Archive for May, 2007
« Previous EntriesFedora Project Releases Fedora 7 Moonshine
Thursday, May 31st, 2007by Michael Dorausch, DC
It’s May 31st, 2007 and I am excited about the Fedora Project and todays release of the Fedora 7 Operating System (aka Moonshine). It must be a Linux day since I posted earlier about Ubuntu installs on Dell. Anyway, I’ll be downloading Fedora 7 tonight and upgrading at least one of the servers (currently on Fedora core 6) we use here at Planet Chiropractic.
According the project, Fedora 7 is the first release where the development was 100% done in the community, with all the code being merged into a single external repository. This allows even more high-quality developers to work directly with the code, offering improvements on more than 7500 packages.
Fedora 7 runs on laptops and it should offer great power consumption along with extended wireless functionality. A very exciting part about this release is it is the first Fedora distribution with full Live CD/DVD capability, meaning you can run it from your cd-rom or DVD drive.
I’ll be doing an install on a fresh new dual core intel server that will house our growing library of chiropractic related photos, audio, and video. Just dropped 2 terabytes of storage into it so we should be good for at least until next month. 
I’ll test out the Live CD while on the road this weekend and give a report when I’m back.
In case you are wondering where you can get your hands on this moonshine stuff, here is a fedora download link: fedoraproject.org/get-fedora. You can do direct downloads or use a BitTorrent client.
If it is your first time downloading Fedora, be sure to review the installation instructions before choosing one of the download methods they offer.
If you are wondering what any of this means to chiropractors or Planet Chiropractic, it’s important to remember the open-source community has provided the backbone of nearly everything we have done (as well as the majority of the web) online, from webservers (apache), databases (mysql), operating systems (fedora, ubuntu, freeBSD), and numerous other packages and tools made freely available thanks to opensource.
As I mentioned earlier today about another Linux based OS, this is free software made available thanks to open source — many people working very hard together to see great software is available to the masses. Thanks to everyone that is developing/supporting open-source.
Ubuntu Linux on my Dell XPS M1210
Thursday, May 31st, 2007by Michael Dorausch, DC
PC maker Dell recently announced that they will begin shipping computers in the USA loaded with Ubuntu, an open source community developed Linux based operating system that is loaded with features for the desktop user.
From what I could find online, Dell computers to be shipped with Ubuntu 7.04 “Feisty Fawn” distribution of Linux include the Dell XPS 410n desktop PC, the Dimension E520n desktop, and the Inspiron E1505n notebook computer. Just a few months ago I purchased a Dell XPS M1210 laptop that came shipped with Windows XP Media Center Edition and I was hoping Dell was going to include this model in their release. While I could find no evidence that Dell is planning to offer this laptop with a Linux based system, I had no problem downloading the free Ubuntu operating system and installing it on my notebook. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised and rather excited by the ease of install since I’ve tried running previous versions of this operating system on my notebook with not so spectacular results.
What I love most about Ubuntu on Dell is the lack of crappy 3rd party software that is typically shipped with their computers. When I bought Dell’s in the past I’d basically strip the entire hard drive and do a fresh Windows install so I wouldn’t have all those extra programs on my computer which I’d never use. To tell you the truth Ubuntu already comes with too much stuff for my tastes but it’s really easy to uninstall unwanted applications in this OS.
Besides not having to deal with the added junk software the second thing that I found critical was that Ubuntu recognized my wireless configuration and I had Internet access as soon as I completed my install. (My wireless even worked when booting just to the OS CD) For me this is the most critical point since nearly everything I do is done online in a web interface and Linux based systems are great for that. I loved that I didn’t have to install antivirus software and I’m not getting those annoying notices from antivirus companies to update an upgrade my applications every other day. I mentioned that Ubuntu is based on open source, and for you that don’t know what that means, it basically means it’s FREE. Yes, the operating his system is free and you can download it from the website at ubuntu.org.
If you’re a chiropractor you may be wondering is this operating system ready for the chiropractic office? In my experience if you’re going to run chiropractic office management software you may be better off sticking to Windows for now since I don’t know of any office management software programs that have installs and support for Linux based operating systems. That being said I certainly think it’s a great idea to get Ubuntu installed for computers your staff may be using to access the Internet, simply because of the lack of virus attacks on Linux based operating systems. Ubuntu installs with OpenOffice, another open source (free) product that features a word processor, spreadsheet tools, presentation tools, and other productivity office related tools. In my experience OpenOffice has been very easy to use and is loaded with productive features.
