The Virtual World

After class this week I was very intrigued by the demo of Second Life and discussion on virtual worlds and the number of people who are utilizing this technology. According to Wikipedia a "virtual world is a computer-based simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars. This habitation usually is represented in the form of two or three-dimensional graphical representations of humanoids (or other graphical or text-based avatars)."

A virtual world mentioned in class was one called a Second Life. When it was created in 2003, it was virtually empty. Its creator wanted the users to build this virtual world. Linden now has many 3 dimentional residents (avitars) who make up this community. You create your own personna by choosing hair, eye color , right down to your undergarments! Instant messaging is used for communication , and you can indicate whether your resident will whisper or yell to those they talk to. Residents move around on foot, although there are go-cart type vehicles available ,and several options such as hot air ballons, helicopters and submarines for purchase! Linden dollars is the currency used and there is real estate available to purchase. Land , or an Island on Linden cost about $1600 and there is a monthly upkeep fee as well. Residents can create new goods and services to buy and sell, and build business opportunities. They indicate that the residence are friendly and welcoming and there as always something to do. I guess being in a virtual world allows for creative thnking and for people to experience a different social network than they currently do.

Virtual worlds are very advanced social networks utilizing computor simulation. This type of computor simulation could actually be used by students to create and market products as talked about in class. Some marketing and media companies are very excited about the future of utilizing virtual worlds for advertising , feeling there is significant profits to be made. According to an article in Fortune , IBM feels it's not just a game but a phenomenon that will continue to open the door to new business opportunities.

Even Walt Disney has a virtual world called Disney's Toontown. Very much like the adult world, they can dress their characters, own a home, have water fights and battle evil robots! This program has a higher level of security built in as characters can converse with secret friends by using passwords only. Many adults are enjoying playing along as well!

I believe we are just seeing the tip of the iceburg with virtual worlds such as a Second life. Second life appears to be reflective of its title; It provides people a chance to explore new social networks and opportunities they are currently not in this world, while existing in a drop dead body! You may notice everyone looks good in Linden!

My Blogging Experience

I'm not sure if Blogging is a word or not , but since beginning my Management of Information Systems course , when people ask me what I am doing , I respond "blogging". When I first read the course syllabus , I had no idea what a blog was and how I could possibly write 1o articles, add videos and pictures! I felt a bit like this maze makes you feel; feeling lost and will never be able to get through and find the end. Well, now I am posting my last article and feeling pretty good! You are probably getting a better picture as to why I called my blog " I'm Having Technical Difficulties".

Blogspot.com was fairly easy to maneuvor in ,and I read the "help" articles, as well as some of the tips in blogging 101 . Thinking of titles and topics to write about was a bit difficult at first, however, as we spent time in class, and different subjects were discussed , it was becoming easier to relate the topics back to my workplace. Being in healthcare, we are progressing and still have a along way to go, but a lot of the topics discussed in class, we had electronic processes already in place, and had for quite some time; Electronic staffing and scheduling modules, payroll modules ( with the recent addition of Cognos), an automated OR scheduling and data entry program, Quality Managment Software to name a few.

Posting a video to my blog was going to be a challenge. I surfed through youtube and found some very interesting and funny videos. I was familiar with the name only and had never visited the site before. It did take someone going over the steps with me ( Thanks Stuart!) , and it was relatively painless. Adding interesting links was easier, and I have actually added a couple of desktop links to my home and work computor. One of the tools I have also used recently for work was the hyperlink. I had never had occaision to use it , and really had no idea what its function was. With 10 articles to write there was lots of surfing, and using google to get some good articles and sites to link to my blog. If you have never visited Google earth , or google maps, and got on to the satelite maps, you should do so. You can only zoom in so far, and I assume that is so you can't spy so easily on your neighbors! Really interesting and amazing sites with 3-D capabilites .

Visiting other MBA classmates' blogs has been interesting as well. There are some great articles ,both personal experiences, work related and some humerous ones. Over all ,this experience has helped me overcome some of the fears I had regarding surfing , downloading and linking with different sites. I have shared my blog site with some of my co-workers who have visited and posted comments. I even had a question posed that I will research and get back to that person on!

