My Battery-Powered World
Not wanting to sound like Andy Rooney today, but have you ever stopped and wondered how much of our world depends on batteries? As a child, I only thought of batteries in flashlights, or when the battery was dead in our car. Last night, as I was filling my gas tank for the second time this week, my neighbor drove by in her hybrid-electric car. She smiled and waved. Like the Energizer Bunny, I got the subtle message.
I have a drawer in my office filled with a variety of batteries that makes my world function easier. About twice a year, I replenish my supply from Costco.
Here is my typical day. I wake up about 5:30 AM from a battery-powered alarm clock. Our electricity goes out quite often in our rural area, so I cannot be late for work. I double-check the time with my watch (not a wind-up, of course) and of course, I check the outside temperature with my digital thermometer. I turn on the news with the remote.
After trimming my beard with my battery-powered razor and brush my teeth with my electric toothbrush, I take my shower and head off to work. I don't even think about it when my car starts easily. I arrive at work and push the button to turn on my car alarm and lock the doors. I have a battery-powered calculator and another clock on my desk. I check my schedule on my PDA.
Even my new stethoscope is electronic. As I examine my first patient, I use a battery-powered otoscope, ophthalmoscope, and penlight. If I need a specialized test, there is always the portable pulse oxygen monitor, the tympanogram. And, I never go anywhere without my digital camera and medical flash unit. As a gadget nut, I even have a few ink pens that light up like a neon sign. Kids love them.
I will see at least a few patients today that have hearing aids or a cochlear implant. The rest will have cell phones, IPods, portable video players, or electronic games. I was absolutely amazed when I added the batteries that I depend on EVERY day, and I know I missed a lot of them, since many batteries are stealth.
I love Star Trek, but I am not one of those guys that would go to a convention dressed like Worf. I have always wondered what powers Data, the android, in the 25th century. A dilithium crystal? A tiny nuclear reactor? Or, a 9-volt Eveready that is still working?
Medicine is on the threshold of unbelievable electronic advances, and I am sure we will all have embedded batteries some day, and not just pacemakers or our digital hearing aids. I will be 55 years old this year and I am counting on it.
Related Topics: Baby Boomer Noise-Protection Guidelines (Sponsored), Backpack Creates Electric Power as You Walk
Technorati Tags: batteries, medical devices
I have a drawer in my office filled with a variety of batteries that makes my world function easier. About twice a year, I replenish my supply from Costco.
Here is my typical day. I wake up about 5:30 AM from a battery-powered alarm clock. Our electricity goes out quite often in our rural area, so I cannot be late for work. I double-check the time with my watch (not a wind-up, of course) and of course, I check the outside temperature with my digital thermometer. I turn on the news with the remote.
After trimming my beard with my battery-powered razor and brush my teeth with my electric toothbrush, I take my shower and head off to work. I don't even think about it when my car starts easily. I arrive at work and push the button to turn on my car alarm and lock the doors. I have a battery-powered calculator and another clock on my desk. I check my schedule on my PDA.
Even my new stethoscope is electronic. As I examine my first patient, I use a battery-powered otoscope, ophthalmoscope, and penlight. If I need a specialized test, there is always the portable pulse oxygen monitor, the tympanogram. And, I never go anywhere without my digital camera and medical flash unit. As a gadget nut, I even have a few ink pens that light up like a neon sign. Kids love them.
I will see at least a few patients today that have hearing aids or a cochlear implant. The rest will have cell phones, IPods, portable video players, or electronic games. I was absolutely amazed when I added the batteries that I depend on EVERY day, and I know I missed a lot of them, since many batteries are stealth.
I love Star Trek, but I am not one of those guys that would go to a convention dressed like Worf. I have always wondered what powers Data, the android, in the 25th century. A dilithium crystal? A tiny nuclear reactor? Or, a 9-volt Eveready that is still working?
Medicine is on the threshold of unbelievable electronic advances, and I am sure we will all have embedded batteries some day, and not just pacemakers or our digital hearing aids. I will be 55 years old this year and I am counting on it.
Related Topics: Baby Boomer Noise-Protection Guidelines (Sponsored), Backpack Creates Electric Power as You Walk
Technorati Tags: batteries, medical devices
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