Ubuntu also makes a great operating system for the chiropractor on the road since there’s less likely a need for office management software when out of the office. With Firefox installed as a Web browser, Thunderbird or Evolution available as an e-mail client, the tools available from OpenOffice, and a mindbending number of other opensource products, you should have everything you could desire in an operating system. One example is open-source software called Audacity that allows you to use the microphone on your computer to record voice presentations. That could mean narrative reports, presentations, podcasts, and voiceovers for your slideshow presentations you’re making with your OpenOffice tools. Did I mention that all of this is free and without the hassle of viruses infecting your computer?
Just remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it’s likely available via open-source.
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Dr. Michael Dorausch is a chiropractor practicing Los Angeles, California. He has been utilizing open source products and platforms since the early 1990s and has been long recommending open-source products to others. Planet Chiropractic has utilized and/or continues to use products such as FreeBSD, Apache web server, Fedora core (now simply Fedora 7), Ubuntu desktop edition, Ubuntu Server, Audacity, Gimp, Wordpress, and a long list of other open source products. We are happy to support the open-source movement and would like to thank everyone working in this environment that has provided us with support and expertise.
Chiropractic Jobs and Other Classifieds Now Available Via RSS
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007by Michael Dorausch, DC
Thanks to advances in Internet technology such as Really Simple Syndication (RSS), web content that in the past may have only been available in one location, can now be distributed through a potentially unlimited number of channels, offering much greater access to the source information. For example, a current news article written about whales in San Francisco, could potentially appear in minutes across thousands of web sites thanks to the technology behind RSS.
Many major news companies are increasingly using RSS as a way to distribute articles published to their websites, making those articles available to readers via tools such as RSS browser plug-ins, and RSS readers available from companies like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL, to name a few. The newer versions of Internet Explorer (7.0) and Mozilla Firefox (2.0) have the ability to display an RSS feed in a similar fashion to a typical HTML coded web page. What that means basically is when someone goes to visit a web site and clicks on the RSS feed, they will get to view the content (sometimes the entire article) instead of seeing a bunch of computer code that often does not make much sense to end viewers.
But RSS is not just for news content. While news distribution is by far the most popular use of RSS feeds, it is only one form of content out of many, being distributed across the Internet. Some web sites are distributing photos (Flickr by Yahoo!), pod casts (both audio and video), slideshow presentations, as well as other forms of content, such as classified ads.
A great example of how this technology is being used, for forms other than news and article content, is the RSS feeds that have been added to the chiropractic classifieds section at Planet Chiropractic.
With the addition of RSS technology, someone can now post a classified ad to one location and have it potentially appear on a multitude of web sites, thus increasing the likelihood that someone will view the ad, respond to the ad, and make a connection with the person or party posting the advertisement.
As an example, a chiropractor posted an ad late last week and stated that he was available to substitute at chiropractors offices in the state of California, for those seeking such services. As is typical, the ad was posted (for free) in the “associates available category” on the website. It should’ve technically been posted in the “substitutions and locum positions” category but that’s a topic for another day. Normally, someone seeking a chiropractor to cover their office would visit the classified ad pages and either do a search or browse for related information. With the addition of RSS feeds, this post (since it was a recent post) would appear in the feed and could potentially appear on any number of websites (typically related to chiropractic) across the Internet. You can view to different examples of how this sort of RSS feed is output here:chiropractordirectory.org/classifieds/ and here: 247chiro.com/classifieds/.
Additionally, using RSS reader (like the ones mentioned in this article) a person could “subscribe” to a feed (even a classified ads feed) and have the information within that feed delivered to their desktop or mobile phone. This ensures that the information one is receiving is always fresh and up-to-date, a fantastic addition to any website featuring classifieds or auctions.
Read more about Planet Chiropractic and the use of RSS feeds for classified ads here: RSS Feeds Added to Chiropractic Classifieds
About the RSS Features
Currently, the only information included in the RSS feed version of a users classified ad, is the title and the description (also known as subject or body) of the advertisement. This means it’s more important than ever that users engage in best description practices so as to improve the results intended from their posts. For example, when selling a practice in Las Vegas, a great title would be “Las Vegas Chiropractic Office for Sale” rather than “office for sale” or the ever so popular “practice for sale” heading. It’s just as important to include relevant information into the body of content so that people can better find out where you’re located.