I would highly recommend others to jump on board and develop a blog. I am hoping to maintain my site , or look at starting another one with my co-workers. It will be a great tool for sharing information, articles and interesting links that can help us all in our daily work lives. Thank you for introducing me to "blogging".

E-Health, the Way of the Future

In class we have discussed many applications of IT -related technology that is impacting the healthcare system. I was drawn to an article in the Times and Transcript this week " E-Health a Boon to economy:expert". We have learned in our course that It can save companies money , so why not healthcare? According to this article, Health Minister Michael Murphy has estimated that the province could save an estimated $400 miillion a year! E- Health refers mainly to the use of electronic records and technologies, like the internet. By sharing records ( one patient-one record) with other facilities and potentially throughout the country, we can increase efficiencies and decrease costs. For instance, if a patient comes from another area of the province to Moncton for an investigative or operative procedure, they may have already had testing such as an EKG, blood work or possibly a chest x-ray. If these reports have not been faxed to us, or it has not been communicated some way they are required by us, repeat testing may occur , which is an expense to both the system and the patient. One patient one record means the accepting physician and facility will be able to have a better understanding of the patients history and what investigative studies have already been done, and have the results available for viewing. This is very important information to have readily available to assist in a more timely diagnosis.

Our population is aging and healthcare budgets are are higher than ever. One standardized and centralized patient record would improve healthcare spending monitoring, and interestingly enough perscription drug tracking. Safer care and follow through on the number of medications people are taking at the pharmacists fingertip, will provide safer patient care, identify reactions to perscriptions more readily, and prevent patients from shopping around for perscription drugs.

I see the benefits of an enhanced E-health system to assist us in remaining competitive and fiscally responsible for our Healtcare system! These technological avancements also come with Healthcare providers having an obligation to use and protect this information properly . We will need to develop strategies and recommendations on how to protect a persons right to privacy prior to moving ahead with electronic patient records.

Facebook , what is it?

Facebook is an internet based website that is used for social networking ,targetting highschool, university, and college aged people. After hearing about this at class the other night, I thought I would find out more about it, as my teenager is also a part of this network.

Facebook was founded by a Harvard University student , which began as a hobby project and took off from there. It was soon endorsed by several universities and became a student network phenomenon. It was intended to be a tool for university students to network and is now catching on with younger teenagers. Facebook allows people to stay in touch, and a popular feature is the ability to post unlimited pictures! In Facebook you post a picture of yourself and can invite friends to view and write on your wall! You might give details about your likes and dislikes and post videos of your favorite music groups. A safety feature of network is that you only share with those confirmed friend who you wish to have in your network. You can use the privacy setting to control who sees what . Perhaps the most amazing statistic of all may be that Facebook is the 7th most trafficked site in the U.S.

Another social network similar to facebook is MySpace. Right now there is teriffic growth with these social sites , but as with any fad, they will come and go, and perhaps be replaced with different technologies. It is a competative industry. You can click here if you want to register for Facebook now.

The next step for Facebook and MySpace is to extend their reach beyond the computor to cell phones, making access more mobile! Social networking sites rely on advertising such as banner adds . Banner adds are graphic displays used for advertising on a web site.The cost of running the site remains low as users volunteer to use the service and also look after posting to their own site.

Social networks have power beyond ad revenue to act as a customer relationship management (CRM) tool for companies selling products or services. Maybe this will be the way we look after our customers in the future! . People would network with friends linking them to mutual businesses, job hunting and sales leads! Perhaps ground line phones are on there way out. Being mobile, connected , and having a network such as FaceBook , who needs to communicate what is happening in their lives any other way?

Future communication will be through such portals as Facebook and MySpace. Remember , never put something into print that you aren't willing to share with anyone or everyone, or to say to someone in person! You own your own words....

Webcam Safety; a Parents Perpsective

WE discussed the usage of webcams in class for business purposes, however this technology has made its way into many households. Having knowlege about the pros and cons of webcams is essential for all parents prior to purchasing this technology.

Many children are pressured into wanting technology such as webcams so they can connect with their friends through teleconferencing . The webcam can have some very positive usages, such as "seeing " family members who live far away , or for a grandparent wanting to keep track of the activities and growth of a new grandchild,and checking on our family from the office to ensuring things are OK at home. There are some dangers that parents should be aware of before purchasing a webcam for your child to use. As with any technology , it is always best to be aware of these dangers and communicate them to our children.

