Which kind of functionality and what level of performance can users expect from an ebook, a databank, or an app? This is not an easy question, since there is no industry standardization in place yet. In order to be able to read an ebook, users have to use a computer, an ebook-reader, or an iPad. Not every ebook is compatible with all pieces of reading hardware. Unlike printed books, some ebooks are technically protected against printing, copying, or sharing with a friend. Some ebooks can be copied at least a few times, others cannot be copied at all. Read further >

In thinking about the future direction of information products, I find it has become increasingly important to keep an eye on how kids are interacting with the web and their friends. Their evolving expectations around software, information sharing and network participation are shaping the way they will view current software solutions by the time they become young professionals hitting the workforce. I, for one, am constantly learning new things from my resident digital natives and their friends who continue to teach me about new ways to use the web and interact with their world on an almost daily basis. The winter school break last month gave me plenty of time to observe their new “workflows” and a short list of areas I will explore further. In the meantime though, there are two things I noticed around learning and sharing that have implications for those of us who design and develop software solutions. Read further >

The Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering have announced their second annual contest aimed at encouraging undergraduate and graduate students to create health-related mobile applications. Using social networking, mobile apps, and other new technologies, the power of health data can be unleashed to take on the nation’s pressing health issues, the IoM says. Read further >

Infobuttons are context-sensitive links from electronic health records (EHRs) to knowledge resources. I have described them in more detail in two previous posts, covering both a standard implementation and a web services implementation. In this post I would like to share with you some recent discussions around that topic. Read further >

As we round the corner on the first month of 2012, it seems like we’re reaching a turning point for the coming of age of semantic technologies, linked open data, big data, and user driven content. Over the past decade, several trends and truths have become clear about the information (and knowledge) age. Many of our previous assumptions about how the world works and how to generate value have been challenged and we are in for a re-think. Read further >

A quiet sunday morning, I’m channel surfing on my big screen when I come across an enticing teaser on the Wolters Kluwer Channel. I carrousel through the Health and Tax panels and select Legal. I start reading the news articles and a particular phrase intrigues me. I spread my arms to zoom in and make a left to right swiping gesture in the air to select it… Read further >

With growing emphasis on electronic health record systems in the United States, a louder discussion is beginning on whether or not a universal patient identification number or “UPI” should be issued to citizen patients across the country. Similar to a Social Security Number, a UPI would belong to a person for life and would be used to identify all of their medical records over their lifetime, making records easily connected and accessible to physicians and hospitals across the country. The Wall Street Journal recently ran a poll for their readers, asking whether or not patients should have a UPI assigned for their medical records, after discussing the privacy concerns and the logistical benefits. Proponents of a unique identification number argue that the number would: Read further >

In my first post on the IS blog, I was claiming that “Search was Yesterday”. In my view, this is a true statement, but I think that also the opposite is true – at least with regard to retrieval engines.

Let’s have a look at contemporary, modern retrieval engines. They present a very solid and proven technology, they can handle a high volume of (textual) data and there are ways to solve the challenge around change both from the angle of data (new data comes in very quickly) as well as from the angle of the user (different users want different things and one user also evolves over time).

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I’ve been blessed with several wonderful mentors in my professional life, including legendary tax expert, author and instructor, Sid Kess, and retired CCH Editorial Vice-President and former boss, Jim Rooney. But the person who has made the greatest impression on me is a 79-year old plumber from South Chicago. A child of the Great Depression and an orphan by the time he was age 11, this self-made man overcame tremendous obstacles in his life to become a master plumber, a father of six children, and a great role model for me and countless other people. This special person is my Dad, John Gornick. Read further >

A value-added service in many public search engines has been auto-complete and pre-search suggested searches for searchers. You go to Google or Bing and begin typing a query, for example, “bus”, and Google’s auto-complete suggests “bus times,” “business links,” “business for sale,” and “bus timetable.” This feature is very helpful in several aspects. By displaying alternative word forms, the researcher has the opportunity to discover a better formulated version of his or her query. The suggestions might be words that are directly related to the searcher’s intent but which also serve to expand or refine the user’s search. Auto-complete in mobile devices, where the logic seems to be driven by an app in the smartphone itself, such as in my iPhone, can be quite annoying because frequently the suggested terms are wholly unrelated to my search intent and I experience it as low value-add, in fact, a nuisance. But I’ve adapted my search workflow to the iPhone. Read further >