healthy4u

Locking SafeSearch

When you're searching on Google, we think you should have the choice to keep adult content out of your search results. That's why we developed <a href="http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35892">SafeSearch</a>, a feature that lets you filter sexually explicit web sites and images from your search results. While no filter is 100% accurate, SafeSearch helps you avoid content you may prefer not to see or would rather your children did not stumble across. We think it works pretty well, but we're always looking for ways to improve the feature. Today we're launching a feature that lets you lock your SafeSearch setting to the Strict level of filtering. When you lock SafeSearch, two things will change. First, you'll need to enter your password to change the setting. Second, the Google search results page will be visibly different to indicate that SafeSearch is locked: <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji85sJ_sKPBJIxo_PwDKG7W47FH4h2Ny1xBwIw2PNKP9VgCCRfF3D92_7sqduXH1DHUQzxQkxTGqGaNKPueU1jkRiBR_h_wPFeBK42RdhhGP5fzBTAtqmeewUyOcwtnbsHl1EkFck3Gq4/s1600-h/coloredballs.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402667932932132034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji85sJ_sKPBJIxo_PwDKG7W47FH4h2Ny1xBwIw2PNKP9VgCCRfF3D92_7sqduXH1DHUQzxQkxTGqGaNKPueU1jkRiBR_h_wPFeBK42RdhhGP5fzBTAtqmeewUyOcwtnbsHl1EkFck3Gq4/s400/coloredballs.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 168px;" /></a> Even from across the room, the colored balls give parents and teachers a clear visual cue that SafeSearch is still locked. And if you don't see them, it's quick and easy to verify and re-lock SafeSearch. To use SafeSearch lock, go to the "<a href="http://www.google.com/preferences?hl=en">Search Settings</a>" page on Google. For detailed instructions, check out this video. <object height="295" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZNbHGrGJu8Q&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZNbHGrGJu8Q&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object> We hope you and your family find exactly what you’re looking for in Google search results — and nothing more. Posted by Pete Lidwell, Product Manager and Aaron Arcos, Engineer

Locking SafeSearch

When you're searching on Google, we think you should have the choice to keep adult content out of your search results. That's why we...

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Academic Freedom and ED EHR's Down Under: Another Update and a Welcome Development

In "<a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2009/11/academic-freedom-and-ed-ehrs-down-under.html">Academic Freedom and ED EHR's Down Under: An Update</a>" I wrote about the disputed essay on electronic health record (EHR) problems in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) by medical informatics professor Dr. Jon Patrick, Health Information Technologies Research Laboratory (HITRL), University of Sydney. The essay was entitled "A Critical Essay on the Deployment of an ED Clinical Information System ‐ Systemic Failure or Bad Luck?" I am happy to report that an updated version of the essay, version 5, is now available from Dr. Patrick's university web site at <a href="http://www.it.usyd.edu.au/%7Ehitru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=91&Itemid=146">http://www.it.usyd.edu.au/~hitru/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=91&Itemid=146</a> . It can be downloaded from the icon at Item 6. This is a welcome development. The essay is now labeled as an Op-Ed (Opinion Editorial). -- SS

Academic Freedom and ED EHR's Down Under: Another Update and a Welcome Development

In " Academic Freedom and ED EHR's Down Under: An Update " I wrote about the disputed essay on electronic health record (EHR)...

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Twice the storage for a quarter of the price

