After hours of tireless programming, we are excited to release the newest update to the AcuGraph software. These changes will make your life easier, and your patient interactions more effective. If you’ve delayed upgrading your version of AcuGraph…now is the time!
Question: What’s the difference between Gravity and an Alligator?
Answer: You can measure the alligator.
What?
Today’s post is about what you can and can’t measure, and though you can measure an alligator, maybe you really shouldn’t. Substitute something safer, like maybe a turtle. You can measure a turtle.
Now, stick with me. This is going somewhere. Let me start by telling you about two events that prompted my thinking today:
First, I was planning to attend a scientific acupuncture conference a couple of years ago and I wanted to participate as a vendor. But the conference organizers prohibited me from doing so because they didn’t like the tag line we use with AcuGraph, “See the Chi.” From the scientific perspective, they felt this was crossing some arbitrary line they had established about what could and couldn’t be measured. See the alligator? No problem. See the Chi? Problem.
Now, combine that with a recent comment on a web forum from an acupuncturist advising everyone to be cautious about any device that claims to measure “chi.”
These two events have gotten me thinking and it’s high time I clarified a few things.
The AcuGraph program isn’t perfect… THERE—I said it. That sounds a little awkward coming from me, doesn’t it?
Let me give you a little history. The AcuGraph has been around for 9 years and our current version is 4.1.3. You can’t stay around as long as we have without continuing to upgrade. Actually, we keep a master list of requests that come in from our users with suggestions for continued improvements. One of the best things about investing in AcuGraph is the continual improvements.
Okay—so everyone knows that I really do LOVE the AcuGraph. I just have “one, tiny little pet peeve” that I’m anxious to resolve someday soon. First, I’ll explain my pet peeve–and THEN I’ll share my ingenious idea of how I get around the problem Read the rest of this entry »
Okay, I’m a “Big Picture” kind of guy. In other words, I like to see all the details, from the start to the finish! When it comes to being proficient with the AcuGraph Dr. Larsen has created a simple progression that will help you become an “AcuGraph-Master.”
Like most electronic purchases, we have a conditioned need to “plug the thing in and watch it work!” We come by this tendency honestly…just think of how home appliances were marketed for the past 50 years.
Mastering the AcuGraph isn’t difficult as long as you take it step by step. So let’s take a minute and go over the 3 steps to learning how to maximize your investment.
This weekend, I was in Bloomington, Minnesota for the Great River Symposium at Northwestern Health Sciences University. At this event, there was a nice mixture of acupuncturists, chiropractors and students. Working the booth is always fun for me because I get to meet so many amazing practitioners. When I was a kid in school, I would get in trouble for talking too much. At events like this, I’m really in my element, because I am allowed to talk all day long with with amazing people about one of my favorite subjects: Acupuncture.
Our booth was the most popular gathering spot at the symposium.At first, practitioners stop by purely out of curiosity. Who wouldn’t? We have an AMAZING backdrop with the AcuGraph projected onto a big screen so that everyone can see, a huge crowd surrounding our table, and that intriguing beeping sound which projects from the little black box. Everyone wants to get in on the action.
I love to watch the excitement of the practitioners when they are being graphed. First, they want to know if the graph REALLY shows what they already know is happening in their body. Once they see the graph, they are completely SURPRISED that the computer actually matches the diagnosis that they would have given themselves. At this point, I have their complete attention. Watching the light bulb turn on is really fun.
Today we are pleased to announce the release of the latest version of AcuGraph – version 4.0.6. This release brings a host of corrections to prior versions, as well as some nifty new features. Here is a brief list of what has changed:
In case you haven’t heard yet, AcuGraph 4 was officially released yesterday.
This means three things are happening around here today:
1. Our servers are VERY busy to accommodate the hundreds of downloads that have already happened.
2. Our phones are VERY busy as people call with questions, comments, and orders (sorry if you can’t get through! Keep trying!)
3. Our focus has shifted from development and testing to packing and shipping, and WOW is it busy. I’ve attached a snapshot from our warehouse today, so you can get a feel for just how many orders we’re getting for the great new products.
I must admit, I’m thrilled with the feedback we’ve received as well. Early adopters overwhelmingly LOVE the new software and ALL the great new features it has.
