The Dr. Wes Interview

This week The Doctor Anonymous Show welcomes Westby G. Fisher, MD, FACC. He is author of the blog Dr. Wes: Musings In the Life of and Internist, Cardiologist, and Cardiac Electrophysiologist.

Now, before you think this blog is about really technical clinical information that you cannot understand, I suggest you check out the following posts: Why I Blog, Remembering, and Caregivers. Dr. Wes balances technical writing with well-written stories. This is a great blog.

Join us on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time where we will be talking about his blog, his t-shirt site called MedTees.com, and a whole lot more. You can also join us in the live chat room or even call into the show to ask Dr. Wes a question. My internet connection was really buggin last time. We'll see what happens this time. Tune in tomorrow for details!

Dr. A Show 21: Wrap-up

I've been so busy this week that I haven't had a chance to do a follow-up post on Sunday night's show. I have to tell you, this was one of the best shows I've ever had - Really. Why? First of all, we had the two creators of Medgadget on the show - I'll call them "The Brothers Ostrovsky." They actually called in right at the beginning of the show. Really threw me off. I did not appropriately introduce them. I just started interviewing them and the chat room was confused for the first few minutes of the show.

Then, Nick and Enrico called in. And, did we get going after that! We dove right into come questions/controversies about the awards - like when the actual deadline for voting was. When it says voting closes at midnight, what does that really mean? Next, why aren't there more award categories? Finally, if someone is writing for the Medgadget blog, should that disqualify them from being eligible for the award? You may be surprised by these answers.

Probably the most (pleasantly) surprising thing that happened on the show was the callers. Not only did we get callers. But, these are the A-list of the medical blogosphere: Paul Levy, Sid Schwab, and Jenni from ChronicBabe. All great people with great blogs. I'm hoping to get each of them back on the show so that we can talk more.

There is so much other stuff that I'm forgetting. If you haven't already, take a listen to Show #21 of The Doctor Anonymous Show. You'll get to hear me trying to juggle 5-6 guests at once. I was also on call that night and Nick graciously took over for a while when I had to answer a page. And, we talked about the Giants/Packers game. Enrico is a Packers fan and we kept talking about that during the show. Thanks to all who made this show so much fun!

Featured Show TONIGHT

Brrrr - It's cold this morning! The air temperature is 4F/-15C, but with the wind chill, it feels like -13F/-25C. There's a wind chill advisory for the next three hours here. And, I have to go to the hospital this morning (I'm on call this weekend). I hope the cold doesn't freeze up my internet connection. Anyway, enough whining from me...

Don't forget to join us tonight, Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time for the latest edition of The Doctor Anonymous Show. I was shocked (in a good way) to see that BlogTalkRadio has featured the show at the very top of their "featured" section on the website. Yeesh! No pressure, huh.

Returning to the show are Dr. Nick Genes and Enrico from Medgadget.com. (As a joke, I called them the "medgadget guys" and now that name is at the top of BlogTalkRadio - Sheesh!). We will be talking about The 2007 Medgadget Medblog Awards sponsored by ScrubGalleries.com.

Also check out Medgadget's promotional post talking about the show! The deadline for voting is midnight Pacific Time (I figure you can do the math on when the deadline is for your time zone).

For tonight's show, we'll be discussing this and a lot more. I'm hoping that people call in to talk about their fave blogs. And, if your favorite blog needs some help getting to the top spot in a category, maybe even call into the show to convince "the undecided voter."

Who knows what else will happen? When the guys were on for Show #19, we talked for 2 stinkin hours! I couldn't believe it! Of course, I'll be streaming live on my ustream.tv channel again (presuming my internet connection doesn't drop out). So get ready, because you cannot miss this show tonight - Dr. A, Nick, Enrico, special guests, and YOU! Be there!

Kevin MD Show: Epilogue

Right after tonight's show, I recorded the video post above.

Thanks again to Kevin MD for being a guest on the show. I've said it before, but I really consider Kevin as kind of a medblog mentor. His was one of the first blogs I read on a regular basis. And, when I first considered doing a internet radio show, I thought of people who I would like to interview - his name was on the top of the list - so thanks again.

