Sunday, February 2, 2014

Support Regina Holliday, FACMImimi on Gittip

ACMImimi Fellow Regina Holliday's blog post today talks about her setting up a virtual "tip jar" on Gittip (www.gittip.com). I read through all of the materials on Gittip -- how their company works and what they are doing -- and think it represents another exciting direction in new economy thinking.

I signed up to give Regina $0.73 per week on Gittip and ask that all of you think about doing the same. That's only $39.96 a year when you throw in the bank fees that Gittip charges ($2 over the course of the year). If your life has been changed for the better by Regina's work and mission like mine has, please sign up to give Regina a weekly boost in her income. Show you mean it by giving something with $0.73 at the end. If everyone with a Walking Gallery jacket tips Regina $0.73 a week, she will receive over $11,000 a year to supplement her income from speaking/painting/Regina-being. It's not enough to live on and raise two boys, but it's something. Let's support Regina!

For what it's worth, I've designated ACMImimi as my own cause on Gittip. I have never received any personal income from the videos and music I've made for the cause of bringing health information to people through music and have invested hundreds of hours and many dollars over the years to bring these works to you. If you have a burning desire to support these efforts, consider doing so through Gittip. It will let me know that people value this contribution to the field and will motivate me to invest more time into making them and creating new, more ambitious works. You'll find me on Gittip at https://www.gittip.com/rossmartin.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

We Picked a Fine Time to Leave El Nopalito

Tonight we say goodnight to an amazing establishment in Silver Spring, El Nopalito Grill -- home to the Wednesday night Songwriters Association of Washington open mic night for more than 100 shows. 

I had to say goodbye the way that a singer/songwriter does - with a new song for the occasion (with apologies to Luceille and her author). It's been a busy time in the world of medical imformatimusicology and informatics too, so I haven't been going very often over the last few months and I've felt it. It's therapy for me -- some people go bowling, some do yoga -- I play open mics. I listen too. And tonight was a great evening of music from across the spectrum. We had over 20 performers, so it was just two songs or 10 minutes. And it was great, just great. 

El Nopalito lost its lease or something like that, so next week we will be starting at a new venue. But tonight we celebrate El Nopalito and their amazing staff and chefs. You will be missed. Here is a song dedicated to them and to the fine songwriters I've had the privilege of hearing and playing for. 


We Picked a Fine Time to Leave El Nopalito

 

At a Tennessee truck stop about three a.m.

I was feelin’ real down and alone

When in walked a lady who looked so familiar

Just like a young woman I’d known

I said, “Howdy-do” and she sang, “Same t’you

Her melody turned on a light

I said, “Years ago, did you go out to El Nopalito

For that open mic on Wednesday nights?”

 

I asked her to sit and I gave her a hit

From my bottle of Jack Daniel’s Black

We talked of a time that was many years gone

The memories sure took us back

Back to the stage and a fine bygone age

When songs were performed by our gang

We toasted that crew and the tunes that they knew

And these are the words that we sang

 

CHORUS:

We picked a fine time to leave El Nopalito

I sure loved their chiles and combo burritos

We heard some good songs

And we heard some bad songs

Then we sang, “Adios, muy amigos”

We picked a fine time to leave El Nopalito

 

Reminicin’ ’til dawn over coffee and yawns

We sang songs until we went hoarse

We swapped juicy stories of yesteryear glories

Who hooked up and who got divorced

We recounted past scenes like when George and Arlene

Used to belt rockabilly full blast

Those nights were the peak of the workaday week

I guess it was too good to last

 

REPEAT CHORUS

 

Dell sold the shop and he took to bar hoppin

Tradin’ a song for a beer

Chris went on a mission to blend drums and fishin

Larry’s been missin for years

Buck Stone and Murray made it big in a hurry

Jeff’s now a YouTube phenom

And Scott and his honey run a posh nudist col’ny

For senile hippies on Guam

 

REPEAT CHORUS


Our heads were both hurtin’ and we both knew for certain

It was high time to call it a wrap

My spirit revived, I felt strangely alive

But more likely I’d go home to nap

I gave her a hug and I felt that old tug

To go find me some new open mics

Sure, it’ll be great, but it won’t compensate

For the magic we shared Wednesday nights

 

REPEAT CHORUS

 

For El Nopalito Grill on the occasion of their last open mic, January 8th, 2014

Thanks for taking such good care of us!

Ross D. Martin, MD, MHA

© 2014 ACMImimi

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

ACMImimi Announces New Fellows and Members

The Admissions Committee of The American College of Medical Informatimusicology is pleased to announce the Winter 2014 ACMImimi Fellow inductees. Five new Fellows have been named. In addition, The College welcomes four new ACMImimi Members.  In contrast to Fellows, Members of ACMImimi do not have to demonstrate eminence in the art and science of Medical Informatimusicology to join, but simply need to declare an interest Medical Informatimusicology and agree to abide by the ACMImimi pledge. Congratulations to these new Fellows and Members, deserving all. 

Those wishing to be considered for admission into The College as Fellows should submit an application to the Admissions Committee, which will review each application carefully and make a determination of worthiness based upon merit. The College now boasts 94 Fellows.  Who will be number 100?

New ACMImimi Fellows (January 1st, 2014)

  • Voice minor at North Texas State University
  • Member of numerous choirs, barbershop quartets and other vocal endeavors over a nearly 50-year span
  • Thought leader in health care, healthy living and healthcare ethics, including mobile and information technologies
    • Wrote the ePatient Rap
    • Performed and recorded the ePatient Rap at HealthFoo
    • Special commendation as the first individual to request admission as a Fellow of the College (September 3rd, 2010), though he did so through a post on his own blog and failed to fill out an official application form until December 9th, 2013.  The College acknowledges this early demonstration of eminence and will accept this as evidence of his special contributions to the field should he ever apply to be named a Distinguished Fellow of ACMImimi (colloquially known as a Jolly Good Fellow of ACMImimi).  Note that The College currently has no application process for Distinguished Fellows, but is considering developing such a program to differentiate the deeply eminent from the merely eminent in the art and science of Medical Informatimusicology.

    T Forcht (Teo) Dagi, MD, DMedSc, MPH, MTS, MBA, FAANS, FACS, FCCM, FRCSEd, FACMImimi
    • Demonstrated proficiency in the study, practice and performance of operatic medical informatics in the Italian, French and British genres 
    • Conducted an investigation into whether Questa furtiva lagrima should be sung before or after EMR implementation
    • Investigated Largo al factotum on the availability of trauma surgeons in urban accident and emergency units
    • Conducted a study of the impact of Gelide mannine on outcomes in the ICU 
    • Maintains an interest in the pursuit of eminence-based medicine
    • Holds the record as the ACMImimi Fellow with the most declared credentials and designations
    Ricky Bloomfield, MD, FACMImimi
    • Combines his skills as a multi-instrumentalist (saxophone, clarinet, flute, and oboe) and singer to augment his work as the Director of Duke's Mobile Technology Strategy and developer of iOS apps
    • Showed the connection between musical and informatics creativity in a video from when he was Chief Resident in Pediatrics at UNC
    Donald G. Abbott, RN, BSN, CHt, FACMImimi
    • Writer and Producer of music videos at Genesis Medical Systems in Davenport, Iowa
    • Aspiring to become the world's leading medical beatboxer, submitting evidence for his mad skills as interpreted by Google Voice:  Boom, ba, bam, bam, boom, boom, ba, bam, bam, tss, tss, ba bam bam, bada BOOM
    New ACMImimi Members

    Yauheni V. Solad, MD

    Chen Lin