Ahead of the curve...

...yes I am, by jingo, and the rest of the world is only now catching up with me.

This story proves that one of my long-held ideas actually works:

Neurosurgeon Henry Marsh used a 9.6 volt Bosch drill — which cost him $65 — to perform the emergency operation on Ukranian Marian Dolishny’s head while travelling through the woman's country.

U.K. newspaper the Daily Telegraph reported that Marsh was unable to find a suitable anesthetist — so his patient was only given a local anaesthetic to cope with the pain.

And, when the cordless drill’s battery died, Marsh was forced to finish the operation by hand to save Dolishny’s life, the newspaper said. Marsh said he kept talking to his patient throughout the surgery to make sure he wasn't causing any brain damage.

“I'm not recommending that we should all use do-it-yourself drills in England, but it shows how with improvisation you can achieve a lot,” Marsh said. “I couldn't bear to stand by and do nothing. A Ukrainian doctor told me I couldn't do anything to help but I wasn't prepared to accept that.”

Yes, more than once I've looked at my trusty cordless drill -- a Craftsman, by the way -- and have thought, "damn, I could drill right in there and pull out the bad stuff that's messing up my brain's wiring!"

Hmmmm. The kindly Dr Marsh drilled open someone else's noggin to save her life. I'm thinking of it more as a do-it-yourself thing. And I'll keep my even-more-trusty hand drill close by, just in case.

I'm still ahead of the curve!

Guess I'd better go put that puppy on the charger. This could be a good day to operate....