Mar. 9, 2010
Medical Imaging Will Drive Demand for Faster Networks
There is an interesting article in the February 2010 BioPhotonics magazine. The article discusses the history and future of PACS, which stands for the "Picture Archiving and Communication System."
PACS is the system that allows doctors to digitally access images such as digital x-rays, CT scans, PET scans, ultrasounds, mammography and others. Reduced access time to these images can save lives. However, according to the article, only about 22 percent of the hospitals in the US have some sort of PACS installed, and most of these are in metropolitan areas.
In order to reduce costs and improve healthcare system, we need to get key patient information and these types of images where they are needed. This means the data need to be available to a doctor in the OR, a consulting doctor at home on their PC, a nurse practitioner in a rural clinic or a telemedicine practitioners using their iPhone.
What does all this mean? It means growth for the fiber optic industry all over America. And in our current economy that is good news indeed.
Feb. 26, 2010
Winter Olympics
While watching these 2010 Winter Olympics, it is amazing to note the time, determination, effort and practice that goes into becoming an Olympic competitor. 
It seems as though one's whole life must be dedicated to the pursuit of perfection in one specific sport or even just one event within that sport; and that means from early childhood. It is not likely that someone at age 20 who decides to become an Olympic figure skater or downhill skier will achieve much success. It seems that the programming of the mind and body for this level of competition must be from the beginning so that the responses run deep. All of this effort is put into the pursuit of perfection; the flawless performance.
Yet, we all expect our communications networks to operate perfectly all the time. We get very upset if a download times-out or our HD picture quality fails. We expect Olympian performance from our optical networks. There is only one way to assure quality and perfection on an optical network and it doesn't involve years of training. Just clean and inspect every fiber optic connection, every time you connect!
Feb. 10, 2010
Let's Thank Fiber
I am just returning from a personal trip to New England and would like to offer the following comment about last weekend's major event (I'm not referring to my granddaughter's birthday). For those who watched the super bowl on a large HDTV and got to see all the detail of the Saints' win over the Colts, we should pause for a moment of thanks.
- We should offer thanks to the fiber optic technicians that installed the fiber network at the stadium.
- We should thank the fiber techs who hooked up the network cameras to make the broadcast possible.
- And we also need to thank the communications companies for investing in the fiber optic networks that enabled that HDTV signal to reach our homes.
Remember that great game certainly traveled over a lot of glass to reach our homes; allowing all of us to share New Orleans great moment.
Jan. 28, 2010
Photonics West
Photonics West 2010 just wrapped up in sunny San Francisco; it was the only sunny day we had all week. But the show was definitely better than the weather.
Unlike BICSI, Photonics West is a show to reach OEMs and researchers. Attendance and activity was very good. There were many folks present using photonics in medical devices who were very interested in fiber optic cleaning. There was also those needing cleaning materials for new technologies in microscopy. It was different than the BICSI EXPO with the contractor types needing cleaning products to complete an install without being called back for repairs. At Photonics West we found folks developing new products such as laser applications for medical devices and needed help with cleaning materials for both their manufacturing processes and to package with their products for their customers to use. All and all it was a very good show.
On a slightly different note, I found the food on Fisherman's Wharf to be "OK". (I must tell you that I do have a restricted diet due to a medical condition and therefore restaurants have to prepare my food separately from the standard menu order.) However, the best salmon I had was not in the tourist area but at Houlihan's at the Holiday Inn at SFO. It was tender and moist, grilled to perfection, and served with grilled asparagus that slightly charred and soooo sweet. Noticeably better than the downtown fare. Go figure!
Jan. 22, 2010
BICSI Wrap-Up
It is Thursday and I am on way back to Arizona from Winter BICSI Conference in Orlando.
As I mentioned an earlier post, the show was well attended and the contractors seemed enthusiastic and in a buying mood. I was not sure how the 2009 downturn would affect the premise market in fiber optics, but most of the vendors that I spoke with were very pleasantly surprised also. Perhaps it is some of the "stimulus money" filtering down to the fiber infrastructure. If so, it is good to see that our tax dollars have reached the fiber optic industry.
