@frluckaj: Lmaooooo in my Zoom lecture the prof asked if anyone had any questions and one kid used the 'Raise Hand' feature. Prof calls on him and he has the nerve to say 'No sorry I was just stretching'
Hmm. They removed words from a NYT headline (to enhance the anger quotient) but didn't put the "..." back into all of the places they should have. Where's the journalistic integrity?
Same. Knowing how much they pride themselves on views too, I'm happy to not contribute my one to that pile (even though mathematically that one vote is inconsequential).
I'll try - Taiwan, Great Britain, Honshu, Catalina, Key West, Key Largo (and other Keys that you drive past to get to Key West), Vancouver Island, whatever island that Sitka Alaska is on, Venice, Manhattan, Long Island, Staten Island, Theodore Roosevelt Island in DC, Iceland (on flight changeovers), pretty sure I'm forgetting a lot of small islands (or sandbars)
Good call on Alaska. I used to do a work trip that went Wrangell, Sitka, Petersburg, and Ketchikan - all on islands in SE Alaska. I did my run on Roosevelt Island this morning.
Great Britain, Victoria, Malta, Hong Kong, Alcatraz, Treasure Island, Angel Island, Alameda, Taiwan, Long Island, Manhattan, Singapore, Venice, Lido, Newfoundland
Catalina, Oahu, Kauai, Ireland, North and South New Zealand, Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Tetiaroa, Fidalgo Island, and various tiny islands in the Boundary Waters Wilderness that have names but I don't know which ones
Britain, Iceland, a couple of the Japanese islands, both islands of New Zealand, Zealand (Copenhagen), Stockholm, Singapore, Elephanta Island, Guam, Saipan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Venice, Alcatraz. Probably more but even some of the above I had forgotten until I saw others listed below.
If I had to pick an island to move to permanently, it'd probably be the North Island of New Zealand. Vancouver Island is probably up there too. Other options: Honshu, Ireland, or one of the large Mediterranean islands like Corsica, Siciliy, or Sardinia.
The only named islands I can remember visiting are: Treasure Island, Alameda, Iceland, Ireland, Great Britain, Venice, Manhattan, Long Island, Singapore... and I guess I drove over Lulu Island in Vancouver?
Ah, but Venice is not an island. It's a collection of islands: Venezia, Murano, Guidecca, and some others too remote/unnoteworthy for me to remember the names of.
I fucked it up by saying Venice and Murano instead of Venezia and Murano. Not like 1) they'll ever find out, or 2) I'd be going back to face the consequences.
I can somewhat understand your feelings about Alameda and Treasure Island as they are islands created by human efforts to disconnect from a larger land mass (Alameda) or create it by building upon geographic features to create an island where there was none before (Treasure Island).
OH I know that Manhattan is a real island, but the 24 bridges sort of weave it into the fabric of NYC, so when I've been there, I don't think "I'm going to an island" - I think NYC, unlike flying to Hawai'i, which just seems more "islandy"
I'd very much like to! I was stuck in Narita once. It was supposed to be just a connection on the way back from India, but there had been a typhoon the week before, and there were a lot of stranded passengers, so the airline offered to give us free travel vouchers if we gave up our seats for like half a day. We said yes, waited several hours, and came back and they said would you do it again but fly out tomorrow instead? We'll put you up in a hotel. So my dad said sure and we stayed in Narita for a day. Took a very brief tour and saw a local temple. Sadly, there was not time to make a run to Tokyo :(
Also I was like 9, so I didn't have much say in the matter regardless.
Let's see how many I can name off the top of my head: Honshu, Hokkaido, Australia, Hong Kong, Lantau, Taipa, Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Vancouver Island, Australia, Catalina, Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Chang, Koh Kood, Great Britain, Manhattan, Singapore, Penang, the Peherentians, The Maldives.
My favorite places I've been in order: Honshu, Australia, Singapore, Koh Kood, The Maldives, Peherentians, Kauai, Maui
TBB is going to kill me for forgetting Taiwan. Ille Formosa. I also forgot Penang, which is ironic because while I was typing this I was chatting to a girl from Penang.
During and after The Great Recession, I was able to buy some really good wines at a HUGE discount. Australian wines really hit the crapper, and I was getting $100-150 bottles for about $25. Some Napa producers were also struggling, so I got quality juice for well under $40. Alas, those days spoiled me. Now when decent Napa wines are $75, I'm totally miffed and refuse to spend that much, even though that is considered a "deal" for Napa cab. I'm hoping there are similar silver linings in the days ahead, as I am a greedy, wine loving bastard.
