FutureVigil (tm) » web-monitoring;data-mining

Using social media to find medical treatments and support

Jeffrey Newman — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:48:25 +0000

People with life altering diseases have a pressing need for information on the newest treatments and studies, including clinical studies which might stem the progress of their disorder. One website called “Patients Like Me” (www.patientslikeme.com) allows people with major diseases like ALS, HIV, Parkinson’s, MS and others to connect with others in the same situation. They can learn immediately, for example, about the real effects of specific medical treatments. They can find a large collection of crowd-source data on individual diseses, symptoms and treatments. For example patients can find out about the safety and side effects of Carbida-Levodopa a treatment for Parkinson’s disease. In addition people can learn about the latest research studies and clinical trials on certain diseases and who the experts are in the field. The site was founded by Ben and Jamie Heywood after their brother Stephen was diagnosed with amytrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). The Cambridge based company sells anonymous data from its members to customers in the research and phamarceutcial businesses. The number of patients on the site has grown from 25,000 in December 2008 to more than 55,000 early this year. The company’s backers include internet commerce pioneer Jay tenenbaum through CommerceNet, a New York private equity firm Invus, Omidyar Network, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, and Collaborative Seed and Growth Partners, based in the Boston area.

This use of social network media to gather information through the power of crowds regarding life threatening diseases, is in its early stages. It will be interesting to see if there will be a sharing of knowledge and data between such sites and the traditional medical research community to advance therapeutics from the lab to the clinic in time to save lives. I predict that when the sites have gathered a sufficient number of members, they may be able to gather on-line and in real time, information about the effects of approved drugs; symptom progress of diseases; engage in informal studies helping patients track themselves and to develop pools of individuals willing to provide their DNA, bloods and answer questionnaires which, along with data-mining tools might decipher trends, patterns, leads and biomarkers which researchers will use for eventual cures.

THE HACK ATTACK ON GOOGLE-WE SEE THE FUTURE

Jeffrey Newman — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:36:55 +0000

The hackers which penetrated Google’s defenses recently demonstrated a level of sophistication which paints a frightening picture of just how vulnerable the internet is. The hackers used a combination of encryption, stealth programing and found an unknown hole in internet Explorer. A dozen or more pieces of malware and numerous lawyers of encryption allowed the hackers to bore deeply into company networks and hide their presence as stealthy aliens. The hackers stole intellectual property and gained access to the Gmail accounts of human rights activists and the attacks originated from China. The attacks which targeted 34 companies in the technology, financial and defense sectors was dubbed “Operation Aurora” as this was the name the hackers used for their mission and the name was on the computer of one of the hackers. The initial piece of code was shell code encrypted three times and then was activatedt to penetrate. One malicious code opened a remote backdoor to the computer established by an encrypted secret shannel hiding as an SSL connection to avoid detection. This allowed ongoing access to a computer which afforded the hackers entry to other parts of the network in order to search for login credentials and other data.

Google: Glimmer of a Soul?

Jeffrey Newman — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:36:58 +0000

Following on the heels of Google’s announcement that it may pull out of China, Joe Schoendorf, a Partner at Accel Partners, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm told the New York Times “Google has Microsoft on the ropes, and China is arguably the world’s most important market outside of the U.S. You don’t walk away from that on principle.” Mr. Schoendorf may be missing a critical point in long term corporate strategy. If Google is bold enough to take a stand now and close its operations in China, it will serve the establish the company as a leader on the world stage, placing it ahead of any other company in helping to formulate policies dealing with human rights and other legal issues. China, with its expanding role as a global economic power, has had few challenges by corporations or government intervention. Here we have the first glimmer of Google’s soul–what the company is at its heart. This will not be lost on consumers long term. Even publicly traded corporations cannot make decisions based solely on the best interests of its stockholders. Google would go a long way in establishing itself as the visionary company of our time if it pulls out of China. Other companies would do well to watch and do the same. The global arena of nations and companies cannot allow China to breach internation laws and human rights as it wishes. Th e long term ramifications to this are unthinkable, as China gains further strength. If Google wants to take its place as the greatest company in the world, surpassing Microsoft, it should stake its moral ground now.

SOCIAL MEDIA TO PREVENT MURDERS AND SUICIDES?

Jeffrey Newman — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:49:57 +0000

This tidbit of creative thinking was found on the site of Jonathan Nguyen, who works in PR andcrises management. He saw a news story about George Sodini, who murdered three and wounded nine others in a Pennsylvania gym before killing himself. Sodini had talked about his plans on his blog, as have many others. Now, there are social media monitoring tools such as Radian6 which can read and listen to conversations on the web, including the blogosphere via an heuristic analysis engine. It is used sometimes to protect brands from disparagement and to guage sentiment on products. The questions raised is whether it could be modified to watch for potential homicidal or suicidal acts? Outstanding lateral thinking Jonathan! Present uses of social media are rudimentary and limited.

SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS eREADER EXPLOSION

Jeffrey Newman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:03:54 +0000

According to Forrester Research, one of the major successes in social media in the near future will be the breakout of sReaders for books, magazines, newspapers and other publications. There are a number of reasons why eReader sales ar gorwing faster than expected including lower prices, more content availability and lots of media buzz. In addition, new technology for eReaders is about to burst on the scene in the form of a whole newe generation of tablet PC’s from Apple, Microsoft and others making use of E Ink and LCD screens. In 2009, eReader sales in the U.S. were about 2 million units. Sales in the U.S. in 2010 are expected to be beyong six million units, three times as many! Competition among many companies is expected to enhance design and technology and lower the price. Content developers should also benefit.

