Pancreatic Cancer: Advances in Treatment
I presented on the topic of advances in treatment of pancreatic cancer a few weeks ago in a talk that went well over an hour and a half. The aim was to give a very broad overview that touched on all the major points but I purposely left out the molecular pathogenesis (K-ras, EGF family, CDKN2A, P53, DPC4, BRCA, STK11, MLH1, MSH2, Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway, etc) because of time. Those are all very important molecules involved in critical pathways because of the potential for screening, early detection, and possibly (someday) treatment. The PowerPoint presentation below won’t be very useful as a learning resource on its own without my speaking notes. I’ll consider putting those up if I get a chance to clean them up. In the mean time, if academically inclined, the references section (last 3 slides) has a list of excellent papers and resources I consulted to put this together.
How to Get Facebook’s New Layout
Facebook isn’t offering everyone their new layout just yet so this may be worth it to people who are curious. After logging in, click this link:
If you’re lucky you’ll see the new layout. You can always go back to the old layout by clicking the bar on the top right.
Screenshot:
Time for a New Direction?
This blog was started several years ago while I was well in to my time at medical school. At first I used to post journal entries more akin to life-blogging but I quickly learned the negatives of giving people around me such an intimate lens into my life. The early realization that the same rules of prudence applied in what we convey to others both in the online and offline worlds lead to the technical direction this blog has been under now for many years. I never intended this place to be publicized because it was only meant as an online repository to computer issues I had to deal with in my continuing experience with technology. I learned a lot and that alone is enough to make this place a personal success. I lucked out though. My daily hit count has grown quite a bit through the communities at Digg, Slashdot, and LifeHacker recognizing the content here as something they wanted to read. It’s very flattering.
I enjoy listening to feedback from my visitors, friends, and family members who have also used the information I’ve hunted down and posted to solve their problems. I never forget the look on people’s faces when learn that I haven’t had an intention of pursuing a career in technology until after I completed my goals to become a successful doctor with both inpatient and outpatient practices as well as an established clinical research base. For better or worse this primary goal has taken me away from many half-written post drafts that were supposed to go online years ago. Even now I only write on this blog once in a while every few months.
As the stresses have ramped up with my career my free time has become very scarce. I’ve constantly tried to find something I can do to unwind in my time away from the hospital. In the past couple of months I’ve spent my free time working tirelessly with a group of fellow doctors and medical students to help prevent the closure of a public hospital serving minorities in a California community. Through our collective efforts our group built a website, prepared presentations, gave interviews to reporters, sat down with politicians directly responsible for budgets, reached out to the local community and business leaders, and doctors at other institutions in the vicinity. These are the sorts of projects I enjoy even though they can take away the very few remaining precious hours of sleep I have left. I’ve never minded–this service began long before I was elected as Senate President in high school, continued through college, and even continues now past medical school.
On my drive home today, I had just two thoughts in my head. First, I have never been more happy or content in my life. Everything is working out exactly the way it should and I have a great bunch of friends and family only a stones throw away to celebrate yet another accomplishment wherever I happen to be in the world at the moment. I don’t want to tempt fate by saying this but nothing could be more right at this point. I have an amazing future ahead to continue the upward trend that started further back than my memory goes. Second, I felt like I need another hobby outside of traveling, saving hospitals, political activism, sports, cars, and (occasionally) tinkering with computers to fill my time. With the release of Windows Vista most things have worked flawlessly and there is a very seldom need to fix anything anymore for all of the computers I have a hand in managing. This has really reduced my post count on this blog. Yet I’m getting more views than ever of my archived posts—this brings in a steady ad revenue to pay for hosting costs.
I’m wondering if the time is now to take this blog in yet another direction. Many of my colleagues blog anonymously online about several issues in medicine affecting patient care while others recant funny stories from their days at work. Although I’m sure I could write several posts a day about strange diseases and interesting clinical presentations it doesn’t really give me a break away from my work because I have to come home and write about it. Another one of the niches I haven’t seen filled is someone actively covering the changing future direction of our careers in medicine. A lot of things have taken place in both the United States and the United Kingdom but it’s quite clear that many doctors aren’t using the power of the internet to their benefit yet.
