That would be nice, but you are probably not going to have the chance to shop around. The ICD (defib + pacemaker) that gets implanted is going to be selected by your doctor, or their practice. It is going to come from the vendor they selected. The lead(s) that connect the device to your heart are going to come from the same vendor. You did want them to be compatible with your device, didn't you? You know, have the proper connectors to connect to the device, rather than have the doctor or someone in the room cut off the connections and solder on the correct ones for your device before they implant it. Yes, I'm sure they can solder coax in a sterile environment.

My ICD was strongly suggested because my ejection fraction (how much your heart pumps out when it beats) was such that there was a high probability that I could fall over dead at some point. I didn't go car shopping to see which one got the best gas mileage, had XM radio, 4WD, etc. I didn't ask for the source code, as I didn't when we bought our last car - you did get the source code to your cars' computer, didn't you? I went with the device the doctor had selected. Later I found out other cardiologist groups in the area used several different manufacturers and were not familiar with mine.

BTW - communications with all ICDs is wireless - you do not have a bunch of wires and a connector hanging out of your chest (usual location is upper left on chest). The programming and monitoring is performed over the air so to say. I have been able to communicate with my device up to about 10 M. It does make a rather loud noise whenever I place a magnet over it to disable it temporarily (there are times when I did not want it to fire unexpectedly). Some devices, not mine, have the ability to communicate with a local device / base station that collects data sensed by the device and relays that data to a remote server so someone can monitor your device. The base station could be sitting on a night stand next to your bed and collect data while you sleep, others collect the data when you enter the room.

RE: battery life and repeated surgery - when I last looked, the batteries in these devices are expected to last 5 to 7 years. That said, my device is on a watch list where the battery life may be shorter than expected.

As a comment to a post above regarding 'over-regulation' - take a look at the FDA web site and the approval process. It is difficult to get the first one approved. When you produce the second / next generation, all you have to do is say that it is 'like' the first one and the approval process is a lot less difficult.

When we comment in their reviews, we should add the phrase 'this is almost as good as the Hopper", or "this is better than the Hopper."

You did what you needed to do, you let them know they had a problem.

You are done.

It is not just non-tech savvy people that have this problem. My brother is, or so I thought, knowledgeable in the area of malware. One day I get a spam message sent from him, actually from his previous email address. I recognized that the message was also sent to quite a few people in his address book. After receiving a few more, I did a reply all to one of the messages, copied to his current email address and included a message that I hope you are not doing any banking or on-line shopping with that computer. His response was to send out a message to his entire address book asking people to set up their spam filters to ignore any messages from his old address.

I tried, I'm done.

The good news is that I now know of some juicy stocks that are going to really run up in price and three or four places where I can order some V1agra. Also, I was able to do all of my holiday shopping an a really great Russian sex toy shop. They even gift wrap! Everyone is going to be so surprised this year!

Again, you are done, move on.

Fisher - Price called, they want their UI back.

How are these workers going to react when they find out the next iPhone will be assembled by robots?

We have the technology, it is just a small matter of programming.

if anyone can provide a snippet of code to upload to the logging server, I would be willing to upload a manual or two, or maybe even a video. I could even share my latest copy of Fedora or Ubuntu with them since everyone knows Linux is best. Then again if the stuff is going over seas I should check the export restrictions. We can all help populate the logging server.

Magnets are used to disable or suspend operation of the device (therapy). The devices can malfunction where an inappropriate shock is repeatedly delivered. There are also times when they need to be disabled. When a magnet is placed on the device there is a rather loud alarm. Magnetic fields can also pose a problem as the lead(s) that transmit the minute electrical impulses from the heart muscle to the ICD can also act as an antenna. They tell you 'don't lean / don't linger' around certain electrical devices and things that generate a strong magnetic field - security posts leaving a store (I am aware of one documented 'event'), working on a running engine, and the like. There a times that I do not want to be 'surprised' because of something I'm doing at the time.

Some devices are capable of transmitting their data to a 'base station' that later transmits the data to a server for examination by a physician. I did not RTFA yet, but am curious to know if the malware infection is in the actual device or the base station / server network. My device is not one of them. It requires an antenna to be placed over the device and after some handshaking, the data is transmitted to the controller / monitor. I have been playing with it and have been able to communicate with it up to a distance of 10m. With a better antenna design on my rig I think I can get it up to 30m.

Yes, I am 'zippered' - three on the left leg to remove the spare 'plumbing', large vertical n the chest - where they installed the now spare plumbing parts to reroute blood flow in three places, three little zips below the rib cage for temporary drainage, and don't forget just below the left collarbone to implant the ICD. Even with all of these zippers, I would not allow an constant open wound for a firmware port. That is an idea waiting for an infection. Also, they don't stitch anymore so there is no zipper. It is more like the 'ZipLock Club' now with the use of superglue and packing tape - you know - the stuff with the threads imbedded...

BTW - they don't replace the battery on these devices, they replace the device..

Sounds like you could fry an egg on the sidewalk at night too.

I just saw a headline that they may be increasing the security fees. How high do the fees need to go before the TSA can be charged with prostitution for giving me that oh so thorough massage?

For years, Microsoft has given us products that were 'good enough' to ship. The market may have determined that XP and IE6 are 'good enough' to meet their needs and now have no urgent reason to go through the time and expense of upgrading.

I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. Maybe it could replace the defibrillator implanted in my chest. On second thought, I now know what to get Dick Cheney for his birthday.