Every month, Norwegian physicians get a new floppy disk from the government. The disk has the updated patient list for the month under the country’s nationalized health plan. Why floppy disks? It turns out they are cheaper, easier, and more secure to use than thumb drives or CD-ROMs.
But all good things must come to an end: Finn Espen Gunderson, a government contractor working on the floppy distribution program, writes on his blog (h/t Gizmodo) that Norway is ending its support of floppy disks next year, forcing any doctors who haven’t switched over to the country’s online system to finally take the plunge into the 21st century.
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