Did I happen to mention my initial goal for January – what I reckon some might call a New Year’s Resolution — has been to clean up this dump and get organized? Well, consider yourself informed.

Only trouble is, I actually started the clean up and reorganization back in November, so I guess it doesn’t precisely qualify as a New Year motivated event.

Phase One:

Well, Billy Bob and I run network cables everywhere ‘cept the shed out back… and he’s been eyeballing that since Tuesday. Wireless would be nice, but too expensive and not really secure. (Can’t exactly have Jethro piggybackin’ my network whenever he was to take a notion.)

Relocated my cable modem and router. That’s right, we got high-speed Interweb right here in Ozark nigh on last year. Now if we could just manage indoor plumbing we’d be in some tall cotton.

Also installed a new printer that almost works. It prints okay, but it would be nice if it didn’t take ten minutes to work up the gumption. (Cousin Goober thinks it’s the USB driver … and he should know … bein’ he’s a handy fellow and all.)

Phase Two:

Monday spent the whole day trying to repair The Lock-up King. (Yeah, we’re getting serious here.) Unfortunately, the repair failed three times in a row, so I finally abandoned that plan. The good news is we had adequate back-ups.

I managed to crank ‘er back to square one so we’re riding that mule on the original configuration. It only locks up several times a day now, instead of once or twice a week. (Did I mention it took THE WHOLE DAY?)

Anybody got a sledgehammer?

Phase Three:

Yesterday did a fresh install of Windows on the above mentioned joy-of-my-life, so that problem is solved. I hope. Not holding my breath.

Unfortunately now I have to re-install all of the drivers, software, files, settings, address book, email messages … some folder Billy Bob calls “pitchers” he won’t let nobody look at … and get the whole thing set-up and organized.

Side note: It’s only locked up three times now trying to copy my files back onto the drive. Who says we’re not makin’ progress?

Billy Bob and Cousin Goober say to tell you all, “Hey.” And, if you don’t hear from one of us by Spring, don’t you pay it no mind. No need to be sendin’ in the Forest Rangers or nothin’. A sympathy card will do.

Cheers,
Dean

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Stolen Joke of the Day: “You might be a redneck if…

Your new TV is sittin’ on top of your old TV.”

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Or did it?

A while back I wrote an article entitled, Why We Fall for Alternative Medicine that among other things used acupuncture as a typical example. This of course was applauded by some and readily dismissed by others, namely, those who believe that acupuncture is a valid medical procedure.

One of these days I’m going to do an article on how we as humans form our belief systems, but for now suffice it to say that by-and-large we believe in what we want to believe in. Facts, evidence, truth, logic, reasoning… all have an uphill battle competing for our hearts and minds if we truly want to believe otherwise. It’s just human nature.

On that note, here’s what one commenter had to say about her experience with acupuncture…

There is a time and place for everything.

20 years ago I had debilitating RSI symptoms, and eventually I had a ganglion in my left wrist (like a hard pea under the surface). They are usually removed with surgery.

3 sessions at an acupuncturist got rid of it.

3 months ago, I got a ganglion in my right wrist. It was very hard and the local acupuncturist was hesitant to treat it as he says it can be quite painful, and he asked if I have ever had one before. I said yes, 20 years ago. I also let him know that how I handled childbirth labour and a few other life experiences has taught me I have a pretty good pain threshold, so I am willing for him to have a go. He said it was a very hard one. After 2 sessions it was gone.

Now, on the surface, this would seem to be a compelling testimonial for the power of acupuncture. Taken at face value, one could easily conclude that here is an example of how alternative medicine succeeded where western medicine supposedly failed.

That is until we consult the orthodox medical literature where we learn…

Ganglion cysts arise from the capsule of a joint or the sheath of a tendon. They can be found at different places on the wrist. A ganglion cyst that grows on the top of the wrist is called a dorsal ganglion. Others are found on the underside of the wrist between the thumb and your pulse point, at the end joint of a finger, or at the base of a finger. Most of the time, these are harmless and will often disappear in time.[1]

So we see – as is often the case – alternative medicine is brilliant at achieving miraculous cures for conditions that tend to disappear on their own.

If you read the entire AAOS article, you will learn that these cysts are not “usually removed with surgery” as the commenter mistakenly believed. Rather, ganglion cysts seldom require surgery because the doctors know they will most likely disappear if you just give them time.

