I discovered a few interesting articles and blogs on iPods and podcasting that kind of all fit together as a iPod/podcasting melange. (Hospital train staff with iPods. BBCNews) Voicemap software allows hospitals in the UK and Australia to use iPods to train staff. At NHS Greater Glasgow staff are trained listening to iPods on topics like superbugs, moving patients, and coping with violence. The iPods are also being used in operating rooms at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and in the labor ward and neonatal unit at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital.

It would be interesting to find out if these training podcasts are audio or video podcasts. Couple this with the increase in podcast programs by medical schools and residency programs that I mention on my updated podcast list post, and you have another method of medical and employee education that is starting to gain momentum in the hospital world.

People have asked me about whether people are willing to sit down and watch a movie/video on a 2.5 inch screen. All I can say is that I think there are willing people. I recently flew to Chicago for a friend's birthday and almost everyone I saw in the airport had some sort of MP3 player. The vast majority of people had iPods, in fact it was more noticeable if somebody was listening to a generic MP3 player. But what really caught my eye was on my flight alone I saw 3 people watching a video/movie on their iPods. Three people may not be a lot, but on a plane just bigger than a crop duster going from Cleveland to Chicago where you can almost touch both sides of the plane if you stretched your arms, it is noticeable. In fact as I tried to ignore the garlic breath of my neighbor, it hit me, there was once a time when I would see a couple people with the portable DVD players (especially since the flight was really delayed and they had plenty of time to go rent them), but all I saw were video iPod people.

However, if you feel 2.5 inches of screen is just too tiny, it looks like iPod is getting ready to release a "true video iPod" where the whole front of the player will be a screen and the click wheel navigation will be touch activated on the screen. (Analyst says Apple's 60 gig iPod 'at risk.' CNNMoney) It is thought that the wide-screen video iPod with Bluetooth headphones could be ready as early as the June quarter. For a concept picture you might want to check out Random Good Stuff's post, New iPod video full screen feature. Granted it is a bigger screen, but somehow if you are reluctant to watch a movie on a 2.5 inch screen, 3.5 inches of iPod viewing space ain't going to be doing it for you either. I will be devising a way to convince my husband (and myself) that I MUST HAVE this new iPod. The Bluetooth headphones mean no more choking myself with the earphone cord as I work out, and so far I am young and nearsighted so the tiny screen won't bother me.

Of course with the spending all this time hooked up to my iPod I just don't have time to read any more. Never fear, with NaturalReader I can convert my journal articles and any other text I need to read into an audio file to listen to. NaturalReader converts text files into MP3 or WAV files to be listened to on iPods, CD players, and PocketPCs. In fact there a couple of programs that can do this such as 2nd Speech Center and Text Sound and Cool Speech. Some products offer a free trial and most only cost between $29.95-$39.95 for a personal version.

Finally, after I updated my medical podcast list, I had a few people inquiring about medical libraries podcasting. Good news there some innovative libraries and librarians looking at podcasting in the medical library. Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries Podcasts are podcasts directed at learning about the library's collections, services, people, tips for making the most of your library. Bart Ragon, Assistant Director, Library Technology and Development, Claude Moore Health Sciences Library is presenting a poster at MLA '06, Podcasting with Purpose: Transforming a New Technology into a Useful Service for Library Patrons. The Claude Moore Health Sciences Library and The University of Virginia School of Medicine Continuing Medical Education Program sponsor the annual History of the Health Sciences Lecture Series which are now available as podcasts. Andrea Y. Griffith, Reference Librarian, University Libraries, and Elisa Cortez, Reference Librarian, University Libraries, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA are presenting a poster at MLA '06, Extending Customer Service and Instruction Through Podcasts. Cortez and Griffith look to determine whether podcasting is a "practical and realistic technology for creating online instructional support material for both on-campus and distance education students." I guess this is similar to the Johns Hopkins library podcasts, but unfortunately I can not find a website with Loma Linda University Library's podcasts.

See a nice little potpourri of podcasting to read before the weekend.