COVID-19 2.0: No Politics edition

[medjuck]

WE have a half dozen N-95 masks left from the fire season 2 years ago.  I'm sort of embarrassed to wear one since we're told that they should be reserved for hospitals but the local hospital wouldn't take them because they weren't from an unopened box. 

[ghost of miles]

Worldometer Coronavirus statistics

Note that 20% of the "closed cases" so far have resulted in death.

[JSngry]

3 minutes ago, sonnymax said:

I don't want to dissuade anyone from using a facial mask. However, they're not designed to protect a healthy person who wears one from contracting the virus. It's my understanding that when properly worn by someone who is infected, a mask catches the tiny droplets from your nose and mouth that can carry the virus, thus preventing the spread of the virus to others.

My understanding is that the "surgical-grade" masks do protect the wearer, thus the need for front-line hospital staff.

For everybody else, if a mask is not in your choicebox right now, at least scarf up and come correct with it. On this front, we definitely have strong, decisive, and demonstrably expert leadership!!!

 

[Rooster_Ties]

1 hour ago, sonnymax said:

I don't want to dissuade anyone from using a facial mask. However, they're not designed to protect a healthy person who wears one from contracting the virus. It's my understanding that when properly worn by someone who is infected, a mask catches the tiny droplets from your nose and mouth that can carry the virus, thus preventing the spread of the virus to others.

I’ve heard even just homemade masks do offer some level of modest protection, if for no other reason than it serves as a constant reminder to the wearer TO NOT TOUCH YOUR OWN FACE (when out and about) - which is a reminder I myself need practically *CONSTANTLY*.
 

Now I fully realize the actual value of homemade masks to property filter the air may only be modest - but I felt like it’s still valuable enough to wear when doing necessary (infrequent) shopping. But I’m NOT worried enough about trying to find/buy a “real” mask - and regardless, I wouldn’t want to deprive anyone else of a mask who might really need a “real” one more than me (because of their own underlying heath conditions, or if they have elderly family in their same household, or similar).

But I also see wearing a (homemade) mask as a sign of respect for the health of others around me, when I have to be out in public - and that’s a vibe I do want to convey. Not one of fear, but one of respect.

My wife and I live right in the middle of the most densely populated zip code in all of Washington DC (and of the entire DMV area), with folks of every ethnicity and at every financial level (both somewhat high, down to some rent-controlled complexes, and street people, and everything in between).

The sidewalks are nowhere close to ‘teaming’ with people like usual, but there’s still some people out at various times, and maybe 200-300 people in the grocery store (or Target) at every hour - not including store staff.

 

As I’ve said before, we’re *NOT* freaked out about either of us getting Covid, but we feel some genuine obligation to try and avoid it, if for no other reason so we don’t spread it (and we’re staying out of contact with people about 95%).

We’re both pretty ‘hermit-like’ anyway, a bit, so doing all that hasn’t been too onerous for us at all. This will a get kinda old in a couple months, but the actual impact to us will be more than manageable, and thankfully we get along great. And despite our digs being just a 1BR 630-sq-ft apartment, we’re staying out of each other’s hair quite well - at least so far, 3 weeks in.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Rooster_Ties

[Guy Berger]

8 hours ago, Daniel A said:

There is at least one factual error in that article:

"No one knows yet for sure, but evidence abounds that the lethality of this virus may be in line with flu’s 1 percent, and possibly as low as 0.1 percent." 

Seasonal flu does not have a mortality rate of 1 percent, but rather in the 0.1 percent range. And it's all to early to state that the lethality of [the new corona] virus might be "possibly as low as 0.1 percent". Yes, anything is "possible", but it is misleading to state it this way. 

Thanks for calling this out, it's very likely incorrect.  This is a much more dangerous illness than the typical seasonal flu.

[Dmitry]

7 hours ago, Rooster_Ties said:

Yesterday I made a pair of simple no-sew face-masks for my wife and me. Couldn’t find bandannas at Target yesterday (had to go for other things), so I cut up a pillow-case (which I’d read elsewhere was the next best thing, and maybe even better if the thread-count is high).

Supposedly deconstructed HEPA vacuum cleaner material is about the only thing much better (but it’s also hard as hell to breath through, and not recommended).

I don’t expect we’ll be out except for our daily walks (away from people), and the grocery store about once every 5 days, and Target maybe every 2-3 weeks.  But we wanted to be prepared, if (more like *when*) masks become the necessary protective and social norm.

All you need is an 18”-square bandanna or piece of pillow-case, and a couple elastic hair-ties. The hair-ties don’t stay over your ears perfectly, so I’m probably going to further secure it will a shoelace that connects the hair-ties behind your head. A couple safety-pins too might help (gonna add those today).

http://blog.japanesecreations.com/no-sew-face-mask-with-handkerchief-and-hair-tie

No need to look like an Elephant Man. You would've done better with your jockeys. Takes seconds.