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Now I don’t know where my commenter got her information or how she arrived at her conclusions, but her take on the story is obviously not in keeping with the facts. I suspect that she allowed her disdain for conventional medicine – coupled with her predilection for exotic alternatives — to cloud her judgment.

In other words, she let her casual observations trick her into believing what she wanted to believe. And the sad part is she is now going about spreading the word of how acupuncture performed a miraculous cure when she no doubt would have achieved the same results had she done nothing at all.

One can only wonder how many people will be misled by her faulty conclusions and her heartfelt testimonial.

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Do I think writing articles exposing the fallacies of alternative medicine will somehow convince these people that they’re wrong? Do I think I can persuade the acupuncture proponents they’re making a mistake? No, I have no such delusions. I fully expect them to cling to their beliefs regardless of the facts. I expect them to continue on as before, because that’s what people do. As I said at the beginning of this post, that’s just human nature.

They will continue to believe in acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy and other forms of so-called alternative medicine because it’s what they want to believe. Facts and evidence will not persuade them to the contrary.

*****

Update: Upon reviewing the above post, I realized that I edited out one key point for the sake of brevity. I originally meant to point out that I am not dismissing acupuncture altogether. I find it to be interesting and worthy of further investigation. The purpose of this post is not to knock acupuncture, but to merely point out how easily we can fool ourselves if we don’t examine things in a scientific manner. I will have more on this in future posts, which I intend to group into a section specifically about alternative medicine.

References:

1. AAOS: Ganglion (Cyst) of the Wrist
2. Why We Fall For Alternative Medicine

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I knew there was a nursing shortage in this country, but here’s something I didn’t know…

Kim at Emergiblog wrote in her latest post, A Notice for the POTUS:

Oh, there is no dearth of potential nurses in the United States. There are so many applicants that nursing students are often chosen by lottery and many wait years to get into a program.

There is not enough space in our current nursing programs, because there aren’t enough nursing educators.

On the one hand, it is comforting to know that there are still young people seeking to enter this most noble of professions. I was under the impression that the lack of nurses was due solely to the fact that it is a difficult and challenging job… both physically and emotionally… and that not enough people were willing to go that route. I didn’t realize that the real problem was one of logistics.

(Oops, just got interrupted by a phone call and now I can’t remember what I was going to write next.) Oh well, suffice it to say…

Let’s hope that the powers that be will heed Kim’s message and take the necessary steps to attract more qualified nursing instructors to help fill this void.

All for now,
Dean

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Lucked out again weather wise. All the terrible tornadoes that swept through the area last week all went north of us here in Ozark. (Whew.)

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I’ve been working on a new blog post on the subject of alternative medicine, which I wanted to get posted today, but there is just so much material to cover that it is running over 7 pages. I don’t think you want to read a seven page blog post, so I’m trying to whittle it down to something more manageable. I’ll cover the rest in future postings.

*****

Been busy this past week configuring and finally building a new computer, cleaning up and re-arranging my office… planning to run more network cables in the next day or two… all in the hope of making this place run more efficiently. I’d blog about stuff like that, however, it just seems too mundane to waste your time with. (Oh wait, I just did. Sorry.)

I may blog about the new computer when I have it just the way I want it. It’s not a powerhouse gaming rig… like I have time to play games. No, I’m going for a totally silent, low-power consumption (i.e. “green” alternative) that hopefully will have no moving parts. Once I have it online, I plan on repairing my current workhorse (a.k.a “the lock-up king”) and then get it back into service as well.

*****

Okay, I can tell you’re bored already so I’ll just quit while I’m behind.

Take care,
Dean

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Happy New Year everyone!

I hope this past year was a happy and successful one for you and that you are as optimistic about this coming year as I am.

Dean

Rats, coal again!

Guess I’ll just have to go buy myself something.

Speaking of which…

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My Quest for the Perfect Blogging Tool

I’m 90% certain I’m going to get a laptop now that Christmas is over. That is, providing the prices drop in the next couple of weeks. There have been some real bargains lately, but I’m still putting if off — not only because of prices — but because I’m not sure which one to get. I keep going back and forth between different models.

I almost bought a 15” Dell a couple weeks ago. They had a good deal on their lowest priced model. For $499 it came with 1 Gb of ram, a 120 Gb hard drive and Win XP but… just as I was about to buy it… they changed the deal. They stripped it down to 512 Mb Ram and a 60 Gb hard drive. Needless to say, that just ticked me off and I decided to look elsewhere.

