Dentrix

From the category archives:

Hardware

The Anti-Buzz: Defragmenting

July 27, 2010

The Buzz: You don’t need to worry about defragmenting your hard drive.
The Anti-Buzz: You do need to worry about defragmenting your hard drive.
Why: Even a computer doesn’t like playing 52-card pick up every time you ask it to fetch something.
There are a few out there for whom this might be a sensitive subject. It’s sort [...]

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iPad…uPad…we all Pad

July 14, 2010

The link below is to a Dr. Bicuspid article (registration required) regarding use of the iPad in a dental office. The dentist they interview makes the point that laptops are not very useful but the tablet style iPad can be used as an educational device. However it is still being used mostly as a toy. I love [...]

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Ballmer: Expect a Lot of Windows 7 Tablets This Year

July 12, 2010

This seems to me to be a reaction to the i-Pad craze. One can not help but be impressed with the style design and wow factor of the i-Pad. However I am still wondering how we will actually use these things in business.
…a keynote from CEO Steve Ballmer. Focusing mostly on cloud computing and tablets, [...]

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How many times can you spray and wipe a keyboard?

July 10, 2010

Just once.
The link below( HT Lorne Lavine) is to a sight that sells keyboard covers, mouse skins and other water proof compuer items.
Welcome to Buy PC Supplies.

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The Healthcare IT Guy

July 9, 2010

Another good online resource. The link below is to a blog written, as the name implies, by a Health Care IT guy. I found it via Medpedia. The blog is designed more for physicians but still has lots of information that is relevant to dentists.
The Healthcare IT Guy — Shahid’s healthcare IT, EMR, EHR, PHR, medical [...]

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Amazon Kindle no threat to college textbooks

July 8, 2010

Interesting. I am a big Kindle fan but admit there are definitely some reading tasks (like flipping back to re-read a passage) that are better with a paper book.
Professors at seven universities around the nation, including Arizona State University, tested the wireless e-reader in a pilot project over the past year. All reported that although students liked [...]

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Bluetooth Headphones

July 5, 2010

These sleek and sexy headphones are designed for use while exercising. However they could easily be used in the treatment room. They are bluetooth wireless so no extra wires to sort out and avoid. The patient can use them with an iPod or any other audio source for personalised sound during dental treatments.
Bluetooth Headphones : [...]

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Good Use for a MAC

July 3, 2010

OK I admit I finally see a good use for a Mac.

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The Best, Cheapest Ways to Upgrade Your PC

July 2, 2010

HT Lorne Lavine. One nice feature of a PC is that you can upgrade it to improve performance. On the other hand there comes a point where it just makes more sense to replace an older machine rather than try and upgrade. The PC Magazine article linked here tries to stay within a reasonable budget [...]

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The iPad For Suits

July 2, 2010

The tech industry media is all a twitter over tablets and the future demise of the desktop. Of course this is based mostly on the initial media driven success of the iPad and in my opinion a lot of wishful thinking. I do not see desktops disappearing from the dental office any time soon. What [...]

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The Anti-Buzz: Smarter not Faster

June 29, 2010

Hello and welcome to the Anti-Buzz!
The buzz: Computers are useless.
The anti-buzz: Computers are fantastic.
Why: Because I said so.
OK That’s a bit of a joke but it demonstrates the idea. Every topic I discuss will be introduced as buzz vs. anti -buzz and the “why” gets expanded out into the meat of the column. Some weeks [...]

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Dual Screen Laptop

June 24, 2010

I have never been a fan of laptops in the dental office. However this is a very interesting design that has yet to get the hype we have seen with the iPad but seems to be just as innovative.
It’s neither a netbook nor a tablet, but can be misconstrued as one or the other as it [...]

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Radio Shack tells it All

June 24, 2010

By comparing the cost (in hours worked) of electronics and technology today compared to the recent past the article linked below makes it very clear that we live in amazing and prosperous times. (Read the article)
Human nature being what it is, it is routine for people to complain about how hard the times are, how [...]

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The iPad, and You: Brains For Sale

June 16, 2010

Non dental just interesting.
…your exocortex (And yes, you will have one, sooner than you think. In fact, you probably already have one, and don’t even realize it.) functions as an artificial brain operating outside your flesh brain, but seamlessly connected to it.
via Daily Pundit » Exocortexes, the iPad, and You: Brains For Sale.

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50-core processor brings us one step closer to the Singularity

June 3, 2010

“The Singularity” is variously defined as the the moment machines become as smart as we are and human kind is transformed into…Whatever.
What this little ditty does promise is a machine that could create a 3D virtual patient and display it in real time while we used the sim to perofrm treatement and…so much more. My [...]

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iPad sales top 2 million since launch

June 1, 2010

Apple: iPad sales top 2 million since launch.

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Electronic Signature Pads

May 28, 2010

Follow the link to a direct source for a number of different electronic signature devices. These can be used for patient signatures on history consent and HIPAA forms as well as for Dr. and staff sign off on chart entries.
The Authorized Fulfillment Partner for Topaz Systems Electronic Signature Capture Products – Computime.

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Touchscreen vs. Mouse

May 24, 2010

It would be nice to eliminate mouse and keyboard inputs and as such eliminate the asepsis issues associated with these devices by using a touch screen. This seems like an elegant solution but in practice it is problematic and pricey. The user has to be sitting in front of the touch screen monitor. Fine mouse type [...]

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The ExorVision ET7V76ATM Monitor

May 17, 2010

I am learning to enjoy one of life’s unexpected pleasures. That is having children who grow up and develop useful skills I can actually take advantage of.
For example, my son Andrew has several college degrees in communications, media, writing and now is studying computer science. That means he can do things for me that are [...]

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Keyscan a Scanner in your Keyboard

May 16, 2010

I mentioned this product before, thinking it would have value at the front desk. It is a document scanner built into a keyboard. That means no desk space sacrificed to a scanner, no leaving your chair to trudge across the office to scan a document then running back to save it to the proper chart.
I [...]

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