It is best to have your computor in a family room where you can always keep on eye on what sites are visited and what they are using their webcams and computors for. Some teens have been know to sell videos or allow others to view sexual acts over the internet via webcams. This is one reason for teens not to have a computor with internet access and a webcam in their bedroom. Although we feel this will never happen to our kids, it is always important to have that knowlege and share it with our children. Some kids have been caught playing strip poker over the internet while using webcams, not realizing that a "friend " was capturing this on video!!

As parents, we not only have to educate ourselves of the dangers of the interet as a tool, but ensure that we educate our children as well. Something as simple as not giving out any personal information over the net, or arranging to meet someone you ahve met on line by yourself is a start. Visit this site for safety tips and learn to protect your most precious investment; your children!

Our children are growing up using technology in their lives daily. They use it to communicate, educate. and entertain ! We need to have a working knowlege of computors so we can protect their privacy. This can be done through parental controls and careful observation while they are on the internet. Educate yourself, do some surfing, and investigate webcams on line prior to making that pressure purchase!

iPod 's ( Many uses)

I received an iPod for Christmas last year and to date I do not know how to charge it, download music to it , and barley remember how to turn it on. It is a bit embarrassing when you have to ask your 15 year old to download some tunes for you, and have to say "none of that stuff you listen to please!" . My challenge in the coming months is to learn how to do this. I realise it is not difficult, and perhaps it is easier to have someone else do it for you, however , I do enjoy a challenge and also want to investigate the full potential of this tiny device.

The digital Apple iPod is currently the worlds best selling digital audio player and its worldwide mainstream adoption makes it one of the most popular consumer brands. Mellisa's blog told us how many students are downloading files and cheating on exams, I'll try not to do that ( actually I pretty sure I won't figure that out before the next exam). iPods were used in the classroom to record lectures, discussions, and feedback during an experiment at Duke University .: “It was great. I didn’t have to write down all the comments my group said about my paper because I could just download it off my iPod onto my iTunes and listen to it from there.” (Duke report, page 7)

The ipod is compact and relatively easy to take with you anywhere. It comes in different memory sizes ( 30, 60 and 80 GB) and some brands have video capabilites. They can store up to 100 hours of video , and I-tunes has videos and movies available for purchase .

As I began to research a bit more on the ipod there are opposing thought in schools as to the useage of the device. Some schools have actually banned students from bringing their iPods to school as they feel the device isolates the students, which could lead to anti-social behaviors in the future. ".. every second spent with an iPod is an opportunity lost."

Other schools , as stated above,particularly Universities have utilized this technology by broadcasting recorded lectures to the internet for students to download , This is known as "podcasting". This technology is accessible and convenient to the student.

I do know of one thing you probably should not do with your ipod . I'm not sure if the warranty covers this!!

Integrated Waitlist for Surgery

The New Brunswick Surgical Care Network is about provider better health care for New Brunswickers in a timely manner. Currently, health care providers and the public are concerned about the wait times for surgery. This Network will begin to review the current wait times in New Brunswick and determine the factors influencing wait times. A few of the objectives behind SCN ( Surgical Care Network) is to ensure fairness , based on patient needs, appropriateness of wait times based on target surgery times, and certainty, meaning patients have an understanding of expected wait times.
This initiative is in the beginning stages in our province , with SERHA , the Moncton Hospital being the pilot site for implementation . The Moncton Hospital is now placing patients on a computerized provincial surgical patient registry , that will be connected to all other Regional Health Authorities by year end. This integrated wait list will give the province a more accurate and up to date wait list, to assess where extra resources may be required to assist Authorities to reach target surgical times based on patients condition.
The surgical access management strategy will result in a comprehensive, patient-centered system that continually monitors and manages wait times, while working towards making improvements in how efficiently and effectively care is delivered, as well as make wait time information available to the public and health care providers.
Saskatchewan has had this initiative in place for a couple of years now and has been able to reduce their wait list, impacting wait times. This initiative is being implemented across Canada, to provide both the public and the province, with accurate and detailed wait list information.