Swine Flu

We live on the edge of a moderately large Council Estate which has an Infant and Junior School with the Senior School just down the main road . We have had Swine Flu here almost from the time it began to spread around in England. The Local GP Practice did the ‘normal’ flu vaccinations back in October but only got going with Swine Flu vaccinations about 3 weeks ago.

According to our GP there have been a few mild reactions to the vaccine but nothing worth bothering about. According to the local gossips nearly everyone who has had it has been seriously ill. Guess who is being believed? The result – the people who really need it are terrified to have it. I know a family of three people all of retiring age or older. All have medical or physical problems and all would be seriously ill if they got swine flu. Two are adamant they are not having the vaccine because according to what they have heard, it is dangerous or makes you ill. The third who again really needs the vaccine can’t make up their mind about what to do for the best.

What is the root of this problem – missing or ambiguous information. Unless you are a seasoned web surfer (these three are not) the unambiguous information is hard to find because what there is is written in either Medical or Civil Service speak which is a long way from the language used by my three examples. The images that accompany reports on the news are also misleading. The one showing a Nurse preparing a multi dose bottle has convinced a lot of people that the injection is huge (they don’t know about multi dose) and dangerous (they haven’t seen one being prepared or explained on Holby City, their source of medical information) because if the two substances have to be kept apart until just before they are injected they must be dangerous. In fact the second substance is distilled water for injection that is added to the bottle to activate the vaccine just prior to injection.

These irrational fears could have been killed at source if the leaflets that were sent around and can be found in surgery waiting rooms explained EXACTLY and simply how the injections are stored, prepared and given. Likewise some simple feedback about how people were reacting to the vaccination would have allayed fears about reactions and being dangerous.

My wife and I have both had the vaccinations. I had a mildly sore arm for about three days. My wife, who had a cold when she was vaccinated, had the cold for the usual seven days. Nothing to worry about there. A severely disabled child near us had a fit some days after being vaccinated. his carer has being telling anyone who will listen that it was caused by the vaccination. This has not been confirmed by either the GP or the hospital he was taken to. The hospital released him after a night’s observation so it is safe to assume they weren’t worried. His carer has kept him off school since the fit – another example of the fear that is gripping this neighbourhood.

Being disabled myself and having several medical problems I am grateful that I was given the vaccine as soon as it was available. I am firmly convinced that if I got it I would struggle to fight it off because the information that is available points to people with underlying medical conditions similar to mine do have problems if they get Swine Flu. I don’t have any answers to the problem of how to get through to people driven by gossip or fear except to make sure that real information is easily available, accurate, easy to understand and unambiguous.

Oooooops

It’s late and you’re struggling to stay awake at your computer, so you decide to make yourself a cup of coffee. A few more hours of work ahead and the coffee will perk you up. Then, oops, there it is, all over your laptop, ruining your evening. The coffee has drained into the machine. The damage could be irreparable.

And worse: you may actually be in danger of being electrocuted. Since data travels between the laptop’s components via an electrical current, if any liquid comes into contact with the components while the power is on, it will short out the traces between the circuits. Everything can be affected — keyboard, motherboard, memory and processor.

So what should you do if the worst happens?
Don’t panic. By acting promptly, you can usually prevent significant damage. If your laptop is running on battery power and isn’t connected to an AC outlet, quickly press the power button to shut the machine down. Then remove the battery.

If the machine is connected to the mains, unplug it.

Important:
you must do this immediately once the spill has occurred. If the power is removed quickly enough, the electronics inside will be undamaged. Then remove the battery.

Now you aren’t in any immediate danger, so you can start clearing up the mess. Blot up as much liquid as you can with a soft cloth. Next, remove all cables, USB components, cards and any other external devices. Tilt the laptop gently from side to side to drain it (without madly shaking it around) and place it upside down so the liquid can drain out. Removing the outer casing might affect your warranty; if you choose to do so, don’t touch the circuitry inside.

Now all you can do is wait. Leave the laptop open so air can circulate, for at least 24 hours.

As long as your laptop hasn’t started to smoke or emitted any strange buzzing noises, it should now work normally, but it may look rather smeared and dirty.

Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the casing — nothing abrasive — or a special cleaning agent, one without any ammonia. Spray this onto the cloth, not directly onto the laptop. Cotton swabs are useful for cleaning around and between the keys.

If you want to clean the display, turn the laptop off first so can see the dirt more clearly. Use a soft cloth to wipe it, but never any paper products like tissues, as they can scratch the surface and leave behind lint that can get into the LCD. You can also buy special spray solutions for cleaning monitors.

By following these steps, you should be able to limit the damage. But of course, the best advice is the most boring: don’t drink while you work!

You may not use a laptop and this can also happen to a standard keyboard. If it does;

1. Don’t panic - Unplug the keyboard from the computer as quickly as possible.
2. Use your mouse to save your work and shut down the computer.
3. Take the flooded keyboard to the kitchen and using ordinary cold water, flush all the coffee/soft drink out of the keyboard under a running tap.
4. When you are sure you have got rid of all the spill, turn the key board upside down and let it drain for a few minutes.
5. When it has stopped dripping, put the keyboard on a radiator and leave it for 24 hours to completely dry out and you should then find it works perfectly again.
6. In the mean time, use your spare keyboard to keep working but plug it in BEFORE switching on the computer.

PS
This works for mice too

Direct Debits in 2009

I am in the process of changing banks. Part of the process is changing the direct debits I use to pay all my household bills, insurances, magazine subscriptions, utilities and all the hundred and one services that we need to pay for. I was struck rather forcibly by the different levels of security needed to change a direct debit (DD) from one account to another.

The banks are no problem at all. You can cancel the previous DD on line or by phone and setting one up is just a matter of logging in, type in the recipient, the sort code and the account number and it is up and running. Telephone companies are a very different kettle of fish. Their security is so strict that unless you have the password, a secret question, all your personal details and the phone/simm card serial number they won't even talk to you never mind change anything. I suppose it stops some lout pretending to be you and getting hold of your identity but it does make life difficult for us older people who can't remember 9 digit numbers easily.

Magazine companies, utilities, insurance companies, finance companies all again no problem at all. One phone call, account number, check ID, new bank account details, job done finish. Likewise Government agencies like pensions, ID check, new bank details, it will be up and working by the time the next payment is due.

Then we come to the Local Council. ID check, no problem. then they want to send out a new DD mandate for you to sign and send back. What's the problem? Cost. How much does it cost for a council employee to write a letter, print off and enclose a new mandate, send the letter through the internal post to the post room, use snail mail to get it to me (second class so could take up to a week) I then have to fill it all in and post it back. When it gets to the council it has to be processed through their mail system. Opened by an employee and the details checked then typed into the computer system and transmitted to my bank. I shudder to think what that all costs at £5 plus an hour. Why can't the same member of staff type the details straight into the computer system while you are on the phone. Job done time taken 2 mins maximum.

When I asked why it couldn't be done that way I was told they didn't have the software to do it and it would have to be bought in. When I asked why the same software couldn't be used that is used to type in changes from written mandates I was told that was different -, HOW? Are the details different? Is my account number any different? Do I live at a different address? Are the bank details different in some way? I think that this is a way of wasting money that you should bring to the attention of your local councillor. It is a small thing in itself but multiplied by all the changes people make to their personal and bank details it must add up to quite a considerable sum.

Well now I have this week's rant off my chest, the season of colds and flu are with us. My better half is barking like seal and spraying bugs over us every time she sneezes. Our friends all have colds, sore arms from the Swine Flu Vaccinations or in many cases both. Most of our friends are also rushing from shop to shop trying to get the Christmas shopping done and not forget all the hundred and one thing they must have to make the season a success. All our children have four feet and fur and all they bother about is that the food arrives on time and there is plenty of it. At this time of year we look at our bulging freezer, make sure the drinks cabinet is well stocked and we have a ready supply of cold remedies and look forward to everything being shut down till after New Year. I know a lot of our friends look forward to getting together with family at this time of year and in the past so have we but now we are old and knackered we instead look forward to a time of peace and quiet when everyone else is too busy to bother about misbehaving computers and websites that need tweaking. I know - Bah Humbug as a certain fictional character would say