MIND READING BRAIN SCANS LEAD TO COMMERCIAL USES

Jeffrey Newman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:38:35 +0000

Technical advances in brain scanning now allow individuals to post electronic messages just by thinking them. Last month, Adam Wilson posted a message “Go Badgers” on Twitter and became the first person to post an electronic message just by thinking it, when aided by a scanning device developed at the University of Wisconsin. With a little practice, Wilson learned to pick out letters from the alphabet. The capacity of the new scanner to detect the electrical fields generated by currents from brain cells is considered a major breakthrough and is now being put to commercial use. Gemma Calvert, professor of applied neurology at Warwick University and founder of Neurosense has many customers including Unilever, Procter & Gamble, McDonalds and GMTV. Research says that most of our purchasing decisions are subconscious, but brain scans can reveal those processes and help corporations market their products. Some people feel this is “brainjacking”, however, the research has significant potential benefits. For example studies indicate that when cigarette packaging with health warnings are shown, the result may be counter-productive. The brain scans show that when smokers re shown the warning labels it activates the ventral striatum and nucleus accumbens implying that the labels are actually triggering a craving for cigarettes. Scientists also believe that brain scanning will help with metal illnesses such as depression and schizophrenia.

COMIC BOOKS TEACH KIDS READING AS WELL AS REGULAR BOOKS

Jeffrey Newman — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:07:21 +0000

A study of early childhood learning revealed that kids learn as much from comics as regular books and that teachers are now starting to use them as tools in the classroom. University of Illinois Professor Carol Tilly says that comic books and graphic novels had previously received a bad wrap but that the industry is changing. The comic book and graphic novel publishers are attending educational conferences and review journals are evaluating both for educational content.

INTERNET SEARCH VS. SURF BENEFITS COGNITION AND MEMORY

Jeffrey Newman — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:48:56 +0000

University of Missouri researchers have found that searching for specific information versus general internet searches benefit a person’s congitive capabilities, memory and emotional responses. This is the conclusion of Kevin Wise a Professor at The University f Missouri. His findings are published in the Journal of Modern media Psychology Theories and Applications 2009; 21(2).

VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY TO CHANGE BUSINESS, MEDICINE AND VIDEO GAMES

Jeffrey Newman — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 20:23:43 +0000

We may be on the verge of a significant technological breakthrough, likely to change our lives in many areas. Virtual and augmented reality and the use of videoconferencing is expected to alter daily business functions; enhance scientific and medical advances and create a new genre of video games and films. Virtual and “augmented” reality simulations have recently undergone major advances and the technology now exists to allow us to inexpensively enter computer enhanced worlds which so mimic reality differences are not discernable. One new product, Nintendo’s Wii has recently been shown to help treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, including depression, according to Ben Herz, Program Director in the School of Allied Health Sciences at The Medical College of Georgia. Wii allows patients to move in simulated reality in a safe environment. Apparently the game increases production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter deficient in Parkinsons patients. Nintendo is also working on a holographic video system which will project full spectrum 3d images for videogames. This will mean that players will “step into” the action with already rich visuals and sound effects. A company in Seattle has created a new virtual reality device that lets players move around inside a hollow ball while visualizing a virtual reality world. The company VirtuSphere, says that the new device may be used for training fire fighters and combat troops and will also be developed for realistic videogame experiences. The sphere is an 8.5 foot hollow ball. The user steps into the ball wearing a wireless head mounted vitual display and can walk jump, roll or crawl in any direction. Iowa State University has created what it says is the most realistic virtual realit room in the world. This is a 10-foot by 10-foot virtual reality room which surrounds users with computer generated 3D images. It is being used to study, among other things, cell biology (aka Fantastic Voyage). One thing is certain, the time is not far off when businesses use vitual reality to save money on travel and to enhance communications. The first significant uses are expected in video games where players will step into a new reality of adventure and realism and instead of using an xbox or mouse, they will act physically in this world. Studies indicate that pilots trained on flight simulators–a form of virtual reality are more proficient than those trained in real planes. Surgeons are now receiving training on model simulators allowing them to gain significant time in the operating room without risk to actual patients. The technologies used in both of these fields are now being developed for use in realistic video games and Hollywood films.

IS THERE A WAY TO STYMIE IRAN’S DEEP-PACKET SPYING?

Jeffrey Newman — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:56:00 +0000

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal reported a disturbing story on it’s front page about how the Iranian government is not just blocking web access, it is engaged in “deep-packet inspection” of it’s citizens computers using technology developed by Siemans, AG and Nokia. Deep-Packet inspection is a form of data-mining in which equipment is installed to examine on-line data including emails and internet phone calls as well as messages on social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Each digitized packet is taken apart and examined for keywords. There is nothing new about content filtering. Such filters are being used to stop spam, viruses and pornography. However, Iran’s use to find those it believes pose a potential harm to the government is new.

It remains to be seen whether the use of this technology results in the death or imprisonment of those who oppose the present governmental leadership. In the meantime, is there any known technology that can technologically stymie the deep-packet inspection, which could be downloaded by individuals inside Iran in order to protect them? It seems logical that if we can create such intrusive mechanisms, we can create an antidote. If one or more exists, we should spread the word asap.