The Automated Coffee Machine

Technology and robotics. It's getting more sophisticated, not by the day, but by the hour.

I dropped in for a visit to Good Samaritan hospital pharmacy yesterday just to say hello, and got a glimpse of their new coffee machine in action. I'm guessing that management likely programmed it.


Source: Aries Head Films

Godzilla Versus Mechagodzilla

You've got to hand it to the community sector pharmacists, especially independent pharmacists who are often considered the technological dinosaurs of the profession, for taking on the PBMs.

PBM industry leaders were smart to quickly to embrace the use of computerization, technology, and robotics in pharmacy twenty-years ago, and over time were able to eliminate many of the Luddite community pharmacists who couldn't envision where the profession of pharmacy was headed.

After proving to many naysayers that robotics could fill prescriptions faster and more accurately than any "mere human" pharmacist could, the up and coming PBMs were able to gain concessions from state BOPs, the drug wholesalers and manufacturers, and were eventually able to become a competitive force to be reckoned with; a force powerful enough to rattle even the chain drug industry.

But, the fight ain't over. Although the PBMs initially had them reeling on the ropes, the community pharmacy sector was able to survive the first few rounds, and changed their fight strategy.

In the past few years the remaining independents and the continually consolidating chain pharmacies realized that they could effectively battle against this technological force if they just banded together, consolidated their powers, and embraced technological advances themselves.

Now, it seems to me that community pharmacies have a good chance to mount a comeback and win this fight, or at least delay the outcome. Recent technological advances in retail sector robotics now allow the retail sector most of the same capabilities that PBMs can provide. It now becomes more of a battle of political capabilities.

So, it looks to me like surprised PBM leaders may have to devise a new strategy if they want to take home the belt. Godzilla is no journeyman dinosaur, he's got heart. Don't count him out just yet.

Sight | A Short Film

In the not-too-distant future, Google Glass will be considered the Pong of augmented reality.


Sight from Sight Systems on Vimeo.

Valibation | A Short Film

Some might call them the new cigarettes - hand held devices. For objects that supposedly increase our connection to the world, it’s amazing to think how solitary they have made us become.


VALIBATION from ulteriorproductions.com on Vimeo.

The Original Batman

I just watched the 1943 movie series, Batman - back in the day when chasing the villains, catching the criminals, and competing with other superheroes wasn't nearly as sophisticated as it is today. It was a time when imagination originated from the mind, instead of the eyes.

It was a time when character development was still in it's infancy, when movie thugs and henchmen were middle-aged white men, gas was cheap, and America's evil arch-enemies came from Asia and Europe, instead of from the Middle East. It was also a time of technological innocence.

It was a time way before the advent of computers and the internet, when apps such as TV and atom bombs were still in development, and the predominate work tools for superheroes and their enemies included utility belts, truth serum, Radium handguns, and electronically brain-controlled Zombies.

It was a time some pharmacists remember being referred to as "the good old days" of pharmacy.

And it was also the first time Batman realized that if he was going to survive in his profession, that he needed to continually upgrade his utility belt, much like technologically-advanced pahrnicists of today.

But, don't just take my word for it. Watch the first chapter in the series to see for yourself -





Watch the rest of the entire original 1943 movie series on YouTube.

Paraphernalia | A Short Film

IMED infusion pumps have come a long way since I first started working in hospital pharmacy many years ago. Now-a-days, IMEDs are especially useful in pediatrics and can do just about anything.

But, don't just take my word for it. See for yourself.


Paraphernalia from John Williams on Vimeo.

The Future Of Technology

While pharmacist positions may slowly become like hens' teeth, the sky's the limit in the job market for well-trained workers using cutting-edge technologies. The prospects for work are out of this world!

But don't just take my word for it. Here's just one advertisement for a company preparing the world for the future, when only two classes of people remain on this planet, the super rich - and the rest of us.


Source: Armadyne Corporation and Elysium

A Bionic Future | Exoskeletons

Technological innovation can sometimes raise uncomfortable prospects.

Take, for instance, innovations in robots that allow them to do many jobs that humans have long been doing in fields such as manufacturing and distribution.

But, not all aspects of robotic innovation are created to replace or to harm human beings. In many cases, robotics has improved the human condition. A Bionic Future looks at incredible advances in bionic technology that have enabled paraplegics to walk.


A Bionic Future | Maris Curran from Focus Forward Films on Vimeo.

Transformers Are Fake, Right?

