Earlier this week Facebook announced the release of its product for children, Messenger Kids. Messenger Kids makes it easier for kids to video chat and message with family and friends with parental control. But you don’t need to look far to find those voicing concern. So what does our response to Messenger Kids say about us and technology? We don’t want our kids ... Continue Reading about Messenger Kids from Facebook – What it Says About Us and Our Technology
Technology and Our Lack of Direction
The conversation with my Uber driver leaving the airport in Chicago en route to the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting Me: “So I'm headed to the Marriott Marquis in Chicago. That's the new one by the convention center. You have that, right?” Uber driver: “Actually I don't pay attention to where riders are going. I just follow this (points to phone). ... Continue Reading about Technology and Our Lack of Direction
Apple Watch and the Fantasy of Smaller Technology
I had coffee with a doctor colleague recently. He proudly announced that he's buying the Apple Watch Series 3. "I have it figured out that I can effectively stop carrying my iPhone at this point. I can take my long bike rides on call and leave my phone at the house." Smaller technology, he was suggesting, would set him free. I had to break the news that our Spok ... Continue Reading about Apple Watch and the Fantasy of Smaller Technology
Apologizing for Technology
I was reading this interview with an MIT scientist who developed a machine learning tool to assess pain. At the end of the interview he remarked in a reassuring tone that his technology will not replace doctors. More and more we are apologizing for technology. I am seeing this more frequently in the context of medical technology. Developers are quick to to reassure ... Continue Reading about Apologizing for Technology
Technology Changes Doctors and Patients
I rolled out of bed this morning, turned on Twitter and found this headline from The Guardian, Technology could redefine the doctor-patient relationship. Let’s be clear: Technology, by definition, disrupts what we do and how we do it. It changes relationships. It’s not a maybe or a might or a could. And this isn’t new. Look at the stethoscope. Around 1998 patients ... Continue Reading about Technology Changes Doctors and Patients
Polishing Glass
We’re all convinced that Google Glass will change medicine. But no one’s really sure how. The idea of a doctor talking to her glasses just seems inevitable. This closing paragraph from a FastCo.Exist article on surgeons and Glass showcases our dogged determinism in forcing technology into every corner of medicine. "For advocates of the technology, the big ... Continue Reading about Polishing Glass