You might explore shipping to a shipping/receiving point in a neighboring jurisdiction that's not as blue law encumbered. With the price of gas plummeting, the cost of driving over to get the freight out of a shipping locker won't erode the savings very much.
I thought maybe you meant the other way because people are bored and drinking at home, but it looks like the economic effects of the coming recession are hitting already.
It's hitting them hard right now, restaurants aren't buying AT ALL - pretty much everywhere, tasting rooms are closed, vacations are off, they are hurting BAD.
For specific sites, some of my faves are Wines Til Sold Out and Last Bottle Wines. They sell wines one at a time, almost always at a deep discount (trust but verify with independent research). Also, not all reviewers are equally good (I'm looking at you, Wilfred Wong and James Halliday!)
Yesterday I ordered 6 of a certain bottling from one site. Soon thereafter I realized I had already ordered 12 of the same bottling elsewhere. This snapping up of great deals can be detrimental to the dwindling free space in my cellar. These are the SIGNIFICANT first world problems with which I struggle.
The one person I know who tested positive, and actually had active symptoms, has not only recovered, but was retested and is now negative. Recovery is an uplifting bit of good news.
Richard Neher, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, told the Scientist that Nextstrain researchers’ work has tracked the virus back to a single source “somewhere between mid-November and early December,” which then spread in China. The earliest cases in the U.S. appeared in January 2020, according to Nextstrain’s sequencing work. Washington state, where the first known COVID-19 case in the U.S. was identified, has at least six strains. A similar analysis of California’s coronavirus cases—which has yet to be peer-reviewed—identified at least eight strains in the state, suggesting transmission from Washington state, New York, Europe, and China.
If genomics aren’t your thing, consider this: If the virus had arrived earlier, we would have known. Humans have no natural immunity to this new virus, which is why it’s spreading quickly, infecting millions and killing tens of thousands. That’s evident in what’s going on in New York right now, says Black. “If it had arrived in fall of 2019, and we were all living our lives as normal, we would’ve had New York back in fall of 2019,” she says. There’s no reason why this virus would have spread undetected for months before wreaking the havoc it has.
The Slate article talks about that. She points out that the "Stanford team" is separate from the Hanson guy that they interviewed. Hanson is part of the Hoover Institute. Sloppy reporting gone viral :(
Since I'm an 'essential' employee at our 'essential' service (landfill), this has all been mostly work as normal. One change has been the increase in face covering use. I detest disposable things for this sort of activity (SO MUCH WASTE), so i've been using some cloth face coverings that a friend made. How are others handling the face covering issue?
I have a stack of 300 surgical masks, 3 reusable pollution masks and a cloth one. As an Asian living in Asia, I was built for this. (Not really, but I got masks)
I've also been mailing them out to my parents and doctor friends (went to Cal so so many doctor friends - all of my roommates for example)
I walked up to support the local pizza place at lunch. There weren't very many folks out but it seemed like a higher than normal percentage was wearing a covering. I've only worn at the grocery store and then it was just a folded bandana.
Shanghai government has relaxed the "wear masks" when in public in an area with a lot of ventilation. But as I've been outside, it's only about 1%, but in China, 1% is a lot of people.
DIY cloth masks the other half crafted mostly. Pretty good results, though a couple of design improvements have been necessary. Laundering brings out durability issues.
My daughter dug out some regular masks left from a sand and paint project so each of us in my and her household have 1 for serious situations that arise. The issue was though we have routinely had them for major dust/paint/spray/etc projects, there was never an effort to keep a supply on hand because they were readily available at all the building materials, hardware, and home improvements stores...until they weren't overnight. Like TP. Note to self about 1 more thing to keep a box of in stock on hand once supply returns to normal.
my wife is sewing a bunch of cloth masks to use and donate even as I type. We did find one paint / dust mask left from a mold abatement project so if push really comes to shove, we're hosed 😂
| How are others handling the face covering issue?
With a lot of uncertainty. I posted this in a past DBD, but I don't know how to balance old N95s vs. new PM2.5 vs. just cloth. I'm leaning towards donating old N95s as it looks like medical facilities are still accepting them despite being open and then just decided between cloth vs. PM2.5 (which medical professionals don't seem to be using?).
