October 1, 2020
Thursday.
[Insert comment here about time passing. Which is both cliché and on point.]
Yesterday we finalized the purchase of our new house—two observations of note:
1) We met the sellers. For 45 minutes, they told us stories about our now mutual house. We heard about the (now deceased) angry neighbor pit bull, how to clean the marble counters, and the backstories of the work they put into making it their home. It was distracting, poignant, and so close to being normal (had we not all been wearing masks). Our real estate agent had to break up the fun. We all seemed to enjoy the opportunity to talk about anything else with semi-strangers. It almost felt illicit.
2) The settlement officer owned and utilized a telescoping fork to "touchless-ly" move papers around for us to sign. He is the only other human I am aware of who owns a telescoping fork. Oddly, both he and I received our telescoping forks from our fathers. This event has me thinking differently about my telescoping fork - raising it to a status akin to a family sword (as in Game of Thrones or LoTR). How sadly appropriate for a post-modern American family to have multi-generational utensils, huh? Our family fork shall be passed to my eldest son. I now need a name. Meat stabber? Long Tine? I have more research to do.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_swords
Get your own! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY6DJLE/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1
-----Latest Data---
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustx&areasRegional=usco&cumulative=0&logScale=0&perMillion=1&values=cases
Also, look at https://covidtracking.com/data
The U.S. Regionally:
The NY Times state-level data visualization:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
About the data:
https://covidtracking.com/about-data/visualization-guide is the best resource to understand data visualization and data integrity.
----
A few loyal readers pointed me to the fantastic Atlantic article discussing the non-linear transmission patterns observed in coronavirus. Bottom line - contact tracing is critical AND avoid crowds in closed, indoor spaces with lots of talking and singing. It is your coffee read of the day. Note that it quotes Muge Cevik, the lead author of an article and tweet I referenced yesterday.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/09/k-overlooked-variable-driving-pandemic/616548/
And, the CDC updated testing guidance for institutions of higher learning. The updates seem to be in line with a more rational, scientific approach to a pandemic. Ironically, visiting the CDC website pops-up a "we're interested in your feedback" form. I don't think that is really true.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/colleges-universities/ihe-testing.html
Yet another example of cool things humans can do when appropriately motivated, I found this article on a Duke/NUS (Singapore) virologist working on novel ways to test for SARS-CoV-2, and its origin in bats. It is a quick profile read and well worth the time.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/biologist-helped-trace-sars-bats-now-hes-working-uncover-origins-covid-19
Slate offered this article on the "POD" approach to kids and adults going back to indoor spaces. If strictly adhered to, combined with routine screening, it provides a rational means by which a group of people can work in close quarters with a manageable degree of risk.
https://slate.com/technology/2020/09/covid-6-feet-rule-update-social-distancing.html
Infographic of the day: This is why they hate us (us being speakers of English).
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo#/media/File:Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_sentence_diagram.jpg
from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo
Backstory: https://www.easybib.com/guides/a-color-coded-guide-to-the-eight-buffalo-sentence/
----Bonus Round: Packing and moving
As one would expect, packing my home office unearthed mountains of old notebooks and textbooks. Reading my notes and marginalia is a quaint window into past thoughts and impressions - like visiting with a younger Adam. It turns out I am not the only one who sees the value in these things:
https://www.exercisebookarchive.org/books/chn70s3/
backstory
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/unpublished-childrens-notebooks/
At Penn, they have taken this to a higher level - archiving 19th-century physician notes.
https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2017/april/rare-19th-century-notebooks-reveal-new-lessons-in-neurology
I can only fantasize about some nephrologist 100+ years from now reading my pithy and outdated comments on some patient's kidney dysfunction.
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
Have a safe weekend. I'll be back on Monday.
Yesterday we finalized the purchase of our new house—two observations of note:
1) We met the sellers. For 45 minutes, they told us stories about our now mutual house. We heard about the (now deceased) angry neighbor pit bull, how to clean the marble counters, and the backstories of the work they put into making it their home. It was distracting, poignant, and so close to being normal (had we not all been wearing masks). Our real estate agent had to break up the fun. We all seemed to enjoy the opportunity to talk about anything else with semi-strangers. It almost felt illicit.
2) The settlement officer owned and utilized a telescoping fork to "touchless-ly" move papers around for us to sign. He is the only other human I am aware of who owns a telescoping fork. Oddly, both he and I received our telescoping forks from our fathers. This event has me thinking differently about my telescoping fork - raising it to a status akin to a family sword (as in Game of Thrones or LoTR). How sadly appropriate for a post-modern American family to have multi-generational utensils, huh? Our family fork shall be passed to my eldest son. I now need a name. Meat stabber? Long Tine? I have more research to do.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_swords
Get your own! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MY6DJLE/ref=sspa_dk_detail_1
-----Latest Data---
Global-View:
https://www.ft.com/content/a2901ce8-5eb7-4633-b89c-cbdf5b386938
Nationally:
https://ig.ft.com/coronavirus-chart/?areas=usa&areas=gbr&areasRegional=usny&areasRegional=usca&areasRegional=usfl&areasRegional=ustx&areasRegional=usco&cumulative=0&logScale=0&perMillion=1&values=cases
Also, look at https://covidtracking.com/data
The U.S. Regionally:
The NY Times state-level data visualization:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
About the data:
https://covidtracking.com/about-data/visualization-guide is the best resource to understand data visualization and data integrity.
----
A few loyal readers pointed me to the fantastic Atlantic article discussing the non-linear transmission patterns observed in coronavirus. Bottom line - contact tracing is critical AND avoid crowds in closed, indoor spaces with lots of talking and singing. It is your coffee read of the day. Note that it quotes Muge Cevik, the lead author of an article and tweet I referenced yesterday.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/09/k-overlooked-variable-driving-pandemic/616548/
And, the CDC updated testing guidance for institutions of higher learning. The updates seem to be in line with a more rational, scientific approach to a pandemic. Ironically, visiting the CDC website pops-up a "we're interested in your feedback" form. I don't think that is really true.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/colleges-universities/ihe-testing.html
Yet another example of cool things humans can do when appropriately motivated, I found this article on a Duke/NUS (Singapore) virologist working on novel ways to test for SARS-CoV-2, and its origin in bats. It is a quick profile read and well worth the time.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/09/biologist-helped-trace-sars-bats-now-hes-working-uncover-origins-covid-19
Slate offered this article on the "POD" approach to kids and adults going back to indoor spaces. If strictly adhered to, combined with routine screening, it provides a rational means by which a group of people can work in close quarters with a manageable degree of risk.
https://slate.com/technology/2020/09/covid-6-feet-rule-update-social-distancing.html
Infographic of the day: This is why they hate us (us being speakers of English).
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo#/media/File:Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_sentence_diagram.jpg
from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo
Backstory: https://www.easybib.com/guides/a-color-coded-guide-to-the-eight-buffalo-sentence/
----Bonus Round: Packing and moving
As one would expect, packing my home office unearthed mountains of old notebooks and textbooks. Reading my notes and marginalia is a quaint window into past thoughts and impressions - like visiting with a younger Adam. It turns out I am not the only one who sees the value in these things:
https://www.exercisebookarchive.org/books/chn70s3/
backstory
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/unpublished-childrens-notebooks/
At Penn, they have taken this to a higher level - archiving 19th-century physician notes.
https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-blog/2017/april/rare-19th-century-notebooks-reveal-new-lessons-in-neurology
I can only fantasize about some nephrologist 100+ years from now reading my pithy and outdated comments on some patient's kidney dysfunction.
Clean hands and sharp minds,
Adam
Have a safe weekend. I'll be back on Monday.
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