Brett Montgomery
@brettmont.bsky.social
GP, educator, EBM nerd, husband, dad. Dreaming of a fairer society and health system. Opinions my own. (he/him)
In which direction does causation go here? Does TikTok ruin attention, or do people with poor attention choose TikTok?
November 15, 2025 at 2:31 AM
In which direction does causation go here? Does TikTok ruin attention, or do people with poor attention choose TikTok?
A few hours later they sent me another email with a link that actually worked! bsky.app/profile/bret...
Update: Microsoft has sent me another email with a corrected link that indeed leads to the option to move to a Family Classic plan. Problem resolved.
November 6, 2025 at 5:07 AM
A few hours later they sent me another email with a link that actually worked! bsky.app/profile/bret...
Hopefully you, like me, will have got a follow-up email with a corrected link that works as it should. bsky.app/profile/bret...
Update: Microsoft has sent me another email with a corrected link that indeed leads to the option to move to a Family Classic plan. Problem resolved.
November 6, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Hopefully you, like me, will have got a follow-up email with a corrected link that works as it should. bsky.app/profile/bret...
Hopefully you, like me, will have got a follow-up email with a corrected link that works as it should. bsky.app/profile/bret...
Update: Microsoft has sent me another email with a corrected link that indeed leads to the option to move to a Family Classic plan. Problem resolved.
November 6, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Hopefully you, like me, will have got a follow-up email with a corrected link that works as it should. bsky.app/profile/bret...
Update: Microsoft has sent me another email with a corrected link that indeed leads to the option to move to a Family Classic plan. Problem resolved.
November 6, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Update: Microsoft has sent me another email with a corrected link that indeed leads to the option to move to a Family Classic plan. Problem resolved.
Why? I value OneDrive storage, the option of the web-based Office apps, and being able to collaborate with others on shared documents online. I don’t get those things from LibreOffice (which I agree is good — I prefer Calc to Excel for some tasks). I just don’t want to use or pay for Copilot.
November 6, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Why? I value OneDrive storage, the option of the web-based Office apps, and being able to collaborate with others on shared documents online. I don’t get those things from LibreOffice (which I agree is good — I prefer Calc to Excel for some tasks). I just don’t want to use or pay for Copilot.
The bad news: when I follow the link to downgrade to Family Classic, I am offered instead only my current expensive Copilot-containing Family plan or a single person Classic plan. Where is the promised Family Classic plan? Microsoft still appears to be making this unreasonably difficult.
November 6, 2025 at 12:21 AM
The bad news: when I follow the link to downgrade to Family Classic, I am offered instead only my current expensive Copilot-containing Family plan or a single person Classic plan. Where is the promised Family Classic plan? Microsoft still appears to be making this unreasonably difficult.
The good news: this legal action appears to have precipitated an apology and and offer to convert to “Microsoft 365 Family Classic” with a refund, according to this email I received today.
November 6, 2025 at 12:17 AM
The good news: this legal action appears to have precipitated an apology and and offer to convert to “Microsoft 365 Family Classic” with a refund, according to this email I received today.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with learning from quality web-based sources. But I think there’s a lot wrong with not doing the learning in the first place, and hoping you’ll fill every gap with a Google search in future years. We need solid foundations as well as ongoing learning.
December 12, 2024 at 11:29 PM
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with learning from quality web-based sources. But I think there’s a lot wrong with not doing the learning in the first place, and hoping you’ll fill every gap with a Google search in future years. We need solid foundations as well as ongoing learning.
I suppose it fixes your LUTS while (often) simultaneously causing you new urinary symptoms. Problematic in a different way.
November 28, 2024 at 3:14 PM
I suppose it fixes your LUTS while (often) simultaneously causing you new urinary symptoms. Problematic in a different way.
Also, I think if your disease comes back after prostatectomy, you can still have EBRT. I think it doesn’t work the other way around. So by choosing prostatectomy first, people may feel they are saving more options for later. How important this is may depend on life expectancy and patient values.
