AVI Meeting
Times and Places
From: James Case <jcase@CVDLS.UCDAVIS.EDU>
The AVI working groups and annual business meeting will be held on Tuesday
July 21, 1997 at the following times and places:
Sands Regency Hotel
8am -12pm Heritage II Room - Computer Assisted Instruction Working Group
8am-12pm Embassy Room - Electronic Medical Records and Standards Working
Groups
12-2pm - Heritage II - AVI Annual Business meeting and luncheon
The business meeting is open to all members and lunch will be provided.
Non members can attend the luncheon for $20 and receive a free associate
membership in the AVI, or can join the AVI at the associate level ($20)
or the full membership level($35) and receive a free luncheon. Either method
is acceptable.
For those who are planning on attending the business meeting, please let
me know so we can plan for enough space and food.
Jim Case
Secretary/Treasurer, AVI
How to Contact
AVI
Applications for membership, accompanied by a check for $35 payable to the
AVI, should be sent to:
Dr. James T. Case; Secretary Treasurer, AVI; 1590 Augusta Ct., Dixon, CA
95620
Phone: 916/752-4408; FAX: 916/752-5680; e-mail: JimCase@aol.com
Dr. Case is responsible for distribution of the hardcopy version of the
AVI Newsletter.
Newsletter items can be sent to:
Dr. Ronald D. Smith, Newsletter Editor, AVI; UI College of Veterinary Medicine;
2001 South Lincoln; Urbana, IL 61801.
Phone: 217/333-2449; FAX: 217/333-4628; e-mail: rd-smith@uiuc.edu
If you are an AVI member and would like to be on the AVI Newsletter electronic
distribution list, send an e-mail message to the Newsletter Editor. Although
the electronic version is only an ASCII (text) file, it's faster, searchable,
easier to store and retrieve, and environmentally friendly.
Current and past issues of the AVI Newsletter are also available on the
Web at the following URL:
http://netvet.wustl.edu/avi.htm.
Web-Based Case-Based
Project
From: Fred Smith <fsmith@CALC.VET.UGA.EDU>
If you are interested in Web-based case-based learning then you may be interested
in the following.
We have a small funded project under way to develop a case-based learning
system with outputs in several different formats, including the Web. We
have divided the project into three parts. They are:
1. Case editor - A program to collect case data from the content expert
and store that data in the abstraction file.
2. Abstraction file - a data file where the abstracted case data can be
stored.
3. Output filters - software that takes the data in the abstraction file
and produces any desired output format for the case.
We have defined the preliminary format for the abstraction file. We are
now writing the first of several Java-based filters. This first filter will
produce Web-based (HTML) cases. Future filters can produce case output as
VRML (3D), audio-only, class-presentation or any other format. (As the programmer
says, "We can use interpretive dance if that is what someone wants!".)
The Java-based editor will follow later.
If this sounds like something you might be interested in please visit our
web site (vrml.vet.uga.edu) for some early examples. Or just drop me a note.
Thanks....
Fred
Fred G. Smith, DVM, PhD
Voice: (706) 542-5550 FAX: (706) 542-0051
FSMITH@CALC.VET.UGA.EDU
http://WWW.VAR.VET.UGA.EDU
NAHMS as an Additional
Educational Resource for Staff and Students
To: rd-smith@uiuc.edu
From: Lisa Lumar <llumar@www.aphis.usda.gov>
(Editor: The following comments were sent to me relative to the University
of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine site that I manage. I'm sharing
them as they are of interest to all "Webmasters" and "Bookmarkers".)
Please consider adding the National Animal Health Monitoring System's (NAHMS)
page to your web site listings. Our site contains animal health information
on several commodites: aquaculture, sheep, dairy, swine, beef cattle, beef
feedlot cattle, BSE, food safety issues, management and production issues,
etc. The address is
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cahm/nproj.htm
It might prove to be a useful resource for your students and staff. Also,
I noticed you had a link to the gopher for DxMonitor, we have a web site
for DxMonitor as well that might have more current information (htpp://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cahm/dxmon.htm).
Thank you,
Lisa Lumar
USDA:APHIS:VS-CEAH
Center for Animal Health Monitoring (CAHM) and the National Animal Health
Monitoring System.