Then I happened across a deal on a refurbished Gateway for only $349. Normally I wouldn’t consider a used machine but it was from a reputable dealer that I often buy parts from. Decided the next day to get it only to find that they raised the price to $399. You can sometimes find new laptops for $399 so it didn’t make sense to spend that much on a used one.

For a while I was thinking about one of the 17” models, but they’re just too big and they’re kind of expensive.

It was about then that I discovered the new Asus Eee PC, which is a very intriguing little number for on-the-go ‘puting. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s an ultra-portable notebook with a full keyboard, measures 6×9 (the size of a paperback book) and only weighs 2 pounds. (Most laptops weight over 6 pounds.)

One nice thing I like about the Eee is that it runs on Linux instead of Windows and comes with an office suite called OpenOffice, which is compatible with MS Office documents.

Kind of hard to beat that.

Also, it will boot up in under 30 seconds and shutdown only takes 10 seconds. In other words, it’s a pretty snappy little PC.

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So What’s the Hang-up?

The main problem with the Eee is that it only has a 7” screen and the keyboard is rather tiny. Some people say you can get used to typing on the miniature keyboard, but it isn’t ideal for more than just note taking. You wouldn’t want to use it to write your dissertation.

In addition, further research turned up a few more caveats such as:

• Numerous reports of problems with the sd card reader.
• The 7” screen only allows you to see about 18 lines of text.
• Horizontal scrolling is often required to view certain websites.
• The screen doesn’t have a tight hinge allowing it to fall backwards if you don’t balance it just so. (I have an old 486 laptop that had this problem and it was very annoying.)

Finally, the small size is not as convenient as it first sounds. Most people find they can’t work on the thing in their lap without putting a book or something under it to make it more stable. The only way to use it is if you’re at a desk.

I haven’t seen the thing in person yet. I’m still interested in it, but it sounds as if you might as well get a larger laptop. So I’ve come full circle and I’m back to looking at PC’s like the 15” Dell again. (Sigh.)

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The Ideal Solution

I think Asus made a mistake downsizing the keyboard as much as they did. It really wasn’t necessary. My old Compaq 486 notebook (mentioned above) has a 7” screen, measures about the same dimensions as the Eee PC and has a smaller than normal keyboard that is not noticeably miniaturized. So they could have built a small laptop without using a teeny tiny cramped keyboard.

What I’d like to see is a low cost ultra-portable with a 10-12” screen and normal size keyboard. It should come with the same basic specs as the Asus, that is 600 to 900 Mhz processor, 512 Mb of Ram (expandable to 2 Gb), 4-8 Gb of solid state memory, 3 USB ports, an sd card slot, LAN, WLAN and VGA ports. Bundle it with Linux, OpenOffice and Firefox and it would be a winner.

Also, they need to do away with the fan. It should be a totally silent PC. It doesn’t have to be a speed demon. Linux runs faster than Windows and works fine on a slower, cooler, less expensive CPU.

I know that there are some ultra-portables out now with many of these features, but they are very, very expensive. The Asus prices start at $349.

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Why A Laptop?

My reasons for wanting a laptop are purely practical. For example, I find myself AFK (i.e. Away From Keyboard) a lot lately, which is why my blog posts have been few and far between.

In addition, I always get my best ideas when I’m not sitting at the computer trying to write something. (And sure, I’ve tried the old pencil and paper routine, but that just doesn’t work for me.)

If only I had a portable computer that I could carry around with me. Then I could just jot down those great ideas while they’re fresh in my mind instead of merely making a mental note to “blog about that” the next time I’m in the office. (As you’ve perhaps noticed, it never gets done.)

Anyway, that’s my plan for the coming new year. We’ll see if it comes to fruition and I can start boring you to death with more of my idle ramblings.

*****

Hope you’re enjoying the holidays. If not, go buy yourself something. You deserve it.

Cheers,
Dean

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I’m sitting here with a sleeping kitty in my lap (as usual) and thinking I better post something to the old bloggeroo before Chrysalis Angel sends out a search party.

Survived the ice storm that hit the Midwest this weekend. According to the news; over one hundred thousand people without power just to the North and West of where I live. I’m feeling very fortunate to be snug and warm here in my little hovel with ol’ sleepyhead.

Woke up Sunday to an Ice Crystal Palace outdoors and was going to snap a few photos for you, but it was so warm that it melted off before I could get that done.