Now that we have reached this remarkable milestone, we’d love to take some time and celebrate, but we’ve still got lots to do. We are now shipping upgrade packages to all of you who have placed your pre-orders. We’ve got a lot to ship, but we expect all pre-orders to ship within the next 7 days. So if you’re waiting for your upgrade package, your patience will soon be rewarded.
If you haven’t yet ordered your AcuGraph 4 upgrade, time is no longer on your side! The pre-order discounts expire in just 6 days, on June 15th. If you don’t order by then, you will lose your eligibility for the pre-order discount. Don’t wait until the last minute and miss out!
If you don’t yet own AcuGraph, NOW is the time to order AcuGraph 4 at the AcuGraph 3 price! But again, you must hurry! Pre-order discounts of at least $200 expire on June 15th. Don’t miss this opportunity!
If you’ve already installed your upgrade, please leave us a comment below to let others know of your experience!
You won’t believe how busy we are here with last minute details before tomorrow’s big launch of AcuGraph 4. And I’ll tell you, it’s really getting exciting—as I watch 2 years of work all come together, all I can say is it’s even better than I expected. Prepare to be amazed!
By the way, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who responded to yesterday’s post with their price guesses. We’ve gotten well over 100 guesses so far, and they’re still coming in! It’s been very interesting to see the range of expectations out there. I can’t say much more except that many of you will be pleasantly surprised.
And one other shout out to all those of you who called the office today trying to purchase AcuGraph 4 before we release it: NICE TRY! You need to wait until Friday like everyone else.
OK, on to the good stuff. Drumroll please.
Tomorrow at noon, the following link will go live.
(If you don’t know what time in your time zone equals noon in our time zone, you can go ahead and click the link now, and you’ll see the countdown timer.)
A couple of things you need to know:
First, tomorrow this link will show you complete upgrade information for AcuGraph 4. To get your specific pricing and discounts, you’ll need the serial number from your AcuGraph system. The number is located on the back of your black AcuGraph processor unit, so you’ll want to have that handy.
Second, let’s talk about discounts. We’ll not only be offering discounts on the AcuGraph 4 upgrade, but we’ll also be offering discounts on all our new AcuGraph 4 accessories. But all these discounts are for a limited time only, and when they expire, they’re gone. Here’s a partial list of the items you’ll be able to purchase in discount packages:
And a very important item we haven’t told you about yet:
This year I’ll be teaching a live AcuGraph training seminar right here at our company headquarters in Meridian, Idaho. This live, hands-on training experience will cover everything from basic theory, history and use, all the way through advanced applications, interpretation and case management. You’ll come out of this class a meridian graphing expert, ready to take your effectiveness to new heights. 15 PDA credits have been applied for with NCCAOM. Best of all, we’re keeping this class small so we can have plenty of interpersonal interaction. This is a VERY limited opportunity, and when the class is full, it’s full.
We expect it will fill quickly, so if you’re interested, you’ll want to check in advance and clear your calendar. The seminar will be held August 6-7 from 8:00 AM through 5:30 PM. Boise, Idaho, USA is the closest airport. Tomorrow, when sales go live, watch for the sales packages that include the live seminar, and act early if you’re interested. I wouldn’t be surprised if it sells out tomorrow.
That’s all for now. I’m going to get back to our preparations. See you tomorrow!
I’ve got to tell you, I’m having an absolutely fabulous time getting ready for this release. Yes, it’s an unbelievable amount of work, but hearing from all of you makes it worth it.
The Australian contingent weighed in from down under with a couple of my favorite comments on yesterday’s post:
Not to worry, Graham, once we open for pre-orders we’ll keep it open long enough to ensure you ample opportunity to learn all about AcuGraph 4 and qualify for the early bird discount.
I’ve gotta admit, this one left me scratching my head. Here in the office, we all dove for our Australian-American English dictionaries to figure out what a “Dummie Spit” was. After some research, I think the American equivalent would be a “Hissy Fit.” Thanks for giving us a good laugh! Sorry about the Aussie Dollar—I hope it gets better soon.
And last but not least, in yesterday’s post, at the end of an insightful comment, Shawn Soszka put it succinctly:
More Videos Please!!
Your wish is my command.
Here’s another video I put together to demonstrate Feature #21 (Unlimited Compare) and Feature #4 (Historical Trending). I show how these two new features combine to give the best “look back” at your patient’s progress. This is seriously cool.
