In an attempt to step up and validate a gaming platform for real-word, Bayer develops the Didget Glucose Meter and tracking application for the Nintendo DS/DS Lite platform.

The Didget is based on Glucoboy, which in fact is developed at Bayer by the same person who originally developed the Glucoboy for the Nintendo Gameboy. Paul Wessel quit his job, founded Guidance Interactive Healthcare and created the Glucoboy for the Gameboy because his son kept losing his meter, but somehow managed to always have his Gameboy.

The Didget follows the same principles and function, but modernizes Glucoboy for the newer system. It’s simple, and easy to use with no coding or manual entry, which would be mandatory for getting kids to use it. Well, having it for a game platform doesn’t hurt either.

Taken from the UK website:

Bayer’s DIDGET™ is the only blood glucose meter that plugs into a Nintendo DS™ or Nintendo DS™ Lite system. This unique meter helps encourage consistent testing with reward points that children can use to buy items within the game and unlock new game levels. And, since the DIDGET™ meter is based on Bayer’s trusted CONTOUR™ system, you know you’re getting a meter that’s reliable.

This is an excellent example of a company leveraging a very popular game platform to equip folks with a device that helps them manage their health. There are a ton of games that say the promote memory growth, exercise your brain, and I just recently found Personal Trainer: Walking for the DS Lite, which I was tempted to get.

Unfortunately with Nintendo’s release of the DSi, Nintendo decided to remove the GBA slot, so Didget is out of luck with the newest revision of this platform.

There’s also a US site for the Didget, but it’s not available yet

The Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama was the first inauguration I have watched in over a decade, and I am glad I watched it. Around 10 am or so yesterday we decided at work we would setup a projector in the office lunch room, get Pizza and as a group watch the inauguration; and it was quite a show.

The thing that strikes me the most is how engaging he is as a speaker, his innate ability to capture the attention of his audience and maintain it throughout the length of his oration. President Obama is an orator in every sense, and it is good to have a literate, articulate well spoken President back in the White House. But my captivation with his speaking abilities isn't what's interesting; it's my kids.

After dinner (and homework) the boys are playing on their computer jabbering away at some Flash game on BubbleBox.com, and my oldest notices I am watching the inauguration on tv and we start talking about where we were this morning and that we were both watching the TV and the inauguration. I'm glad to see they did this in his school, I wouldn't have expected it – not here. Anyway, my kids have been transfixed during this entire election on Obama – that's the only candidate would they would talk about, that's who they wanted us to vote for. So after a while and lots more jabbering and babbling, the boys start talking about how they want to go to the White House so they can meet and talk to the President and maybe Mommy will let them skip school tomorrow and they all can just drive to DC to do just that.

I don't know how wide spread this is or isn't, but I do find it interesting that the one thing that they have consistently talked about for well over a year now is a Presidential Candidate and now the President.

My youngest son, who just turned 4 not too long ago – has evolved into the official Cthulhu for the Lego Universe. Just replace the victims on this shot of a Vinyl toy available from Brand Fury, with minifigs – and it’s spot on. I got him a couple more little Lego trains for his Birthday, since my Dad send some dough, and inside of 10 minutes they were frankenlegos, or disassembled or missing parts.

Couple this with the 4 minifigs who are handless on both arms, or just one and you have widespread chaos and destruction the likes of which our ginormous bag of Lego’s has not seen before.

All of this mayhem not withstanding, he really does enjoy himself playing with trains and Legos, but now that he has trains that are Legos – he’s a happy camper. Naturally, being 4, his attention span lasts for about one trip around the fish bowl, so he moves on to the Brio trains or transformers quickly. Especially after he disembowels the helpless little Legos, and after they are no longer recognizable – I think he sorta just blows them off.

Speaking of the Brio trains too, they have a couple new bits to add to the regular wooden toys. The smart track, and the Network train toys are pretty sweet, and I think we might have to get some and give them a shot.

The Smart Track trains and track pieces can effect the play experience by adding bits to the tracks. You can control the speed, stop and make an engine blow its whistle by placing little signs next to the smart tracks. They have a station, repair shack and starter kit along with a few add-ons.

The Network series is based on the computers, this is what is says on their website:

BRIO Network is not your classic toy train set. It.s an original world of Rail Play featuring the imaginary creatures who live inside your computer. They drive super-cool vehicles around wooden train tracks. They can listen to their messages and interact in fun, new ways. Though the networkers are inspired by the computer world, you do not need a computer to play with them.

They have a good selection of accessories and kits for this series – which is pretty cool. With email, viruses, trash bins, firewall guy, and a few others. This is pretty well thought out and could be a cool way to get the oldest terror back in to playing trains again – hopefully in a nice way, with his younger brother…..

than being sick.

