dead
Jacob:
now won't power up
Jacob:
followed online troubleshooter ...
Agent:
Please give me a moment while i pull up your records.
Jacob:
LED #1 os on .. but pressing internal power button does nothing
Jacob:
online troubleshooter says to push ?SMU button but none there on this model
Agent:
are you getting the chime?
Jacob:
no
Jacob:
nothing at all
Jacob:
Is thsi Mac just DOA or is there somethgin else I should try?
Jacob:
Hello?
Agent:
i am here
Agent:
checking your issue
Agent:
let me put you to the product specialist and he will be in a better position to assist you with
Jacob:
OK
Agent:
Has transferred you to:
Jacob:
?
Agent:
My name is Mike one moment while I review your previoius chat
Jacob:
ok
Jacob:
uuuh .. still here?
Jacob:
it wasn't exactly Moby Dick ..
Jacob:
;-)
Agent:
To
reset the SMU, do the following steps:Unplug all cables from the
computer, including the power cord.Wait 10 seconds.Plug in the power
cord while simultaneously pressing and holding the power button on the
back of the computer.Let go of the power button.Press the power button
once more to start up your iMac G5.
reset the SMU, do the following steps:Unplug all cables from the
computer, including the power cord.Wait 10 seconds.Plug in the power
cord while simultaneously pressing and holding the power button on the
back of the computer.Let go of the power button.Press the power button
once more to start up your iMac G5.
Jacob:
tried this. No luck
Agent:
Your notes indicate you tried to reset SMU but could not find the button. This computer does not have an SMU button
Jacob:
yes .. i see that ..
Agent:
Have you tried these exact steps ?
Jacob:
the steps you outlined above?
Jacob:
Yes
Agent:
yes
Jacob:
and repeated just now again
Jacob:
as well as the steps outlined in the online troubleshooter. I noticed
that there are four solder joints in the position that the SMU button
is in the picture .. so it is clear that this model has no SMU button
Agent:
Do you get a boot chime ? Do the fans turn on ?
Jacob:
no chime .. but when I press the "internal" power button as instructed
in the online troubleshooter, the fans turn for about 1/10 second
Jacob:
about 1/30 revolution .. and a tiny squeak comes out of the computer
from somewhere .. and LED #2 comes on .. ever so briefly .. less than a
second.. then it goes off.
Jacob:
then silence
Agent:
Please contact our support center at 800-275-2273 between 6A to 6P for your issue.
Jacob:
you are kidding, right?
Jacob:
I waited 2 hrs for you to tell me to call in the AM?
Agent:
You will need to call for this issue
Jacob:
and they are closed on the weekend?
Agent:
Open 7 days a week
Jacob:
website says M-F
Jacob:
if I bring it to the local apple store .. can you authorize a swap or somthing?
Jacob:
are you agreeing at least that this is DOA?
Agent:
I
am not agreeing this is DOA or that it will be swapped. I am advising
you to call our call center. You will be transferred to a product
specialist
Jacob:
YOu are not a product specialist? kaushik said you were a product specialist! pls understand this is frustrating to wait 2 weeks for new machine ..
spend 1 hrs troubleshooting on my own .. wait 2 hrs to talk with
you .. and now you tell me call in AM!?
Agent:
I understand but for this issue you need to call
Jacob:
what exactly do you think "this issue" is?
Agent:
I aplogize but there is nothing else we can do for this problem by chat
Jacob:
thanks, Mike.
Agent:
Thanks for using AppleCare chat support
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Well - clearly Mike is instucted to avoid saying anything in writing to acknowledge that this is DOA or that it has a problem that Apple has yet to publicly acknowledge is very-bad-indeed as many of the discussion boards will confirm.
I really am questioning this purchase. Hmm ..
We'll see if tomorrow goes any better.
I'll call at 6 AM Pacific ...
June 03, 2005
Medical Office Telephone Systems
A colleague of mine recently spent $40,000 on an office phone system. When we opened 4 years ago, we spent $3000 on ebay and I though it was a lot.
But phones can do more now .. and I think that an idea system would look something like this.
If you agree, please consider adding to the "bounty" so we can all create an excellent phone system for medical offices that doesn't cost $40,000. And of course if you have suggestions or additions .. please modify the description .. as it's on a wiki over there at voip-info.org.
June 02, 2005
Dead blog?
My wife declared my weblog dead yesterday. She's not far from the truth. And she complained that the few posts I've made in recent weeks/months have been too boring.
Hmm.
Perhaps the weblog is a thermometer for how I'm feeling.
Not-so-good recently.
I enjoy my work as a family physician. Worked yesterday from 9 AM to 8 PM and felt pretty good at the end of the looong day. Saw lots of patients and yet didn't feel too rushed. Didn't finish all of my notes during the day - which is a perpetual struggle for me. The usability of the EMR stinks .. which is a part of the problem (but not all of it).
When I am in the room with a patient, I do my best to focus on the interaction with the patient
Links
Search
Categories
- Allergies
- Attention Deficit
- Cardiology
- Clinical Pearls
- Content Management
- Dermatology
- Electronic Medical Records
- Family Medicine
- Gynecology
- Infectious Disease
- Medical Education
- Medicine
- Medicine and technology
- Not Medicine
- Obstetrics
- Orthopaedics
- Otitis Media
- Pediatrics
- Politics
- Prevention
- Psychiatry
- Red Sox
- Stories
- Technology
- Usability
- VOIP
- Web Technology
Archives
- August 2007
- July 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- December 2006
- November 2006
- October 2006
- September 2006
- August 2006
- July 2006
- June 2006
- May 2006
- April 2006
- March 2006
- February 2006
- January 2006
- December 2005
- November 2005
- October 2005
- September 2005
- August 2005
- June 2005
- May 2005
- April 2005
- March 2005
- February 2005
- January 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- October 2004
- September 2004
- August 2004
- July 2004
- June 2004
- May 2004
- April 2004
- March 2004
- February 2004
- January 2004
- December 2003
- November 2003
- October 2003
- September 2003
- August 2003
- July 2003
- June 2003
- May 2003
- April 2003
- March 2003
- February 2003
- January 2003
- December 2002
- November 2002
- October 2002
- September 2002
- August 2002
- July 2002
- June 2002
- May 2002
- April 2002
- March 2002
- February 2002
- January 2002
- December 2000
- July 2000
- June 2000
- May 2000
- April 2000
- March 2000
- February 2000
- January 2000
- December 1999
- November 1999
Recent Posts
Powered by
Movable Type 3.2
Movable Type 3.2