It’s probably fitting (and a little bit scary) that today of all days (9/11) finds me boarding a flight to return home. Eight years ago I had another return home that was bittersweet, indeed. Every year I share the chronicle of a life-changing event that shook me to the core and I am doing so here. I wrote this chronicle right after starting jkOnTheRun, and I rerun it every year at this time. If you don’t like reading off-topic posts then please skip over this. I do this for me; it’s a blog after all.

“Mr. Kendrick, can you hear me? I’m Mrs. Reinhard, the patient care facilitator here at Methodist hospital. Are you comfortable? I’ll be making sure your wife and family are OK while you’re in surgery as you’ll be there for a while. Do you want to tell me anything before they take you back?”

I have to think about that one. I’m so cold, it’s so cold in here. How should I respond that won’t conflict with my Southern upbringing? You must be stoic when confronted with the most terrifying thing in your entire life. Scared beyond words that you will never wake up. Scared that they won’t be able to fix your problem. Scared that you’ll never, ever see your beautiful wife and wonderful children again. Terrified that you’ll be an invalid after the surgery.

“Thank you but I’m fine.”

“You understand the procedure you’re about to undergo, right Mr.Kendrick? Would you like to talk about it or ask me any questions?”

“No, I’m fine. Tell my wife that I love her and I’ll see her shortly. She doesn’t handle upsetting things very well.”

“Well, OK, Mr. Kendrick. Don’t you worry- Dr. Lawrie is one of the best surgeons in the world and you’ll be just fine. I’ll sit with your wife for a while and make sure she knows what’s going on with your procedure. They’ll be coming to take you into surgery in a few minutes. I’ll see you in the recovery room.” (What I didn’t know then is that Dr. Lawrie worked for 20 years on the personal surgical team of Dr. DeBakey, the pioneer of cardiac surgery. Sometimes you just get lucky.)

As she walked away I hoped that Sheri would be OK. A single tear trickled involuntarily down my cheek. I suppose it was still there when the doctors and nurses started their work.

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Have a Happy Holiday today those of you in the U. S. from your friends at jkOnTheRun!  No matter where you might be have a safe and enjoyable weekend in any event. We will be back before you know it sharing tidbits from the mobile tech world. Enjoy your time with friends and family.

If you have followed us here for long you probably remember seeing this (and laughing at me):

This was the actual setup I was using last year to watch college football. Laugh at me no more. This weekend the wife and I headed to Sam’s Club where we finally got a real TV:

Philips 52-inch HDTV

So what, after all these months, finally moved us to get a real TV? Was it lower prices due to the economy or technological advances? Sure, those played a role, but I blame my stepdaughter. See, a month ago, she let us borrow her 37-inch HDTV when she moved out, and we got used to having a big screen. Then, she said she needed to have it back. Seriously, we thank her for letting us borrow her TV (which she now has).  :)

Sorry, I gotta go now. The biggest “Gilligan’s Island” rerun I’ve ever seen is due to start in a minute. I hear the Skipper is going to slap Gilligan around in this one.

This is a bit off-topic although it is a great concept to put technology for diabetics into the mobile arena.  I am an insulin-taking diabetic and for those who are not in that special club it’s hard to understand how this can end up taking over your life.  Each day has to be planned around this need for insulin, and I am one of those diabetics who has never gotten comfortable with shooting up with insulin in front of others.

Insulin pumps are a good use of technology that both constantly monitor the wearer’s glucose level and administer the appropriate dosage of insulin automatically.  This is not only the easiest way to deal with the dependence on insulin but is a good way to keep the patient’s glucose level normal as possible all of the time.  The problem with pumps is how bulky and expensive they are which render them less portable for mobile folks.

The Flex Insulin Pump looks to change all of that, as it is basically a large bandage with an insulin pump inside.  It is designed to be worn under clothing and from the photos of the prototype looks quite good for daily use.  I know I’d certainly consider one of these babies for my own use so I hope these things get to market.  The problem with gadgets for the diabetic is we seldom see them actually come to market.

(via Yanko Design)

You knew I would have to try it. Nothing to see here, move along

This is a bit off topic but so cool we had to pass it along.  Mattel is getting ready to show off Mindflex, a game that puts your mind to work in a unique way.  Mindflex was on display at the CES this year but Kevin and I missed it so it’s good that Mattel has reached out to us to give us the scoop on what looks to be pretty cool.

Mindflex has the gamer don a lightweight headset and then move a foam ball using just brainwave activity.  You concentrate on raising and lowering the ball and it just happens.  What makes this so unique is that it’s a game, and a great use of technology in its own right.  It’s sort of mobile tech in a way; you do move the ball around with your mind.  Check it out in the following video:

Wishing you all a very happy new year!  May 2009 be a safe and happy year for everyone!  We thank you for your continued support, you make what we do special.  Best of times are yet to come!

We are spending the day with our families and friends and want to wish everyone a very happy holiday season!  Stay safe and enjoy the important things in life and that isn’t mobile tech.  We’ll be back really soon to share more cool things with you so happy holidays from us to you. (We were just kidding about the mobile tech part.    )