Blog tweaks, tweets, upgrades and fiddles

By Ross | Published March 16, 2012

If you’re a regualr reader (or an observant occasional one) you’ll have noted that I have been adding some changes and upgrades to this blog in the last few weeks.  This is partly because I am a card-carrying gadgetologist (*grin*), but mostly because I am trying to keep riding the wave of ease of online media.  People want to have everything fed directly to their cortex in a continous stream, and be able to tweet, FaceBook (when did that become a verb?) and share effortlessly.  However, the essence – of simplicity and something interesting to read – is something I’m at pains to retain.  To balance this equation, I need some empiric data: your comments!

I’ve integrated the following recently:

  • Search function – top right and easy to spot from any page
  • Easier link to the galleries – mindless viewing pleasure
  • Email subscription function – new posts direct to your inbox!
  • Streamlined sharing, direct-to-email and direct-print links at the bottom of each post
  • Twitterfeed for those spontaneous thoughts and images

Behind the scenes, I’ve upgraded the blog’s engine and post archiving system, which should make it quick and easy to use.  There is also now a mobile interface, so you an read the blogin a pared-down form on your smartphone.  It is difficult for me to assess these changes and especialy compatibility across platforms , however, so I really do need your comments and insights.  Try the links, subscribe via mail, rant, enthuse or complain – I welcome it all!

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Rambles from the Road – Mpumalanga’s Panorama Route

By Ross | Published March 5, 2012

My delightful and talented wife has been invited to present her Masters dissertation at a conference which is being held this week at a hotel bordering on the Kruger Park. To her credit, she invited me to come along, so with a week of leave in hand we flew off to Lanseria (near Johannesberg) and took a hired car into the hinterland. If you know my approach to hired cars (“They make the best 4×4’s”) you’ll already be imagining where this could take us…

Due to other commitments, Fran flew up 18 hours ahead of me, and being a sweet and doting husband I of course insisted that she take my new pride-and-joy GPS. It’s been more than five years since I had a new GPS, so I’m suitably excited about this one. (At this point, female readers are wondering what I’m on about, and the males are nodding appreciatively). In any case, I may as well go and buy another, as by the time I reached Gauteng it had a name (“Hannah” – it’s a Garmin Montana, capiche?) and has been claimed forever by my better half. True to her gentle and understanding nature, I am still allowed to program geocaches and press buttons if I ask nicely.

We have two days free time to get to Kruger and no commitments along the way. As a result, we have always been exactly where we wanted to be: wandering. Last night brought us (via various roadside stalls and geocaches) to the Blyde River Canyon, where we stayed surrounded by scores of polite, pale European tourists and perversely red-arsed baboons, in fairly equal proportions. At least the Germans and their consorts did not leave a calling card on our patio table to enhance the aroma of our morning coffee.

In the many intervening years since I last laid eyes on the Blyderivier it has lost none of its beauty, and has gained or retained an appellation I had not remembered: third largest canyon in the world. It is exceeded only by the Grand and Fish River Canyons, and is certainly the greenest of the three. What did surprise me was the quality of the surrounding attractions: either Mpumalanga Tourism or the Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve has excelled in making sure that the various resorts, viewpoints and other amenities are neat, staffed and functional. They deserve much commendation, especially for the way in which (at least in appearance) the local communities have been integrated in managing and maintaining the attractions. I hope tourism in the area continues to thrive.

The road calls again; more to follow later!

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Flashback… Betty’s Bay Paragliding with Tom

By Ross | Published March 3, 2012

Been doing some blog maintenance, as it was pointed out to me that the links had all died, so I’m also trying something new here…linking in YouTube videos.  Bear with me while I test, and watch this old clip from flying Betty’s Bay in 2006.  Can you remember the days before GoPro cameras, wrist-watch vario’s and reversiblebackpack-harnesses?  Look at the size of those things!

Aha!  It works.  More to follow :)

 

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PPG – Goedverwacht Dawn Patrol

By Ross | Published March 3, 2012

Great flight this morning from Goedverwact Microlight Airfield near Durbanville with Keith, Callie, Martin, Hannes, Mias and Thys.  I was particularly glad to get in the air, as my PPG motor needed some work done recently and I was worried about misbehaviour.  We kitted up before sunrise beneath heavily overcast skies with a low cloudbase, but the morning blessed us with a gentle northerly wind in which to launch and then cool, calm flying conditions.  I’m afraid you will have to put up with iPhone photos, as I have lent my usual flying camera to my friends Cathy & Andrew as they depart for a motorbike circuit of South America: they’ll get better use out of it!  I’ll use it as an excuse to take my SLR flying instead, *grin*.

