November 22, 2009 - Social Media for Scientists – Presented by scientists for scientists
The following Slideshare presentation provides an interesting perspective from a scientist’s point of view regarding what is known as Social Media. There is a lot of hype today in the press and around the office water cooler concerning “Social Media”. Don’t get snowed or overwhelmed by all this stuff. It is practical and can be useful to all scientific professionals and at a level that everyone can relate to.November 16, 2009 - LIMS Management – The Old Occupation Using New Ideas
Laboratory Information Management Systems, or LIMS, is a new idea in an old field - information management. Older Laboratory Informational Systems, or LIS, has been a part of laboratory informatics for decades, and has had its share of problems.November 15, 2009 - Just because you can, doesn’t mean that you should
Recently I have noticed a rash of client workstation lock downs at corporate and government sites. This is where the IT department locks the computer work station down of the users and prevents them from using the PC as little more than a terminal. It prevents the users from even making changes to their web browser settings or if they do make changes to the settings, an IT controlled program periodically will go and reset everything on the client workstation making the user go through hoops to reset their browser. Aaaah, IT services, we are here to help you! You know…. sort of like the tax man.November 15, 2009 - Creative Commons / Science Commons – Key to sharing Scientific Knowledge
Have you noticed a little symbol called "Creative Commons" showing up on numerous on-line publications, including this blog? This little icon is being adopted more and more by publishers on the Internet, especially in the scientific community. Creative Commons is helping to guarantee the free and open access to vital scientific information and publications.November 8, 2009 - LabLynx provides free trial of the ELab LIMS and other Laboratory Informatics Software
Get Your Free Trial of LabLynx Solutions Now!
Experience for yourself how LabLynx can help you run your Laboratory better.
Just Click Here to request your free trial. Select an application you would like to try out, and a LabLynx representative will respond promptly to give you access to your trial. You won’t need to install any software. You can try all of our software on-demand and through the web.
November 8, 2009 - Would you consider a SaaS (Hosted) LIMS for your Laboratory?
With all the talk about SaaS for laboratories, it seems like a good idea to find out whether or not laboratories have any real interest in SaaS (hosted) LIMS. Take this quick 2 second poll and also see what others are saying.November 2, 2009 - So what keeps you from buying a LIMS for your lab?
Take a look at the following survey and see if any of the questions apply to your situation. The survey takes less than a minute to complete.
November 2, 2009 - LIMS are like fish
Given enough time and experience in implementing LIMS you start to recognize patterns. I admit that I am a bit slow on the uptake but at least I have almost 2 decades under my belt implementing a number of LIMS and have tried to learn from that experience and practice that education in the real world.October 29, 2009 - A possible answer to improving software quality
I think some of you will be able to relate to this. If you have one of these in your home you will understand how quality would improve significantly if they were in charge of software quality.October 26, 2009 - Is there such a thing as an “Independent LIMS Consultant”? Does it matter?
I read a blog post recently from a LIMS consultant attempting to define what an independent LIMS consultant is. They defined “Independent” as “not directly involved with” and that it does not mean “small”. I agree with that definition. However, I contend that there is no such thing as an “Independent LIMS Consultant” or at least it is so rare that one can argue reasonably that it does not exist.October 26, 2009 - Be a savvy LIMS buyer… Try it before you buy it
It seems like the modern software industry has passed most LIMS companies by. The modern software company has become very mature and competitive while LIMS software companies seem to be stagnant, lacking innovation and unwilling to provide even the most basic product information on their web sites; instead choosing to rely upon salesman promises over real concrete demonstration of product features and functions. This is the sort of behavior you would expect from software companies in the 1980’s and 90’s, not a modern software company.October 16, 2009 - Cloud Computing Explained
The following video provides a very good and simple explanation of Cloud Computing and explains the relationship to SaaS and Grid Computing.October 12, 2009 - Instrument Interfacing – The Great Paradox of LIMS?
Blaze Systems has issued an Instrument Interfacing White Paper examining the apparent paradox evidenced by the underutilization of this powerful and cost effective adjunct to LIMS functionality. The various myths which contribute to this reality are discussed, evaluated, and examined under the illuminating light of reality.October 12, 2009 - Cloud Computing & SaaS – Clearing up the confusion using some humor
With all the hype today about Cloud Computing and SaaS, there is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there.October 11, 2009 - What type of system do you use to manage laboratory data?
There has been a number of discussions recently about what type of system is dominant in the laboratory for managing data. Take this 3 second poll to tell us what your lab uses and learn what others are doing.October 7, 2009 - The Acronym Junkie
Do you know any people like this? I sure do. The industry seems to be made up of sales people who proclaim technobabble as if they were an authority and when it comes down to it they don’t know how to define it let alone incorporate it into a product in any meaningful or applicable way. It is a hold over from the dot-bomb days and good riddance.October 7, 2009 - Not a tailor anymore…
In this global world of cookie cutter mass produced products, the modern LIMS can stand out from those that are hard coded to a particular use. Avoid purchasing a hard coded LIMS. You can have a tailor fit with the price and quality of mass production. Progressive LIMS companies can avoid the downside of globalization and prosper by providing data driven, configurable solutions that fit the laboratory’s exacting needs.October 5, 2009 - LIMS for the Bass Ackwards Laboratory
It is clear that if you have a lab that produces data, you need a system to manage and release that data in a format known as "Information". Customers of the lab do not need raw instrument data, they need quality assured information that consists of raw instrument data. They need information that directly correlates to why they sent samples to the lab for testing in the first place. The fact that an analytical instrument had to be used to produce the required data is of no concern to those lab customers. They just want the information.October 5, 2009 - Download iPad ELN (electronic laboratory notebook) for free & presentation on Legal Issues for ELN’s
Check out the iPad ELN:
- Are you an experimental researcher who needs to organize work notes so that they are easier to search and share with colleagues? Then the iPad Electronic Lab Notebook is a good solution for you, since it allows you to organize notes in a way that is both thorough and flexible. The key concept in iPad is labeling or tagging: you can tag any part of your notes using common tags such as project, experiment, data, or tip. Tags make the notes easier to understand and manage.