I have a handful of N95s I got during the fires, but I've only used 2 of them so far. I don't go out regularly, so I just keep one in the car in case I'm going to the store, which is like once a week or more.
A lot of lab stuff is disposable or single-use, and I wonder what possible solutions there are. Obviously, waste is not great :/
It's good that you're trying not to increase waste. I guess my strategy is to avoid going outside as much as possible so that I don't need to wear a mask.
lab work is different, imo. And we go through a TON of disposable nitrile gloves when sampling. Cross contamination of samples is so easy, and a real problem when you are trying to measure 1/10 of a part per billion.
I definitely took a box of nitrile gloves from the teaching lab to keep in my car; they're nice to put on when going in the supermarket and tossing when you leave.
I have nitrile gloves I use for cooking (handling chilis, mixing marinaded meats or dumpling filling). I haven't thought to use them when going out though. I wash my hands a lot instead.
That's another item to add once things calm down, supply wise. From 25 years as a firefighter, I had gotten into the habit of having a pair tucked into the pockets of every jacket, and spares in the truck, etc, because you never know, but the supply has been pretty severely cleaned out, and, like masks, there is no supply, on something that was routinely ubiquitously available until a month ago.
My grandfather used to keep bread crusts in his jacket pockets for years in the U.S. after fleeing Eastern Europe after WWII and not knowing when he'd get his next meal; I think our generation is going to do the same with toilet paper and PPE.
It's been cold and windy all morning, and it was snowing about an hour ago (not enough to stick, mercifully). So that's an emphatic no. I worked outside earlier in the week, though.
it was nice here is NY earlier this week. but a late winter storm dumped 10+ inches of snow up in NH/VT and we are getting cold/rain/wind here for a few days.
it might even "force me" to skip my outdoor ride today, which is really just an excuse for being lazy
indeed. things are more or less the same but at least we are not in the spotlight anymore. i think we had a recent decline of cases in NR, but Westchester County overall the numbers continue to go up similar to NYC.
but now that everywhere has the same rules it does not feel that different and if anything, glad that we are outside the city, even if only 20 miles.
Here in Marin, where we seem to have next-to-no community transmission, certain people are freaking out, afraid to walk on paths, shaming runners & riders for not wearing masks. These same people probably would have shot themselves if they'd lived in New Rochelle.
i am intrigued too, but mostly for the kids because we just bought a Nintendo Switch over Xmas and trying to figure out what games the girls might like.
I debated about buying a Switch and Animal Crossing - but even though money isn't an issue RIGHT NOW, I figure dropping $500 on a new system and some games right now isn't the greatest idea.
$300 for the Switch, $60 per game. Figure Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart, plus some accessories, bag - and you're way over $500 already, or at least I am.
And that's if you can find a Switch. It seems like all the stories I'm hearing about them are people hoarding them and selling them at a huge markup on Ebay and places like that.
It's a cute, low-key sim game that's not competitive, fairly creative, and lets you interact with your (real life) friends. It's happy and gives people something they have control over and can explore. It's easy for non-"gamer" type people to enjoy.
Lots of 31-ish fans, especially those who grew up with the series (the first installment came out in 2001).
No, not inherently. I mean, you can always compete with your friends in that if you want, but that's not an aspect of the default game at all.
The capitalism joke is because you can choose to upgrade your tent to a house and make it bigger and bigger, but to get those upgrades, you have to pay a character for them.
Seconding what everyone else has said. It also has a low barrier of entry because there's no objective or competition, so you can have no video game skills and still do just fine. There's a creative component allowing for that outlet.
The timing is also eerily perfect as it offers an idyllic world when everything outside is on fire. I've been able to play with my family whom I can't see right now, including my little niece who really loves it.
https://twitter.com/frluckaj/status/1248283374810267648?s=20
@frluckaj: Lmaooooo in my Zoom lecture the prof asked if anyone had any questions and one kid used the 'Raise Hand' feature. Prof calls on him and he has the nerve to say 'No sorry I was just stretching'
Our Crumbling Democracy
Protection Against Dark Arts
https://twitter.com/SketchesbyBoze/status/1248406587451920384
I guess Mitch's Patronous is Franklin the Turtle.
pqtm
Trump releases this ad.
J.F'ing.C.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv7yVCwv6NU
Hmm. They removed words from a NYT headline (to enhance the anger quotient) but didn't put the "..." back into all of the places they should have. Where's the journalistic integrity?