The features demonstrated in the video are just 2 more of over 50 great new features in AcuGraph 4.
Here’s the breakdown:
10 new features are so ground breaking I consider them MAJOR. So far you’ve seen 2 of them (IntelliGraph and Historical Trending.) There are 8 more you haven’t seen yet.
11 more features are brand new, very helpful, and make the software much, much nicer
14 Usability improvements make this the most user-friendly version of AcuGraph ever
11 Patient education enhancements ensure AcuGraph remains the most powerful patient education tool in the business for years to come
5 Interface improvements give a major boost to the look, feel, and convenience of AcuGraph.
OK, so that brings me to what I promised yesterday. As you know, we held a contest for enhancement suggestions, and we gave the winners free AcuGraph 4 upgrades. Of course, we really can’t give away any more of these, but we recognize there are thousands of users who didn’t get in on that opportunity and who would love a shot. Plus, we can’t resist a good contest.
So here’s what I’m going to do: If you win today’s contest, I’ll pay for your upgrade myself. Sound good?
If you looked at yesterday’s comments, and heard all the phone calls coming in here today, the number one question everyone wants answered is this:
So what will it cost?
As you undoubtedly know, we’re not telling. At least, not until Friday when we officially reveal all the new features of AcuGraph 4 and open for pre-orders.
So here’s the contest: Guess the price.
That’s right, take a guess. The first person to get it right will win the upgrade at no charge!
(Now keep in mind while you’re guessing, if you put what you WISH the price is (like $1) you’ll obviously get it wrong. The winning strategy is to guess what you think the price will actually be, not what you hope it will be.)
So there you have it. One last chance at fame (a little), fortune (good fortune, that is) and a free upgrade to AcuGraph 4. Just post a comment with your guess by clicking on “Add Comment” below.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Our spam filter requires that comments be manually approved, so it will take several minutes (or hours if we’re asleep) before you see your guess posted. Don’t worry—we get them all, and we’ll post them just as soon as possible.
I’ll be pretty busy on Thursday putting the finishing touches on the demo videos, but I’ll try to put up a quick post with instructions for Friday. Good luck with your guessing!!
When I posted yesterday’s video, I knew it would generate some excitement, and it’s been fun to see so many positive comments. It was the highest traffic day we’ve ever had at this humble blog!
Here are a couple of my favorite responses to yesterday’s video:
Predictably, the demo also generated some concern, which is good. It gives me the opportunity to answer the questions many of you may have. Submitting a year of effort to public scrutiny is a daunting prospect, made much easier by the fact that we’re all friends. I express my sincere appreciation to all of you who took time to share your thoughts.
First, let me answer a few of your questions:
Mitch Prywes wrote the following:
…it appears that with the new IntelliGraph system, you have essentially made all your other versions obsolete. I can readily appreciate the excitement for the company in creating a better product, especially for first time users. However, not only is there no incentive to not upgrade for current AcuGraph users, remaining with the older versions leaves us knowing that our data is inaccurate, and potentially flawed.”
Response: Great observation, Mitch. This is a concern we have as well. One of the dangers of improving your product is that the previous version never looks as good.
AcuGraph 3 is as accurate as it’s always been, and certainly at least as accurate as any other ryodoraku device. Many thousands of patients have benefited from AcuGraph 3. What we’re saying is that AcuGraph 4 will be even better. You will NOT harm a patient by following the AcuGraph 3 recommendations; but your results may not be quite as fast or as powerful as they will be with AcuGraph 4. There’s no need to stop using AcuGraph 3 while you wait for your upgrade.
Remember, there is NO change in the AcuGraph hardware; just the software is improved. You’ll be able to keep your existing hardware.
Mitch wrote further:
I can only hope that you seriously factor this concern into the pricing of the AcuGraph 4 upgrade for all of us who have been loyal followers of AcuGraph all these many years.”
Response: Not to worry! We’ve kept the prices reasonable because we feel AcuGraph 4 is such an important upgrade we want all our users to be able to afford it. And keep in mind, since you can use your existing AcuGraph hardware, you won’t need to buy a new system. This is software only.
Rachelle Wendt asked the folowing:
Wouldn’t this be considered an upgrade of Acugraph 3?”
Response: IntelliGraph is just one of the new features found in AcuGraph 4. The AcuGraph 4 software will work with your existing AcuGraph 3 hardware and patient database. So if you own any prior version of AcuGraph, you can upgrade your software to AcuGraph 4 and IntelliGraph will be part of that upgrade.
