Springwise.com: Why not use burgeoning cellphone SMS penetration to cut costs? And while you're at it, why not leverage the power of being connected to do some good in the world? Such is the thinking behind a most excellent healthcare innovation in one of the poorest corners of the globe: Africa. Based in California, FrontlineSMS:Medic hopes it can increase much-needed medical care and save on many of the related costs, including fuel for visits to far-away villages, with an SMS-based system that connects field working nurses and doctors to a centralized clinic.

Launched in February, FrontlineSMS:Medic aims to improve matters using FrontlineSMS, a free, open-source software program that enables large-scale, two-way text messaging using only a laptop, a GSM modem and cell phones. Working with donations collected through Hope Phones, the initiative places a laptop running FrontlineSMS in a central clinic and then distributes cell phones to community health workers. Workers are trained in sending text messages to hospital staff to request drug dosing information or treatment instruction, for example, or provide status updates on a particular patient. Modified camera phones, meanwhile, can be used to analyze blood and sputum samples and perform critical diagnostics for conditions including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. In a recent, 6-month pilot test of the system at a hospital in Malawi, 150 patients received emergency care, community health workers saved 1,000 hours of travel time—allowing them to visit more patients—the number of people being treated for tuberculosis doubled, and the hospital saved USD 3,500 worth of fuel, freeing up funds to purchase more medication. Operating the system, meanwhile, requires an investment of just USD 500, according to an article in the Guardian.

This is a inspirational non-profit venture that accomplishes many important goals at once: economizing available resources, utilizing technology to decrease operating costs, and providing quality goods and services to an under-served population. Be sure to read the rest of Health care via SMS in the developing world for an uplifting story worth a few minutes' time.

FutureLab.net: On the idea of sunk costs and irrational behavior, the doggie bag full of poor-quality restaurant foods is an exemplar par excellence. Roger Dooley, neuromarketing guru extraordinaire, explains the contradictions evident in the theory vs. reality of money ill spent in his recent topical piece, Doggie Bags & Sunk Costs. "Economists have long argued that sunk costs, i.e., money that has already been spent and can’t be recovered, are irrelevant to decision-making. Only new costs, they say, should be considered. Behavioral economists, who take into account not just economic theory but also real-world human behavior, argue that sunk costs do indeed affect our decisions whether or not that is rational." There is a real relationship between the brain and the decision to load up that plate-full of leftover glop that can be leveraged to your advantage.

Seth's Blog: Seth Godin weighs in on the "sunken costs" theory and votes to ignore them when faced with a current choice regardless of how much past ones have failed. As an example, he points out the concert ticket purchaser faced with an unexpected opportunity:

You have tickets to the Springsteen concert. They were really hard to get. You spent four hours surfing StubHub until you found the perfect seats for $55 each.

On your way into the event, a guy offers you $500 cash for each ticket. Should you sell?

It turns out the amount of time you spent getting the tickets is irrelevant. If you wouldn't be willing to PAY $500 for these tickets (and you weren't, or you would have) then you should be willing to sell them for $500. Spend $250 on dinner and go buy better tickets for tomorrow night's show.

Or say you make a mistake and go to the concert instead of selling (those seats are $500 seats now). But Bruce is sick and Manfred Mann is substituting for him. You don't like him so much. But you paid $500 for the seats! Should you stay?

Stay only if you like Manfred Mann more than the loss of your future time, which might be more valuable to you than the already sunk costs of $500 per seat, that's the rub. Check out Godin's Ignore sunk costs for the rest of the story. Heck, you've already spent 5 minutes reading this much; you might as well spend a few more to get the whole kit and kaboodle...

Entrepreneur.com: Isn't not spending money the same as *making* it? Well, if you're in business for yourself, cutting expenses can increase cash flow, so in a way, yes! But how to make the difficult decisions of what to cut when every item seems important to your day-to-day operations? Joseph Benoit, a small business banking executive for Union Bank, N.A., has a few expert tips on how to trim any remaining fat from your already lean budget in his recent article, Manage Expenses Strategically. Benoit writes, "In your effort to cut costs, examine each expense, no matter how small, and determine which items you can do without. Don't hesitate to cut items that don't directly contribute to your bottom line. Consider trimming extras or perks, such as snacks for the breakroom. Create reports every week to examine both your expenses and revenue. Make adjustments as needed, especially when you notice that you are spending more than your budget allocations. Areas important to your business's revenue, such as production-related expenses and marketing, should be among the last items cut." Although these moves might seem a bit Draconian at first blush, they can pay off handsomely in the long-term. Temper these cuts with an effort to create low- or no- cost ways to keep employee morale up like team sporting events, company-sponsored charity work, or the like.

ArsTechnica.com: Warning: Eighties flashback ahead! Nate Anderson has been covering the Jammie Thomas-Rassett P2P file-sharing case and finds someone rooting for Thomas-Rassett from an unexpected corner: Richard Marx. Anderson reports on the oft-maligned Marx' musical redemption: "Richard Marx this week has partially redeemed himself for the album's [Paid Vacation] creation (and for the $11 I must have spent on it back in high school). Marx issued a strong statement against the 'greedy actions of the major labels' after hearing about the $1.92 million Jammie Thomas-Rasset verdict." Indeed, one of Marx' songs was among the 24 that Thomas-Rassett made available for sharing via KaZaA software which added some levity to the courtroom proceedings but did little to change the outcome of the proceedings. Much to Ms. Thomas-Rassett's dismay and to the great ire of the once-great pop singer, Marx. If you'd like to read what Marx thinks about the nearly $2 million fine, do so by clicking on this surprising headline: Richard Marx (!) attacks RIAA after $1.92M Thomas verdict.

Bonus piece o' the day: KansasCW's Recessionary Thinking: Ten zany patents in pictures. (If you don't laugh out loud at at least one of these ideas, you're taking things way too seriously.)