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Alternative medicine according to Mark Crislip, MD

I find interesting stuff in the most unusual places. I have an iPhone App called ID Compendium: A Persiflager’s Guide (Infectious Disease Compendium: A Persiflager’s Guide – iPhone, Infectious Disease Compendium: A Persiflager’s Guide – iPad), a great medical tool for finding different infectious diseases and the medications useful for treating it. The App was written by Mark Crislip, MD, one of the top 10 healthcare skeptics (in the true sense of the word, none of that quack-based pseudoskepticism), and it’s been very useful to me. It’s a really nice app (and for $5.99, there’s no way to go wrong here), and it’s practical, unless you’re a hypochondriac.

I was scanning through the Drugs section, and I saw an entry for “Alternative Medicine.” What? Dr. Crislip went to the dark side? Did he actually think homeopathy worked? Was he a mole for alternative medicine crowd? But, that section had a nicely worded (note: It’s an R-rated section, maybe PG-13) commentary on complementary and alternative medicine (aka CAM). I’m not sure the letter was actually sent to the Annals of Medicine, but from reading his blog, I wouldn’t bet against it.Read More »Alternative medicine according to Mark Crislip, MD

iPhone and iPad Apps–skepticism and atheism (update 2)

There’s an app for that.

Update 2.  Just added one more app that I’ve been using and just forgot to put in the original article.

When I write about skepticism, sitting at my trusty MacBook Pro, I have access to every source and bit of information that is required to write about evolution, vaccines, global warming, and the existence of sasquatch.  If I need to dig up a link to an article that debunks some silly anti-vaccination lunatic’s claim, it’s easy to do.  However, since people make pseudoscientific claims all the time, it’s always good to have access to information right at the tip of your fingers.  Of course, it’s relatively easy to put your question in google, in the hope of getting a good answer.  Then again, you have to weed through the 100 hits that might actually support the bogus claim.

Read More »iPhone and iPad Apps–skepticism and atheism (update 2)

iPhone and iPad Apps–skepticism and atheism (update 1)

When I write about skepticism, sitting at my trusty MacBook Pro, I have access to every source and bit of information that is required to write about evolution, vaccines, global warming, and the existence of sasquatch.  If I need to dig up a link to an article that debunks some silly anti-vaccination lunatic’s claim, it’s easy to do.  However, since people make pseudoscientific claims all the time, it’s always good to have access to information right at the tip of your fingers.  Of course, it’s relatively easy to put your question in google, in the hope of getting a good answer.  Then again, you have to weed through the 100 hits that might actually support the bogus claim.Read More »iPhone and iPad Apps–skepticism and atheism (update 1)

Skeptics guide to skeptical iPhone apps

When I write about skepticism, sitting at my trusty MacBook Pro, I have access to every source and bit of information that is required to write about evolution, vaccines, global warming, and the existence of sasquatch.  If I need to dig up a link to an article that debunks some silly anti-vaccination lunatic’s claim, it’s easy to do.  However, since people make pseudoscientific claims all the time, it’s always good to have access to information right at the tip of your fingers.  Of course, it’s relatively easy to put your question in google, in the hope of getting a good answer.  Then again, you have to weed through the 100 hits that might actually support the bogus claim.Read More »Skeptics guide to skeptical iPhone apps

Study confirms iPad’s shortcomings for diagnostic radiology

I’m a huge fan of Apple products.  This blog is being written on a MacBook Pro running WordPress.  I have an iPhone 4 running everything I need.  I don’t own an iPad, but I have had one for a few months a couple of years ago, and I was singularly unimpressed with it, and unless it has suddenly fixed some of its shortcomings, I remain unimpressed.  It’s not just the iPad, it’s the whole genre of computer.Read More »Study confirms iPad’s shortcomings for diagnostic radiology

Faux Siri for the iPhone–vokul and Evi

Though 95% of this blog’s posts are going to be about skepticism in science, medicine, and the natural world, I, as the author, reserve the right to talk about stuff that thrills me in sports and technology.  A couple of weeks ago, I talked about the vokul app for the iPhone 4.  If you have an iPhone 4S, you have access to Siri, a voice control system that connects with Apple’s servers and provides all kinds of assistance.  It can read texts, find stuff for you, and apparently has a great sense of humor.  What makes it different than other voice control systems is that it understands natural speech.  You don’t have to say “open up calendar.  Check 10 AM.”  You can say, “what’s going on with my schedule today?”Read More »Faux Siri for the iPhone–vokul and Evi

Siri lite? Siri maybe?

For the first time, I decided not to upgrade to the next version of the iPhone.  The only feature that really grabbed my interest was Siri, Apple’s new voice control system that’s quite a bit more advanced than anything out there.  Besides, I just wanted to say “Open the pod bay doors Hal.”  Apparently, some of the responses by Siri show a good sense of humor by Apple programmers.

[pullquote]Open the pod bay doors Hal[/pullquote]Read More »Siri lite? Siri maybe?