 

[Guy Berger]

1 hour ago, sonnymax said:

I don't want to dissuade anyone from using a facial mask. However, they're not designed to protect a healthy person who wears one from contracting the virus. It's my understanding that when properly worn by someone who is infected, a mask catches the tiny droplets from your nose and mouth that can carry the virus, thus preventing the spread of the virus to others.

Yes.  The actual health boost to a "civilian" wearing a mask isn't zero, but it's not that high.  However, the gains to other people could be quite large - especially since a lot of cases are asymptomatic.  I think this is a case where excessive irrational paranoia ("gotta protect myself with a mask!") is actually good for society as a whole.

FWIW, a lot of these health benefits can be accrued by less sophisticated masks.  Even a scarf over your mouth offers some benefits to others.  Please leave the medical-grade masks to doctors and other health care providers who are in serious danger.

[catesta]

1 hour ago, JSngry said:

Where in West Texas was this? What brand of a convenience store was it?

Asking because there are areas out there that may or may not be in the same time-space continuum as the rest of us, and if this is one of those places, hey...times is tough enough without you inadvertently sending a crew through a wormhole...would your comp coverage cover Quantum mishaps as well as Newtonian ones?

Wormholes and loopholes...not what you want to be dealing with right now, am I right?

This happened in McCamey Texas, that crew has moved on to Uvalde now. Not sure of the store but we see credit card purchases at Allsup's so likely one of them.

Can't avoid the timing and need for them to be where they are. These crews are working through a shit load solar farm acres applying herbicides. There is very little tolerance for unwanted brush and weed growth at these places. Shit fucks up cable trays, drive lines, shades panels, creates fires and overall safety risk to electrical techs, etc.. Wish I didn't have to have them there but...

In a couple of weeks I have to send the second wave that consists of mowers. By then, this current Texas group will have made it to California to join their comrades and finish up the remaining lot out west.

[Guy Berger]

1 hour ago, ghost of miles said:

Worldometer Coronavirus statistics

Note that 20% of the "closed cases" so far have resulted in death.

I think this stat is an overestimate for two reasons:

1) Testing is limited to more severe cases.

2) For a severe case, recovery might take longer than death

[Dmitry]

7 hours ago, JSngry said:

Speculative sociology with potentially political overtones, not really what this thread is here for.

We all have our worries, we all have our fears. Save them for Facebook, please.

 I do seem to remember a page to two prior you hailing you local supermarket chain for stocking up on toilet paper and whatever else they were supposed to stock up on, like many other supermarket chains  have in this scenario, and continue to do so. However, physical goods and commodities have an inconvenient tendency of running out, regardless of the  business acumen of whoever is running your favorite supermarket's procurement department. It's happened before with gasoline; you're  older than me, you've experienced that.    

In the case of my post above, if things keep the same as they have been in the past 2 weeks, you are bound to see some of the items that I've described above, maybe not all of them, but certainly some. It's just inevitable, I'm afraid. When Wittgenstein's poker is thrown down on the floor, who will remember at what exact instant of our conversation it occurred? Only the fact of it making noise will remain.

[JSngry]

32 minutes ago, catesta said:

This happened in McCamey Texas, that crew has moved on to Uvalde now. Not sure of the store but we see credit card purchases at Allsup's so likely one of them.

Ok, that explains everything.

Allsup's is one of those "chains" that I don't stop at when I'm travelling with my family, if you know what I mean...

[JSngry]

22 minutes ago, Dmitry said:

 In the case of my post above, if things keep the same as they have been in the past 2 weeks, you are bound to see some of the items that I've described above, maybe not all of them, but certainly some. It's just inevitable, I'm afraid. When Wittgenstein's poker is thrown down on the floor, who will remember at what exact instant of our conversation it occurred? Only the fact of it making noise will remain.

Exactly - speculative sociology, with neither a known circumstance nor a provable outcome. things "keeping the same as they have been in the last two weeks", that's a buttload full of "things" to stay exactly the same. And no matter which way any of these things break, I very seriously doubt that everything will "stay the same". All of this is much too fluid to assume that.

The only thing that is actually "inevitable" is your speculative conclusion, which is inevitably full of "political" implications as to "solutions", and this is not the thread for that.

Not saying it's not a thought worth having in your head or in your home or on your Facebook, just that this is not the thread for that.

Please consider this as an open, respectful request. It is not yet a warning.

[catesta]

35 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Ok, that explains everything.

Allsup's is one of those "chains" that I don't stop at when I'm travelling with my family, if you know what I mean...

Yep. I sometimes avoid specific locations of chains that I otherwise have no problem with. There is a Flying J in New Mexico that seems to attract the worst local element, so....

[JSngry]

11 minutes ago, catesta said:

Yep. I sometimes avoid specific locations of chains that I otherwise have no problem with. There is a Flying J in New Mexico that seems to attract the worst local element, so....

