Some comments about Cortana and the Lumia 635 she rode in on

Cortana is the intelligent, virtual, digital personal assistant that resides within my Lumia 635 smartphone from Microsoft.  She is proving to be a steady companion, a helpful assistant, and a source of the latest news and weather, all done in response to the sound of my voice.  Yesterday, while texting for the first time on the Lumia 635, I discovered that by tapping the “microphone” icon at the bottom of the screen I could call up Cortana within the texting function to transcribe my spoken words and she would transcribe them directly into text and enter them into the text message box automatically, all with an accuracy approaching perfect.

Microsoft has hinted that it will include Cortana in its new Windows 10 operating system.  The company has already announced that it will be incorporating Cortana’s speech recognition function into Skype Translator at the front end and her speech synthesis ability on the other end, having applied the capability of Bing Translator between these spoken word events to translate the Cortana-derived texts from one language to the other.

The more language that Skype Translator processes, the better it gets at correctly translating spoken text in one language into spoken text in another.  It has also demonstrated “learning transfer,” according to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a process by which learning a new language enables the Skype Translator program to function more efficiently in translating languages it already knows.  Skype Translator is always learning.

The camera on the Lumia 635 is a good one.  I’ve used it to take still photos and videos, which are easily uploaded to Facebook.  The phone is easy to use, has good sound quality, and features an easy-to-use keyboard with a “Skype” option that doesn’t seem to do anything yet.  The “Speaker,” “Mute,” and “Hold” buttons are arranged in a clean lay-out that makes using them a snap.  Contact names and their respective contact numbers and addresses are elegantly displayed on each person’s page.  Cortana will place calls for you to any of your contacts at the sound of your voice.

Cortana knows what “yesterday,” “today,” and “tomorrow” are on any given day.  She can be programmed to remind you of appointments, or to tell a particular caller something you’ve asked her to remind you about.  Her voice, recorded by Jen Taylor, who is also the voice of Cortana in the Halo series, is pleasant and easy to listen to. 

The phone doesn’t have a front-facing camera, so videoconferencing seems out of the question for now, but if you want a reliable digital companion and helper, a great phone in an attractive package, and a very functional system for recording and uploading digital images and video, then the Lumia 635 could be the phone for you.

Join the Cortana Users Group on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cortana-Users-Group/1486383224957856

Join the Skype Translator Users Group on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Skype-Translator-Users-Group/1541416289403357

 

  

California Department of Public Health doesn’t know how much anti-Ebola sterilization capacity hospitals in the state have

As explained here, disposing of Ebola-contaminated waste may require its sterilization prior to transport, which can be accomplished using high-capacity sterilizers called autoclaves, which not all hospitals have.  The capacity of hospitals to treat Ebola patients thus may depend on the availability in them of such machines.  Etopia News asked the California Department of Public Health if it had any information about the amount of sterilization capacity in California hospitals and got this reply:

CDPH RESPONSE: With respect to the installed capacity of large capacity sterilizers and health facilities in California, CDPH does not keep those figures so would have to rely on information gathered by consultants within the California health care industry. 

California Department of Public Health clarifies the CDC-DOT Ebola waste disposal issue

Question: I thought the [Ebola waste disposal] issue needing resolution by CDC, DOT, and others had to do with inconsistencies between CDC and DOT regulations, leaving haulers unable to legally accept these materials, not any inconsistency or conflict between state and federal regulations. Could you clarify that?

CDPH RESPONSE: The conflict between the DOT and the CDC with respect to the designation of Ebola waste is creating an issue regarding transportation of these wastes by existing medical waste transporters, since Category A wastes (by definition) are not considered to be “regulated medical wastes” by DOT.  The Department’s original answer was in the context on the effect this conflict would have on the transportation of Ebola waste in California.  California would allow the transportation of this waste because, like CDC, we agree that it should be a regulated medical waste. But because DOT regulations and its waste designation (i.e., Category A) would likely preempt California’s transportation laws/regulations, it doesn’t allow the medical waste haulers in California to transport the Ebola waste as well (might be a question to pose to CA Highway Patrol).

