This falls into the "Don't you just hate it when they do that?" category of petty annoyances associated with daily life at the library that, because I have a blog, I can rant about. Here it is: medical reporters have picked up on, no, jumped on, a Lancet study reporting the disproportionate effect of the H1N1 virus on pregnant women in the US.
Okay, good work, EXCEPT that in order to get the PDF of the article at this moment you have to pay $31 for it or HAPPEN to know that it's available from ScienceDirect, an information platform on which UC HAPPENS to provide this particular journal.
Adding insult to injury, the article is not in the print version of the journal and it's not available in PubMed yet, so you can't get it by clicking on the full text link that your library has so graciously added to PubMed to facilitate your fulltext access. If you'd like to see the full text of this article, just put your email address in the comments box and I'll PDF you a copy, pronto.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Cloud Computing
I've been hearing a lot about the computing cloud lately. Cloud storage software, cloud nodes, cloud architecture, cloud apps...references to cloud computing abound. The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer did a piece on it a few weeks ago,so you know it has entered popular culture.
Although the idea is still a little hazy to me (with a 50% chance of clearing), I've figured out that it's a way of conceptualizing the trend away from storing and using information on your own PC or organization's network to doing everything online via whatever device may be handy...your smart phone, your laptop, what-have-you.
Actually, this is a concept that I've been thinking about alot lately, although I didn't know it was called cloud computing. Here are some possible ways to use the cloud: Don't host your site on your network server, put it up on the open web in a wiki format where everyone can get to it and contribute content. Create your presentation in Slideshare, don't carry it around on some thumb drive you'll lose or forget to bring to the presentation. Write your report as a Google Doc, not in a docx file format that no one can open unless they happen to have the correct version of Microsoft Office. It goes without saying, of course, that you are aware of HIPAA rules and regulations and are sensitive to your organization's privacy and proprietary issues. So don't be hanging around on the ground if you can take it to the cloud. Up, up and away.
Although the idea is still a little hazy to me (with a 50% chance of clearing), I've figured out that it's a way of conceptualizing the trend away from storing and using information on your own PC or organization's network to doing everything online via whatever device may be handy...your smart phone, your laptop, what-have-you.
Actually, this is a concept that I've been thinking about alot lately, although I didn't know it was called cloud computing. Here are some possible ways to use the cloud: Don't host your site on your network server, put it up on the open web in a wiki format where everyone can get to it and contribute content. Create your presentation in Slideshare, don't carry it around on some thumb drive you'll lose or forget to bring to the presentation. Write your report as a Google Doc, not in a docx file format that no one can open unless they happen to have the correct version of Microsoft Office. It goes without saying, of course, that you are aware of HIPAA rules and regulations and are sensitive to your organization's privacy and proprietary issues. So don't be hanging around on the ground if you can take it to the cloud. Up, up and away.
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