I used to love to stop at Flying Js because they used to have the best - bar none - selection of jazz/blues/gospel/comedy cassettes on the truck stop circuit. I mean, a deep selection. Pretty sure most if not all of it was either boot or counterfeit, but hell - you get a cassette of Rushing Lullabies that carries you down the road for a solid six hours, you show some gratitude, especially when it keeps getting rewarded!

And then they stopped, and as a result, I stopped stopping. Kind of a shame, because stopping into joints like that is like going into an urban Waffle House at 3:30 AM, a chance for a slice of life that you might well not get anywhere else, at least not like that! But, you know, once I strted realizing that I was more likely to keep get older than not...

[catesta]

34 minutes ago, JSngry said:

I used to love to stop at Flying Js because they used to have the best - bar none - selection of jazz/blues/gospel/comedy cassettes on the truck stop circuit. I mean, a deep selection. Pretty sure most if not all of it was either boot or counterfeit, but hell - you get a cassette of Rushing Lullabies that carries you down the road for a solid six hours, you show some gratitude, especially when it keeps getting rewarded!

And then they stopped, and as a result, I stopped stopping. Kind of a shame, because stopping into joints like that is like going into an urban Waffle House at 3:30 AM, a chance for a slice of life that you might well not get anywhere else, at least not like that! But, you know, once I strted realizing that I was more likely to keep get older than not...

Any issues with QT?

I'll drive by 20 Circle Ks to hit a QT.

[JSngry]

QTs have always been solid for me. It's is the one place that will consistently tell me whether it's OK to eat the hot dogs at 4:30 AM or if, no don't do that, just haven't thrown them out yet. Or, no, just put them on, they'll be ready in 10 minutes, but not right now.

Integrity when it counts. I like that.

[felser]

In our area, it's all about

[catesta]

13 minutes ago, JSngry said:

QTs have always been solid for me. It's is the one place that will consistently tell me whether it's OK to eat the hot dogs at 4:30 AM or if, no don't do that, just haven't thrown them out yet. Or, no, just put them on, they'll be ready in 10 minutes, but not right now.

Integrity when it counts. I like that.

Plus, the cashiers work right and left side of registers translating to little or no lines whatsoever.

 

Felser, right on. Wawa are also good.

Edited April 3, 2020 by catesta

[GA Russell]

My favorite is Sheetz.  Always look brand new and very clean.

[jlhoots]

There are worse than Allsups. FWIW, Speedway is pretty good in our area.

[Brad]

If you’re using or thinking about Zoom, I suggest you read this article. 

A Feature on Zoom Secretly Displayed Data From People’s LinkedIn Profiles

[felser]

2 hours ago, GA Russell said:

My favorite is Sheetz.  Always look brand new and very clean.

Sheetz and Wawa have neatly divided up Pennsylvania, Wawa to the East and Sheetz to the West.  There is a very very small area of overlap.  The two companies run very different stores, but express great respect for each other.  Wawa has great coffee, Sheetz coffee is awful.  Sheetz has very good $1.99 meatball sandwiches, but in general their food is not bad but seems a little overpriced.   Wawa makes a really good hoagie, and in general exudes more class in their menu.  But I have no hesitation about stopping at either, the stores are clean, the gas is not expensive, and the food is dependable for what it is.

[ejp626]

3 hours ago, Brad said:

If you’re using or thinking about Zoom, I suggest you read this article. 

A Feature on Zoom Secretly Displayed Data From People’s LinkedIn Profiles

It's a good piece.  Zoom claims that as of Thurs, they are disabling one of the data mining features.  Zoom plays fast and loose with security settings and is more concerned about growth than privacy.  That said, when an app looks cool and fairly useful but is free or near free, then there's a good chance that the app developer is going to be reselling your data one way or another.

I'll probably continue to use Zoom in my personal life for low-stakes things and at work, they are moving to get us all into Microsoft Teams, though there is a bit more of a learning curve.  (And I imagine the data harvesting is a bit more discrete...)

I have already witnessed some of the Zoom-bombing, though it was contained to silly and then somewhat vulgar comments in the chat, which the host was able to turn off completely.  So it wasn't nearly as disruptive as it could have been.

[Dan Gould]

Good piece on the TP shortgage:

https://marker.medium.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about-the-toilet-paper-shortage-c812e1358fe0

 

If you’re looking for where all the toilet paper went, forget about people’s attics or hall closets. Think instead of all the toilet paper that normally goes to the commercial market — those office buildings, college campuses, Starbucks, and airports that are now either mostly empty or closed. That’s the toilet paper that’s suddenly going unused.

So why can’t we just send that toilet paper to Safeway or CVS? That’s where supply chains and distribution channels come in.

[sidewinder]

In the middle of a very remote ancient woodland track just down the way from my place this afternoon, came across a couple coming the other way. Backing off, shunting and re-direction just like a rail junction !

Absolutely glorious day though and the only sound was wildlife !

Edited April 4, 2020 by sidewinder