Though some suggest the specialized knowledge needed to program in MUMPS is a selling point, let’s put it this way: in the programming universe filled with PHP, Java, .Net, and other constellations of programmers, MUMPS is like a single Red Dwarf. It’s not going anywhere except into oblivion.
Open source, not $19 billion,Womens North Face Jackets, may be best health care stimulus
The federal economic stimulus package provides $19 billion to upgrade the U.S. health care system to digital records. It’s a nice gesture, but the U.S. federal government has already developed a robust medical ERP system that could significantly improve U.S. health care. It’s called VistA. It’s open source.
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Open source might prove to be the wrong answer to the health care mess. But given the VA’s success with VistA, President Obama should be spending pennies on the stimulus dollar with VistA before he looks elsewhere for solutions. It’s already written. By all accounts,womens ugg boots, it works well. This bottom-up development effort appears to be working: the VA hospital system consistently delivers superior care at less cost, as noted by ZDNet. As a volunteer at my local VA hospital, I get to see it firsthand. VistA was developed by the U.S. Veterans Administration and the medical professionals involved in its extensive hospital network. Read: doctors developing software for other doctors. One company,ghd iv mini styler, Software Revolution, claims that the MUMPS-based VistA code could be converted to Java at a cost of $125 million. If even remotely true, that could well prove to be a much smarter investment than $20 billion in stimulus money. Heck, given how easily billions are being spent in Washington today, $125 million is pocket change. At first glance, there is none. VistA works, and works well, particularly when packaged and delivered by companies like Medsphere, perhaps the most prominent advocate for the open-source health care ERP system. Better quality health care at a much lower price. What’s the punchline?
Follow me on Twitter @mjasay. Scratch the surface, however, and you quickly run into a major problem with VistA: MUMPS (Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System). MUMPS is the archaic programming language in which VistA was written, and which perpetuates its inflexible architecture. Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can follow Matt on Twitter @mjasay. |
It’s already paid for.
It just needs to shake the MUMPS out.
There are other open-source answers to the U.S. health care problem, including the federal Connect project and Axial Exchange, which was set up by former Red Hat executives to commercialize these federal efforts. But none is more proven than VistA, which has successfully served U.S. veterans for many years.
The winners include Houston’s CenterPoint Energy (CNP), which gets $200 million for a $639 million project to install 2.2 million smart meters and hundreds of sensors to make the system more responsive and reliable, and the city of Wadsworth, Ohio, which gets $5.4 million to add 12,500 smart meters and beef up its grid-charged electric cars. "This is a great first step toward transforming our whole energy system,",ugg shop; says Mark Brownstein, an energy director at the Environmental Defense Fund, which like many environmental groups sees the smart grid as essential to both making the U.S. more energy efficient and boosting the use of renewable power.
At the heart of virtually every project is an upgrade to more sophisticated meters, which communicate directly with the local utility. What good are they? Listen to President Barack Obama as he announced the awards at a solar energy facility in Arcadia, Fla.: "Smart meters will allow you to actually monitor how much energy your family is using by the month, by the week, by the day, or even by the hour," he explained. "So coupled with other technologies, this is going to help you manage your electricity use and your budget at the same time, allowing you to conserve electricity during times when prices are highest."
That’s why there’s a growing push to build a smarter grid, in which the meters can report in, appliances can control how much energy they use, and electricity stored in batteries can supply quick jolts of energy where needed, replacing the expensive power plants now used to meet peak power needs. One of the biggest believers in that vision is the White House. On Oct. 27, the Obama Administration announced 100 grants, totaling $3.4 billion, for smart-grid efforts, using money from the stimulus bill.
The smart meters are just a beginning, many experts say. But the path ahead is less than crystal clear. Just as it was impossible to predict in 1900 that electricity itself would lead to TVs, MRIs, computers—or even electric irons, for that matter—"now it is hard for us to envision what we will enable in 30 years,ghd hair straightener," says James E. Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy (DUK).
Getting Paid to Charge Your Car?
Obama's Smart-Grid Game Plan
Think back to the age of telecom before the breakup of AT&T, before the Internet, before Facebook or Twitter. That’s about how antiquated America’s system for delivering electricity—the electrical grid—is today. In many parts of the country, the grid is so "dumb",ugg boots uk; that workers still have to walk from house to house to read the electricity meter, and utilities have no clue when the lights go out until customers call to complain.
In pilot projects of this new approach, customers gave the local utility permission to temporarily trim, say, the amount of electricity going to their air conditioners or clothes dryers, thus helping the utility meet peak loads. In return, the customers were able to cut their electricity bills by 15% or more.
iUniverse offers a variety of plans for you to pick. You can get the basic plan, which costs $599. That gives you access to the service’s one-on-one author support. You’ll also get a custom cover, but you won’t be able to receive all the extras you’ll find in its Premier package ($2,099).
Xlibris plans range from $299 for a basic, softcover book to up to $12,999 for a Platinum package, which includes marketing services, advanced image options, and copy-editing services. It’s the full package. But since there are several plans that provide ideal services for any budget, Xlibris is a fine option,reviews mbt shoes, if you’re looking to publish a book.