Paul Brentson
Hospital Administrator
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
UC Davis, California 95616
e-mail: pbrentson@ucdavis.edu
voice: 916/752-2945
fax: 916/752-9620
The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) at UC Davis has developed
a hospital information system that is well integrated, merging pieces of
demographic, financial, diagnostic, pharmaceutical and medical information
as they relate to clients, patients or specific visits. The resulting computerized
patient records (CPRs) contain a wealth of information that is useful for
case management, clinical instruction and retrospective research, and provides
a primary link to our referral community. This system will be demonstrated
and discussed at the AVHIMA (American Veterinary Health Information Management
Association) section of the AVMA meeting in Reno on July 23, 1997, in a
session entitled "Free Text EMR - Ten Years Later".
In 1987, the VMTH embarked on a controversial path of free text entry and
retrieval of medical, surgical and diagnostic information into an electronic
medical record (EMR). Our experience over the past 10 years has convinced
us beyond a shadow of a doubt that we made the right decision for our hospital.
This path has resulted in our medical records being completed in timely
fashion without complaint, and they are much more complete, detailed, legible
and professional than at any time in the past. Many sections of the EMR
are created by the DVM students and residents or faculty during the course
of the patients' visits, so the EMR now plays a central role in both our
clinical instruction and daily case management. Elements of the EMR (which
we call our Visit Summary) include:
The complete nature of textual entries (all of
which is stored electronically) into medical records, has dramatically improved
retrieval of pertinent cases for any set of search criteria. When searching
for pertinent cases, the entire body of EMRs can be searched, or the search
can be limited to one of the above fields (e.g., clinical diagnoses). Every
word entered in the free-text fields is automatically identified as a "keyword"
in the database, and is cross-referenced to the particular field of the
specific EMR (visit). An individual word may provide the basis for a search,
or words in combination may be searched with "or" operators (e.g.,
renal or kidney), or "and" operators (e.g., acute and renal and
failure). Words of interest are typically searched with wildcards to pick
up different word forms and suffixes (e.g., enterol* would retrieve enterolith,
enteroliths, enterolithiasis, etc.), or misspellings (e.g., fec*lith would
retrieve fecolith or fecalith).
A general search template has been created which allows users to specify
not only keywords of interest, but other criteria, as well. These criteria
include: species; breed; sex; weight range; age range; date ranges of interest;
clinicians; and procedures performed. Future plans for the general search
template call for the inclusion of laboratory results parameters and cross-platform
searching. Most desired searches (>95%) can currently be conducted by
clinicians, students or staff without programmer or medical records staff
assistance, and the appropriate cases are typically found in a matter of
seconds, even when searching ten years of data.
The CPR contains all the EMR information noted above, as well as detailed
financial information, demographic information (client, patient and referring
veterinarian), appointment information and various histories (laboratory
values, weight, locations, pharmaceuticals, etc.). Information in these
CPRs provides the basis for great operational support, using the computer
to full advantage for such things as: scheduling appointments across a wide
variety of Service Units and individual receiving schedules; electronic
creation of invoices for each visit from appointment information; daily
census reconciliation; managing clients' credit status; managing accounts
receivable; documenting client and referring veterinarian communications;
and managing reminders for any number of different purposes.
Point-of-service (POS) entry of information is a key element of the existing
EMR. Reception staff enter presenting complaints (which become part of the
appointment information and part of the EMR information), lab staff enter
lab requests upon receipt of the sample (which become part of the invoice
and part of the EMR) and lab results upon acquisition of those results (which
become part of the EMR), ICU technicians enter hospitalization information
daily (which becomes part of the invoice), students and/or clinicians enter
pertinent history and physical examination findings immediately following
the examination (which becomes part of the EMR), etc. Where possible, direct
interfaces between lab equipment and the hospital computer have been programmed
to further improve the speed of results reporting. No piece of information
is entered more than once, but many pieces are viewed in multiple output
formats.
The same information that is in the EMR is formatted a little differently,
and used for referral communications. The Referral Summary looks a lot like
the Visit Summary, but is formatted for mailing in a windowed envelope,
allows for a personal note to the referring veterinarian, and does not include
the detailed Plans and Progress Notes section. Referral Summaries are automatically
staged for mailing as soon as the case is assigned a "final" status,
or at ten days post discharge, whichever comes first. Also, the Discharge
Instructions section is formatted differently still, and automatically mailed
to the referring veterinarian within 24 hours of discharge. Both of these
communications have transformed labor intensive processes (characterized
by erratic and untimely communications) into powerful information provided
in timely fashion, because all the information is simply a by-product of
that used for many other purposes. To further improve these communications
capabilities, we have made the full EMR available to the referring veterinarian
or primary care provider across the World Wide Web (individual password
protected) as soon as a "final" status has been assigned to a
visit.