Have you noticed how everything gets exaggerated on the news? One report I saw stated there was one to two inches of ice… which was clearly false. We didn’t get anywhere near that amount. Another report, the newscaster held up a small ice covered twig to demonstrate his report of 3/4 of an inch of ice on the trees… only he forgot to consider the diameter of the twig. There was only 1/8 inch of ice on the twig. (Probably why he’s a journalist and not a rocket scientist.)

They did get about 3/4 of an inch over in Oklahoma (to the West of Missouri). But we only got around an 1/8 to 1/4 in this area. Enough to bring down some power lines, but nothing like we had last year.

Well, better get back to work.

Later,
Dean

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Hope everyone (in the U.S. anyway) has a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. We’ll be having a big family get-together as usual this year.

I apologize once again for my lack of posting to the blog. I just haven’t had time to write anything lately as I’ve been working day and night on the “Super-Secret Project.” As I think I mentioned before, I would blog about it, but then it wouldn’t be “Super-Secret.”

I can tell you that I rebuilt one of my two computers and dressed it up in a brand new case. It was the computer I originally built to use as the foundation for my recording studio… and it is now back in service in that capacity. I just wish I had time to work on my music.

I’ve also completed the preliminary preparation for repairing “The Lock-up King,” which is my main computer that I do all my writing and other business stuff on. Not sure when I’ll actually undertake that task as it means being without it for an indefinite period of time.

It has developed a twisted sense of humor of late. Initially, I could count on it to lock up regularly on Monday afternoons… however, now it sometimes locks up on Thursdays and Fridays just for giggles and grins.

I’m still thinking I’ll just invest in an inexpensive Dell to use as an everyday ‘puter on the Internet and retire this old one to use as a back-up. Then I could safely tinker with it without worrying about being down for days… and a back-up would be a good idea anyway.

Well, got to get some lunch and then back to work on the project.

Dean

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Okay, I may be stretching things a bit to refer to her as the “best dentist in Springfield, Missouri” — after all we’ve got dentists out the wazoo – but Heather Cline, D.D.S., P.C. is my new hero.

Perhaps a little history will help explain why.

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“You’re an anti-dentite, Jerry.
You’re a rabid anti-dentite.”
- Cosmo Kramer

*****

A couple weeks ago, I went in to my now former dentist for a check-up, cleaning and to fix an old filling that had apparently fallen out. (I thought I’d chipped a tooth.)

The cleaning went well. The Dental Hygienist did an excellent job scrapping the crud off the old fangs. She even tried repeatedly to get me to agree to a full set of dental x-rays, which I make a general rule to refuse unless absolutely necessary. (I feel it’s my prerogative, not theirs.) I wanted to see the dentist first and find out what he could see visually and then decide what needed to be done.

Apparently this did not sit well with the dentist. In addition to replacing the known worn out filling he claimed:

• I had three more cavities that needed work.
• I had a fractured tooth.
• He thought one tooth might need a crown.
• He even tossed out the possibility of doing a root canal.

Total estimate (not counting the root canal) was going to come to $1456.00.

I forget how much extra the root canal would have cost. (I think it was another $800 – $1400.) I was so stunned by the first amount that whatever he said didn’t register. Besides, I knew I didn’t need a root canal.

When I questioned his estimate, his only response was, “Dentistry isn’t cheap.” To which he followed up sarcastically with, “Besides, you didn’t want x-rays.”

My interpretation now several weeks later: “This is your punishment for refusing to allow me to annually bombard your head with unnecessary x-ray radiation. I’m going to do as much damage to your teeth – and gouge you for as much money — as I think I can get away with.”

How did I arrive at this interpretation? Read on…

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Fortunately, I had an appointment the following week to see the best orthodontist in Springfield, Missouri, Dr. Jerry Cash. So while there I expressed my dissatisfaction with Dr. Sarcastic and asked him if he could recommend a good dentist. (I also asked him if I had a fractured tooth and he couldn’t find one.)

Dr. Cash recommended Dr. Heather Cline.

So I made an appointment with her to get a second opinion. I did not let on who the previous dentist was or what his diagnosis had been. I wanted to see if she would come to the same conclusions. (Did I mention that I don’t trust dentists?)

She did a full comprehensive examination and determined that all I needed was a new filling for the worn out one. I asked her if I had a fractured tooth and she said no. No mention of crowns, root canals or any other unnecessary work.