RSS Feeds Added to Chiropractic Classifieds
Saturday, May 26th, 2007Planet Chiropractic added really simple syndication (RSS) feeds to the chiropractic classifieds section of the website over the Memorial Day weekend.
The RSS feed (you can activate it by clicking the image to the left - requires ability to view XML) indexes the 50 most recent advertisements posted to the classified section of the website resulting [...]
Toggle Recoil Chiropractic Adjustment
Friday, May 25th, 2007I shot this video clip at a Dynamic Essentials seminar back in the late 1990s. It’s a quick 28 second clip of a chiropractor adjusting another chiropractor using a drop headpiece. Notice how relaxed the person getting adjusted is and how quick the chiropractor makes the adjustment. How long should an adjustment take anyway?
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Chiropractic Internet Company Stands Tall
Thursday, May 24th, 2007By Michael Dorausch, DC
I received my monthly “information age” e-newsletter from chiropractic internet company Now You Know (NYK) earlier today. As I browsed through the copy I found myself thinking “these guys are still right on and standing tall for chiropractic.” I figured it’s better to share some of those thoughts rather than just keeping them to myself.
In their first topic NYK discussed the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) and the organizations decision to reject a so called “Demand” made by the board of the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations (COCSA) to merge with another chiropractic association (the ACA). Planet Chiropractic reported on the same topic Chiropractic Association Maintains Principles earlier in the month.
I was most interested in the editor’s comments as NYK authors pointed out that the ICA annual meeting in Washington was held in conjunction with the “Chiropractic Coalition” which is a coalition of associations designed to facilitate an avenue where national chiropractic organizations could work and lobby together for the common good of chiropractic. Each year since the inception of the Chiropractic Coalition the ICA, World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA), and Federation of Straight Chiropractors and Organizations (FSCO) have participated in the event. According to NYK, each year the ACA has declined to participate.
I’ve noticed other newsletters from organizations such as the WCA as well as chiropractic advocates like Dr. Tedd Koren questioning the apparently suspect nature of merging the ICA and ACA. One thing I’ve gotten from all this is that there is a large and vocal group of chiropractors that are either represented by organizations such as the ICA, FSCO, or WCA, or just concerned chiropractors that don’t think merger is a good idea for chiropractic. Thinking about it further, being a member in any combination of the ICA, WCA or FSCO makes great sense, since all three organizations share something in common… subluxation being the first that comes to mind. While not recommending mergers, I would find supporting efforts to see greater coalition between organizations sharing similar goals for chiropractic advancement to be a positive thing.
The NYK newsletter discussed other topics such as “Making a Website Work for You” and a new book titled “I Stand Amazed” by chiropractic patient, advocate and author, Ms. Geri Carlson. Rather then getting into those topics here it’s best you visit the NYK website at nowyouknow.net and get subscribed to their newsletter yourself.
Chiropractic Adjustment in Los Angeles Office
Thursday, May 24th, 2007This chiropractic video was filmed in January of 2006. It features a young woman getting adjusted on a Lloyd 402 Thompson-like drop table. In the video we go through a functional leg check, do some drop table adjusting, and some hands-on diversified style chiropractic adjustments. The video was originally posted as a plug for my [...]
Taking Chiropractic X-Rays Of the Cervical Spine
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007Do you know what I would’ve paid to have access to demonstrations on how to take chiropractic x-rays when I was in chiropractic College? As far as I can remember, things like that did just not exist.
As students, we had to visit chiropractic offices, observe in chiropractic clinics, and sit in classrooms listening to lectures [...]
Chiropractic Videos Appearing across Multiple Web Sites
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007Videos produced by Planet Chiropractic founder, Dr. Michael Dorausch, have been appearing on the Internet with greater frequency since Google had announced changes to the way they aggregate search content online.
The majority of videos are filmed in his Los Angeles Chiropractic office and they are appearing on web sites such as Google video, 247chiro.com, planetC1.com, [...]
Herniated Discs and Chiropractic Educational Video
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007The other day I posted a video link of a mini lecture I presented on spinal vertebrae. Using one of those popular plastic spine models, the ones that show four stages of degeneration, I answered some of the questions people ask me all the time in my chiropractic office.
I filmed another video yesterday, and my [...]