An oops in software design and implementation

I have just encountered an example where a simple walk through would have made a product really easy to use and quite useful.

Okay, here’s what the I was trying to do.   I am looking for a new doctor who does appointments on the web.  I am bedridden so it costs me $1000 a trip because I have to go in an ambulance.

The insurance company web site will produce a list of doctors in my area and ones that do appointments using Telehealth.

Then I received notice that there was now an application that facilitated Telehealth appointments.  I immediately jumped on it only to find that none of the doctors listed were on the insurance company list.  Wouldn’t it have been easier to share a database?

just a thought….

 

 

Why are cooking instructions on packages in 4 point type?

Isn’t the population aging?

Why do I have to disclose religious faith to get health insurance?

I like many people have to look for new health insurance from time to time (thanks, republicans).  I recently was contacted by a “cost sharing” company called alitieri (sp?) and on the way to signing up I was required to answer questions about whether I believed in GOD, would I keep my health as GOD intended and some other religion related question.  What does this have to do with paying for health care?  Anyone had this company?

Casual cruelty

I know most people who know me will be shocked when they hear me say this:  George W. Bush gave a statesman level speech the other day.  You can see the full text at politico.com.  One phrase I was very impressed by was the “casual cruelty” with which we are communicating with people on issues on the Net.  I was taken aback the other day when I looked at a debate on the new healthcare bill.  We do not have shared values that all people in the United States deserve healthcare if it means taxes will be used to pay for it.  Why?

The founding fathers and mothers could get into very heated issue debates but there was a base line of civility which I think we need to add back to our conversational style.

We have to agree to disagree.  As the quote of Voltaire’s friend, S.G. Talentyre said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death you right to say it.”

Please put 10 seconds between your reaction and replying.  Thanks, Rant off.

Aren’t we happy now?

I was sitting here looking at what kinds of things are going on in the world and I have to say, Can anyone say we would have been worse off if we had elected Hilary Clinton?

North Korea and Trump

How can Trump resolve the North Korean conflict?

Do what Trump does best. Throw money at the problem.

According to wikipedia N. Korea Imports based on 2012 estimates is 5 billion dollars mostly “petroleum, cooking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles and grains.”

OMG! You can solve a bunch problems in one field swipe. You put the coal workers back to work, you can sell tons of gas, machine and equipment, textiles and grains.

How much better a match do we have? Don’t do sanctions. Offer our products at 5% profit. Talk about winning the hearts and minds. Make our grain and food stuffs so cheap they can’t resist and make sure every package says from the US to the people of Korea. Have South Korea broker the deal – We could all win for a change. N. Koreans would stop starving and it would be the South Korea and the U.S. who fed them. Hard working Americans who make the world a safer place.

The Tyranny of Landscaping

There exists a mental illness in our country, excessive yard preening. I have a neighbor who is constantly having her lawn mowed, trees taken down or planted, weeds whacked. The machinery used in these processes are always large and very noisy ( wood chippers, lawn mowers, weed whackers). Today we’ve had the joy of a wood chipper running from 8 am until 3 pm. One of the things that attracts people to our dirt road in the woods is the wilderness feel of the wildlife refuge, a dirt road in the middle of Suburbia, 20 miles outside of Boston near Walden Pond.

But for some people, the raw beauty of woods doesn’t float their boats, manicured lawns that have more in common with English formal gardens and no trees on their lots are their idea of paradise. Sadly for me and them, I live next to them

Aren’t Robocalls security risks?

The fact that phone numbers can be so easily spoofed seems like a security risk.  It is certainly a financial risk and a general annoyance to me.  It certainly infringes on my right “to life, liberty” as by having a phone I can be terrified by someone 7 X 24 with no ability to stop the harassment.  What do you think?

If a member of your family is disabled, then here are some suggestions to make life easier for all.

Being disabled just sucks but what makes it more cumbersome is something just out of your reach.  As happens quite regularly, a visitor comes by to visit,  bringing with them a gift, a newspaper, a book which naturally they put down before they leave which is usually 10 inches out of my reach.

Suggestion:   Make a space within reach labeled Gifts for (Disabled Person)

The other frustrating thing is that every day tools are out of reach.

Suggestion: Use a shower bag to hold toothpaste, toothbrush, mouth wash, etc and attach to hospital bed with metal shower hooks.  Also a cup or basin would help with tooth brushing.

More later . . .

Things to do today and in the next few weeks to keep your family and your neighbors safe in bad weather.

1. Check that you have smoke detectors with fresh batteries in your bedrooms.  If you needs to buy them use Amazon or your local hardware or even some larger pharmacies.

2.  Get a plug-in Carbon Monoxide detector.  Sometimes you can combine them.  I personally like to allow multiple failure points (it’s the QA person in me).

3.  If you are planning on staying in you home for more than 5 years have a whole house generator installed.  With mine, the power goes down and within minutes, generator boots on and power is back on.  When power comes back, power switches, generator switches off and we’re back on the grid.

Plans

You have to have plans if you have children, pets or special circumstances like disability.

if you are disabled but can get out of bed by yourself into wheel chair, keep the chair at the ready otherwise keep the lift plugged in when storm warnings first start, have your caretaker position the lift sling under you and the lift next to you.  It usually takes about 10 minutes to get you in a chair or on a stretcher.

Other things to do:

-Get a chair or stretcher per special needs (try eBay.com for cheaper prices, you can also try councils on aging or centers for indepent livings.

-Ramps or doors expanded (in Boston area, try boston orthopedic & respiratory equipment (https://www.bostonorthoresp.com).

More to come. . . .