(Cross-posted from the <a href="http://googlephotos.blogspot.com/2009/11/twice-storage-for-quarter-of-price.html">Google Photos Blog</a>) People today have more personal data online than ever before. More and more people are starting to move the bulk of their data off the desktop and into servers "in the cloud," where it's accessible from any computer or mobile device and easily shareable with friends and family. At the same time, digital photo technology is making it easier and cheaper than ever to take a lot of pictures, and client software like <a href="http://picasa.google.com/">Picasa 3.5</a> makes it easier than ever to move photos from your camera to the cloud. That's why we've always given you lots of free storage in products like Picasa Web Albums and Gmail, and why for the past two years <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/simple-way-to-get-more-storage.html">we've offered</a> additional storage you can purchase if you need even more space. While the cost of hard drive storage has <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore%27s_law">continued to drop</a> in these two years, we've also been working hard to improve our infrastructure to reduce your costs even further. Today we're dramatically lowering our prices to make extra storage even more affordable. You can now buy 20 GB for only $5 a year — that's twice as much storage for a quarter of the old price, and enough space for more than 10,000 full resolution pictures taken with a five megapixel camera. Since most people have less than 10 GB of photos, chances are you can now save all your memories online for a year for the cost of a triple mocha. If you need more than 20 GB, plans range all the way up to 16 TB, which is enough room for 8 million full resolution photos! And Google paid storage offers an extra level of security, protection and accessibility that you can't get with an external drive — at a similar cost per gigabyte. As always, extra storage acts as an overflow that you only start using when you reach the limit of your free storage, and people who have extra storage will be automatically upgraded. So if you need more space for thousands of photos of your toddler, or if you're running out of room in your overflowing inbox, visit <a href="https://www.google.com/accounts/PurchaseStorage">www.google.com/accounts/PurchaseStorage</a> to see all the plans and to buy more storage. Posted by Elvin Lee, Software Engineer

Twice the storage for a quarter of the price

(Cross-posted from the Google Photos Blog ) People today have more personal data online than ever before. More and more people are starting ...

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The Kelo Case Redux Once More: Pfizer Pulls Out and the "Carefully Formulated" Development Plan Collapses

Four years ago we posted (<a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2005/07/kelo-case-pfizer-and-conflicts-of.html">here</a>, <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2005/10/pfizers-fingerprints-on-kelo-case.html">here</a> and <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2005/09/kelo-revisited-conflicts-of-interest.html">here</a>) about the controversial US Supreme Court decision in the Kelo case. Most discussion of the case at the time focused on individual property rights vs the power of the government to promote economic development, but the case had an important health care angle. Briefly, the case centered on the taking of private property, including a house owned by Susette Kelo, by a not-for-profit organization, the New London (Connecticut) Development Corporation (NLDC) given the power of eminent domain by the New London city government. While the ostensible rationale for the taking was economic development, the action appeared to have been at the behest of Pfizer Inc, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, which had built a research and development facility in the city, and wanted a suitably upscale and sanitized environment for its workers. As we <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2005/07/kelo-case-pfizer-and-conflicts-of.html">previously posted</a>, the NLDC's leadership had multiple conflicts of interest that involved ties to Pfizer. One board member was a Pfizer vice-president. The board president was married to another Pfizer vice-president. Pfizer wanted the part of New London that included Kelo's house made more attractive to complement its new research facility. The husband of the NLDC president had said, "Pfizer wants a nice place to operate. We don't want to be surrounded by tenements." Kelo's and other property owners' protest of the taking went all the way to the US Supreme Court. As we posted <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2005/07/kelo-case-pfizer-and-conflicts-of.html">here</a>, the Court decided against the property owners by a 5-4 vote. Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the majority that the city's "determination that the area was sufficiently distressed to justify a program of economic rejuvenation is entitled to our deference. The city has carefully formulated an economic development plan that it believes will provide appreciable benefits to the community, including - but by no means limited to - jobs and increased revenues." This majority opinion is important, because the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution provides "nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation." Many had interpreted this provision to mean that eminent domain could only be used to take property for public use, e.g., to build a road or a public school, but not for private purposes, like building upscale waterfront developments. Two months ago, we <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2009/09/kelo-case-redux-pfizers-nice-place-ends.html">posted</a> on how the supposedly "carefully formulated" development plan had fallen apart.  The land on which the Kelo house stood had never been developed, and remained a weedy lot.   This week, the (New London) Day <a href="http://www.theday.com/article/20091110/NWS01/311109920/1017">reported</a>: <blockquote>Eight years after opening its state-of-the-art global research-and-development headquarters in New London, Pfizer Inc. announced Monday it will close the nearly $300 million complex within the next two years and consolidate local operations into its Groton campus. </blockquote>Why did Pfizer decide to close the facility? <blockquote>Pfizer earlier this year said nearly 20,000 jobs would be cut as a result of its merger with the New Jersey-based Wyeth. The company said Monday that about 15 percent of its overall R&D work force would be cut as part of that downsizing. </blockquote>The result apparently will be the complete dissolution of the "carefully formulated" development plan. <blockquote>The announced closing of the New London site came as a blow to a city that had counted on Pfizer to help revive its fortunes. The loss of Pfizer as a keystone business in New London could put in further jeopardy the Fort Trumbull development that started in conjunction with Pfizer's move into the city but has left little but flattened buildings and eminent-domain angst in its wake. </blockquote> So, the unfortunate Kelo case has become a vivid demonstration how badly government does when it partners with businesses and tries to pick corporate winners and losers.  Unfortunately, it seems that much of what passes for US health care policy is such "corporate socialism."  As we said before, instead of trying to pick corporate winners and losers, government would do better to act like a combination of an honest policeman on the beat, deterring and punishing dishonest behavior, and in impartial referee, trying to make sure everyone is playing the game honestly. But no doubt government officials used to mingling with the corporate superclass would not be comfortable in the roles of honest cop or impartial referee. See also <a href="http://volokh.com/2009/11/09/pfizer-corporation-plans-to-abandon-new-london-headquarters-that-led-to-the-kelo-takings/">comments</a> on the Volokh Conspiracy blog.  Hat tip to the <a href="http://www.pharmalot.com/2009/11/a-bitter-irony-for-pfizer-and-a-connecticut-town/">PharmaLot blog</a>.