I did agree this time to a full set of dental x-rays and — as I already knew — they showed my teeth to be perfectly healthy just like they always do. Not one thing wrong with them. Nada. Zip. Nothing. There was no need to be nuking my noggin’ on an annual basis even if Dr. Sarcastic needed help paying for his Beemer.

Total cost for all treatment came to $180.00 and that included the x-rays and comprehensive exam.

Not cheap, but a far cry from $1456.00 for a bunch of work I didn’t need done. Needless to say, I have a new dentist and I’m starting to become less of a rabid anti-dentite. (At least for the time being.)

Thank you, Heather for being the first honest dentist I’ve ever met. (Dr. Cash is technically a dentist, but I think of him as an orthodontist.)

Later,
Dean

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References:

1. Cline Dental, 4350 S. National, #C-112, Springfield, Mo. 65810
2. How to Choose a Dentist
3. Dental Watch

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I’m stoked. Ecstatic. Overjoyed. Tickled pink. Walking on air. Why?

I’ll tell you why. I can actually see again!

Not just “see good through glasses or contacts” see… I mean I can see… really see!

May not seem like a big deal to you if you’re one of the lucky ones who managed to make it through life unburdened by glasses or contact lenses. But for me, after struggling through life with this all-to-common handicap, dreaming of how great it would be to be free of these God-awful crutches; finally being able to see without corrective lenses is beyond description.

I feel 30 years younger. I just want to go outside and look at things. Cars look better… Girls are prettier… The fall colors just seem to come alive… It’s like a whole new world out there and I no longer have to view it from behind a glass wall.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

*****

Here’s the story:

Friday morning I went in for LASIK eye surgery on my left eye. Went back this morning for a follow-up visit and the eye doctor said my vision is currently 20/15, which is better than 20/20. Still have a bit of haze but that’s normal. The surgical flap has to heal yet.

(They peal back the top of the cornea with one laser and then another laser reshapes the surface of the eye underneath. Then they lay the flap back down. Yes, it’s a little scary especially while they’re doing it. My biggest fear when they started was that I wouldn’t be able to hold my eye still and would mess up the procedure.)

My vision will probably fluctuate for a few days. Driving was great. Like a whole new world. Everything was sharp and clear. Couldn’t have asked for better results. Only problem is that “computer screen range” is probably not going to be clear. It may get better, but probably not much. I’m using drugstore reading glasses 1.25 to type this and they work perfectly… so it’s something I can live with.

I have perfect up close “reading a book” vision in my right eye. I have perfect distance vision from about 4 feet out to infinity in my left eye (the one surgically corrected). There is just the in-between midrange that is fuzzy.

I’m so exited. First thing I did when I got home from the doctor was wash the windows on my car inside and out. I need to wash the windows on the house next. Now that I can see, I can’t stand looking through dirty windows. Before, I couldn’t see anything anyway, so it didn’t matter.

The operation is scary and not without risk, but I am so happy with the results that I feel like I have a new lease on life. I definitely would encourage anyone considering Lasik to go for it. (My friend and fellow writer, Ami Chopine is writing a book on Lasik and may have some caveats to share, but I feel for me that this was well worth it.

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I am only having the left eye done. I had a cataract in that eye about 4 years ago (yes, I was one of the youngest people they had ever seen with a cataract) and had surgery then to install an artificial lens. (I call it my Bionic eye.) That gave me almost perfect vision in that eye except for some astigmatism. The laser surgery was to finally correct the astigmatism and make that eye perfect for distance.

My right eye is very nearsighted, but perfect up close for reading. If I have it corrected, I would lose the up close vision which is important to me for doing detail work like reading the tiny print on a transistor or the fine grain in a piece of wood.

Going with what they call “mono-vision” gives me the best of both worlds. It’s a little weird, but not bad. For the most part the two eyes still work in concert and I can’t really tell that one is doing most of the work for any given task. Depth perception is fine.

*****

I did not expect the surgery to have this level of impact on me. I can only compare it to someone with a horrible disfigurement finally having the bandages removed after plastic surgery and discovering that they have been made whole again.

I was pretty excited several years ago when I first began to realize that I could rebuild my back. That too, was a monumental turning point if my life. After going for a decade thinking I was permanently disabled… I was pretty excited to discover I didn’t have to be.

I was so excited about that development that I wrote a book about it and started this website, but even that did not hit me this hard. Probably because it came about over several months and this literally happened overnight.

One day I was blind. The next day I can see.

If I were younger, I would go back to school and become an eye surgeon. That’s how excited I am about this.

– Dean

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