I seem to have contracted some bug from the germ factories that are my children, and for the past 2 days have had a fever and a raging, maybe I should say ginormous, grimace inducing, headache. I think the only thing worse than a headache is a toothache. Having throbbing pain in your head is the hardest thing to not just sit and focus on. gah.

I have to go back to Pittsburgh next week for another ultrasound. My bilirubin count has been going up a bit, so they want to get me in so they can have a peek around. It isn’t anything to worry about, so’s I have been told – so naturally I am at least marginally concerned. We’ll see next Wednesday I guess.

Nothing else has changed though, I am still negative for CMV, and my energy level isn’t getting any worse or better; so really I can’t complain. Actually, yeah… yeah I can.

This time of years just blows. It’s dark when I get and go to work, and it’s damn near dark when I leave to go home. It’s starting to snow now, and there’s actually a little bit on the ground. It’s not even like I hate the winter and/or snow – it’s just really hard going from summer to winter. I’m not a huge fan of being cold, so it takes a bit for me to get back into the swing of winter again.

meh. I must go regain my spot in front of the TV now…..

We returned from Pittsburgh yesterday afternoon, and now we get to go straight back again Thursday night. Gah!

My Hepatic Artery still isn’t delivering the blood flow required to get my Resistance Index (RI) on all parts above 5.0, where a good range is 5.0 – 8.0, so back under the balloon I go. Damned early too – which hopefully means I get to come home Friday, not Saturday.

The docs are going to perform Angioplasty on the artery again to increase the opening, which I hope works – because if it doesn’t, they will have to resort to a surgical solution. Not at the top of my list, but beats being dead.

It’s been nearly 2.5 months know, and I feel like a close resemblance of myself rather than a mere shadow, and I am beginning to gain my perspective back, so I’m no where near as apprehensive about this as I was on the first attempt.

Kiss the Chauffeur goodbye!

I am finally under my own power; released under my own recognizance. So I treated myself to lunch, bought some new batteries for my awesomely awesome watch, and bounced around the town and chatted with some friends and coworkers for quite a while. It was good to get back to the office, and I will be starting to do some work; albeit very limited, and for short bits of time – but I am going to start to get back into the swing of things so that when I do return to work, I don’t go back cold-turkey and wind up passed out with my face on the keyboard at 3pm.

OMG! We took the kids!

Ha! We did, both our goony little monkies went with this time and we all stayed in the hometel. That’s what Donovan used to call the Hotels we would stay in. It was mostly fun too, the boys were insane almost up until they were forced into slumber, and Dylan went all Rambo on a photo in the car on the way into town. They stayed up until 10pm or so, but that was mostly because we didn’t eat until after 7pm, and didn’t get back to the Residence Inn by UPMC until around 9pm.

Rather than suffer the entire Liver Clinic through our rampaging hoard, Litsa took the boys to Ikea , and loosed them into the ball cage. Since Ikea has a kid care, it was all good for everyone. I was a little bummed I couldn’t go, but I know it would have been a shorter trip since I don’t have the energy to walk around gawking at everything there yet.

She bought these great Dog Butt hooks to go on her wall, and they’re hilarious.

Luckily, for this next trip we have friends who are generous enough to be able to occupy our kids. This one would be a bit tough to work around with the kids, as I will have to be immobile and laying down for 4 to 6 hours after the procedure, and will be quite sore for a day afterward. Immediately after would be tough, since I would totally incapable of handling either of them. We are lucky.

One of these days I would like to go to Pittsburgh for no other reason than to have a good time….

I know that sounds like a lot… well, that’s because it is! 9lbs 2 oz! Dylan was born on this day, and he came out pissed! He showed up around 8:45am and was 21 inches long.

Even heavier than his big brother, and not quite as much as the grumpy old man. I guess I’m going to have to do something different for the kid-site now, can’t just be for Donovan any more.

So we tried putting out the presents a couple of days before Christmas. Oh boy, that was smart… So needless to say doubleD had come up with a plan to get his presents early. It went sorta like this:

“Momma…come me… (come with me in kid speak)” his grand scheme, get mommy to go into the kitchen while he destroys the wrapping paper. When that failed he resorted to “momma…go way”. Hmmm, not sure what he had in mind there either. That’s my boy, subtle as a brick to the grape. So after that, no presents showed their face till he was asleep in his bed Christmas eve, then all of a sudden…WHAMMO! Santa exploded all over our living room.

So we figured he’d go noo-noo in the morning when he came down and saw all his loot. We set up the trusty DVcam, and waited.

He wakes.
He plods down the steps.
He stops.
He stares.
He’s still staring.

Yep. Wow. Exciting huh? He just stood there gape-mouthed and said nary a word. No excited kid-squeaks, no jumping up and down. Nada. Go figure. Well, we all had a great time anyway, we played until about 2pm, then we went and partook of our friends hospitality and company. We have some video and photos which will find their way here soon, for all you out-of-towners, hehehe…guess that’s pretty much everyone.

Cheers.