Boxee for Windows

I had been involved in the private alpha of the windows distribution of Boxee for several months, and was so happy using it that I didn’t realize that a new version had been released (weeks ago), and it is now available for anyone.

If you don’t know what Boxee is, be sure to check out their site right away.  In a nutshell, it is internet media on your computer, consolidated in one neat place, and ready for use with remotes, televisions, and various other instruments of couch potatory.

NEVER FEAR!  Boxee is Open Source, and as could be expected it is cross-platform (Linux, MAC, and Windows), and costs nothing.  The folks that are developing this project are amazing, and I’m pleased to see all the improvements in the newest release.

If you think the world of internet media comes only in the flavors of Hulu and YouTube, then I suggest you prepare yourself to an entirely new universe of streaming content.  Sure, you don’t need Boxee to see it all, but its a hell of alot easier.

Prescription Drug Commercials

I don’t like doctors, and actually very rarely go to see one.  While I know people that will go for every headache and cold, I restrict my visits to anything that will absolutely NOT go away or get better on its own.  All that aside, I have, for most of my life, held a certain respect for the doctor’s expertise in matters of health.  The process, so far as I understood it, went something like this:

1. Person feels “bad”, and decides that he/she should visit the doctor.
2. Doctor evaluates symptoms, runs any necessary tests to confirm diagnosis.
3. Doctor issues treatment, including any drugs that might be needed, or changes in activity.

For a very long time, this system held up pretty well in my own mind.  UNTIL I started seeing prescription drug commercials.  What the fuck is up with that?  Are prescription drugs a consumer market now?  Why do WE need to know about all these drugs?

Isn’t that exactly what we pay the doctor for?  His expertise and knowledge about our symptoms and treatment is the ONLY reason to see him.  By commercializing the prescription drug market, the doctor’s role has been belittled to little more than signing “scripts”.

I can’t think of a single situation in which a patient should be responsible for picking out their own medications by name.  Well, two situations.  The first is a doctor who doesn’t feel like putting up with a patient’s crap, and gives in to their demands, and the second is a doctor who didn’t care enough to look into medications himself.  HINT : Both situations include HORRIBLE doctors that should NEVER be visited by patients, let alone paid.