Is this the next area for me to focus on? I’m not really sure. Maybe I should go back to writing about my the interesting happenings in my life or the unique cultural experiences this stage of my life is bringing me to as a first generation American growing up with a strong South Asian background. Or maybe its time to shut this all down and let it live in the annals of the Wayback machine. What I do know is I’ll be asking people close to me for their advice in the coming weeks and months. Hopefully I’ll make the best decision for myself. As always I’m open to suggestions…
Vista Error: “Logitech LVPrcSrv Module. has stopped working” Fix
Whenever I use remote desktop to connect to a computer running Windows Vista SP1 with a Logitech QuickCam Chat I get an error that reads:
Logitech LVPrcSrv Module. has stopped working
Updating drivers and searching for a fix proved fruitless until Microsoft’s built in solution software came to the rescue. A little pop-up suggested this fix:
Follow these steps to solve the problem with QuickCam (LVPrcSrv.exe)
This problem was caused by QuickCam (LVPrcSrv.exe), which was created by Logitec Corporation.
Solution
One way to help ensure that QuickCam (LVPrcSrv.exe) will run is to set its compatibility mode to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). To do this:
- Close QuickCam (LVPrcSrv.exe).
- Click the Start button , click All Programs, and then right-click QuickCam (LVPrcSrv.exe).
- Click Properties, and then click the Compatibility tab.
- Under Compatibility mode, select the Run this program in compatibility mode for check box, select Windows XP (Service Pack 2), and then click OK. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
Restart QuickCam (LVPrcSrv.exe).
I’ve applied the fix and it works. No more crashes for now.
Live Messenger Error 2771 After Installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
Subsequent to successfully installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3), starting Windows Live Messenger (WLM) may pop up an install error. The error reads: “The installer has encountered an unexpected error installing this package. This may indicate a problem with this package. The error code is 2771.”
Error 2771 means there is a missing component. The simplest fix is to let WLM’s installer repair the issue automatically. If, however, the error dialog keeps popping up every time WLM is started then the suggested fix is to uninstall WLM from Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel and reinstall the package from Microsoft’s website. This should correct the issue.
On a side note, some users out there don’t want Microsoft cluttering the Windows desktop with ads via WLM so they install A-Patch. The moral and ethical dilemma is up to the reader to sort out but Microsoft is providing instant messaging on an ad-supported model. If too many users do this then it could affect everyone’s free access. Choose wisely!
“Bluetooth Device Not Found” After Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) Install
My Dell-branded Bluetooth module disappeared after installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3). The fix for this solution is pretty simple as long as your device was working prior to installing SP3. The steps are as follows:
- Click Start, click Run, type %windir%\inf in the Open box, and then click OK.
- Find a set of eight files beginning with “BTH.INF”.
- Move following files to a temporary folder:
- bth.inf, bth.pnf
- bthpan.inf, bthpan.pnf
- bthprint.inf, bthprint.pnf
- bthspp.inf, bthspp.pnf
- Click Start, click Run, type devmgmt.msc in the Open box, and then click OK.
- Expand the list under Bluetooth Radio by clicking the “plus” sign.
- Right-click “Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator” and click uninstall. Click OK on the next dialog box.
- Right-click “Generic Bluetooth Radio” (it may read “Dell TrueMobile Bluetooth Module” or something similar) and click “Update Driver…”
- If a dialog box comes up asking “Can Windows connect to Windows Update to search for software?” click “No, not this time”, and then click NEXT.
- On the next screen pick “Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)” and click NEXT.
- Click “Search for the best driver in these locations.” and put a check-mark on “Include this location in the search:”. Then click BROWSE.
- Find the location where the Dell WIDCOMM drivers were installed. On my system this is “C:\Program Files\WIDCOMM\Bluetooth Software\bin”. Click NEXT.
- Windows will now install the drivers.
- Restart your system if necessary.
Follow these instructions at your own risk! Make sure you backup your computer before attempting this procedure. I can’t be held responsible if you screw up your computer.
Windows Updaters: Where Is the Unified API?
In the last couple of years nearly every program comes with its own updating software. Don’t believe me? Try Apple Software Update, Adobe Updater, Google Updater, Mcafee AutoUpdate, and the list goes on. All of these pieces of software have their individualized settings and behaviors with no unified interface which leads to confusion and missed updates–some of which are critical for security.