The Kelo Case Redux Once More: Pfizer Pulls Out and the "Carefully Formulated" Development Plan Collapses

Four years ago we posted ( here , here and here ) about the controversial US Supreme Court decision in the Kelo case. Most discussion of th...

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Finding flu vaccine information in one easy place

This year, it's especially important to have clear information on what you can do to prepare for the flu season. With this in mind, we are happy to share a new feature for the U.S. which allows you to more easily find locations near you for getting both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccine. After <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/google-flu-trends-expands-to-16.html">expanding</a> <a href="http://www.google.org/flutrends/">Google Flu Trends</a> to a total of 20 countries and 38 languages, allowing more people to see near real-time estimates of flu activity, we began brainstorming with the <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/">U.S. Department for Health and Human Services</a> (HHS), their flu.gov collaborators and the American Lung Association on the flu shot finder and other ways Google can be helpful to people this flu season. You can check out the flu shot finder at <a href="http://www.google.com/flushot">www.google.com/flushot</a>. The same tool will also be available shortly on <a href="http://www.flu.gov/">www.flu.gov</a> and the <a href="http://www.flucliniclocator.org/">American Lung Association</a> websites. It's important to note that this project is just beginning and we have not yet received information about flu shot clinics for many locations. In addition, many locations that are shown are currently out of stock. We launched this service now in order to help disseminate information about locations where vaccines are available, and also to make more vaccine providers aware of the project so that they can contribute. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uzEZEovYRQpj_KqxWlM3MwtMr5S5qlF8DRsc3LNmafvDgTc_gQyXOxWrFfugKslNF1PlPR_yFu0JlX4PnlbhGc8jjph38p_O8hcKQdjyKjiO_ucsGLbHN9rxENvVuUj4bo1MXwm8fmM/s1600-h/Pittsburgh_example.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402522558599676066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0uzEZEovYRQpj_KqxWlM3MwtMr5S5qlF8DRsc3LNmafvDgTc_gQyXOxWrFfugKslNF1PlPR_yFu0JlX4PnlbhGc8jjph38p_O8hcKQdjyKjiO_ucsGLbHN9rxENvVuUj4bo1MXwm8fmM/s400/Pittsburgh_example.png" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 223px;" /></a> Especially given <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/info/swine-flu-h1n1-vaccine/?scp=1-spot&sq=h1n1%20vaccine&st=cse">slower than expected vaccine production</a>, we think it's important to bring together flu shot information in a coherent manner. We've been working with HHS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local health agencies to gather information on flu vaccine locations across the country, particularly for the H1N1 flu vaccine (both the nasal-spray vaccine and the shot). At the moment we have data for locations of flu vaccine directly from 20 states and counting. We are also continuing to add information from chain pharmacies and other providers in all 50 states; today, you'll find results from chains such as Walgreens, CVS and PDX participants, such as Kmart, Duane Reade, WinnDixie and Giant Eagle. Of course you should still call flu vaccine providers ahead of time to find out more about availability and eligibility for the two vaccines. We hope to continue providing you with relevant information to help keep you and your loved ones healthy.<div> </div><div>Update on 11/19: We just added the flu shot finder as a search feature on Google.com. Now, if you search for terms like [<a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=flu">flu</a>], [<a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=flu+shot">flu shot</a>], [<a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=h1n1+shot">h1n1 shot</a>] or [<a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=flu+vaccine">flu vaccine</a>], information will appear at the top of your search results, including flu tips from flu.gov as well as the flu shot finder box with an expanding map that displays locations where you can receive seasonal and/or H1N1 flu shots.