In summary, the use of free text in our EMR (in a complex teaching hospital)
has elevated the centrality and importance of the medical record to a level
far beyond what was ever envisioned when we originally embarked on this
journey. In addition to facilitating timely entry of comprehensive medical,
surgical and diagnostic information, this approach has had a significant
positive impact on individual case management, the delivery of clinical
instruction, retrospective retrieval of cases of interest and referral communications.
And all this has been accomplished with no net increase in staff support
positions!
Paul Brentson
Hospital Administrator
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
UC Davis, California 95616
PRODUCT AVAILABILITY/REVIEWS/COMPARISONS
CDC announces
a new version of EpiInfo
From: PopMed@ncsu.edu
(Population Medicine)
The latest version of the public domain medical statistics package EpiInfo
(v6.04b) has just been released by the Epidemiological Program Office of
the Centres for Disease Control. Copies of the program are available on
the Internet and from Brixton Books. This version is still limited to two
digits dates but a fix will be available soon that will allow you to enter
and analyse four digit dates. Work has started on a Windows(TM) version
of the program which should be available by Autumn 1997.
GIDEON (Global
Infectious Diseases and EpidemiOlogy Network) Software
From: Steve Berger <mberger@post.tau.ac.il>
We have developed a software program for diagnosis, decision support, disease
simulation and informatics in the fields of Clinical Infectious Diseases,
Global and Country- Specific Epidemiology, Anti-infective Agents and Vaccines,
and Medical Microbiology. The program is marketed under the name GIDEON
(Global Infectious Diseases and EpidemiOlogy Network), and is used by several
hundred facilities in 35 countries.
There are currently more than 300 generic infections, caused by over 1,000
named pathogens, most having a distinct ecology,clinical presentation, epidemiological
profile and therapy. Experts can no longer keep up with emerging pathogens,
outbreaks, therapeutic agents, vaccines and diagnostic tests. Relevant books
and journals are generally outdated.
GIDEON is a DOS-based software program written in Paradox, which occupies
approximately 6 MB of hard disk space and requires 4 MB of RAM; for IBM-compatible
computers having 386 CPU or higher. The program consists of four modules:
Diagnosis, Epidemiology, Therapy, Microbiology. Extensive help screens are
accessible throughout. All material can be printed as hard copy, transferred
to a word processing program, or filed for later use (eg, to follow a patient
or bacterial strain as data become available; or for use in teaching, simulation
or future publication). Data are derived from reports of the WHO, CDC, individual
health ministries, standard journals and texts, internet sites and searches
of Medline.
DIAGNOSIS:
The diagnosis module is designed for disease simulation and diagnosis. The
user may select from a list 205 countries or regions of disease origin;
or generate a ranked differential diagnosis for all countries (eg, the worldwide
causes of jaundice and eosinophilia). Any number of signs, symptoms and
laboratory tests can be entered, in any order. Timing (food ingestion, entry
and exit from a country, etc) can also be indicated.
A ranked Bayesian (ie, based on known incidence and symptom probability)
differential diagnosis is generated. The user may then review the precise
numerical probability, disease profile (incubation period, clinical features,
vector, vehicle, diagnostic tests, therapy for child and adult, etc) and
status of the disease worldwide, or in the country in question. Another
option suggests additional discriminative tests for differentiation among
the listed diseases.
Further options 'explain' why a given additional disease was discounted
(not listed in the differential diagnosis), or why a given disease was assigned
a low probability on the list. A 'What If' option allows expansion of clinical
data, or generation of a list for other countries, given the same clinical
picture. The latter is useful when assessing tourists who have visited multiple
countries in sequence. In a blinded multicenter study, the correct diagnosis
was accessed in 94.6% of 495 cases ('sensitivity') and was ranked first
in 75% ('specificity').
EPIDEMIOLOGY:
Access the epidemiological profile and current status of all infectious
diseases (318 generic infections in the current version): endemic countries,
clinical features, diagnostic tests, etc. Lists generated by either country
or disease. Display the current epidemiology for each disease either worldwide,
or by country. Data concerning 'global impact diseases' are presented separately:
AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis, Cholera and Yellow Fever (including vaccination
requirements). A second option generates a list of diseases compatible for
any group of user-specified parameters. For example, all diseases transmitted
by mosquitoes vs. all viral diseases transmitted by mosquitos in Uganda.
