Cloud Computing and Societal Health 19th May 2011

There is a compelling case for organisations to rationalise their software usage and buy licences as they are needed rather than as one-time purchases for multiple platforms on which many of the programs may never be used. From the supplier’s perspective it will be easier to maintain the software when it remains under their sole control. In many ways this move toward ‘Cloud Computing’, where we access and use programs over the internet, reflects the existing use of social media like Facebook, LinkedIn etc where we regularly share data among communication groups. What are the longer term implications of this open cyberspace society?

For me this use of technology offers a curious blend of autocracy and democracy. From an autocratic perspective we are entrusting personal or corporate information into the hands of a few suppliers to whom we are beholden for security and continuation of access. As sole suppliers of favoured programmes they are automatically an established monopoly with the power to cripple our corporate communications or hold personal information indefinitely and not necessarily securely. From the democratic perspective, social media have ushered in new levels of transparency that challenges the status quo and is even bringing down governments.

Open communication ensures that the weak have a voice as never before and their compliance can no longer be assumed or imposed. This results in a more fluid environment of constant change rather than allowing stresses to build until seismic and destabilising forces are unleashed. It also allows younger people to become personally invested in politics because they witness the power of their democratic engagement.

Since the internet is now freely available, and access to it is progressively accepted as a human right,  there is an even greater need for defined shared values within organisations whose staff communicate with their publics. Rather than imposing strict controls on external communications, organisations need to make greater efforts to identify and socialise their value sets so that their workforce are fully invested and radiate the corporate identity in every communication.

The internet era is firmly established and socially the genie will never go back in the bottle but we are learning that carelessness in cyberspace is similar to unprotected sex. Personal data liberally shared on the net raises the spectre of future problems of identity theft, unemployment or social exclusion. Corporate defences must be multilayered as in the human body. In addition to a well maintained firewall, or protective skin, there must be a voluntary code of discipline in communications, DNA repair, and a clear policy governing internet use – white blood cells.

While there is a natural suspicion toward a cloud provider that may seek to dominate the market, limit choice and control the flow of information, there is also a realisation of the dangers for personal security from unrestricted access, absence of protocol and naivety in communication. Maturing use of the internet will cause new multilayered and self-regulated systems of protection to become established so that this powerful medium can serve as mankind’s nervous system.

Chuckles - The man who loved the sea 5th May 2011

Today we learned of the death of Claude Choules, the last remaining combat soldier from WW1. Claude, aged 110 years, died at a nursing home in Freemantle near Perth and leaves a large family including several great, great grandchildren. He told interviewers some years ago that he attributed his longevity to keeping his family close. We also learned that he hated war and only took part in Anzac Day celebrations under direct orders. This sounds to me like a man who lived by principle and sought to reduce conflict and stress in his life. Through his family he was also someone who appreciated the life enhancing benefits of a joyous and loving environment.

We were not told about his diet, his attitude to exercise in middle age, general fitness levels, dental health or regular moderate exposure to sunshine. Neither have we been told anything of the medications he may have been taking in his later years and up to the time of his death.

Also making the news today is a recommendation by Professor Nicholas Wald of the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine that everyone over the age of 55 should take statin drugs and blood pressure pills to reduce incidence of heart attack and strokes. Professor Ward tells us that age alone is a better predictor of heart disease than typical medical enquiries of whether the individual is a smoker, and measures of blood pressure and cholesterol.

Professor Ward’s observations on heart disease incidence being related to age may be statistically true but the causative factors are our society’s dietary habits, our attitudes to exercise and our exposure to environmental toxins. Statin drugs are successful at lowering cholesterol but are known to have many side effects. Statins destroy the same enzyme in cholesterol that is required for the production of Q10, an essential ingredient for cellular energy production.  The pharmaceutical industry believes that a chemical cure can be found for our ills and in this case is promoting the taking of statins as a preventive measure against heart disease. A truly preventive approach would be to boost our consumption of foods rich in omega 3, eat a selection of fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants and to incorporate 30 minutes of vigorous daily exercise, but that requires effort and change. It’s easier to take a pill and ignore the unseen dangers.

Mankind has evolved to live healthily into old age if properly fed, physically, mentally and emotionally nourished and protected from environmental toxins. There is no disease caused by a shortage of statin drugs or ACE inhibitors. At best such drugs temporarily mask out symtoms of a more serious, dysfunctional lifestyle and suggest that the cure to our ills is just a pill away. This has never been so.

Claude Choules had a full life and retained his mental powers to the end. I’m betting that his longevity owes much to a simple, healthy lifestyle and a loving and supportive family and community life. Nicknamed ‘Chuckles’, Claude may well be chuckling at the Disease Management systems that we call Health Services.