Cancer and computers

Watching the BBC Horizon program on cancer and modern treatments, what struck me the most was that these new innovations have come about due to the power and application of modern computers. In being able to:
a) display in 3D the molecular structure of specific parts of human DNA, and drugs;
b) design at a molecular level the structure of "new" drugs and to see their fit into defective DNA structures;
c) the ability to control large robotic machines in real time in order to assist a surgeon perform an operation or to deliver radiation to a highly specific target area.

Each application is no doubt very expensive to deliver in these early pioneer days, but will surely reduce in cost as they become more commonplace.

This modern computing power has been available for sometime, but in the past has mainly been applied to military and military style applications (like modelling nuclear explosions, designing fighter planes etc.). Or to government sponsored activities like weather forecasting, communication surveillance, etc.

Now with its application in medicine it should not be long before we all benefit from improved treatments an new drugs designed and developed in a much faster timescale than previously possible become available.

A brighter future is surely empowered by the digital world.

HTML code and MS Word

A useful feature that I only recently became aware of is that if you use the MS Word menu option Insert | File to import a file with a HTM/HTML file extension and it contains tagged data. MS Word renders the data in HTML format. It also does not have to have lead in Head and Body tags.

This facility can be used for outputing reports from a database application into a HTML file. Then the HTML can be inserted into MS Word for rendering and printing without having to use a browser. Plus, the data can be edited by the user - which is not possible when rendered by a browser.

Internet Telephony

When a PC is connected via broadband to the internet all day, a very cheap way of making telephone calls is via services like Skype. Not only can voice and video calls be made for free to fellow users. Skype even offers the facility to share the PC's screen, so that software problems, features, diagrams, etc. can be shared between the callers. All at no cost.
So for an SME with a large telephone bill, Internet Telephone is a way to significantly reduce those costs and improve the call experience with video and product demo's etc.