Preparing before dawn at Goedverwacht

Keith in flight

Our route meandered through the Durbanville Hills to the west until we reached Morningstar Airfield, where we did some low passes and admired other flying machines while they admired us.  Thereafter we cruised through the farmlands at low level, following the river for a while.  We then turned east and flew to the Klipheuwel wind turbines, landing back at Goedverwacht.

Route in blue

Morningstar Airfield

"Local traffic, Whisky Mike X-Ray, motorised paraglider and five others departing east from Morningstar at 500ft..."

Klipheuwel wind turbines

What a pleasure, in good company – thanks guys!

"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth..."

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SASA Congress 2012 – Full set of rough notes

By Ross | Published February 24, 2012

By request of a few folks and for the sake of convenience, I’ve packaged all my notes from the refresher and congress into one bundle.  The usual disclaimers apply.

SASA Congress 2012 – Ross’ Rough Notes – Full Set

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2012 SA Society of Anaesthesiologists Conference – Day 3

By Ross | Published February 22, 2012

That’s all, folks… the 2012 SASA Congress is over.  Great gala dinner last night as well: I found myself getting jiggy on the dancefloor with people who I’ve read in the Lancet/A&A/NEJM/etc.  Makes you remember that we’re all people at the end of the day, and just about all of us share in the love of a good party.  Today was also a shorter day, ending at lunchtime with a great pro-con debate on Evidence Based Medicine which was both serious and very funny.  I’m afraid the notes don’t do it justice, but that’s why you have to submit abstracts, give lectures and get to conferences!

I’ll combine all the notes into one document at some stage, but for now here are my notes from the last day:

SASA Congress 2012 – Ross’ Rough Notes – Congress Day 3

Quip of the day:  The forensic psychiatrist who gave the lecture on “The Disruptive Doctor” comes on stage and peers out over the packed auditorium.  “Interesting,” he says, “I had no idea so many anaesthetists wanted to see a psychiatrist!”

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2012 SA Society of Anaesthesiologists Conference – Day 2

By Ross | Published February 21, 2012

The penultimate day is done.  How time flies when you’re having fun.  Tonight is the gala dinner, which should be entertaining, if only to see everyone in their frippery and finery ;)

Here are my rough notes for today – please feel free to share.  The usual disclaimers regarding accuracy and typographical errors apply.

SASA Congress 2012 – Ross’ Rough Notes – Congress Day 2

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2012 SA Society of Anaesthesiologists Conference – Day 1

By Ross | Published February 20, 2012

First day of the Congress proper today (last two ays were the refresher course).  I barely took any notes, as I was tied up presenting in the morning and then playing… uh, learning at the airway workshops all afternoon.  I did manage to attend two talks in the haemodynamics stream, for which my rough notes are available here:

SASA Congress 2012 – Ross’ Rough Notes – Congress Day 1

My presentation on adjuncts to local anaesthetics for peripheral nerve blockage is on the Presentations page, or click on the following link:

Ross Hofmeyr – Adjuncts to Local Anaesthetics for Peripheral Nerve Blockade – SASA 2012

 

 

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2012 SA Society of Anaesthesiologists Conference – Refresher Course Day 2

By Ross | Published February 19, 2012

A shorter day today, and so fewer notes.  I also blame the fact that I was on call last night (paeds anaesthesia) a barely managed a nap from six to seven this morning before hitting the Congress, so please forgive brevity and errors.  There was a parallel anaesthesia nursing stream as well as private practice and transoesophageal echo workshops, of which I attended none, favouring sleep ;)   The congress proper begins tomorrow.

SASA Congress 2012 – Ross’ Rough Notes – Refresher Day 2

On a lighter note, some of us found the solution to painful presentations… cappucino ;)

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2012 SA Society of Anaesthesiologists Conference – Refresher Course Day 1

By Ross | Published February 18, 2012

Trying to remain true to my form of keeping real-time notes from conferences, I was ready today with laptop on my knees for the first day of the SASA 2012 pre-congress anaesthesia refresher course. See the congress web-page for details of the program, speakers, etc.

SASA Congress 2012 – Ross’ Rough Notes – Refresher Day 1

The organisers have promised that most presentations will be available online after the congress.

Disclaimer – I keep these notes for myself, and am always happy to share, but as they are taken very quickly duing the talks and generally remain unedited, I can’t be held responsible for errors. Take it or leave it… *grin*

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