- Web Ecology Project — Researching quantized social interaction. Most recent work was a competition to write social bots that would be followed/friended on social networks–essentially scoring 51% on the Turing test. There are privacy implications (often social network buddies see profile information that strangers can’t). (via The Atlantic)
- We Need to Stop Google’s Exploitation of Open Communities (Mikel Maron) — much as Google’s ill-fated Knol smelled like an attempt to sidestep Wikipedia, their MapMaker is directly modelled on OSM [OpenStreetMap], but with a restrictive data license, where you can not use the data as you see fit. Mikel argues passionately and pointedly about this. Also interesting: how quickly OSM’s own community is turning against itself on licensing issues. Nothing else divides open communities as much as the license that makes them possible, not even big companies’ dickish behaviour.
- A Truly Open VistA — the Veterans Administration attempts to build an open source community (instead of simply releasing the source code). This article by RedHat’s Chief Technology Strategist outlines some of challenges they’re facing: obscure source and bureaucracy. The obscure source is a significant impediment: it’s written in MUMPS which predates C and combines the elegance of roadkill with all the capability for abstract expression of a brick. Existing businesses aren’t an impediment, though: Linux has shown that deforking (aka “contributing”) makes sound business sense once the momentum of new features builds up in the commons. (via Glyn Moody)
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Rare Javascript Operators (Timmy Willison) — enlightening, but reminds me of the important gulf between “can” and “should”: Tilde is useful! We can use for any functions that return -1:
// We can do
if ( ~checkFoo ) {}
(via Javascript Weekly)
"ehrs" entries
Report from Open Source convention health track, 2011
OSCon shows that open source health care, although it hasn't broken into the mainstream yet, already inspires a passionate and highly competent community.
popHealth open source software permits viewing and reporting of quality measures in health care
popHealth culls quality measures from electronic health records and formats them either for convenient display–so providers can review their quality measures on the Web–or for submission to regulators who require reports on these measures.
Indivo X personal health record: an interview with Daniel Haas of Children’s Hospital
Indivo is an open-source Personal Health Record (PHR) system. Last month, Andy Oram interviewed Daniel Haas of Children's Hospital about this project, which Haas will present at OSCON.
Indivo X personal health record: an interview with Daniel Haas of Children's Hospital
Indivo is an open-source Personal Health Record (PHR) system. Last month, Andy Oram interviewed Daniel Haas of Children's Hospital about this project, which Haas will present at OSCON.
Algorithms are the new medical tests
How data and algorithms help doctors make use of real-time data.
Predictive Medical Technologies says its new system can use real-time, intensive care unit monitoring data to predict cardiac arrest and other events up to 24 hours ahead of time. CEO Bryan Hughes discusses the system and the application of diagnostic data in this interview.
Not so fast: assessing achievements and barriers at a Massachusetts Health IT conference
Both the bright lights of success and the mire of gridlock were held up for examination this week at the conference Health Information Technology Improving Healthcare and the Economy. A report on meaningful use, data exchange, jobs in health IT, and more.
Interview: Protecting patient privacy rights in a wired world
Andy Oram interviews Dr. Deborah Peel of the Patient Privacy Rights about the conference "Getting IT Right: Protecting Patient Privacy Rights in a Wired World."
Four short links: 13 April 2011
Social Bots, Google Competing with Non-Profits, Open Source EHR, and Javascript Obscurity
SMART challenge and P4: open source projects look toward the broader use of health records
Many of the building blocks have recently fallen into place for
seamless data exchange between a patient and multiple care
organizations to support such things as real-time interventions in
patient behavior and better clinical decision support.
Report from Massachusetts Health IT forum
About clinical effectiveness research, EHRs, and just working
together.