We had a great conversation about primary care medicine to his beginnings in blogging to current events. I mentioned some of what we talked about above in my video post. It was kind of funny because he was expecting people to call in and really come after him tonight. I may have made reference to it on my last show. Oh well.

Thanks so much to the people in the chat room. Again, thanks to Bongi from South Africa (where I believe it was 4 am during the show) and ScanMan from India - Thanks for listening live and hanging out in the chat room. It continues to blow my mind how international this show is.

Don't forget, Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time - A Special Edition of The Doctor Anonymous Show. Remember that out of control show last week with The Medgadget Guys? Well, they're back on Sunday night to drum up more votes before the Medgadget polls close later that evening. So, tune in - Maybe even do a little lobbying for your favorite medblogs.

Plus, next week, Thursday, January 24th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time - Tune in for a conversation with Dr. Wes. I think he almost as many posts per week as Kevin MD. And, all of it is high quality stuff. He talks a lot about cardiology issues. I encourage you to check out his blog in preparing for next week's show (hehe). See you Sunday night! Have a great weekend!

Listen (and watch) LIVE tonight!

Yes, that's right I'm trying something else innovative tonight for the show (at least for me). Above, you'll see an embed of a ustream.tv screen (embed removed in post-production - hehe). Sometime during the show tonight, I'll turn the camera on and we'll see what happens (maybe I'll break the camera - HA!).

The thing you need to know is that there will be no audio stream from the BlogTalkRadio site above. So, you can see the video above, but to hear the entire show, you'll need to click on my BTR site - confusing, I know. Anyway...

Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time

Join us tonight for Kevin, MD. I'm really looking forward to this interview tonight. However, I'm not sure that he is (hehe). Here is his post today promoting his appearance...

There will be an opportunity to call in. So, for all those who want (to take their shots at me) say hello, this is your chance.

Yeesh! Tune in tonight for one of the most recognized names in the medical blogosphere. Take part in the chat room, which is the "show within the show." As mentioned above, you can even call into the show to talk and/or ask a question. Who knows when you'll have an opportunity like this again? See you tonight!

For first time Blog Talk Radio listeners:
*Although it is not required to listen to the show, I encourage you to register on the BlogTalkRadio site prior to the show. I think it will make the process easier.

*To get to my show site, click here. As show time gets closer, keep hitting "refresh" on your browser until you see the "Click to Listen" button. Then, of course, press the "Click to Listen" button.

*You can also participate in the live chat room before, during, and after the show. Look for the "Chat Available" button in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you are registered with the BTR site, your registered name and picture will appear in the chat room.

*You can also call into the show. The number is on my show site. I'll be taking calls beginning at around the bottom of the hour. Hope these tips are helpful!

The Kevin, MD Interview

Definitely spread the word, because, this week The Doctor Anonymous Show welcomes probably the most recognized blogger in the medical blogosphere - Kevin Pho who of course is the author of Kevin, MD, Medical Weblog. On his about page, here is how he describes his blog.

This blog aims to pull that curtain back and "tell it like it is." By shining a light on physician frustrations that the mainstream media may ignore, perhaps we can get one step closer to resolving these issues.

Join us on Thursday, January 17th, 2008 at 9pm Eastern Time. I have so many questions especially his beginnings in the blogging world. You can also join us in the live chat room or even call into the show to ask Kevin a question.

I do have to tell you that my internet connection at home here has been (at times) shaky. So, we'll see if I have my traditional technical glitch. I'm also experimenting with a new live video site called ustream.tv - so check out my channel over there where I will try to simulcast the show. Check here tomorrow for details.

The Plague Comeback

Remember a few years ago when it was declared that smallpox was eradicated from the face of the earth? Then, a bunch of military people declared that it could be used as a weapon - thus the rationale behind the smallpox vaccine? I think that the tide is turning for some of these infectious diseases from long ago....

Reuters is reporting today that "The Plague" is making a comeback. You remember The Plague, don't you? This is the famous fatal illness from the middle ages. It even attained parody status. I mean if Monty Python makes a reference to Plague (see video clip above), you know it has to be funny (kind of).

Researchers at the University of Liverpool are reporting that Yersinia pestis (The Plague) is now showing up in African countries and that this should not be ignored. Over the past 20 years, Plague has killed some 100-200 people annually. This is a lot more people than I once thought.

