Last year when Barack Obama was swept into executive power, one of his main priorities was to create a national healthcare plan and digitize medical records to improve efficiency, saving billions of dollars a year in the process. While his grand plans have been somewhat foiled by a lack of bipartisanship, universal healthcare remains at the forefront of his objectives for this year.

Obama isn’t the only one ballyhooing about the health industry. It seems that everyone wants in on the game, hoping to latch onto its increasing momentum.

Ever since the dawn of the Wii, video game console makers have been trying to transform the health industry with their cheap systems and technologies. The latest company to seriously consider using their video game consoles for non-entertainment purposes is reported to be Microsoft.

There’s no doubt that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 behemoth is a hit, especially amongst “core-gamers,” with lifetime sales at 39 million units. But, is it even a system that can be considered for medical purposes? The Xbox 360 won’t be a replacement for an X-ray scanner anytime soon, but in terms of using it as a low-cost PC to access and display electronic medical records and other health information, the idea piques my interest. Desney Tan, a senior researcher at Microsoft Research says that Microsoft is exploring the potential that the Xbox 360 could have on the health industry, with technologies such as Project Natal’s controller-less input. Following Nintendo’s approach, Natal could be used for rehabilitation.

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This past week, Sarah Palin took to Facebook to chastise Whitehouse Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel for using “f–king retarded” to describe some liberals in a meeting. The note from Palin is called “Are You Capable of Decency, Rahm Emanuel?”

Rahm Emanuel used the aforementioned words last August at a weekly strategy session with liberal groups after hearing that some of them were planning on airing ads that would attack conservative Democrats who were shying away from President Obama’s healthcare overhaul. When news broke that Emanuel had used those words, there was little media reaction until Palin came out and posted a note on Facebook, exciting a media frenzy. I’m not defending Rahm Emanuel by any means, but it probably isn’t the best idea to go on to Facebook to call out the Whitehouse Chief of Staff. There are two major reasons why Palin shouldn’t have used Facebook to speak her peace.

First, Rahm Emanuel doesn’t have time to read notes on Facebook. He has a real job, something Sarah Palin had as the governor of Alaska, but quit after people began wondering if she was going a good job, coupled with surrounding controversary. If she really wanted to talk to Rahm, she could have set up an interview on Fox News to call him out. The only thing worse than making a note about someone on Facebook is doing it to someone who doesn’t even have a Facebook page. Calling someone out in a Facebook note is better left to co-captains on a cheerleading squad fighting over the star quarterback.

And lastly, you have a voice on Fox News. Seriously, they just hired her to give commentary. Sarah Palin, you have the best social media tool at your disposal. A TELEVISION show on a major network. I understand that Facebook is a large media source and you have over one million fans but, quite frankly, it kind of backfired. You have over 14,000 people who “like” your note to Rahm and over 8,000 comments. However, a of those comments are negative. If you don’t believe me, go to her page and read them for yourself. It’s not pretty.

The moral of the story?  Facebook is great for social networking and handling stray pink cows in Farmville, not for calling out political opponents.

Considering that last week featured the State of the Union address in the United States, I thought it pertinent to discuss a couple of  apps related to the government. For those of you who don’t live in the US of A, don’t worry, there’s something in this article for you as well!

Obama 2009 (free, iTunes Store)

Now the title of this app is a little misleading, considering its focus is not on Obama alone. It does however have the full text of Obama’s Inaugural Address which is the primary reason that I downloaded it. However, it also includes essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson, several addresses by Abraham Lincoln, and FDR’s Fireside Chats. You can also download additional titles. Considering our current president is a pretty darn good orator, I was glad to have a copy of his speech at my fingertips.

White House (free, iTunes store)

This application is part of the Obama Administration’s campaign to make the dealings of the executive branch more accessible and transparent to the American public. The app is free and provides quick and easy access to the White House Blog, Podcast Videos, Photos, a “Live” section and a Newsroom section. For someone who wants to stay on top of the current administration, this app puts all that info at your fingertips. The downsides, however, are that I haven’t been able to distinguish if the application is available on other platforms and it doesn’t work on the iPod Touch. So if you have an iPhone, you’re all set. If you don’t, I’d suggest you start peppering the White House website with emails.

World Factbook 2010 ($.99, www.fuzzypeachsoftware.com)

This app is a handy way to access a huge amount of information about the government, economy, geography and culture about most of the countries in the world. The data all comes from the CIA’s World Factbook and is updated in the application as often as the CIA updates their database. The app is cleanly presented and completely comprehensive. Additionally, the information is all stored locally on your phone, so you don’t have to have internet access to get at it. At only 99 cents, it’s a steal, especially if you find yourself looking up this information on a regular basis. Once again, the only problem is that it’s only available on the iPhone. If you’re on another phone and simply must have it, I’d once again suggest contacting the developers whom you can reach through this webpage: http://www.fuzzypeachsoftware.com/3.html