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Prediction: Point-of-care Testing Will Expand

By RD Bentley on January 3, 2014 in , ,

POCT And The Driving Need For Convenience

Blood tests are very routine and are necessary for quality patient care. A diagnosis can not be made without samples of blood and a urine analysis. If considered urgent, an x-ray test can reveal just about anything. But this begs the ultimate question of convenience. How long should these results take? Is immediate testing going to be the near future? Point-of-care testing is going to revolutionize the medical industry as we know it.

I recently posed this question to a very well trained nurse about this topic. Why is that ordinarily blood lab results usually have taken 3 to 5 days in the past, as of now, some hospitals that have an In-House Laboratory take only 30 minutes? Why the unnecessary wait for those desperately waiting for a simple answer?

I was reluctant to express to the nurse that there was a level of inefficiency in the medical community, and to my surprise she readily agreed. I wondered why the long wait in some instances and all of a sudden now the results were in 30 minutes? Is this the trend of the future?

Point-of-care testing (POCT) will rapidly advance because of technology. Electronics has virtually changed everything, as we add social media to the tinderbox. Patients can grow impatient quickly and the age we live in has developed a push-button society. Nearly everything is or will eventually become on demand.

If we can get songs, movies, and hamburgers on demand, why not blood results on demand?

Obviously, many doctors will not agree with this trend, but why should a level of anxiety be added to an already bad situation? If you are sick and are expecting a life-changing outcome, why the long, unnecessary wait?

Point-of-care testing in hospitals and primary care is cost-effective and better medical outcomes are likely to ensue.

The future of POCT will probably hinge on cost and effectiveness, but there will be no turning back if this catches on with the public, and I believe it will. It saves office calls, anxiety, gas, and other precious resources, including time itself. I want it and I want it now! Please text me the results!

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Will Amateur Radio Operators Get To Use The 600 Meter Band?

By RD Bentley on January 1, 2014 in

Will amateur radio operators in the U.S. get to use the newest frequency band allocated, which is the 600-meter band, also known as the 630 meters? This is a new arena for hams, being in that the band is in the Medium Frequency (MF) region. So how do I make the 600 meter dipole? Ham operators can listen until permission to transmit is allocated to the ham community.

This is a new one but let’s stick to the basics. Our range of transmit is from 472 to 479 kHz. If we pull up the Frequency Wavelength Calculator and punch in our frequency, somewhere in the middle of our scope (475 kHz), we get 517.8947368421052. Round that off and we get around 518 feet (158 meter length).

So 518 feet is a quarter wave, one half of a dipole. A half wave dipole would total up to twice that, being 1036 feet. Wow, that’s some wire to roll out!

The 600-meter band is available on a secondary basis and watts to use is 1 watt, and under some circumstances 5 watts may be use, sharing it with primary users.

600-Meter Band — 472 to 479 kHz

Quarter Wave:  518 feet
Half Wave: 1036 feet
Full Wave: 2072 feet

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Retailers To Start Accepting Bitcoin in 2014?

By RD Bentley on December 28, 2013 in ,

Bitcoin is a currency that many of us know very little about, although some believe that it will eventually reach into mainstream usage. In 2014 it is expected that Overstock.com will accept bitcoin as payment. Will bitcoin survive as an alternative form of currency?

Read More:

1. Overstock.com to Begin Accepting Bitcoin Second Half of 2014, newsBTC
2. Bitcoin Pursues the Mainstream, The New York Times

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Software Defined Radio Tutorial For The Beginner

By RD Bentley on December 26, 2013 in ,

SDR Dongle Turns Computer Into Receiver

TThis DVB-T dongle will turn a computer into an electronic listening device, which is basically a police scanner radio but even more. This may be the most fun a techie could have on the cheap! The NooElec TV28T v2 USB DVB-T & RTL-SDR Receiver R820T is the ticket for inexpensive software defined radio usage.

This unit allows for interfacing to a large number of popular SDR software packages. The connector type on the antenna and USB board is MCX.

Demo: $19 Police Radio Scanner

Adapters For R820T Dongle And Tutorial, Including Ham Radio Gear

* Antenna Adapters Tutorial — Adapter Instructions

These adapters enable the user to connect outside police scanner antennas up to this device. It comes with a MXC connector.

1. RF coaxial cable UHF SO239 PL259 female to MCX male right angle connector RG316 20CM — This allows you to use other antennas with your dongle.
2. RF coaxial coax cable assembly F female to MCX male right angle 6” — RF coaxial coax cable assembly MCX male right angle to F female 6”.

Instructions For Windows And Software Downloads

1. Windows Software — http://rtlsdr.org Wiki
2. Downloads — SDRSharp
3. RTL-SDR TUTORIAL: DECODING DIGITAL VOICE (P25) WITH DSD — RTL-SDR.COM

Ham It Up Converter — Amateur Radio SDR

1. Ham It Up v1.2 – NooElec RF Upconverter For Software Defined Radio — Ham/amateur radio enthusiasts rejoice! Our MF/HF converter for software defined radio is finally available for sale. This device allows you to listen to MF and HF through your existing software defined radio (SDR). If you do not currently have an SDR we have plenty of low-cost solutions available for sale.
2. Terratec DVB-T USB Receiver & Low-Cost Software Defined Radio (SDR) – Realtek RTL2832U + Elonics E4000-Based — These DVB-T dongles have new-found popularity since it was discovered they can be used as very inexpensive software defined radios. Since these are based on the Elonics E4000 tuner IC they have a very large tunable range of 64-2300MHz. The connector type of the antenna is male PAL aerial and the USB board female PAL aerial. Included with purchase: 1pc USB dongle 1pc metal antenna 1pc antenna mount 1pc software & guide.
3. Ham It Up Basics — Instructions on how to set it up.
4. Ham It Up Demo — Using it the first time.
5. Dongle And Ham It Up Tips — N4LQ demonstrates the kits.