Several attempts have been made to consolidate this process with the ultimate goal of simplicity for the end-user. Examples include CNet’s defunct CatchUp, VersionTracker, Secunia PSI, and FileHippo.com Update Checker. The one underlying theme is none of these systems catch everything on their own and most of them fail to detect some software altogether.
I wonder why Microsoft hasn’t addressed this issue especially since they’ve claimed pursuing a security-centric approach with the Windows platform. Microsoft should provide a framework for a System Update Center for third party applications and encourage its usage through its development tools. A robust API will give software developers the ability to tailor the system for their applications while allowing end-users to be free of the particulars. How great would it be just to push a button and have all the needed updates install in the background without any further intervention? Gone will be the days of multiple updaters runnings in the background chewing up resources.
Windows XP SP3 Leaked onto Bittorrent and Usenet
UPDATE (5.6.2008): Microsoft has updated the TechNet article detailing official download locations. If you are updating more than one computer then you can download the full 300+ meg version here. Otherwise, for single computers go through Windows Update.
As expected Microsoft’s upcoming Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) has been leaked onto Bittorrent and Usenet ahead of the official release to the general public.
The official filename is: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe. (MD5 Hash: BB25707C919DD835A9D9706B5725AF58)
SP3 doesn’t offer many new features. Of the new features it does offer, the backported items from Windows Vista leave me a bit concerned about security application compatibility. These should all be discovered and addressed between now and June 10 (the official release date of SP3 on Windows Update) as I’m expecting to see a surge of SP3-related posts in all of the usual technical help forums. This makes the job of us close enough to the bleeding edge to live vicariously though early adopters without getting burned. I’m not saying don’t update, but I’m suggesting that we wait until the official release so the computer whizzes and troubleshooters of the world have a stab at SP3 and any of its unknown problems.
As expected, there are early reports of endless reboot loops in botched SP3 upgrades due to an error in GDI32.DLL. If you do go the route of upgrading via leaked copies then be sure to backup your system using Acronis TrueImage or Norton Ghost. Also make sure you’ve review the legality of using leaked software in your jurisdiction.
Corsair Flash Voyager: Lifetime Warranty
During the last few years we’ve seen price competition in the electronic gadget arena become so fierce that the bottom line often times trumps customer service. That is why I’m so excited and surprised by the package that came in the mail today. Let me explain…
In December 2006 a European friend of mine asked me to bring him back the bigger USB flash drive money could buy in the good ole USA. At the time, the 8gig Corsair Flash Voyager USB drive was the beast that best met his storage requirements. He used it for about 9 long months before the drive fell apart due to excessive wear-and-tear. (The fact that is lasted 9 months in his possession is a feat in and of itself but that’s not the point.) The drive was only showing 4 gigs of usable space and would cause the USB subsystem to become extremely unstable on any Windows machine after it was plugged in.
On yet another hiatus back to California, he gave me the drive hoping there would be some way to get it warrantied. My personal assessment of the device was rather bleak but I took it back with me anyway. After several months of procrastinating and delays I asked for an RMA form on Corsair’s website. At first they asked me to do a low-level format but that failed. The next email was a link to a shipping label and instructions on how to send it in. Corsair did a wonderful job of keeping me up-to-date with the progress of the RMA through automated email alerts. After two weeks, I have a brand new USB drive sealed in a plastic display case.
I’m speechless. They not only honored the warranty but sent a brand new drive! This sort of customer service is worth the little extra cost. As a result of this experience I’ll be sure to heavily favor purchasing other Corsair products for myself and give recommendations to friends/family for their headache-free approach to customers.
Note: I wasn’t paid at all for this entry nor did Corsair know I have a personal blog. Googling the drive shows others who have had similar experiences. Corsair is the real deal.
Upgrading to WordPress 2.5… Slowly!
I’m slowly upgrading the site to WordPress 2.5. Not everything works but the posts should be viewable. If you catch any fatal errors then drop me a comment with details.
I’m in no rush to get this done because this blog has always been a sandbox for a hobby that has absolutely nothing to do with my professional pursuits, training, or education. However, I’m still flattered by the occasional blogger who wrongly suggests this blog is “aimed at the IT professional, corporate surfer.” Thank you–though it may be a few more months until my next update. Ha!
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