I'm just not watching it. I've been spending less time on twitter the last couple of days and while I'm less informed, I'm less miserable (slightly)
Same. Knowing how much they pride themselves on views too, I'm happy to not contribute my one to that pile (even though mathematically that one vote is inconsequential).
Island travel
we were recently in St John in USVI. great food, snorkeling, beaches, hiking. not at all fancy and pretty low key.
we have not been to any of the typical island vacations that people like to go to.
if i had to pick an island to move to permanently, it would be Japan, assuming that counts.
but if it didnt, Vancouver Island would be a close second.
Maldives, Phuket, Bali, Japan, North Island NZ, Lombok, Borneo, Whore Island, Singapore, Luzon, Jamaica, Fiji, Venice, Capri, Britain, Iceland, Ireland, Sri Lanka, Oahu, Corfu, Crete, Bald Head NC, Long Island, Manhattan, Alcaltraz, Angel Island, Bahamas, Bermuda, USVI, BVI, Antigua, Grenada, St. Martin, Pulau, Koh Samui, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Pha Ngan, Langkawi, Penang, Pulau Tinggi, Tioman, Aur, Bata Batu, Java, Sembilang, Pulau Aceh, Bintan, Ubin, Batam, Jurong Island.
Best: Maldives, Japan, Bali, Phuket, Iceland
Worst: Batam and Jurong Island
Phuket is now terrible. I forgot Koh Pha Ngan!
dammit I need to add OBX to my list
I'll try - Taiwan, Great Britain, Honshu, Catalina, Key West, Key Largo (and other Keys that you drive past to get to Key West), Vancouver Island, whatever island that Sitka Alaska is on, Venice, Manhattan, Long Island, Staten Island, Theodore Roosevelt Island in DC, Iceland (on flight changeovers), pretty sure I'm forgetting a lot of small islands (or sandbars)
I'm gonna atoms this up but Great Britain includes No. Ireland, so the island of Scotland, Wales and England is just plain ol' Britain
Hmmm, I thought Great Britain was name of the island. Northern Ireland is included in the United Kingdom, but is not on the island of Great Britain.
Dang, you're right. For the Olympics there's team GB which does not include NI and Ireland, which does.
Good call on Alaska. I used to do a work trip that went Wrangell, Sitka, Petersburg, and Ketchikan - all on islands in SE Alaska. I did my run on Roosevelt Island this morning.
I guess I need to amend my list re: Roosevelt island
Britain, Australia, Kauai, Hawaii, Tybee Island, Catalina, New Providence (Bahamas), may be forgetting some others...
Great Britain, Victoria, Malta, Hong Kong, Alcatraz, Treasure Island, Angel Island, Alameda, Taiwan, Long Island, Manhattan, Singapore, Venice, Lido, Newfoundland
Drove over Mercer Island
forgot Oahu and Hawaii.
Victoria is technically Vancouver Island.
I've been to Rhode Island!
I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me!
Late add to the impressive list of islands: South Shetland Islands, Antarctic peninsula. Nature at its best.
I have a friend who is signed up to run the Antarctic marathon later this year. We'll see if it comes off or not.
Ok. Mercer Island (WA), Manhattan, Staten Island, Long Island, Belle Isle (MI), Sugar Island (MI), Kauai, Honshu.
Don't know that I have a favorite, they're all quite different. I think this is all my islands:
Ireland
Great Britain
Sicily
Capri
Ischia
Venezia
Murano
Gibraltar
Ibiza
Ile de la Cité
Jamaica
Anguilla
St Martin
Great Exuma
Providenciales
Hawai'i
Oahu
Maui
Kauai
Lanai
Puerto Rico
Singapore
Hong Kong Island
Manhattan
Vancouver Island
Bainbridge
Alcatraz
Angel Island
Catalina
Oh, I've been to Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis
Also, the Île de Montreal, now that I think about it.
Impressive, but I think Gibraltar is connected to Spain.
Yes, I believe it's only politically an island 😉
Catalina, Oahu, Kauai, Ireland, North and South New Zealand, Tahiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Tetiaroa, Fidalgo Island, and various tiny islands in the Boundary Waters Wilderness that have names but I don't know which ones
Let's see if I can remember them all:
Alcatraz
Angel Island
Catalina Island
Santa Cruz Island
Slaughterhouse Island (inside Lake Shasta)
San Juan Island
Maui
Oahu
Kauai
Santorini
Mykonos
Crete
Rhodos
Barbados
Martinique
Dominica
Saint Maartin
Saint Thomas USVI
Puerto Rico
Manhattan
The island that Incheon International is on
Britain but only to change planes
Does Australia count?