For more on this, look here.

House Chairman Upton vows Ebola hearings “in the coming weeks”

House Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton says he will hold hearings about Ebola “in the coming weeks,” promising that:

“The committee looks forward to having a hearing with top administration officials in the coming weeks to ensure we are taking every necessary step and precaution possible.” - See more at: http://energycommerce.house.gov/press-release/upton-comments-confirmed-ebola-case-united-states#sthash.TLywVR6H.wNZLTDXu.dpuf

The complete statement says:

Upton Comments on Confirmed Ebola Case in the United States

September 30, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC – House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) issued the following statement regarding the confirmed case of Ebola in the United States. The committee has been receiving regular, bipartisan briefings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the last several weeks and will hold a hearing on the issue in the coming weeks. Committee leaders recently sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell seeking more information regarding the outbreak and preparedness.
“Given the severity of the outbreak in Africa, perhaps it was only a matter of time for the first case of Ebola to reach our shores. Nevertheless, today’s news should serve as a wake up call. As I have said before, the response to this outbreak must be an all-hands-on-deck effort. This is not just an Africa or United States problem. This is a global problem. The United States has a first-class health care system and we will continue to take every step necessary to contain and prevent the spread of this disease and ensure the public health. But with the increased urgency of a U.S. case, our oversight efforts will play an increasingly important role, as will the efforts of all those involved in fighting the spread of Ebola. The committee looks forward to having a hearing with top administration officials in the coming weeks to ensure we are taking every necessary step and precaution possible.”

- See more at: http://energycommerce.house.gov/press-release/upton-comments-confirmed-ebola-case-united-states#sthash.TLywVR6H.wNZLTDXu.dpuf

Statement by California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in response to questions about Ebola preparedness in California

Question: Who’s in charge of preparing the state to respond appropriately and effectively to Ebola-related issues as they arise?

CDPH Response: CDPH works very closely with local health departments and California healthcare facilities to ensure that we identify novel diseases early on, conduct specialized laboratory testing of suspect cases, and limit potential spread of diseases. CDPH is in constant communication with local health departments throughout California. CDPH distributes Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and CDPH health alerts to local health departments and issues California specific guidance as necessary.

2)      Question: What regulations the state is going to employ for the safe transport and disposal of Ebola-contaminated waste?

CDPH Response: Ebola contaminated waste is a Category A infectious agent, which must conform with the packaging and transportation requirements under the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). As a Category A infectious agent, capable of causing permanent disability or life threatening or fatal disease in otherwise healthy humans or animals exposed to it, it is not considered to be a regulated medical waste. Therefore, it cannot be transported by California registered medical waste haulers. The CDC and DOT recognize the conflict between the federal and state transportation requirements and are currently working to permanently resolve this issue. 

Until a permanent solution is developed, a strategy being employed by facilities with large capacity sterilizers is to subject the Ebola contaminated waste to a pre-treatment process using steam sterilization prior to shipping the waste offsite for disposal. This effectively treats this waste stream to allow medical waste haulers to transport and manage it as a regulated medical waste.

3)      Question: Who would be in charge of enforcing these regulations?

CDPH Response: Unless Ebola contaminated waste is pre-treated through steam sterilization, the transportation of this waste is subject to DOT regulations. The California Highway Patrol would be the lead agency providing regulatory oversight of transportation on California highways.

4)      Question: “I also still would like to know anything you can say about what seem to be on-going talks among CDC, DOT, EPA, and other interested parties to resolve the inconsistencies between CDC and DOT waste disposal regulations.”

CDPH Response: CDPH has no updates to report. As noted above, the CDC and DOT recognize the conflict between the federal and state transportation requirements and are currently working to permanently resolve this issue. Contact the CDC, DOT and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.