Month: August 2004

Whirlycache

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working on some ideas for a Java object cache and now there’s some code to back it up. Seth Fitzsimmons was kind enough to go to the trouble of writing some code and setting up some project space on whirlycache.dev.java.net. That’s where you can monitor our progress. From what I can tell, Whirlycache is the fastest Java object cache around today. I’d love to know if I am wrong about that.

maybe there is hope beyond jcs and jisp?

Elektronik Supersonik

The tiny Eastern European republic of Molvania was disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Zladko Zlad Vladcik was to perform his very popular techno-ballad, Elektronik – Supersonik – described as a melodic fusion combining hot disco rhythms with cold war rhetoric.

Hard to believe with lyrics like this:

Hey baby, wake up from your asleep.
We have arrived unto the future
And the whole world is become…
Elektronik supersonik
Supersonik elektronik

Hospital of the future

The hospital of the future is here today, but it’s not in the US; it’s not even in Europe–it’s in Thailand. Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok is an all-digital hospital, with one giant database containing everything from patients’ billing to medical history to digital images of their X-rays instead of film.

i have been to bumrungrad in 2001 when i was bitten by a stray dog in a back street in bangkok. it took them 3 minutes to get my personal data and my credit card info, and off i was to see a doctor.
when i worked in thailand, i found that most thai businesses were reluctant to use IT because their human resources were so cheap that it didn’t make sense to replace manual labor with IT. institutions like bumrungrad lead the way: what do you get if you combine cutting-edge IT with low staffing costs? lots of new innovative services, that is.