</div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUIHL0Zuto5dLQdNKclfi2VNCP1o7q6iN_vMIayYEJZ1PY1_LTJuF5FV_9go3aqVbKFYV16NinPudHi6jjtNGdaZES2vhPxzTyzK4QjdN4s893jq5ReFnxPW5bjHfRxc6e0-dVkbMWS8/s1600/FluOnebox.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405909551550449954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVUIHL0Zuto5dLQdNKclfi2VNCP1o7q6iN_vMIayYEJZ1PY1_LTJuF5FV_9go3aqVbKFYV16NinPudHi6jjtNGdaZES2vhPxzTyzK4QjdN4s893jq5ReFnxPW5bjHfRxc6e0-dVkbMWS8/s400/FluOnebox.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 113px;" /></a> Posted by Roni Zeiger, M.D., Product Manager and Jennifer Haroon, Product Marketing Manager</div>

Finding flu vaccine information in one easy place

This year, it's especially important to have clear information on what you can do to prepare for the flu season. With this in mind, we a...

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Health IT Personnel: Want To Bone Up On Technology? Try This

An interesting article appeared in an IT journal that merits brief mention with respect to electronic health records: "<a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9139771/Want_to_bone_up_on_wireless_tech_Try_ham_radio?taxonomyId=15&pageNumber=1" style="font-family: arial;">Want to bone up on wireless tech? Try ham radio</a>" Computerworld, October 29, 2009 I find it interesting in that in no interaction that I recall with IT personnel, my amateur radio background and the deep understanding of technology it imparted seemed of interest or value to them. Key point in the article: <blockquote style="font-family:arial;">"For IT professionals, ham radio can foster skills that are translatable into real-world wireless and wired networking applications."</blockquote> I would extend this to many other IT-dependent areas. Unfortunately, many IT personnel - and many so called physician directors of information systems - seem to be "appliance operators", a term hams use to describe people who can push buttons but lack a depth of understanding of what goes on "inside the box". Also expressed in ham radio terms, I have found most IT personnel in hospitals to be at the "CB operator" level of technological understanding, where "computer" equates to "cybernetic miracle," and computerization equates automatically to "improvement." <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSy149Zy-FHmSJcEIOfMcUe3f44mlx7ABp_aTeiTsTBClSVp_myDoPl96k0h88pSxNoCXKmdNgMaHWqYwRuM9n5En9yg5RcIal2gQwv_38jv_-rUYVFEzNPqNlPNjbCEycwced7MFz-0a/s1600-h/walkie.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402515155248748370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaSy149Zy-FHmSJcEIOfMcUe3f44mlx7ABp_aTeiTsTBClSVp_myDoPl96k0h88pSxNoCXKmdNgMaHWqYwRuM9n5En9yg5RcIal2gQwv_38jv_-rUYVFEzNPqNlPNjbCEycwced7MFz-0a/s320/walkie.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 175px; height: 230px;" /></a> Breaker, breaker, big buddy! </div> For IT personnel, studying and then securing a ham radio license and experimenting might give them the technical skills they need to be more fully in control of their systems, rather than the systems being in control of them. <div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xWFIL46J_Ptusi3hrVLnXsReh_whLl5An1sJ_4sjxC6ucyadO9XU2boxHxxYRqg_8Bc7_4-MFF6XnSbNnYdb_T2U7_fyTwmRgvSY6LP7rBBp3N_28aaEAk6pmxZz_dzo075wm1rq18Lj/s1600-h/ssfix.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402515980189678482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0xWFIL46J_Ptusi3hrVLnXsReh_whLl5An1sJ_4sjxC6ucyadO9XU2boxHxxYRqg_8Bc7_4-MFF6XnSbNnYdb_T2U7_fyTwmRgvSY6LP7rBBp3N_28aaEAk6pmxZz_dzo075wm1rq18Lj/s320/ssfix.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 152px;" /></a>This physician-informaticist diagnosing and treating ailments in an electronic patient, the classic <a href="http://www.rigpix.com/tentec/corsairii.htm">Ten Tec Corsair II</a> amateur radio transceiver. </div> Such expertise could also help ameliorate the problems noted on this site regarding healthcare IT. -- SS (Amateur radio, extra class)