That big boulder in the middle of the lake at summer camp
I forgot Alameda and Treasure Island
And Lido, Balboa and Linda Islands in Newport
Damn, I think I've been to Balboa Island too
Damn I forgot Lanai and Molokai too!!!!
Britain, Iceland, a couple of the Japanese islands, both islands of New Zealand, Zealand (Copenhagen), Stockholm, Singapore, Elephanta Island, Guam, Saipan, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Venice, Alcatraz. Probably more but even some of the above I had forgotten until I saw others listed below.
If I had to pick an island to move to permanently, it'd probably be the North Island of New Zealand. Vancouver Island is probably up there too. Other options: Honshu, Ireland, or one of the large Mediterranean islands like Corsica, Siciliy, or Sardinia.
Vancouver Island is where Victoria is, right? Vancouver itself is not on an island IIRC
The only named islands I can remember visiting are: Treasure Island, Alameda, Iceland, Ireland, Great Britain, Venice, Manhattan, Long Island, Singapore... and I guess I drove over Lulu Island in Vancouver?
Ah, but Venice is not an island. It's a collection of islands: Venezia, Murano, Guidecca, and some others too remote/unnoteworthy for me to remember the names of.
Yeah, that one is complicated.
I fucked it up by saying Venice and Murano instead of Venezia and Murano. Not like 1) they'll ever find out, or 2) I'd be going back to face the consequences.
Tom Sawyer's?
Ooh, I've been there.
Funny, I wouldn't count Treasure Island, Alameda or Manhattan. Seem to be part of something bigger, and Alameda is man-made.
I can somewhat understand your feelings about Alameda and Treasure Island as they are islands created by human efforts to disconnect from a larger land mass (Alameda) or create it by building upon geographic features to create an island where there was none before (Treasure Island).
Manhattan Island, though, has ever been thus.
Isn't Treasure Island just an expansion of the naturally-occurring Yerba Buena Island? So, still an island, even if it's had work done.
It is. I guess the question that I'm positing is if Treasure Island is an island apart from Yerba Buena Island or merely an extension.
OH I know that Manhattan is a real island, but the 24 bridges sort of weave it into the fabric of NYC, so when I've been there, I don't think "I'm going to an island" - I think NYC, unlike flying to Hawai'i, which just seems more "islandy"
What? The 24 bridges don't scream, "You're on an island, Cugel!" ?
Manmade islands are still islands
Alameda is a peninsula that has had it's connection to the mainland cut. And about half the surface area is fill.
Then wouldn't any island technically be connected to Pangea with it's connection "cut"?
I don't see how any of those conditions make any of those areas "not an island".
It's in the name!
it's not an island. I was agreeing.
It *is* an island now; I was disagreeing 😉
I also have been on Honshu, but very very briefly.
You should stay longer. It's a great island.
I'd very much like to! I was stuck in Narita once. It was supposed to be just a connection on the way back from India, but there had been a typhoon the week before, and there were a lot of stranded passengers, so the airline offered to give us free travel vouchers if we gave up our seats for like half a day. We said yes, waited several hours, and came back and they said would you do it again but fly out tomorrow instead? We'll put you up in a hotel. So my dad said sure and we stayed in Narita for a day. Took a very brief tour and saw a local temple. Sadly, there was not time to make a run to Tokyo :(
Also I was like 9, so I didn't have much say in the matter regardless.
Great Britain, Ireland, Vancouver Island (Granville too!) Orcas Island, Angel Island, Big Island, O'ahu, Maui, Newfoundland - not that many.
I thought I might have fewer, but it's a tie: Great Britain, Iceland, Anacapa, Bainbridge. Manhattan, Deer Isle, Skye, Venice, and Murano.
Ooh, that's right, I've been to Skye
Let's see how many I can name off the top of my head: Honshu, Hokkaido, Australia, Hong Kong, Lantau, Taipa, Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Vancouver Island, Australia, Catalina, Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Chang, Koh Kood, Great Britain, Manhattan, Singapore, Penang, the Peherentians, The Maldives.
My favorite places I've been in order: Honshu, Australia, Singapore, Koh Kood, The Maldives, Peherentians, Kauai, Maui
TBB is going to kill me for forgetting Taiwan. Ille Formosa. I also forgot Penang, which is ironic because while I was typing this I was chatting to a girl from Penang.