Transformers makes for a great movie to watch, but nothing like that is really possible, right?


Source: Those Crazy Japanese

The First Digital Camera

If it weren't for the creative people in this world, we'd never have achieved the technological advances that we take for granted. These geniuses are always ahead of their time. For example, if I was to ask you when the first digital camera was invented, what year would you guess? How about 1975?


Inventor Portrait: Steven Sasson from David Friedman on Vimeo.

Rise Of The Robots

Should humans brace themselves for a coming ‘robotics revolution’? I think so.

I recently watched The Terminator again on TV last week. More and more, the technology in that film is coming into existence. Think about it. Just a few years ago, most of us never imagined the use of military drones as they're being used today. As rules of engagement continue to change, militaries adapt their tactics to include the increasing use of unmanned weaponry.

However, behind the hot button issue of drones lies a military robotics industry that is developing machinery which is not only finding its way onto the battlefield, but into civilian life, as well.

Robots today have the capability to drive automobiles, perform surgeries, and do household chores, among other tasks. As integration escalates, what legal and ethical issues arise?


Source: Aljazeera, The Stream: Rise of the robots

Can Science Stop Crime?

Are criminals born, or are criminals made? What's the secret to stopping crime? David Pogue, from Nova Science Now, gives the third degree to scientists pushing the limits of technology, not only to solve horrific murders but also to try to prevent crimes before they even happen. Here's the trailer -

I Am Bigger And Better

You can work as hard as this newer breed of Canadian pharmacy students to remain relevant in your profession. But at some point, your hard work and dedication won't be enough to succeed.

So, how will you react when bigger and better (and cheaper) robots eventually replace you?


I am Bigger And Better from VFX on Vimeo.

Technology Is A Good Thing, Right?

Source: Cartoons by Schwadron

Mesa, Arizona Police Use Cutting-edge Technology

Although I often think that the increasing use of technology empowers corporations and Big Brother to abuse their powers, here's one instance that it may accomplish just the opposite.

Fifty Mesa police officers are piloting a year-long program that has them wearing camera headsets made by Scottsdale-based company Taser International. Cronkite News reporter John Genovese shows how the cameras document the officers' every move and keep their supervisors in the loop.


Mesa Police Cameras from Cronkite News on Vimeo.

Eliminating Human Beings From The Hiring Process

There's a reason why corporations have worked so hard to put themselves in the driver's seat over the past decade. With a tough economy and nearly everyone on the internet, one job opening promoted online can receive thousands of applications. Now they can make people jump through all kinds of unnecessary hoops in order to find a job.

So with competition fierce and many firms now using software rather than human beings to hire, Paul Solman explores whether it is worth it to apply online or if there are better strategies to get employed.


Source: PBS Newshour: Making Sen$e

The Dark Side Of Hating Robotics

If you think people are having difficulty dealing with increasing crime due to high unemployment levels with humans, just imagine how they'll react when the robots hit hard times?

But, I'm sure someone will probably devise a technological advancement to fix that problem too.


No Robots from YungHan Chang on Vimeo.

The Dark Side Of Robotics

Computers, technology and robotics has transformed the healthcare business radically over the past ten to twenty years, and is growing exponentially. While it's been my premise that corporations are quick to institute robotics in the workplace in order to replace us pesky humans, I wonder if perhaps it's not just being done to reduce overhead, improve productivity, or for safety reasons?


ROBOT & FRANK - Stealing from SamuelGoldwynFilms on Vimeo.

Coming To A Pharmacy Near You

If any of you happen to be Jeopardy! fans, then you'll know that computers are capable of answering questions posed in natural language, and come up with answers faster and more accurately than any mere human could do it.

And I've noticed that the people who invest in this type of technology always seem to dispel concern that advances in technology would replace any existing workers, saying it simply would "support" existing staff in order to perform their duties more efficiently.

Yet, the people who market these technologies always seem to highlight the advantages of replacing "less efficient" and "more costly" human workers as a selling point.

So, who do you believe? Are you drinking their Kool-Aid, or are you able to think for yourself?

Given time, I can't see any reason why these two technologies couldn't be incorporated to provide the advisory services traditionally provided by a pharmacist, and replace us. And considering the costs of pharmacists' salaries and benefits, this type of technology would pay for itself very quickly.


Source: AVA the Virtual Assistant

A Glimpse Into The Future

A glimpse into the future of pharmacy? Work on your squats my friends.