Claim that coronavirus came from a lab in China completely unfounded, scientists say [Kashmira Gander/Newsweek]
I expect everybody who believes the virus came from a Chinese lab will look at this article and say, “Welp, guess I was wrong about that. Thank you for sharing that information!”
The Coronavirus in America: The Year Ahead [Donald G. McNeil Jr./The New York Times]
An excellent overview of the best science on what to expect – not just for the next year, but for years.
Short version: Expect gradual, cautious “opening the economy” and going out in public, in phases. The process could take literally years. People proven immune will get passports that let them move freely anywhere. At-risk people will live more limited lives.
The civil liberties implications here are ENORMOUS; freedom of movement and assembly are two essential characteristics distinguishing police states from free societies. But we are going to have to give those things up to minimize harm from the pandemic.
Not said in this article: Or we could be stupid and lots of people could rush out right away to bars and movie theaters and sporting events, and we’ll see hundreds of thousands of deaths.
Are You Sitting Down? Standing Desks Are Overrated [Aaron E. Carroll/New York Times]
I’ve been using a standing desk for about 10 years. Or more precisely a sitting/standing desk - I have a tall stool that I perch on when I want to take a break from standing.
The Year 2038 Problem [Reset]: If you enjoyed the Year 2000 crisis, we get to do it again in 2038.
Also: Making the case that Y2K was not rubbish; rather, a lot of people got together to make sure that nothing would go wrong, and very little did. Because of their efforts, we did see some problems in 2000, but they were no big deal.
And, interestingly, some of the effects were felt this year, in January – one of the Y2K workarounds was to essentially kick the problem down the road 20 years.
Who’s Organizing the Lockdown Protests [The Daily]
“An informal coalition of influential conservative leaders and groups has been quietly encouraging demonstrations against stay-at-home orders across the country.”
Usual suspects of Tea Party backers, gun rights groups, and Trump advocates.
Generally I’m happy to see Trump supporters burn their own houses down, but I am genuinely grieved and appalled to see photos of these protest groups. They’re playing Russian roulette with their own lives, their children and their families, friends, co-workers and neighbors.
It’s like watching a group of people protest traffic laws by walking blindfolded across a major superhighway during rush hour.
Wheels on a shopping cart be like [yeahiwasintheshit.tumblr.com]
The problem with read-later bookmarking services like Pocket and Instapaper is your queue is filled with articles you decided not to read.
“Remain calm! All is well!" The White House maintains order during the coronavirus pandemic.
CDC Director Robert Redfield warned the coronavirus pandemic might come back in the winter, worse than before. The White House claims he never said it. The White House is lying.
Why the CDC director wasn’t misquoted on coronavirus – no matter what the White House says [Chris Cillizza/CNN]
Why do people think 5G causes coronavirus?
The 5G coronavirus conspiracy theory[Reset]
A vague throwaway line in a European newspaper in January ignited multiple conspiracy theories about a nonexistent link between 5G and coronavirus
People subscribe to theories like this because there are things really going on in the world that would have been unthinkable a short time ago
The best way to combat the spread of a conspiracy theory: Start by listening.
What to expect in the next year or two of the pandemic
Donald G. McNeil Jr., New York Times science and health reporter, who has successfully anticipated the pandemic thus far, polishes his crystal ball and looks at what to expect for the next year or two.
- Immunity passports, as people get certified immune and fit to go out in public;
- Start-stop lockdowns, as societies open up, infection rates increase, and then societies shut down again;
- and strategic self-infection – people intentionally infecting themselves in hopes of acquiring immunity.
Afterward, possibly a flourishing of prosperity and progressive policy, as happened after World Wars I and I.
The Next Year (or Two) of the Pandemic [The Daily/The New York Times]
Stories to Wash Hands By [The Memory Palace/Nate DiMeo]: “20 stories, each 20 seconds, to accompany you in the proper washing of hands.”
Today on Cory Doctorow’s Pluralistic
++ Calls by the music industry to put copyright filters on the entire Internet are a terrible idea. Existing filters are utter failures at finding copyrighted material and “they also flag and block entire libraries' worth of legit materials.” Copyright filters will do the EXACT OPPOSITE of what they intend: They will encourage copyright abuse, stifle legitimate free expression and creativity and – because they cost hundreds of millions of dollars a year to implement – they will block startups from competing with the big incumbent internet companies.
++ Apartment buildings didn’t cause the pandemic.
++ “Reopen” websites are backed by the Koch brothers and other grifters behind the Tea Party, GOP and conmen who stir up fears that guns are going to confiscated.
++ Charter gives its field techs $25 gift cards to restaurants – which aren’t open – instead of hazard pay or PPE, and it requires back-office staff to come to work in the office. Now at last 230 Charter employees have Covid-19 and the company is under investigation by the NY Attorney General.
++ Disney heiress Abigail Disney says the company’s top executives ought to forego bonuses rather than furlough 100,000 front-line workers.
Trump is going down hard in November
Everyone is in denial about November [Daniel W. Drezner/The Washington Post]
We’re only in the second inning of the pandemic. Getting a little breather now, things are looking like they’re getting better, but most of the crisis is still ahead of us.
And Trump can be counted on to make things worse. That is his biggest liability as a President. Not his numerous character flaws – jerk, crook, racist, narcissist, serial and compulsive liar. No, Trump’s biggest liability as a President is that he’s an incompetent moron. He’s an idiot. Even worse, he THINKS he’s a super-competent genius. And that’s going to be even more obvious in November than it is today.
"World on Fire"
Last night we watched about 15 minutes of the second episode “World on Fire,” a British miniseries about the Nazi conquest of Europe, told from the vantage point of ordinary people.
Then we turned off the TV.
I loved the first episode of the program and was extremely impressed by it, but somehow we’re not feeling like watching “World on Fire” when the world seems like it’s on the verge of burning.
A view into an alternate universe
A big part of my job is – or was – attending conferences. When I learn – or learned – about an interesting-looking conference, I put it in my calendar.
And now that calendar is a view into an alternate universe, one where I continued to work at my previous job, and coronavirus did not happen.
Today in that alternate universe, I am returning from the Open Networking Edge Summit in Los Angeles.
With the nation healthy, tranquil and prosperous, our President turns his attention to thoughtful media criticism.
Trump tunes in to ‘Morning Joe,’ says he sees ‘hatred and contempt’ [Kyle Balluck/The Hill]