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As someone into web standards and accessibility, I'm normally against Flash websites. Automatic music on websites tends to annoy me, especially if I can't figure out how to turn it off. But I'm going to have to say, Samsung's marketing hub for its new Galaxy tablet beats Apple's iPad web presence in a big way. Going to Samsung's site I immediately get a feel for what the Galaxy tablet will be like: I see how it'll work, I easily navigate toward my interests in a method similar to the tablet itself, I get a cool vibe that makes me feel that I could actually use this thing in my daily life (whether walking down the street or cooking a meal).

Personally, after that kind of interactive trip excellently combining video and user participation, the iPad page looks, well, talky. Apple wants to tell me how to use the product, not show me or let me experiment myself. It wants me to scroll down to do more than watch their marketing videos. It wants me to read about its specs, and I mean read; there's a lot of content packed in those pages, even if it's nicely offset with white space and images. Plus I constantly feel like I'm being called to look at other Apple products while I try to find out more about the iPad.

Sorry Apple aficionados, but I think this is one case where another company outdesigned (or at least outmarketed), and Flash actually seems to be the better course. Any comments?

I'm shamelessly pleased to announced that we've reached a milestone on this blog: featured in two blog carnivals during the same week. First was Grand Rounds, and now the Health Wonk Review, "a biweekly compendium of the best of the health policy blogs." This week the carnival is hosted by InsureBlog, and mostly discusses health care reform but also covers controversies at the FDA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Perhaps my favorite tidbit of information to come out of this carnival was that while President Obama shouldn't give up his day job, his speech writers and graphic artists could definitely jump to the late night show circuit in a pinch. Just watch this YouTube clip to see what I mean (hat tip to The Hospitalist Leader for the video reference). Be sure to go over and check out the other great submissions at the Health Wonk Review.

This October Hollywood will release its version of Facebook's genesis in a movie, The Social Network. It may seem a bit soon for the creation myths to start, both for the six-year-old product and its young founder (only 26), but we all know things happen faster online. Most of us can remember a time before Facebook and social media were the buzzwords of the day, but the details are starting to get hazy and the lines that separated our online identities have blurred considerably. Social media is not just a game for college students anymore; grandparents and corporations use it alike, and unlike in the early days, real money is being made.

For my part, I knew the writing was on the proverbial Facebook wall when I read that North Korea joined Facebook. It didn't matter that they were subsequently removed, then rejoined (I wonder if that'll be a new form of cold war: nations unfriending each other). I had to accept the fact that a country mostly known for its decidedly unfriendly actions toward the world and its own citizens is more cyber social than me, one of the last people in the world not to be on Facebook.

As this week's host said, "The summer is almost over, but we can try to remain in the summery mood just a little bit longer." So Bora Zivkovic of A Blog Around The Clock set the Grand Rounds blog carnival on a tropical island medical conference (which judging by the pictures looks fabulous). There are, as usual, many excellent posts to read, ranging from the strictly informative to the zanily opinionated. Occam PM was featured this go round on "Day 2 – morning session: Medicine and Technology" (scroll down until you get to the picture of the floating fishing). Be sure to check it out.

Vendors, start your engines: after a long wait, two certification bodies have now been officially recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) and Drummond Group have now been approved to begin testing and certifying Electronic Health Records (EHRs) that will qualify for the HITECH incentives program. You can read all about it in these press releases:

• HHS
• CCHIT
• Drummond Group

CCHIT will hold one of their Town Call web meetings on September 20 to explain the details of this new certification program, and will begin accepting applications immediately afterwards. Drummond Group has released an EHR Testing and Certification Guide with information on how its testing will be carried out, as well as how to apply and what pricing options are available.

As they say on the commercials, but wait, there's more. Yesterday I read an announcement naming yet another organization who has applied to become a temporary certification body (or ONC-ATBC): Weno Healthcare Inc. They claim to offer a $19,000 savings for testing complete EHRs, though I couldn't find any pricing information over on their website.

Previously I'd seen reports that there may be up to 15 ONC-ATBC applications. With the announcement of two certification bodies open for business, I expect we'll more applicants become public. Now the race is on to see what product will be the first to become certified for HITECH.