My top 3
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During National Novel Writing Month, users write 50,000-word novels. As they hit different milestones, they update their profiles with information on how far along they are. When the story is complete, each qualifying manuscript idea will be added to the site’s Winner’s page. (Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET) National Novel Writing Month National Novel Writing Month is a really neat service. For 11 months out of the year, it’s a place where aspiring writers can congregate, discuss books they love, and talk about what kinds of books they plan to write. But in November, it’s home to a flurry of activity. Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. (Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET) Scribd is optimized for search engines, so all the content you upload to the site will be indexed by Google, Yahoo, and Bing. It could improve your chances of having your novel found. And since it’s extremely easy to upload a manuscript, you won’t have much trouble getting your story read by others. Even better, if you want to sell it, you can share the revenue with Scribd (you keep 80 percent of net sales) when you sell it through its store. Not bad. The site enables you to connect with readers to find out what they like and don’t like in a book. You shouldn’t have any shortage of users with whom to discuss literature. Winning authors receive a certificate and a Web badge. If they’re lucky, an agent or publisher might like their idea, request to read the manuscript, and publish the book in hardcover. Uploading content to DoXtop is quick and easy. Simply pick the file you want to upload,Paul Smith Sneakers, choose your desired format, and you’re all set. What I like most about DoXtop is its many community features. You can discuss your content with readers, ask them to rate your book, or respond to surveys. It builds a readership around your content. It also helps you determine what readers are looking for. If you’re trying to deliver your manuscript to readers without printing a book, DoXtop is a fine solution. iUniverse boasts several options for you. (Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET) Scribd Scribd is a fine place for you to publish your original content. The site’s document reader enables you to easily upload your book for users to check out. (Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET) doXtop lets you publish your content for all to see. Writerface Writerface is a social network for writers, editors, and authors. It’s a good place to share your work and get career advice. WeRead Being part of the social community is extremely important for authors. WeRead, which has an extremely active community, is a place for book lovers to congregate, share the books they’ve read, and discuss books they might have liked. And for authors,buy ugg boots, it’s also a place to connect with readers and discuss what they want in a book. Since the site was designed by authors, Xlibris is a little different than its competitors. When you sign up, you need to decide if you want to publish a black-and-white, color, or specialty book. From there, you can get down to the business of having it published. Xlibris provides a nice bookstore to sell your titles when they're ready. (Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET) 3. National Novel Writing Month: A supportive group of authors combined with a challenge makes it a great service to try out. |
DoXtop DoXtop allows you to upload documents (including books) that can be embedded into sites across the Web.
1. Lulu: If you’re looking to get published, Lulu is the best way to go about it.
Lulu is a great self-publishing platform.
(Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)
Xlibris Xlibris is another self-publishing service that helps you get your book published without going through traditional avenues.
Scribd lists several books that are offered for sale on the site.
Online resources for the aspiring novelist
Are you the next Stephen King? There’s no way to tell, unless you write a page-turner. But writing that book can be difficult. So, you might be looking for some help publishing it, or you just might want some advice. In either case, the Web is a great place to find some help.
Writerface is a great site to join for any aspiring author. The site is designed to help you connect with other writers around the world. It’s a great idea, but unfortunately, the site has a relatively small number of users, which will limit those connections a bit. That said, the community is quite active. Overall, Writerface has some potential. It just needs a bigger community.
(Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)
Writerface will let you add events worth checking out.
(Credit:Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)
Lulu Lulu is a self-publishing platform for aspiring authors.
After uploading a manuscript to Lulu, you can immediately start creating your book. You can decide what it should look like, get involved in the design process, and determine how it will be marketed.
Lulu currently sells books through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and social networks. Whenever you sell a book, you receive 80 percent of the net revenue from the title. Lulu takes the remaining 20 percent. It’s not a bad deal. And since it’s so easy to create a book, it’s a fine option, if you don’t want to work with traditional publishers.
That plan includes the ability to choose a hardcover and the option to have your book previewed by buyers. It’s a hefty price to pay, but it might be worth it, if you’re serious about selling your book. iUniverse even gives you the option of publishing your book in Amazon.com Kindle or Sony Reader versions. It’s a neat service.
WeRead will let you discuss books on a number of topics.
Write that book
The National Novel Writing Month even shows you where the most people have written.
iUniverse iUniverse is a self-publishing platform that goes one step further than simply allowing you to see your book in print. Unlike some competitors, it’s a supported self-publishing service, which means that you can have your manuscript edited, ask iUniverse to acquire an ISBN for you, and more.
2. Scribd: If you just want to get your manuscript out there without worrying about book fees, Scribd is the way to go.
Office IT, from Mad Men to Now and Beyond
Sexist comments. Bourbon at 10 a.m. Lighting up a Pall Mall whenever you want. No, this isn’t the Mets locker room. It’s the way of life on the TV show Mad Men, and boy, did those guys at Sterling Cooper (the show’s fictional advertising firm) have it made. No one cared about cancer. All the secretaries and stewardesses had hourglass figures. And if you were Senior Partner Roger Sterling, you could even pinch one of their tushes with impunity.
But most of us who work in an office have noticed something else on Mad Men: the technology shift. Gone are those big, black phones. Also those IBM (IBM) typewriters. A copy machine was new technology then. If Don Draper, the firm’s creative director,ugg sales, was suddenly transported to today’s office, he would be shocked by how much of the technology that he used every day in 1963 is long gone.
And a whole new generation of technology helps you run Macs on Windows-based networks or even run Windows and Mac operating systems side by side. Investing in this stuff is becoming less taboo in the business world. The IBM typewriter moved over for the PC, and the PC is slowly but surely sharing space with Mac. And oh, if you’re going to buy a PC, make sure it’s not running Windows XP or Windows Vista. Because in just a few years all you’re going to see is Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows 7 dominating the desktop&mdash,sell mbt shoes;or you’ll see Google’s (GOOG) Chrome or the open-source Linux system. In any case, today’s operating system will be yesterday’s news.