Funny Sunny Day

Pointing out the Silliness

It's just silly, really.

Go to this Website

Move your mouse.

A picture will pop up with a finger pointing to where your pointer is on the screen.

It's just silly.

But fun.

Attention Pharmacy Students!

This would have been really handy when I was in pharmacy school... a better way to solidify pharmacy facts in your head: 

Spaced Repetition Learning (SRL)

Research on memorization shows that the best time for a new fact to be remembered, “cementing” it in memory, is often just before it is about to be forgotten.  Based on this discovery, ideal repetition sequences have been mapped out: a new fact memorization might best be first practiced several minutes after the first time, then several hours, a day, several days, several weeks, several months, etc.  At a point which will vary based on the individual, the fact has been permanently memorized and will never be forgotten, even with very rare reminders.

SRL software implementations include eSpindle Learning, Flashcard Exchange, Course Hero, Memrise, Mnemosyne, Skritter, SuperMemo, Winflash, and OpenCards.

See the original article HERE.

Digital Tablets -- Dangerous for Eyes?

A recent article suggests that digital tablets and iPads might be hard on your eyes.


People who use computers regularly for prolonged periods of time can often suffer from eyestrain. When the eye muscles work harder and become strained, resulting in dry, tired eyes and headaches. Smaller screens means that text is crowded into a smaller area and then the eyes need to work harder to read it. To avoid eyestrain, experts recommend to limit the amount of time you spend using the tablet, especially for reading. 

For gamers, research suggests that aspects of vision could be improved. When playing an action or adventure game, the player needs to focus and demonstrate coordination with spatial awareness and fast reactions. For regular players, these skills gained might be transferred to real life, particularly in tasks such as driving and sports. Quickly recognizing a target or an enemy in a game could improve the ability to see hazards on the road.

Whilst there is valid evidence to support both points, it seems clear that the digital technology can be used to your advantage to improve coordination, contrast sensitivity and even reading skills. As the digital tablet revolution seems set to grow and prosper, it’s important to use the device with caution. Limit the time you spend on your tablet and take regular breaks to reduce the risk of eye strain or dry eyes.

Store Communication Fail

A true story from @surveyor53 on Twitter:

Heard on overhead speaker:

"Price check on Tampax please..."

A few minutes pass... the courtesy clerk thought he heard thumbtacks, not Tampax and replies:

"Please clarify price check - is that for the ones you press in with your thumb or the ones you drive in with a hammer?"

Thanks to 44spl @surveyor53 on Twitter for permission to share...

Single Dose Toothache Knockout!

Today a lady calls and asked what I thought about her giving her mother some of her amoxicillin to knock out her Mother's tooth pain.

I told her what I thought. I told her about why dentists and doctors prescribe antibiotics with a duration sufficient to make sure the infecting organism is eliminated entirely. I told her that neither her nor I could possibly diagnose her mother with the same condition she's being treated for. I told her about federal laws which state medicine is only for the person prescribed. I told her that If I advised her "Yeah sure, give your mom the medication" and she became hospitalized or deceased I would be liable. I told her absolutely not to do it.

She laughed at me. She explained that one dose of amoxicillin always knocks out a toothache and that "You have to save them up for using later!" She said that no one is going to arrest her for giving her mother her medication and then laughed some more.

REALLY?

Why do people call with questions like this when they've already made up their mind? 

But they FELL into my Cereal...

Mrs. Norco is a regular of ours. We call her one of our "Frequent Flyers"...  she's pretty much hopped up on Norco all the time. She knows the game and plays it well. She knows to request a refill on her Norco several days in advance giving the MD time to see the fax and respond.  And she somehow seems to know right when to show up when insurance will pay for it.

Mrs. Norco also has a tendency to take too much of her medication on occasion. She's gone through all the standard excuses that we don't buy anymore... such as it was stolen out of her purse, then stolen out of her car, then taken by her housekeeper, her kids' friends... a monkey that escaped from the zoo, etc. etc. Mrs. Norco has had to get more and more creative to get an early refill on her medication every time. 

I think she was sensing our displeasure in hearing one lie after another, so the latest lie involved a bit of staging. She starts out her story by telling me that that her husband brings her a bowl of cereal while she is in bed every morning with her medications for the day. On this particular day she goes to open her bottle of Norco and "Theysa jus jumped all overs the place likes an ex-po-shun!" According to her, the majority of them landed IN her bowl of cereal. When I asked her why she couldn't just dry them off and still take them, she just looked at me. I don't think she thought ahead enough on this one. I was told no, that just wouldn't do at all. She needed a NEW Rx for the full quantity (despite the fact that you can see in the following staged photographs that there are at least 35 tablets perfectly placed around the bowl of cereal -- why she couldn't take these -- I don't know.)

Mrs. Norco was quite proud of being able to submit photographic evidence to both her doctor and our pharmacy as to why she needed an early refill on her happy pills. She was almost beaming when she showed them to me. I'm just waiting to see what she comes up with next time...