Wow, I forgot the Philippines - an entire archipelago - that's Iloilo and Luzon and Cebu.
Australia?
The Land Down Under. I'm surprised you've never heard of it.
You are continentally challenged.
'Tis an island.
Madagascar, Elephantine Island
Man, the wine market is going completely bonkers.
Here is where I plug my friend's winery and also his cider company (local to SFers)
Conduit Wine Shop/Divergent Wine: https://www.conduitwineshop.com/
Tag and Jug Cider Company: http://www.tagandjug.com/
some friends are wine wholesalers now offering to the general public.
Link! https://www.copafina.com/
During and after The Great Recession, I was able to buy some really good wines at a HUGE discount. Australian wines really hit the crapper, and I was getting $100-150 bottles for about $25. Some Napa producers were also struggling, so I got quality juice for well under $40. Alas, those days spoiled me. Now when decent Napa wines are $75, I'm totally miffed and refuse to spend that much, even though that is considered a "deal" for Napa cab. I'm hoping there are similar silver linings in the days ahead, as I am a greedy, wine loving bastard.
Maybe that's my problem. I never spent enough on an Australian wine to get one I liked.
I'm not a fan, if I'm going to drink a new-world wine, I prefer Californian.
Please elaborate!
Amazing deals online - $19 for a 93 point Brunello!?!?
amazing deals online = something that I can't use :/
Why?
local blue laws - no delivery from out of state. They've been relaxed to allow delivery from local producers, but that's about it.
You might explore shipping to a shipping/receiving point in a neighboring jurisdiction that's not as blue law encumbered. With the price of gas plummeting, the cost of driving over to get the freight out of a shipping locker won't erode the savings very much.
That sucks! This is America, land of the free!
After the sting operation, DC Trojan is not allowed to use the internet.
Plainly that's not true or else how would I be joining in this banter?
Oh! Where at?
I thought maybe you meant the other way because people are bored and drinking at home, but it looks like the economic effects of the coming recession are hitting already.
or if wine makers aren't essential then the supply would go down. Though I'd imagine they're essential if liquor stores are essential.
It's hitting them hard right now, restaurants aren't buying AT ALL - pretty much everywhere, tasting rooms are closed, vacations are off, they are hurting BAD.
Where do you buy wine online?
You left out a comma, and yes.
For specific sites, some of my faves are Wines Til Sold Out and Last Bottle Wines. They sell wines one at a time, almost always at a deep discount (trust but verify with independent research). Also, not all reviewers are equally good (I'm looking at you, Wilfred Wong and James Halliday!)
...or helping them out in their time of greatest need
...by supporting them with revenue during a crisis?
Hmmm is it time for me to buy more wine???
Ordered 6, but I'm trying SO HARD not to keep on buying wine.
where are you ordering from? Maybe I'll look for some for No 1.
SHARE THE WEALTH CUGEL
Yesterday I ordered 6 of a certain bottling from one site. Soon thereafter I realized I had already ordered 12 of the same bottling elsewhere. This snapping up of great deals can be detrimental to the dwindling free space in my cellar. These are the SIGNIFICANT first world problems with which I struggle.
Oh you
Today in Pandemic stuff:
The one person I know who tested positive, and actually had active symptoms, has not only recovered, but was retested and is now negative. Recovery is an uplifting bit of good news.
https://slate.com/technology/2020/04/coronavirus-circulating-california-2019-bunk.html
Richard Neher, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, told the Scientist that Nextstrain researchers’ work has tracked the virus back to a single source “somewhere between mid-November and early December,” which then spread in China. The earliest cases in the U.S. appeared in January 2020, according to Nextstrain’s sequencing work. Washington state, where the first known COVID-19 case in the U.S. was identified, has at least six strains. A similar analysis of California’s coronavirus cases—which has yet to be peer-reviewed—identified at least eight strains in the state, suggesting transmission from Washington state, New York, Europe, and China.
If genomics aren’t your thing, consider this: If the virus had arrived earlier, we would have known. Humans have no natural immunity to this new virus, which is why it’s spreading quickly, infecting millions and killing tens of thousands. That’s evident in what’s going on in New York right now, says Black. “If it had arrived in fall of 2019, and we were all living our lives as normal, we would’ve had New York back in fall of 2019,” she says. There’s no reason why this virus would have spread undetected for months before wreaking the havoc it has.
