For the conference championship, bragging rights, and the BCS bowl.  I can't wait until Saturday!

I'm completely opposed to Obama's stance on many issues, including:

• Medical Malpractice Tort Reform--he is anti-physician/pro-attorney, don't let him fool you.
  
• Universal Access to Health Care--I'm not opposed to this, just not his method
• Redistribution of Wealth--not opposed to this, either, but welfare is not about transferring checks, welfare is teaching a skill.
• Economic Stability Plans--he understands markets, but he speaks what the populus wants to hear, not what is correct
•  Abortion--late abortions, in my mind, are infant genocide.  Go work in a NICU, Mr Obama.

We were told last year that ATSU will be shifting to Google Apps (Gmail) for our email client.  This is very exciting news, and I sure hope we get there fast.  Here are some visionary things I see in the future:

• Lecture notes (ppt and pdf) stored using Google Docs, all accessible from your own ATSU Google account
• The end of the file server for storing study guides, and the beginning of tagging those useful guides that nobody knew even existed, since they were buried in the server schema.  Now, this won't end the note service file server...I'm still thinking up ways to make that better.
•  ATSU contacts all available in your contacts list (no need to remeber which email address Maria Evans uses)
• The end of zoomerang surveys.  Google spreadsheets will allow us to have online polls.
• Google Apps video storage--3rd year lecture videos so that when I'm on my surgery rotation I get to listen to didactics related to "acute abdomen" as opposed to management of essential hypertension, since we all have the same didactic session, no matter the rotation we are on.
• Email to the class lists from Gmail (here is one big hooray!)
• The end of terminating email accounts upon graduation (if you don't login after a certain period), since Google Apps for ATSU is FREE!
• Calendar integration--this has already begun and will only continue to improve, especially since Google just released "resource scheduling". 
  
• Google Chat with the administration during predefine "office" hours.  Our university should provide this option, since we are all over the country (and world) now.
• Town Hall--using Google Moderator we will be able to propose questions for the administration.  The "moderator" will be able to view these questions and respond to them in an electronic newsletter.  We, as students, will be able to vote good questions to the top.
• Google Sites--Have you ever wondered why clubs didn't get their own website, such as http://atsu.edu/ACOFP ?  Using Google Sites, the club officers have the ability to manage these pages, and it is as easy as using myspace or some other WYSIWYG product.  In fact, why limit it to clubs?  Creating http://atsu.edu/Gulbrandsen is simple.  Let me have my own website through the school.
• Short Links--this is a huge one.  Are you sick of not knowing the website for Anatomy?  How about http://atsu.edu/kcom/anatomy ?  Seems so simple, a short link that follows a standard protocol to get you to where you want to go.  I'm already using this for myself, such as http://atsudo.org/nejm (gotta have an atsudo.org login, sorry).  
• A huge win for me will be the end of needing to moderate logins on my website.  I will be able to restrict access to my site to only ATSU accounts using Google's account authentication.  That is just totally SWEET! 

I'm a music fanatic.  In fact, I'm addicted to music.  I'm currently looking for a method to have my pager ring in my headphones so that when I'm on call I can still listen to music with my buds.  Now, what I just don't understand the unfounded fascination with iTunes.  Hear me out...

Songs cost 79-99 cents using online stores.  More expensive if you want DRM free (digital rights management, the stuff that keeps you from sharing with your friends) music.  I look at my taste in music and the diversity that enjoy, and I have calculated a cost of at least $1000 if I were to purchase all the music that I truly want to listen to (this is no joke here).  I'm Erik, one poor medical student, so that is just not going to fly.

Enter subscription services, such as ruckus, napster, or rhapsody.  If I'm willing to not use an iPod, then I can use ruckus for next to nothing and download to my heart's content, legally.  I've done just that, filling up my 25GB zen.  Hey, if I want access to my music online, by golly, then I could pay a "whopping" $15 a month and use rhapsody.  This provides access to practically every musician out there (except The Beatles and Legião Urbana)  in an unlimited fashion.  All you have to do is download and sync your tracks once a month.

Please, somebody, tell me why you use iTunes?  It just doesn't make ANY sense.  For a while, I could understand Palm users wanting to get DRM free tracks on their treos, but, after learning I can get DRM music on my treo using the deluxe version of pocket-tunes, I'm done.  I'm totally willing to take the hit and not use an iPod so I can listen to what I want.  By the way, the important thing is the music, not what runs it.  So, if I get all the music I want with an "inferior" player and you get just a fraction of the music you want with your luxury player, who is getting the better product?  I guess the iPod looks pretty, but, my glossy zen looks ten times better than your iPod.

I presume the reason people don't use subscription services are because they have stolen music for so long that they no longer need to purchase the music.  Well, my integrity is worth at least $14.99/month.  As future physicians, I hope your's is, too.