What We Can Learn From 1918 Influenza Diaries
Smithsonian Magazine:
When Dorman B.E. Kent, a historian and businessman from Montpelier, Vermont, contracted influenza in fall 1918, he chronicled his symptoms in vivid detail. Writing in his journal, the 42-year-old described waking up with a “high fever,” “an awful headache” and a stomach bug.
“Tried to get Dr. Watson in the morning but he couldn’t come,” Kent added. Instead, the physician advised his patient to place greased cloths and a hot water bottle around his throat and chest.
“Took a seidlitz powder”—similar to Alka-Seltzer—“about 10:00 and threw it up soon so then took two tablespoons of castor oil,” Kent wrote. “Then the movements began and I spent a good part of the time at the seat.”
The 1Password team share their work-from-home setups
“I’m going for “Mom from Kiki’s Delivery Service” or “Alchemist next door” kind of vibes.”
By Emily Marchant
Injections of Bleach? Beams of Light? Trump Is Self-Destructing Before Our Eyes
“The notion that [Trump] is bound for four more years is pure superstition.”
This is a wonderful rallying cry by Frank Bruni at the New York Times about Trump’s extreme beatability this year. Indeed, Trump doesn’t have to be beaten; he’s destroying himself.
Trump is extremely unpopular now. Of course, he was extremely unpopular in 2016 as well, and won anyway.
But the dissonance of that victory could be explained partly by what he represented: a protest against the status quo. Now he _is _the status quo, and voters have had a chance to sample the disruption that he pledged. It tastes a lot like incompetence.
I’ve been saying – and hoping – something similar for a couple of years. A big part of Trump’s support in 2016 came from people who went into the voting booth and saw two levers. One was marked “MORE OF THE SAME.” They pulled the other lever, which was marked “SOMETHING DIFFERENT.”
Also, while Trump makes a strength out of outrageous behavior that would be fatal to another politician, a lot of what he has going for him is just plain luck.
He’s lucky beyond all imagining. But here’s the thing about luck: It runs out.
Yes.
Thanks, @ReaderJohn!
The Lockdowns Were the Black Swan [Holman W. Jenkins, Jr./WSJ]
We did not need to lock down the country to flatten the curve.
A reasonable argument. Not sure I agree with it. Needs evidence-based discussion.
Coronavirus Overtakes Ninjas As Top Invisible Enemy [The Babylon Bee]
What makes coronavirus even worse than ninjas, according to Trump, is that there is currently no known defense against it, while the defense against ninjas is well known (train with monks for a decade in the mountains to learn the secrets of martial arts).
This is of course satire but no dumber than things 45 actually says.
Thanks, @chet!
The week before the shutdown here in San Diego I went to two social events – which is a lot for me – and surprised myself how much I enjoyed them.
Days before the shutdown I said to myself, “I think my time as a recluse is over. I need to join community associations and clubs and get out more and socialize.”
So the pandemic is my fault. My bad.
Ben Affleck Smoked A Cigarette While Wearing A Face Mask So Here Are The Pics [Lauren Yapalater/BuzzFeed]
He’s one of my favorite actors and directors and I’m sorry to say this but Ben Affleck is kind of an idiot isn’t he?
Navy recommends reinstating captain of coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier [Amanda Macias/CNBC]
Opening a can if wildly corroded Spider-Man pasta [Twitter/DinosaurDracula]
Today on Cory Doctorow’s Pluralistic
++ A GoFundMe to save NYC’s Forbidden Planet store.
++ “A labradoodle breeder is in charge of America’s vaccines: An actual labradoodle could do a better job.”
++ “Inject disinfectant:” Even when faced with ridiculous objections to scientific fact, such as climate change, journalists feel the need for dangerous both-siderism.
++ “Masks work: Lasers reveal your revolting, spittle-flecked utterances.”
++ “US telcoms sector isn’t doing better than Europe’s: Net Neutrality’s murderers want you to believe they saved the American internet.”
++ “Amazon uses its sellers' data to figure out which products to clone: And they lied to Congress about it.”
++ “Facebook let advertisers target ‘pseudoscience’ and ‘conspiracy’:” This uses the same algorithm that previously allowed advertisers to target “jew-haters.”
++ “Security expert conned out of $10,000: If you think you’re too smart to get phished…. "
I miss going to the grocery store to buy three things
I’d realize I was out of apples or coffee, and then I’d go to the store and buy that and maybe two other things and that was my errand.
Related: I miss having apples every day. I now have apples most days but I do not want to risk going to the store often enough to allow me to have apples every day. I’ve been out of apples several days now, but on deadline so don’t have time for a grocery run.
Can the coronavirus be spread through farts? [Eric Hegedus/NYPost]
Australian doctors aren’t sure whether farting spreads coronavirus, and advise restraining from bare-bottom farting and farting when close to other people.
Which begs the question whether bare-bottom farting and farting close to other people has previously been common practice in Australia?
I know I have several Australian social media friends and I would appreciate enlightenment on this subject.
How close are we to breaking encryption with quantum computing? [Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols/InsiderPro]
Not very, but we need to be ready when it happens.
Wi-Fi is getting its biggest upgrade in 20 years [Jacob Kastrenakes/The Verge]
Wi-Fi is getting 4x the spectrum for a lot more elbow room.
TV show idea: “Zeno, Warrior Princess,” about a transgender Classical Greek philosopher who defeats evildoers using logical paradoxes.
Not a Joke: The Trump Admin Hired a Dog Breeder to Run Its Coronavirus Task Force [Bess Levin/Vanity Fair]
“Don’t worry, Brian Harrison also has virtually no public health experience.”
When faced with a pandemic that threatens millions of lives, I want a labradoodle man in charge.
An old friend just shared a Dropbox folder of hundreds of photos he took when we were teenagers together.
This is me looking much cooler than I have ever been in my life.
That hair tho. I do miss having hair. 📷 📓
