NHS network shows red card to World Cup
games
More footie-related goings-on... Patients at hospitals where
National Programme for IT systems have been implemented can be
reassured that the UK-wide health network is not being used to
allow doctors to watch football.
Connecting for Health chief executive Richard Granger – a man
more often on the front page of Computer Weekly than the back – has
stopped the N3 network from streaming football games.
Granger should be applauded by taxpayers keen to see NHS IT
money used properly, by patients seeking the best clinical service
and by local publicans trying to encourage footie-mad punters
through their doors.
Low processing power peps up procurement
Procurement best practice is worthy but dull at the best of
times.Downtime knows that saving money by consolidating buying
power is important, but just can’t get excited by a 10% cut in
local authorities’ annual soft furnishings bills.
So a recent public sector procurement workshop was improved
considerably when a video of interviews with successful procurement
agents began to malfunction.
Public sector luminaries, such as Office of Government Commerce
chief executive John Oughton and chief executives’ forum chairman
Tim Byles, found their words of wisdom garbled by the lack of
processing power.
Indeed, Oughton appeared to be bodypopping as the over-worked
processor failed to keep up with his arm movements.
The inability of the conference techie to stop the video file
brought a little light relief to the assembled procurement
specialists.
They’ll certainly need it – many of them are being asked to
achieve double-digit percentage point savings in their budgets this
year.
Music-loving techies invoke spirit of Hound
Dog
Bearded entrepreneur Richard Branson’s fun-loving approach to
work has rubbed off on the IT department of Virgin Retail.
The company, which manages the Virgin Megastore chain in the UK,
uses a heavily customised JDA application as its merchandising
system – the most important bit of IT for any large retailer.
The techies have affectionately named the application the
Epos-Linked Virgin Information System, or Elvis for short.
Taking the musical theme to heart, a new system for handling
contracts with CD and DVD suppliers has been dubbed the Online
Trading Information System or Otis.
Let’s hope that the two systems never go their Separate Ways or
that Otis becomes too Hard to Handle. (Ouch! – Ed.)
Council takes on extra pair of hands to fix
clock
A council in the North West has been taking the Whitehall target
to put all its services online a little
too literally.
The council’s town hall was recently refurbished and its
picturesque clock was shrouded by tarpaulin.
A local woman complained that she could no longer set the time
of her wristwatch using the clock. Service managers leapt into
action and decided to put a webcam under the tarpaulin so that the
clock face would always be visible on the council’s website –
problem solved.
Some bright spark then realised that the clock was out of action
as well as under wraps. The solution was simple: a still photo of
the clock would be put on the website and digital hands would be
laid over the image.
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