THERAPY
Current descriptive data and guidelines for all anti- infective drugs (antibiotics,
antivirals, antifungals, antiparasitics, antiretrovirals), vaccines and
globulin preparations: mechanism of action, derivation, dosage for adult
or child, cerebrospinal fluid penetration, renal failure and dialysis adjustments,
toxicity, interactions, timing of boosters and contraindications. Display
worldwide proprietary names (currently over 2,300) for each drug, or the
generic name for a given proprietary name. The user may also list drugs
or vaccines associated with a given form of toxicity or contraindication;
or list all drugs effective against any pathogen or group of pathogens.
MICROBIOLOGY
Generate a ranked list of bacteria, mycobacteria or yeasts compatible with
any phenotypic test or group of tests; then access an optimized (ie, best
listed first) list of further tests to differentiate among the listed organisms;
or 'ask' why any additional organism was discounted (not listed). Generate
a complete phenotypic and ecological profile for any given taxon, or compare
two to 21 taxa selected by the user. Current and previous taxonomic designations
are also given for all species.
Further information is available at our website - http://www.cyinfo.com/
Thank you.
Stephen A. Berger, M.D.
AVIARY-L - E-Zine
About BIRDS Now Aviary-List on New Host
From: Christine Tarski <tarski@fastlane.net>
The list AVIARY-L has moved. Aviary-L@lists.best.com has now become Aviary-List@userhome.com.
All existing subscribers have been moved.
Aviary-List on majordomo@userhome.com
Aviary-List is a monthly e-zine devoted to birds. It is produced by The
Aviary <http://theaviary.com/> and contains articles of interest to birders, casual
birdwatchers, and pet bird owners. Articles include information about species
of birds, trip reports, stories, attracting birds to your backyard, and
care of pet birds. This is a monthly distribution list but subscribers are
encouraged to submit articles and topics to be considered for future issues.
To subscribe to the list, send:
SUBSCRIBE
to: aviary-list-request@userhome.com
Owner: Christine Tarski <webmaster@theaviary.com>
Birdfeeder -
Discussion List About Birdwatching
From: Christine Tarski <Christine.Tarski@plains.NoDak.edu>
Birdfeeder on majordomo@userhome.com
For the novice birder to the experienced, the birdfeeder list is a mailing
list for anyone who enjoys wild birds, which includes attracting them to
your property, feeding them, providing housing for them to nest in, or just
watching them while they go about their daily business. While many other
birding lists discourage discussing the feeding of wild birds, the birdfeeder
list makes a point of encouraging it, hence the name. However, feel free
to discuss the other aspects of birding as well.
To subscribe to the list, send:
SUBSCRIBE
to: birdfeeder-request@userhome.com
To subscribe to the digest version, send:
SUBSCRIBE
to: birdfeeder-digest-request@userhome.com
Owner: Christine Tarski <webmaster@theaviary.com>
Moderator: Stefanie Wieclawek <nan@vaxxine.com>
Hog Links Helps
Find Swine Information Fast
From: FSNET-L@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA
June 12, 1997
Ontario Farmer Daily
If you are involved in the swine industry and have been frustrated in your
efforts to locate swine sites on the Internet, there is a new web site you
will want to explore. An expanded and categorized version of OMAFRA's Internet
Sites for the Swine Industry is now online on the Swine Page of the OMAFRA
Internet Site at:
http://www.gov.on./omafra/english/livestock/swine/index.html
When you go to the OMAFRA Swine page, there are two options: "Pork
News and Views" and "Hog Links." To explore a list of sites,
choose "Hog Links". Scroll through the list, or select a category,
and when you see a site that interests you, just click on its name. You
will not need to type in any of those long, complicated addresses or search
through pages of sites generated by a search engine.
The list is organized according to topic areas, covering a wide range of
interests and issues, including: General Agriculture, Animal Care/Behaviour,
Breeding and Genetics, Colleges and Universities, Crops, Extension Services,
Government Agencies, Health, Internet Resources, Marketing, Medial/Publications,
Nutrient Management, Nutrition, Producer Groups, Production/Management,
Quality Assurance, Research, Statistics, General Swine, and Weather.
Free MEDLINE
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/freemedl.html
Department of Health and Human Services; Public Health Service; National
Institutes of Health; National Library of Medicine; Bethesda, Maryland 20894
On June 26, 1997, the National Library of Medicine will hold a press conference
on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. to announce free web-based MEDLINE accessible
through PubMed and Internet Grateful ed. Attached is the Press Release for
the press conference which ou are encouraged to share with your users and
other colleagues on June 26th.