More Resources:

1. SDR Receivers — NooElec
2. How to Make a $19 Police Radio Scanner — Instructables
3. BUY RTL-SDR DONGLES — RTL-SDR.COM
4. $19 Police/Fire/Medical Digital Radio Scanner Howto Guide — RadioReference
5. How to Make a $19 Police Scanner — Overview.

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Simple Device That Makes Dirty Water Drinkable

By RD Bentley on December 16, 2013 in ,

Every survival kit needs this simple device that makes dirty water drinkable. Yes, this device will allow a camper or a stranded motorist to purify water that comes from the filthiest of nature’s swimming pools.

The inventions that are currently being developed are impressive to say the least. Yet, our daily lives are fraught with danger and at the end of the day, it’s difficult to find positive news. Our complicated lifestyles do not seem to be effective against today’s catastrophes around the world. Sometimes clean water can be an issue.

When there are earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, one of the most precious commodities necessary for life itself usually is scarce. And this is potable, safe, drinking water. With all of the technology at our fingertips, in the past we did not have a simple way of purifying water in troubled times.

Michael Pritchard, a businessman from Ipswich, England, changed that just a few years ago. He was a central figure that developed a bottle that could eliminate all microbiological waterborne pathogens from water without chemicals. Thus turning bad smelling dirty water into clean, drinkable water. He called his stellar product the LifeSaver bottle.

The idea originated from Dr. Zackary Kepes and Austin Castellano. Pritchard heard the idea and then later he presented a prototype to a group at a military exhibition in London, in the year 2007. His new idea became an instant success, selling out his entire stock within hours.

In 2009, Pritchard spoke at a TED seminar, providing an amazing demonstration to the crowd. He proved that the world could have access to clean drinking water, no matter the circumstances.

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has tested this product and the results found it to completely filter out all bacteria and viruses. So this bottle is completely safe to use. Well, it’s probably wise to stay away from the water near the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. But that’s the obvious.

“The LifeSaver bottle can be used to filter urine and will remove all microbiological contamination, however there will be an amount of dissolved salts that can not be removed. Metals such as iron, and salt from salt water cannot be removed effectively, either.”

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New Technology To Chant About

By RD Bentley on December 16, 2013 in

Nanotechnology is advancing and the possibilities are endless. On the bright side, technology to keep things clean would be a plus. Now, let’s chant together please.

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Nothing To Worry About

By RD Bentley on December 14, 2013 in

Would you let people peer through window without your consent? Would you feel violated if you found out that they were invading your privacy and were violating the constitution? You are being told that you have nothing to worry about. In March of 2013, 3 billion pieces of intelligence were gathered in the US. Worldwide, up to to 97 billion bits of information were gathered. No such capability?

Read More: Boundless Informant, Wikipedia

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TrailBlazer: Opening Up A Pandora’s Box

By RD Bentley on December 14, 2013 in

This documentary investigates the legal parameters of wiretapping and the history of it. Surveillance technology has perforated the culture of intelligence, even if it’s at the cost of the fourth amendment. Sophisticated mechanisms allows all types of means to suit this purpose. But is this really legal? Have they opened up a Pandora’s box?

Read More: Trailblazer Project, Wikipedia

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Big Oil and Their Bankers

By RD Bentley on December 12, 2013 in ,

Today’s economy is centered around petroleum and petroleum based products. This is undeniably the big story of our modern era. The oligarchs control the global economy through the hegemony of three very important commodities: oil, guns and drugs. Big oil has partnered with the big banks to command the 20th century, thus furthering the process into the 21st century. Big Oil & Their Bankers In The Persian Gulf, authored by Dean Henderson, is a very compelling snapshot of big oil, big banks, and the power structure that governs these forces in the world.

The Four Horsemen are behind the oil wars and this group is responsible for much of the world geopolitics that dominates the front pages in the news.

If there is any doubt in your mind whether government controls corporations or the other way around, Henderson’s book will bring clarity to the table. A book like this reveals the underpinnings of the oligarchs and their well connected links to the pages of history.

The monopoly doesn’t end in the oil fields either. The networking goes much further than the public is remotely aware of. The Federal Reserve Cartel involves the influential stockholders of Fortune 500 companies. Just who are these stockholders and how do we find more information about them?

This data is secretive and is not readily available to the public. Because of books like Henderson’s and the remarkable research behind them, more enlightenment is being shared with the masses.

Big Oil & Their Bankers In The Persian Gulf divulges the hidden secrets of oligarchical networks.

There is a plan “to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole…to be controlled in a feudalistic fashion by the central banks of the world acting in concert by secret agreements.”

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FTTP: Australia Drops Fiber Optics Project

By RD Bentley on December 11, 2013 in

Australia has decided to drop its ambitious $44 billion project to reach 93% of homes with high-speed broadband. The fiber optics plan, also known as the National Broadband Network (NBN), was going to be the initiative to extend the range of fiber optics. Conservative politicians have rallied to halt the NBN project, even though public support for it has been strong.

Read More: The Rise and Fall of Australia’s $44 Billion Broadband Project, IEEE Spectrum

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