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(image source | Sindya N. Bhanoo via The New York Times)

Remember when you didn’t have to leave your house when you were sick because your doctor made house calls? Yea, well I don’t either, but I saw it in a movie once. However, getting to a doctor is a routine part of many individuals lives, especially the elderly. Many need to have weekly tests performed to manage health conditions. Beyond the inconvenience of constantly needing to visit your doctor and adhering to their appointment hours, many who experience severe difficulties with their mobility simply cannot make these trips without help and/or more suffering. Beyond the burden on the patient, this routine visits incur financial and administrative strains on doctors and hospitals, raising health care costs and delaying service for everyone. As a solution Denmark is pioneering in “telemedicine”. The NY Times recently ran an article in regards to the evolution of electronic medical records into home medical tests. Through the use of technologies and a few computer accessories individuals can take certain exams in the privacy of their own home and electronically submit the information gathered to their physician. Prescriptions can even be electronically sent to pharmacies to be filled, and if that pharmacy delivers, well you get the point about how these technologies can be a great benefit for all. Be sure to read The New York Times article after the jump for a personal take on this emerging technology.

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(image source | Google)

Even if you actually live under a rock there is no reason that by now you wouldn’t know this month marks the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street airing on television. Perhaps one of the only worthwhile shows to be viewed by anyone under 10 in the history of Judge Joe Brown’s, Jerry Springer’s and paternity test on Maury. Congrats to Sesame Street and thanks to Google for making us all aware of this monumental occasion.

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Hey kiddies, let this be a lesson to you - crime doesn’t pay. As you may have heard REVOK1 was arrested during a recent spree in Australia. I didn’t want to post about it earlier because I still say he didn’t do nothin’, but being that he has plead guilty, check out the video from Aussie TV.

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Typography in videos is everywhere these days. Not just as text in the background, but as the main point of the piece, using text to make up the subject manner. From main characters to backgrounds, typography has advanced from merely something to be read onto something to be viewed and appreciated on it’s own. First, Jay-Z was brought to life by type, then Helvetica attacked in this “World Made of Words” clip, now the Leo Burnett agency brings you this q3c directed clip advertising the N.Y. Times launch into Turkey.

We constructed typographic versions of the most recognizable landmarks in Manhattan and Istanbul, and created a compact tour taking the audience from the New York Harbor all the way to the Bosphorus. Actual pages from the first issue of the newspaper were used to create the textures used in the scenes. The financial news page became NYSE and Wall Street, entertainment news turned into Times Square, and so on.

The result is 60 seconds of typographic goodness, mastered in 2K cinema resolution.

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(image source | Jeffrey Tsang @ AS|D LABS - All Rights Reserved)

The AS|D DROP blog now allows comments to be left on our blog posts. So, come on everyone and join in the conversation!

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(image source | NY Daily News)

You all mocked me when I canceled my cable/internet service and resorted to communicating via yelling out the window, cans attached to long strings and carrier pigeon. Well, well, well, look who is laughing now! Granted, I may have pigeon crap all over my house now, but at least my notes attached to the feet of pigeons are getting to South Africa faster than your emails!

A South African information technology company on Wednesday proved it was faster for them to transmit data with a carrier pigeon than to send it using Telkom , the country’s leading internet service provider.

Internet speed and connectivity in Africa’s largest economy are poor because of a bandwidth shortage. It is also expensive.

Local news agency SAPA reported the 11-month-old pigeon, Winston, took one hour and eight minutes to fly the 80 km (50 miles) from Unlimited IT’s offices near Pietermaritzburg to the coastal city of Durban with a data card was strapped to his leg.

Including downloading, the transfer took two hours, six minutes and 57 seconds — the time it took for only four percent of the data to be transferred using a Telkom line.

SAPA said Unlimited IT performed the stunt after becoming frustrated with slow internet transmission times.

The company has 11 call-centers around the country and regularly sends data to its other branches.

Telkom could not immediately be reached for comment.

Internet speed is expected to improve once a new 17,000 km underwater fiber optic cable linking southern and East Africa to other networks becomes operational before South Africa hosts the soccer World Cup next year.

Local service providers are currently negotiating deals for more bandwidth.

Source | NY Daily News

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