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Cake day: June 1st, 2023

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  • If you count cars: A Skoda Octavia PHEV.

    I love Skoda. I love the Octavia. It was my fourth Octavia and I already ordered two more for my staff. PHEV would have been ideal for our use case.

    Well,things didn’t go as planned.

    The whole car was bugged with software and hardware problems from day one - controll units randomly crapping out, when my dealer wanted to replace them he often had to get 5 units because four would be DOA and the one that worked kicked the bucket before I left his premises. Highlights:

    • A steering wheel coming loose (only slightly,but still)
    • The main display that shows your speed,etc. randomly shutting down. (Especially nice as I live close to Switzerland with their exorbitant speeding tickets)
    • Randomly playing a screeching sound at full volume (especially nice at 3am or when on a highway)
    • Randomly shutting of AC, some motor controls , etc.

    It took 12 months for VW to take that steaming pile back, and only we sued them (Shortly before the hearing).

    Second place goes to LG which sold me a OLED TV for 2k that randomly showed faulty pixel lines exactly 3 years and 3 days after I bought it (so it’s out of the extended warranty programs as well). And when asked for a quote for the repair they had the audacity to ask for almost the new price for the TV back then, aka 150% of the current market value - without even looking at it first. Good way to make sure that I never buy LG anymore.



  • Both.

    The US never had a comprehensive EMS system as it was never seen as an essential service, both because EMS is expensive to run (especially in the healthcare/insurance/taxation environment the US has) and because there was significant lobbying against it (there is money in EMS on a large scale if you operate it in a very cut-throat way).

    But the recent downturn in healthcare availability and county-tax-income in rural regions and the dwindling volunteer numbers and enshitification of medicine have all done their part in making the whole situation so much worse.

    There is actually a good study showing “ambulance deserts”. (Just as a reminder: That does not mean that no Advanced life support provider comes…it means that no Ambulance is available at all. So not even one staffed by an EMT-B and an emergency medical responder. And we’re not talking about "what happens if we need two ambulances at the same time)


  • A EMT is in no way qualified to handle emergencies on their own (and yes,I know their curriculum very well). And no, the majority of ambulances are not paramedic-staffed in the US - Actually only 25% of all licenced providers are Paramedics and there are large areas which have only BLS available in a reasonable timeframe. Or no EMS at all, as ambulance services are NOT an essential service in most states. (Only 11 States see it differently).

    So no, not even remotely “most ambulances” are paramedic staffed. Mathematically impossible.

    Besides: The shortest current timeframe in the US for paramedic training is 6 months.

    That is incredibly short in international comparisons, especially when one does compare it to the skills allowed with it.

    Comparison: Australia: 3 year bachelor degree to even make it on a Emergency ambulance (not counting very rural WA&NT), a master degree for the more serious skills.

    Germany: 3 Year apprenticeship to be in command in the ALS ambulance, but emergency physicians are tasked to more serious cases

    Switzerland: 3 year degree, emergency physicians being somewhat common, though, often additional nursing and critcare degree required for more serious cases.

    Hungary: 2 Year EMT course for EMT, 4 year Bachelor for Paramedic

    Poland: 3year Bachelor as minimum.

    South Africa: 1year minimum for the entry, 2 year’s for most jobs, 4 years for paramedic.





  • philpo@feddit.detoScience Memes@mander.xyzElsevier
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    12 days ago

    Well, we could assign the reviewers more “significance” here. We could give them points and if they “upvote” a paper it gives the paper a bit more visibility/reputation. If the reviewer has actually reviewed the paper it gives the paper more points.

    How much a reviewer is able to “spend” could be based on the reputation of the institution, their own papers in the same field and the points they get for their reviews by other users.

    Just a raw idea,but it seems possible, indeed.



  • It depends on the type of “nursing home” - in a facility catering for more mobile clients, yes, there are some benefits from it and there are actually some good studies on it. The major obstacle is the reduced joint mobility (Arthritis of the fingers) and reduced reaction times. Therefore it would be paramount to use adapted control methods and adapted games.

    In a nursing home that has a clientbase focused on the nursing aspect it’s far more difficult - most clients will be “too far gone” for most aspects of gaming with a regular PC,but there are some studies using adapted devices and therapists to activate patients ressources.



  • Same with healthcare. I am a paramedic by trade, was the youngest in my class, youngest commander, went to work around the world, from the European Alps to the African jungle to Australian outback.

    It was quite a journey.

    But sadly I had to recognise that I am not cut out of the wood that is required to survive in today’s healthcare systems in industrial nations. It made me profoundly hate humans and even more sick humans. I dread every single day I still have to work with patients. Especially awake patients. I can’t handle them anymore. Don’t get me wrong. I am still giving 100%, sometimes more - and I don’t judge,like some other colleagues do over the years. I don’t care if you are a frequent flyer, a drunk or a murderer - I will give everything and be very nice to you. But inside me? I burn out.

    It’s not that I can’t work with the misery,with things I’ve seen. It’s just that I can’t work with people and the system they are part of anymore.I am now lucky enough to mostly be “off the road” in a cushy,self employed, desk job. But still, I can’t fully leave healthcare,as I invested to much. And so I will torture myself again.

    In less than 5 hours my alarm clock is going off for another shift. And I am dreading the moment it will.

    Fuck.




  • Funnily enough: I am a paramedic with special training in phlebotomy, worked in anaesthesia and did roughly 10.000 blood draws and iV lines in my life.

    I am still having a hard time if someone else draws blood from me - I got accustomed to it due to chronic diseases that required a lot of blood being drawn. But: I can without any problem draw my own blood. It’s a bit complicated with only one arm,but I can do that.

    (And if you want to put a needle anywhere else beside a vein and a intramuscular vaccination and I need full sedation)



  • That’s actually a cognitive disorder called Prosopagnosia.

    And welcome to the club - I had a stroke and while luckily all major deficits returned to normal with timely treatment, I developed prosopagnosia.

    It’s fairly freaky at times. While it’s not my main job anymore I still work as a paramedic occasionally - and when I get a massive trauma at three o’clock in the morning I can hand it over in the ED to the full resus team with every detail without looking into my notes once. But if they ask me for a name I need an ID card or my notes.