PubMed is an experimental search system that provides free access to MEDLINE
in a single search. The search features include:
Sets of related articles pre-computed for each article in MEDLINE; Choice
of search interfaces from simple keywords to advanced Boolean expressions;
Searching by MeSH index terms (main topics and subheadings) and field restrictions;
Links to publishers' Web sites for full text-journals. Initially 24 journals
are available, some by subscription only; Clinical query form with search
filters for diagnosis, therapy and prognosis; Links to molecular biology
database of DNA/protein sequences and 3-D structure data.
Internet Grateful Med provides free access to MEDLINE, as well as AIDSLINE
and HealthSTAR. The features include:
* Use of the full range of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and the UMLS
Metathesaurus;
* Ability to limit searches by language, publication type, age groups, etc.,
using pull down menus;
* Loansome Doc document delivery service.
Currently, searching Internet Grateful Med requires a valid User ID and
password; however, users will not be billed. A new version to be released
in July will include free access to several additional databases (AIDSDRUGS,
AIDSTRIALS, DIRLINE, HISTLINE, HSRPROJ, OLDMEDLINE and SDILINE) and will
no longer require a User ID.
Free MEDLINE is limited to Web-based searching via the Internet because
of great savings to NLM in telecommunications and software costs. Thus,
access to all NLM non-Web-based systems will continue to be billed ( i.e.,
direct command language searching of ELHILL; TOXNET; PDQ; and the DOS, Macintosh
and Windows versions of Grateful Med whether access is by direct dial, FTS2000,
or the Internet).
The Press Release and hot links to IGM and PubMed will be available on the
NLM home page (http://www.nlm.nih.gov) immediately following the press conference.
Please direct current and new users to the NLM Web home page to search free
MEDLINE and to obtain updated and additional information about NLM databases
and information services.
Each member of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine plays a vital
role in making health information accessible throughout the country. The
Library's announcement of free MEDLINE is only one step toward bringing
quality health information to those Americans who search the Web. Your efforts
to inform users about available information resources, to educate them about
the effective use of the various search engines, and to assist them in obtaining
copies of the articles containing the information they seek, are critical
to ensuring that every citizen has access to the best and most up-to-date
health information. We at NLM look forward to working with you to provide
the very best and most useful information products and services.
Donald A.B. Lindberg, M.D.
ATTACHMENT
Vice President Gore to launch free access to world's largest source of published
medical information on World Wide Web. Consumers and health professionals
worldwide to have fingertip access to cutting-edge research.
(Bethesda, MD -- June 26, 1997) -- The National Library of Medicine, a part
of the National Institutes of Health, will today launch a new service to
provide all Americans free access to MEDLINE -- the world's most extensive
collection of published medical information -- over the World Wide Web.
Prior to his announcement, users have had to register and pay to search
MEDLINE and other NLM databases. This free service will be demonstrated
by Vice President Albert Gore at a press briefing to be hosted by Senator
Tom Harkin (D-IA) on Thursday, June 26, 1997 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 192 of
the Dirksen Senate Office Building, United States Senate.
In announcing the new free service, Health and Human Services Secretary
Donna Shalala said, "American citizens now have at their fingertips
both the scientific information gathered by the National Library of Medicine,
as represented in MEDLINE, and the extensive consumer health information
in healthfinderTM, the service for the public that we announced in April.
We are committed to using the new technology, including the World Wide Web
and the Internet, to provide health information to the public."
"The National Library of Medicine's debut of free Web-based searching
could not be more timely," said NLM Director Donald A.B. Lindberg,
M.D. "The health care delivery landscape is changing. Citizens are
increasingly turning to the Web as a source of information to improve their
daily lives, including their health. So, it is vital that they, and the
health professionals who serve them, have access to the most current and
credible medical information."
"Medical breakthroughs are happening so rapidly that I believe health
care professionals and consumers alike should be able to tap into the most
recent medical information," added pioneering heart surgeon Michael
E. DeBakey, M.D., chair of NLM's Board of Regents. "Such information
is often the critical link in reaching the correct diagnosis, resulting
in lives saved, unnecessary treatment avoided, and hospitalization reduced.
Even with all our modern advances in health care, I still consider good
information to be the best medicine." Dr. DeBakey emphasized this same
point this past spring in testimony before a Capitol Hill appropriations
subcommittee.