Next week I will be in San Francisco for Photonics West, which has moved this year to the Moscone Center from San Jose. It will be interesting to see if the positive outlook we saw with the premise folks, is also present in the general photonics sector. I will let you know next week.
And remember, photons can only collide with contamination at the connections; clean and inspect each and every time.
January 18, 2010
BICSI Opens in Orlando
BICSI Orlando opened on Sunday January 17th. The weather was pleasant; the cold wave had passed and MicroCare debuted the new Sticklers™ fiber optic cleaning products. The bright "Day-Glo" orange posters with a mantra of good cleaning practices certainly grabbed the attention and support of the attendees.
Speaking of attendees, I must admit that I was not sure how well attended the show would be considering the economic turn of events in 2009. But I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised at both the number of attendees, and from a vendor viewpoint, the quality of attendees. Many more people visited the Sticklers™ fiber optic cleaning booth with the intensions to buy rather than just tire kicking.
It seems that message of the importance of cleaning and inspecting every fiber optic connection before mating is taking hold. The contractors we talked to know that cleaning is necessary, and they are looking for easy to use tools that their crews can bring to the field and conveniently and reliably get the job done. The "Stickler" Day-Glo cleaning kit with a single solvent for fiber optic cleaning and proven wipe and cleaning stick technology that will clean any connector they may encounter, seemed to fill that need.
It seems that Sunday January 17th was good day for both MicroCare and the Minnesota Vikings!
Jan. 7 --
WELCOME!
January 17, 2010 is the opening date of the Sticklers™ fiber optic website and I would like to take this opportunity to offer a sincere welcome to all who have either searched for the site or happened upon it.
It will be my goal to offer information and comment on fiber optic cleaning and inspection as well as comments on photonics and photonic applications. I believe there is a lot of potential in the world of optical communication and photonics that have yet to be explored. I know that I feel fortunate to be a part of this industry and I hope that you do also.
I will use this blog to answer questions that are submitted via the "Ask Harvey" site (see email link, below). I would assume that a majority of these comments will be focused on cleaning and inspection as they pertain to optical network performance. However, other related (some even vaguely related) matters may be discussed.
It is my goal that you will find this blog both enjoyable and informative.
May your source be bright
May your connectors be clean
May all photons reach their intended destinations.
Technical questions? Cleaning problems? Issues about "best practices" or processes? Worried about through-put and speed? Contact
Harvey and he'll answer you here.
Harvey Stone has been working the fiber optics industry for a long time. A
brief bio is available here.
Harvey's Tech Tip
for March
Signal losses can bring even the biggest, fastest, newest fiber optic network to it's knees. One of the most common sources of signal loss is "insertion loss."
"Insertion Loss" refers to a condition found that is exclusively caused by connectors. Too many connectors, or too dirty connectors, can cause unexpectedly troublesome problems.
When contamination on a connector blocks, either completely or partially, the optical packet from passing from one connector through the end-face into the next connector this is called "insertion loss." Use your OTDR to find the dirty connectors and clean them, and the problems will magically go away.
For example, if a network has a budget of 4dB and every connector or splice has an insertion loss of, say, 0.7 dB, after 5 or 6 connectors the signal budget may be exceeded and the packet of light it may be too feeble to be detected.
So every connector must be cleaned and inspected every time it is installed, tested and/or reconfigured. Even brand-new connectors, straight out of the bag, must be cleaned.
The Sticklers™ family of cleaners and tools make it easy and fast to take proper care of your connectors. So do the right thing -- and avoid the customer complaints -- and properly clean when you install, troubleshoot or upgrade any fiber optic system.
For the most up-to-date info on the industry's best practices for cleaning fiber optic systems, check out the "How to Clean" section, the FAQs and the Technical Papers on this web site.