November 28, 2024 at 8:57 AM
Also, I think if your disease comes back after prostatectomy, you can still have EBRT. I think it doesn’t work the other way around. So by choosing prostatectomy first, people may feel they are saving more options for later. How important this is may depend on life expectancy and patient values.
So why do prostatectomy? I’m a GP, not a urologist/oncologist, but I think part of the answer may be a perception that prostatectomy is slightly superior (lower mortality estimate in that trial, albeit the difference was not statistically significant and the absolute difference was small).
November 28, 2024 at 8:54 AM
So why do prostatectomy? I’m a GP, not a urologist/oncologist, but I think part of the answer may be a perception that prostatectomy is slightly superior (lower mortality estimate in that trial, albeit the difference was not statistically significant and the absolute difference was small).
Also relevant: similar survival rates (as you say) were found in this large RCT: www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.... — arguably more robust than your paper as it was a trial (not observational) and follows people as long as 15 years.
Fifteen-Year Outcomes after Monitoring, Surgery, or Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer | NEJM
Between 1999 and 2009 in the United Kingdom, 82,429 men between 50 and 69 years of
age received a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Localized prostate cancer was
diagnosed in 2664 men. Of these...
www.nejm.org
November 28, 2024 at 8:52 AM
Also relevant: similar survival rates (as you say) were found in this large RCT: www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.... — arguably more robust than your paper as it was a trial (not observational) and follows people as long as 15 years.
Also I wrote this a few years ago for a general readership: theconversation.com/your-asthma-... I would write it a bit differently today though. Since that was written, the role of antiinflammatory relievers (ICS-formoterol) has become a lot more clear.
Your asthma puffer is probably contributing to climate change, but there’s a better alternative
As if having asthma wasn’t bad enough news, your health condition is probably contributing to climate change.
theconversation.com
November 15, 2024 at 8:49 AM
Also I wrote this a few years ago for a general readership: theconversation.com/your-asthma-... I would write it a bit differently today though. Since that was written, the role of antiinflammatory relievers (ICS-formoterol) has become a lot more clear.
Here’s a NewsGP article: www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clini...
newsGP - How GPs can improve asthma outcomes and protect the environment
New guidelines show switching to greener dry powder inhalers could reduce the carbon impact of asthma therapy by more than 90%, while also leading to better asthma control.
www1.racgp.org.au
November 15, 2024 at 8:47 AM
Here’s a NewsGP article: www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clini...
We also slipped a green inhalers case into this edition of Check (again for GPs): www1.racgp.org.au/getmedia/f90...
www1.racgp.org.au
November 15, 2024 at 8:45 AM
We also slipped a green inhalers case into this edition of Check (again for GPs): www1.racgp.org.au/getmedia/f90...
At a policy level, this roadmap report is really useful: asthma.org.au/wp-content/u...
asthma.org.au
November 15, 2024 at 8:44 AM
At a policy level, this roadmap report is really useful: asthma.org.au/wp-content/u...
And this article in AJGP aimed specifically at a GP audience: www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2022/de...
Respiratory inhalers and the environment
Respiratory inhalers contribute significantly to climate change, principally because the propellant gases in pressurised metered-dose inhalers are potent global warming gases.
www1.racgp.org.au
November 15, 2024 at 8:43 AM
And this article in AJGP aimed specifically at a GP audience: www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2022/de...
There are a few other resources. Like this recent statement from the National Asthma Council: files.nationalasthma.org.au/resources/NA...
files.nationalasthma.org.au
November 15, 2024 at 8:42 AM
There are a few other resources. Like this recent statement from the National Asthma Council: files.nationalasthma.org.au/resources/NA...
Do you mean prescribing more broadly, rather than inhalers specifically?
November 14, 2024 at 10:22 PM
Do you mean prescribing more broadly, rather than inhalers specifically?