Harold Varmus, M.D., Director of the National Institutes of Health, applauded
free access and observed it would have the additional benefit of proving
the nation's scientific literacy. "The press briefing will demonstrate
how the public, including high school and college science classes, will
be able to search through MEDLINE and the Human Gene Map, another one of
NLM's Web-based databases, and learn about inherited diseases that are located
on our chromosomes -- in terms that the public can understand. No longer
will the public be left in the dark as this fascinating and historic human
genome research process unfolds."
"The medical library community is pleased that this vast treasure trove
of medical knowledge will be opened up to the general public," said
Rachel K. Anderson, President of the Medical Library Association. "Patients
and their families are regularly turning to health sciences librarians to
find reliable health information. Free MEDLINE means that we can now provide
consumers with better access to the quality information they need, and librarians
can help them to tap into the full power of this authoritative source."
To demonstrate the value this new service will have for consumers and health
professionals, the press briefing will bring together a sampling of Americans
whose stories are compelling examples of how access to MEDLINE and other
sources of medical information from the Library positively touched their
lives. Among those who will provide written or oral statements are:
Other individuals, from throughout the United States, will be available for comment by contacting the NLM.
The web address for the National Library of Medicine
is: http://www.nlm.nih.gov. On June 26, this site will display free MEDLINE. Press
will also be invited to view a demonstration of "PubMed" -- a
new free NLM online service that will allow the public to establish direct
web links between MEDLINE abstracts and the publishers of the full-text
articles. This new service is the result of a collaboration between the
NLM and major science publishers such as the New England Journal of Medicine,
Science, Journal of Biological Chemistry, and The Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences.
Information
Technology and the Wealth of Nations
From: "EDUCOM Edupage Mailing List" <edupage@educom.unc.edu>
FCC Chairman Reed Hundt says that the information revolution is the key
to increasing world wealth. "If it's possible to have the information
revolution lead to a general elevation in world wealth and a better distribution
of that wealth, then this is a very important thing...People will vote on
the Internet, get an education on the Internet ... watch TV on computers,
look for jobs on the Internet and just plain work on the Internet. Communications
technology will alter everyday living from dawn to dusk, top to bottom."
What should countries do to get richer faster? "Deregulate like crazy...
Those countries that adopt the competitive model more quickly will be the
ones that get richer faster." (AP 25 Jun 97)
MEETINGS AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
See the informatics section of NetVet for a more complete and current list of informatics-related activities at <http://netvet.wustl.edu/info.htm>
June 16 - August
9; July 14 - September 6; August 11 - October 3
Make the Link Workshop (World Wide Web for Everyone)
(See the May-June, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)
August 14-16,
1997; Newcastle, Australia
6th International Conference on Health and Medical Informatics Education
(See the May-June, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)
August 23-29,
1997
15th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence; Nagoya,
Japan
(See the Jan-Feb, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)
September 4-6,
1997
GEOMED '97; Rostock, Germany
(See the Jan-Feb, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)
September 10-14,
1997
Veterinary Informatics at the 5th World Equine Veterinary Association; Padova,
Italy
(See the July-August, 1996 AVI Newsletter for details)
October 4-7,
1997
NAWEB97: Web Course Developers Conference; Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
(See the May-June, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)
The "BOOK"
(You'll definitely want one of these!)
Posted to AVI-L@WUVMD.WUSTL.EDU
by "Dale M. Cooper" <coope019@MAROON.TC.UMN.EDU>
Announcing the new Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge device, otherwise
known as the BOOK.
It's a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric circuits,
no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use
even a child can operate it. Just lift its cover. Compact and portable,
it can be used anywhere-even sitting in an armchair by the fire -- yet it
is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disk.
Here's how it works: each BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets
of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information.
These pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder
which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. By using both sides of
each sheet, manufacturers are able to cut costs in half.
Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your
brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. The BOOK may be
taken up at any time and used by merely opening it. The "Browse"
feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward
as you wish. Most come with an "index" feature, which pinpoints
the exact location of any selected information for instant retrieval.
An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open the BOOK to
the exact place you left it in a previous session-even if the BOOK has been
closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus a single BOOKmark
can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers.
Portable, durable and affordable, the BOOK is the entertainment wave of
the future, and many new titles are expected soon, due to the surge in popularity
of its programming tool, the Portable Erasable-Nib Cryptic Intercommunication
Language stylus [PENCIL].
Twenty Signs
You've Been on the Net Too Long
From: Greg Prater <gprater@eastky.com>