And a half dozen of you called or wrote with this burning question:
So what will it cost?”
Response: There are various upgrade prices, depending on which version of AcuGraph you currently have, any accessories you may want, etc. We’ll announce complete pricing on Friday, and we’ll also have an automated tool that will make it very easy for you to select the right upgrade and receive an instant price.
Oh–To those who have called to try to sweet talk pricing information out of my staff, nice try! But they’re onto you and won’t fall for your pretty words. Friday is the day!
Know what the best part is? IntelliGraph is only ONE of the great new features of AcuGraph. We’ve got lots more to show you.
While we’re on the subject of customer feedback, you may recall that several months ago we invited you to dream; to think of everything you’ve always wanted in your AcuGraph software, and to tell us. We promised free upgrades to the users who were the first to submit any suggestion that wasn’t already planned but that we chose to incorporate into the final software.
It went well! We got lots of great suggestions, and we’ve been able to incorporate many of them into the AcuGraph 4 upgrade. Thanks to everyone who took time to share their thoughts!
So here are the winners, and their winning suggestions. As you might guess, all of these features (and many more) are included in AcuGraph 4.
Congratulations to each of the following winners! You’ll each receive a free AcuGraph 4 software upgrade!
Want to win a free upgrade for yourself? Tune in tomorrow for details! See you then!
Can’t tell you how excited I am about AcuGraph 4. The best part is that today I finally get to start sharing it with you.
I wanted to start things off right, so I’ve put together a video demonstration of one of the greatest new features in AcuGraph 4.
No, wait. Let me rephrase that.
Today I want to show you the most important breakthrough in electronic meridian testing in the last 60 years.
There, that’s more accurate.
What you’re about to see is a first in the world—something that has never been done before in this field—a complete game changer.
And I need to preface it by saying this:
As I’ve been working on this particular development over the last year or so, I’ve frankly had mixed feelings. The more I’ve learned, the more I’ve realized that while AcuGraph 3 is good, even great, it still suffers from a fundamental flaw common to every electronic meridian analysis system. And therefore, it wasn’t as good as it could have been.
Admitting weakness is never easy, and embracing the monumental process of overcoming the weakness has been no small feat. It took far more time, thought and effort than we ever imagined it would. But the outcome has been worth it. This new technology completely changes the field, and the ultimate winners are our patients.
So, on to the demo. When it’s over, please leave a comment below to let me know what you think.
Just a quick note to let you know the latest on AcuGraph 4:
I got my advance copy yesterday and I’ve been using it nearly continually since then.
I have to tell you, it’s really amazing.
I hate to say it, but it makes AcuGraph 3 feel like an antique. In fact, I tried to go back to AcuGraph 3 this afternoon, and already found myself wondering how I every got by without all the great features found in AcuGraph 4.
I’ll have more details up soon, with demonstrations, screen shots, videos, and everything you need to see. Meanwhile, lots of exciting work going on here.
OK, I’m going to go spend some more time exploring AG4. I love new toys!
The last time I got that much feedback was when I asked my wife what I could do to be a better husband! Thanks to all of you who took time to offer your input. We got some really great ideas, and we’re now even more excited about AcuGraph 4.
We’ll show you the current list of proposed features, but first let me clarify a couple of important points in response to numerous questions we’ve received.
1. Purchasing: You don’t have to wait to order AcuGraph 4. We’ve heard from several people who were planning to purchase AcuGraph 3, but have now decided to wait until AcuGraph 4 is available. THERE’S NO NEED TO WAIT. If you purchase AcuGraph 3 now, you’ll receive an automatic upgrade to AcuGraph 4 when it becomes available. (All AcuGraph 3 purchases after Dec. 1, 2009 will receive free upgrades.)
2. Timeline: AcuGraph 4 is still months away. We have a significant amount of development work ahead of us, and it takes time to get everything right. So please be patient and understand we want to build you the best software possible. We’ll announce the exact date as soon as we can.
3. Pricing: We’ve held the line on prices for 2 years, but when AcuGraph 4 is released, we’ll need to raise prices to keep up with our costs. We don’t have the exact figures yet, but we’ll announce them soon. Meanwhile, if you want to lock in AcuGraph 4 at the AcuGraph 3 price, the best move is to buy AcuGraph 3 and then get the free upgrade.