This directly contradicts the stanfurd team theory: https://abc7news.com/coronavirus-covid-19-herd-immunity-california/6091220/
I'm not a researcher, but nothing I've read supports the Stanford theory.
The Slate article talks about that. She points out that the "Stanford team" is separate from the Hanson guy that they interviewed. Hanson is part of the Hoover Institute. Sloppy reporting gone viral :(
I was skeptical of the idea even just reading it on the news. It doesn't make sense.
Ohio Department of Health ping pong video is cool
It is pretty cool.
https://youtu.be/o4PnSYAqQHU
thanks for sharing. my oldest lives in Ohio, hadn't seen it (but they don't watch tv...).
I live in Ohio, and this is the first I've seen of this video. Indeed pretty cool.
I really admire Ohio's response. Governor DeWine has pleasantly surprised me, and Dr. Acton is AMAZING.
Indeed, except for the "ABORTIONS AREN'T ESSENTIAL, certainly not like liquor store sales/tax revenue" stuff.
Right, that part was a downer
I imagine he has to throw some kind of bone to the base after their rude shock at being governed.
Could have put that comment here.
Since I'm an 'essential' employee at our 'essential' service (landfill), this has all been mostly work as normal. One change has been the increase in face covering use. I detest disposable things for this sort of activity (SO MUCH WASTE), so i've been using some cloth face coverings that a friend made. How are others handling the face covering issue?
AndBears spent last week making DIY cloth facemasks. I've been using them for errands outside, but not for morning runs or walking the dog.
I have a stack of 300 surgical masks, 3 reusable pollution masks and a cloth one. As an Asian living in Asia, I was built for this. (Not really, but I got masks)
I've also been mailing them out to my parents and doctor friends (went to Cal so so many doctor friends - all of my roommates for example)
I have one paint-project mask that I keep in my car to wear in supermarkets. I don't feel it's necessary, but makes everyone feel better.
I walked up to support the local pizza place at lunch. There weren't very many folks out but it seemed like a higher than normal percentage was wearing a covering. I've only worn at the grocery store and then it was just a folded bandana.
DIY cloth masks. We're now under county orders to wear them in places like the supermarket. I'm not worrying about it for when I go for a walk.
Shanghai government has relaxed the "wear masks" when in public in an area with a lot of ventilation. But as I've been outside, it's only about 1%, but in China, 1% is a lot of people.
DIY cloth masks the other half crafted mostly. Pretty good results, though a couple of design improvements have been necessary. Laundering brings out durability issues.
My daughter dug out some regular masks left from a sand and paint project so each of us in my and her household have 1 for serious situations that arise. The issue was though we have routinely had them for major dust/paint/spray/etc projects, there was never an effort to keep a supply on hand because they were readily available at all the building materials, hardware, and home improvements stores...until they weren't overnight. Like TP. Note to self about 1 more thing to keep a box of in stock on hand once supply returns to normal.
my wife is sewing a bunch of cloth masks to use and donate even as I type. We did find one paint / dust mask left from a mold abatement project so if push really comes to shove, we're hosed 😂
That seems to be what people are doing around here also, though not part of the shelter-in-place yet.
| How are others handling the face covering issue?
With a lot of uncertainty. I posted this in a past DBD, but I don't know how to balance old N95s vs. new PM2.5 vs. just cloth. I'm leaning towards donating old N95s as it looks like medical facilities are still accepting them despite being open and then just decided between cloth vs. PM2.5 (which medical professionals don't seem to be using?).
I'm using 2200N95 I got during the fires
I have a handful of N95s I got during the fires, but I've only used 2 of them so far. I don't go out regularly, so I just keep one in the car in case I'm going to the store, which is like once a week or more.
A lot of lab stuff is disposable or single-use, and I wonder what possible solutions there are. Obviously, waste is not great :/
It's good that you're trying not to increase waste. I guess my strategy is to avoid going outside as much as possible so that I don't need to wear a mask.
lab work is different, imo. And we go through a TON of disposable nitrile gloves when sampling. Cross contamination of samples is so easy, and a real problem when you are trying to measure 1/10 of a part per billion.
I definitely took a box of nitrile gloves from the teaching lab to keep in my car; they're nice to put on when going in the supermarket and tossing when you leave.
I have nitrile gloves I use for cooking (handling chilis, mixing marinaded meats or dumpling filling). I haven't thought to use them when going out though. I wash my hands a lot instead.