Health IT Personnel: Want To Bone Up On Technology? Try This

An interesting article appeared in an IT journal that merits brief mention with respect to electronic health records: " Want to bone up...

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A WiFi wonderland in the sky... and on the ground!

The holiday season is always about connecting with friends, family... and the web. During the holidays in particular, the web brings us closer to others through the <a href="http://www.gmail.com/">email</a> we send, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=snow+sledding&search_type=&aq=f">YouTube videos</a> we share, <a href="http://www.google.com/products?q=fruit+cake&hl=en&aq=f">gifts</a> we buy, <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS336US336&ei=OHj0SsSiNoLSngeq4vnsBQ&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&ved=0CAYQBSgA&q=your+a+mean+one+mr.+grinch&spell=1">holiday music</a> we listen to and <a href="http://www.freeholidaywifi.com/give-back/">charitable donations</a> we make. That's why a few weeks ago, <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/flying-in-wifi-wonderland-free-internet.html">Google announced</a> that we're working with Virgin America to give free WiFi to all passengers on Virgin flights this holiday season. If you're one of the millions of people who will be flying during this busy travel period, chances are you may spend more time in the airport than on the plane itself. So, starting today and lasting through January 15th, we're happy <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20091110_free_airport_wifi_holiday.html">to announce</a> that we will be offering free WiFi in 47 airports across the country. You can see the <a href="http://www.freeholidaywifi.com/">full list of airports here</a>. This is one of our holiday gifts to our users, and, when you connect, we also hope that you'll take the opportunity to try some of the latest Google products. Our hope is that being connected for a few extra minutes (or hours, if you're delayed!) will help make things a bit easier. Be sure to look for the Google signs in an airport near you. Here's to the beginning of a happy, healthy holiday season! Update on 11/25: We're excited to add seven new airports to our <a href="http://www.freeholidaywifi.com/">free holiday WiFi program</a> — Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan National, Phoenix, Columbus (OH), Albany, Boise and Asheville (NC). With the addition of these airports more nearly 130 million passengers will travel through a Google WiFi sponsored airport this holiday season. And, whether you're flying or not, <a href="http://wificontest.appspot.com/">you can enter our Holiday Photo contest</a> and enter to win Virgin America tickets, Verizon Motorola Droid phones or Canon digital cameras — the deadline for submissions is December 16. Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP Search Products & User Experience

A WiFi wonderland in the sky... and on the ground!

The holiday season is always about connecting with friends, family... and the web. During the holidays in particular, the web brings us clos...

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