"Although the number of human cases of plague is relatively low, it would be a mistake to overlook its threat to humanity, because of the disease's inherent communicability, rapid spread, rapid clinical course, and high mortality if left untreated," [researchers] wrote in the journal Public Library of Science journal PloS Medicine.

So, look out MRSA and E Coli - The old school diseases like The Plague, smallpox, and anthrax may be making a comeback - maybe even as terror weapons. That's kind of frightening to me. What's going to be next? The dreaded ebola virus? Yeesh!

Election Update

For those of you who follow politics in the United States, you know that it's primary day in Michigan. The political pundits are gabbing away as usual and analyzing every poll out there to try to predict a winner. If the New Hampshire primary taught us anything, it's that never trust the polls - they're always wrong!

How does that apply to this post? Thankfully, I'm not going to be talking about politics, but in my latest video blog, I do talk about an important election - Which blogs are determined the best by you the voter? There are only a few days left to register your vote in the Medgadget Weblog Awards.

This video post gives in-depth analysis and my predictions on who will win these races. Well, it's not that hard, the current results are right on the Medgadget site - So, you know exactly how people are doing. (Note: the numbers quoted in this video post are as of 12:01am eastern time Jan 15) I thought it may be fun to give a "news update" talking about an election other than the US presidential race.

I remember when I was nominated last year for best weblog and best new weblog for 2006. You can look back in my blog archives. I was asking (sometimes begging) people to vote for me. You can see the same thing happening with this year's finalists. It would be interesting (and fun) if there could be debates set up in cyberspace among the weblog finalists.

The polls close on Sunday, January 20th. That evening will be a special episode of The Doctor Anonymous Show at 9pm eastern time. I will have a panel of experts to analyze this race right before the polls close at midnight pacific time.

Also, don't forget that Kevin, MD will be the guest on The Doctor Anonymous Show this Thursday, January 17th at 9pm eastern time. I'm really looking forward to this interview. This should be a good time!

Macworld 2008

I'm not a tech blogger, nor do I pretend to be one. But, I can't help to talk about Macworld Expo which is beginning today in San Francisco. As you remember, last year at this time there was much anticipation about the iPhone being announced - which happened - and became (arguably) the number one tech gadget for 2007.

The "bar of expectation" is being raised again by the tech press. There's an article on the Fortune website asking "Can Steve Jobs Top the iPhone?" Now, I know that Apple does it to itself, as far as raising the hype every year and keeps the pundits guessing until the last second with its secrecy going into these conferences.

The current rumors are that Apple will announce a sub-notebook (a kind of MacBook nano), iPhone updates, iTunes movie rentals, and that always mysterious musical guest - who will it be? I'm a proud user of Apple products (how many do I have - Sheesh!). So, I'm eagerly anticipating what Steve Jobs has in store for his keynote speech this week....

Podcamp Ohio

I've become involved with a fascinating project called Podcamp Ohio. I've heard about and read about other Podcamps around the country over the past year. According to the website, this event helps connect people interested in blogging, social networks, podcasting and new media to learn, share, and grow their new media skills.

The guy who picked up the torch for the buckeye state is Angelo Mandato. The organization on this event has been phenomenal so far. There was a planning meeting today and I got to meet a couple of other people who I have been following over on the Viddler site - Brandice & Joe and their video show called "STEAP' which stands for "Super Tea People" where they review different teas.

I'm definitely not the tech guy. In fact, I felt fairly intimidated trying to talk new media speak with these people (I was clueless). However, they were so helpful and I learned a lot about blogging, podcasting, and video (hopefully, I'll remember it).

Anyway, the meeting was captured on ustream. We were there about two and a half hours talking about technology while mixing in some meeting planning. It was weird (in a cool way) to talk to people I've been seeing on Viddler and hearing on Talkshoe.

Podcamp Ohio will take place on Saturday, June 28th, 2008 in the Columbus area. Planning meetings are each week on Talkshoe. And, further in person meetings will, hopefully, be in different parts of the state to capture new people and get them excited about the event. I hope to help out as much as I can to make Podcamp Ohio a success!