That's another item to add once things calm down, supply wise. From 25 years as a firefighter, I had gotten into the habit of having a pair tucked into the pockets of every jacket, and spares in the truck, etc, because you never know, but the supply has been pretty severely cleaned out, and, like masks, there is no supply, on something that was routinely ubiquitously available until a month ago.
My grandfather used to keep bread crusts in his jacket pockets for years in the U.S. after fleeing Eastern Europe after WWII and not knowing when he'd get his next meal; I think our generation is going to do the same with toilet paper and PPE.
Anyone working outside today? It looks gorgeous out but it's 40 right now... debating how much I want to bundle up and force the issue
It's been cold and windy all morning, and it was snowing about an hour ago (not enough to stick, mercifully). So that's an emphatic no. I worked outside earlier in the week, though.
it was nice here is NY earlier this week. but a late winter storm dumped 10+ inches of snow up in NH/VT and we are getting cold/rain/wind here for a few days.
it might even "force me" to skip my outdoor ride today, which is really just an excuse for being lazy
where in NY are you? I'm in SE CT and it looks like smooth sailing now through the weekend
i am in New Rochelle. i end up in SW CT on my bike rides on most days, mostly in Greenwich and in NY in Armonk, Bedford, etc.
How are things there? I remember that being an early hotspot with the National Guard delivering food and the like.
indeed. things are more or less the same but at least we are not in the spotlight anymore. i think we had a recent decline of cases in NR, but Westchester County overall the numbers continue to go up similar to NYC.
but now that everywhere has the same rules it does not feel that different and if anything, glad that we are outside the city, even if only 20 miles.
Here in Marin, where we seem to have next-to-no community transmission, certain people are freaking out, afraid to walk on paths, shaming runners & riders for not wearing masks. These same people probably would have shot themselves if they'd lived in New Rochelle.
Stood out on my balcony for a few minutes today. I didn't realize how nice it would be to feel sun and fresh breeze after so long.
Currently 60 and Sunny here. I do need to get out of the office and do some outside work stuff.
sorry about the double post....how did that happen?
I think only the poster sees the double post because any reply by others as well as the poster show up in both "posts".
at least that's what I see.
weird. double is gone now.
did you refresh or reload? That usually fixes it.
I went for a short run just across from DC. It was mid 40s and windy but I wore shorts and two short sleeve t-shirts and was fine.
It was 75 and sunny during the week. It will be rainy and 45 tomorrow. :(
Ok what's the deal with Animal Crossing and why is it so popular? Everyone is posting shit to Twitter and I'm just at a loss
I guess this is what turning 31 is like, huh
i am intrigued too, but mostly for the kids because we just bought a Nintendo Switch over Xmas and trying to figure out what games the girls might like.
i just bought Super Mario for the Switch using the online download. need to set it up today.
I debated about buying a Switch and Animal Crossing - but even though money isn't an issue RIGHT NOW, I figure dropping $500 on a new system and some games right now isn't the greatest idea.
they're $500? sheeeeeeeet
$300 for the Switch, $60 per game. Figure Animal Crossing, Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart, plus some accessories, bag - and you're way over $500 already, or at least I am.
And that's if you can find a Switch. It seems like all the stories I'm hearing about them are people hoarding them and selling them at a huge markup on Ebay and places like that.
They're fairly easy to come across here in Shanghai, where they're not officially for sale. I can get US, HK, or Japanese versions.
disaster capitalism strikes again!
It's a cute, low-key sim game that's not competitive, fairly creative, and lets you interact with your (real life) friends. It's happy and gives people something they have control over and can explore. It's easy for non-"gamer" type people to enjoy.
Lots of 31-ish fans, especially those who grew up with the series (the first installment came out in 2001).
Is it different from all the other video game releases that people get excited about?
So there is an objective to that game...to be the richest person in the realm?
No, not inherently. I mean, you can always compete with your friends in that if you want, but that's not an aspect of the default game at all.
The capitalism joke is because you can choose to upgrade your tent to a house and make it bigger and bigger, but to get those upgrades, you have to pay a character for them.
Yeah, it's just very innocent fun.
Seconding what everyone else has said. It also has a low barrier of entry because there's no objective or competition, so you can have no video game skills and still do just fine. There's a creative component allowing for that outlet.
The timing is also eerily perfect as it offers an idyllic world when everything outside is on fire. I've been able to play with my family whom I can't see right now, including my little niece who really loves it.
Kind of like the Steak-Umm twitter account