Purple Unicorn Doppelgänger's Profile

Loved the “If there is one thing that a law-abiding doctor and a narcotics-peddling drug dealer have in common, it’s pagers”. Really brings things in perspective! I find it fascinating that there are some developing countries who adopt technology faster than hospitals in US. Medigram seems like a long-term sustainable investment and should receive more regard from hospitals (and faster implementation). With entire industries moving to online platforms, it is astonishing to me that hospitals cannot move to operating smartphones (insured for security breaches) as opposed to pagers. Hospitals should invest in cybersecurity and adopt this disruptive technology! It is tough to fight against archaic systems, but I am confident that in a span of less than 10 yrs, given the current tech progress and the tech dependence of Milenials this technology will be on the rising side of the adoption curve!

Fantastic article Will! As a casual listener of Eurotrash Security Podcast, I feel like cybersecurity should get more visibility than it already does. You mention that the next steps would be gaining market share: what are the main competitors that the company should be focusing on? Further, it seems that they provide comprehensive services: risk management, compliance and energy and control solutions and that they serve a number of Fortune 500 companies. TS brought a good point: in order for them to expand, aside from investing in finding new clients, they could “source” specialists by investing in educational programs that equip students with the skills necessary to work in the cybersecurity space. Excited to follow the progress of this company!

Tuyee, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this article!

We tried to implement a simple stock management system in Uganda and Rwanda and encountered numerous difficulties. The company we created was private and merely wanted to be the agent between the ministry of health (and the related facilities) and pharmacies/donors (depending on the type of medication since ARVs are provided by Global Fund these days through intermediaries). Our platform failed to take traction because of one predictable yet not sufficiently accounted for thing: people in the Ministry of Health are not used to using computers and do not want to invest in the infrastructure at hospitals. Now, I understand mHealth is different because of the central role of mobile technology that is booming in Africa. What is your opinion about the interaction of mHealth tools (such as the one described by you) and eHealth tools? Where do you think the future stands?

THANK YOU! this article literally made my day!

Beaups, great great article! I am beyond excited about this initiative, but I question the scale of this model. As someone who has lived in a developing country, I really doubt the need for a mud home. Communities usually get together for a couple of days and help each other build houses. However, depending on the comparative durability of the new houses, this might be a worth while initiative. I think this concept (excluding the material and maybe opting for non-toxic plastic) would work great in developed countries (in socially vulnerable neighborhoods) since materials are not readily available at their convenience (at it is for some developing countries).
Thanks so much for this! It restores my faith in humanity!

Awesome post! Great way to learn about IoT and how it implies the relationship between machines and sensors (as opposed to the largely held view of the relationship between machines and machines). It will be interesting to see how Skyworks will leverage the data they collect through their sensors in order to make future recommendations for users. I was surprised at how pervasive the spread of IoT is: as we have smart cars we can have smart bridges that could collect the data such as impact of freezing temperatures on the state of building materials-avoiding major fissures). [1] It will be truly interesting to see the way this company will evolve!

WIRED. 2016. The Internet of Things Is Far Bigger Than Anyone Realizes | WIRED. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/11/the-internet-of-things-bigger/. [Accessed 21 November 2016].

Spectacular post! It is interesting how mostly the GOP uses the “climate hoax” argument for 2 reasons: 1. lobbying for major oil and gas companies 2. associating religion to the impossibility of human induced climate change. And although the first one is the main propeller of the “no global climate change” poster, the second one is equally important. Religion is important for the Republican Party and in Christianity one cannot admit that humans can be responsible for such a global and transformational change. If the party took a strong stance regarding climate change, they would go against their fundamental core (though worthwhile to note that there is upcoming progress in that area). I think the way for the party to have their cake and eat it too would be to start a nation wide educational campaign, regardless of the fact that initially they might not be too popular with very conservative individuals (who admittedly are their target audience). However, it is important to observe that the growing older population should not be the voter target of the party. The party admitting the causes and effects of climate change will get them popularity with young conservatives (who despite their affiliations are very likely to agree that global climate change is a real issue).

I think it is interesting that malnutrition is not necessarily related to lack of food, but bad nutrients (ie. parts of Sub-Saharan Africa don’t have access to diversity of nutrients). Finding about this endeavor is fantastic! It would be interesting to not only consider the impact on African continent, but what Salem can do locally to minimize carbon footprint. It could start with production (you mention vertical integration, which is awesome and the question is what type of roasting machine they would use), transportation (how can we minimize shipping) etc.

As the organization is growing, it would be also interesting to target the malnutrition issue at a macro level: how can they partner up with governments to 1. deploy the products 2. educate farmers 3.helping the government to adapt to these new challenges (acknowledging that this is not part of the core operating business).

Awesome job! truly truly inspiring article!

Really awesome article! Great job. As an avid wine consumer and prior vineyard administrator, it’s interesting to note that England is becoming an important wine producer. I believe you mention that there are further initiatives that the company can do in order to minimize greenhouse emissions. It would be interesting to consider the logistics of transportation (aggregating items and distribution in order to reduce the shipping distance) and employing high fuel efficient vehicles. Another item to consider would be bottling: how can the company adapt the bottling systems to be more green (material used, process itself etc).

Will keep an eye on this in the future!

Fantastic post! It’s quite interesting that the healthy food option is a new initiative to address the climate change issue (one would think healthy food would have been a norm in order to help patients stay healthy).

Humor aside, given the enormous healthcare spending and the lack of lack of integration of the healthcare systems in place, it is of vital importance for hospitals to prepare for the effects of climate change. I think an opportunity to further decrease carbon emissions would be the hospital related transportation. Healthcare facilities rely heavily on transportation (from obtaining supplies, to moving patients, workers etc.). Including high-fuel efficiency or alternative fuel fleet in their plans would contribute to a further significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.

On the food related note, MassHospital could further source local and seasonal food, reducing meat protein intake and minimizing food waste.

This is an awesome post! I have had the opportunity to observe the impact of arid and swift change in temperatures on the crop in Uganda (and the related price fluctuations). It is worthwhile to note that the increase in temperatures will also lead to a faster reproduction cycle for insects (and hence increase in their number) which will result in the spread of pests and diseases.

It will be interesting to track the way Dole will adapt to the disruption in the existing ecosystem and the new partnerships they will have to foster. Could not agree more with TOM LS, I believe it is imperative that Dole creates partnerships with local farmers and trains them to integrate climate change considerations in their practices. That will allow for the most rapid adjustment to the territorial shift of harvest.