Now, back to the software improvement ideas. Some ideas had many proponents, and some had few. There were also a few orphan ideas that were only suggested once. But we went through them all and considered them at length. We’ve narrowed down the list based on what is possible and likely useful. Now is the part where we need your help to separate the milk from the cream and choose the winners.
We have two lists to show you. The first is the items we know we will be including in AcuGraph 4. Many of these are already under development. We’re showing it to you because we want you to have a good idea of the features you know you can expect. Here it is:
Reference: Add both right and left side pictures for all point illustrations and auricular illustrations
AcuHerb Interactions: Make AcuHerb-drug interactions easier to search by drug name.
Improve Report of Findings: Add the ability to print a patient-friendly, brochure-type handout with the practitioner’s information and logo.
Improve Point Information: Include needling depth for each point and add the non-meridian (extra) points.
Acupuncture Formulas: Include searchable point prescriptions for common ailments and symptoms
Food Recommendations: Include recommended foods and foods to avoid, based on the exam findings
Graph Explanations: Add explanatory notes about each graph type and how to interpret it.
Improve Body Correlations: Overlay affected spinal levels for an aggregate interactive spinal picture to show which meridians are affecting which spinal levels. Include a listing of affected muscles for each meridian.
The next list is the one we need your help to narrow down. Some of the ideas on the list are really good, some may not be so good. So we’re putting it to a vote. The ideas that garner the most votes will make the cut. The others, probably not.
Please click on the following link to place your vote:
As we’ve gone through the planning process for 2010, I’ve had occasion to stop and reflect on the past. AcuGraph, though only 6 years old, has been an incredible journey for me personally, for my staff, and for thousands of our users and their patients. I wanted to share the story with you, so I decided to put it together in a timeline.
But this timeline isn’t just a nostalgic romp through our company’s history. Actually its purpose is to serve as a guide; a roadmap to the future. I’ll talk more about that further down. But first why not take a minute to stroll through the history of AcuGraph.
(Click on any text to see more, including photos, and drag to scroll forward and backward.)
And so now that brings us to the present. AcuGraph has been a flurry of “firsts” from the beginning. Starting with the first direct-USB computerized meridian measurement, through new graph types, treatment innovations, herbal integration, PIE score, Spanish, and iPhone apps, AcuGraph has always stayed at the cutting edge.
And now it’s time to revolutionize Acupuncture practice once more. We’re currently working on AcuGraph 4 with many new, innovative features.
But we need your help! Over the years we’ve learned by experience that the BEST way to make software people want and need…is to ask them what they want and need. Makes sense, doesn’t it? Many of our best suggestions have come from AcuGraph users just like you.
We’ve heard from many of you with suggestions and requests, but we still need more. We need to know what you’d like to see in AcuGraph 4. This is your chance to dream–what are the features that would make your clinical life easier? Your patients happier? What can we do to make AcuGraph even better? When you dream at night about meridian graphing, what do you dream? (We all dream about meridian graphing, right?)
In short, we’re opening up the wish list.
BUT YOU HAVE TO HURRY! THE WISH LIST CLOSES SUNDAY AT MIDNIGHT! We’ll be collecting input for the next 4 days, then we’ll start to tally the results and see which requests were most popular. So get your ideas in today!
BETTER YET–If you are the first to suggest an idea we implement in AcuGraph 4, your upgrade is FREE! So don’t be shy. You just might end up smiling and installing a new free upgrade to AcuGraph.
BY THE WAY–If you’re considering purchasing AcuGraph, there’s no need to wait for AcuGraph 4. You can start enjoying all the benefits of AcuGraph 3 right away and you’ll receive a FREE upgrade to AcuGraph 4 when it becomes available! (Applies to all AcuGraph 3 purchases after December 1, 2009).
To give us your suggestions, simply click on “add comment” below and tell us what you think. It only takes a minute and may pay you years of dividends, so do it today!
SORRY, THE WISHLIST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO OFFERED THEIR SUGGESTIONS
“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.”
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Tags: AcuGraph tips, AcuGraph upgrades, Adding a note to an email, Email from AcuGraph, Email tips, How do I email from AcuGraph
Posted on 01:00, April 23rd, 2012 by Alan Gifford MS, Practice Coach
Hello Everyone,
