2020
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. 📷 📓
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]