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adjusting to the times
2020-Apr-10, Friday 01:18 pmI already discussed shortages in supply chains of toilet paper because of the difference in production between (what is now high-demand) residential products and (now low-demand) commercial products. There is plenty of paper, but we just need to wait for production to shift its methodology to the new pattern of usage.
It turns out, the same thing is happening to food processing. Now that residential food preparation is in high demand, all of the food that previously went to commercial packaging must now be shifted. It just takes time. There's no need to panic. I do still recommend buying Soylent for backup nutrition, on principle, not just disaster planning.
When Minnesota first started imposing restrictions, the governor left schools open. I thought it was a terrible mistake because kids still spread viruses like the noisy disease vectors they are, even though they aren't themselves as direly affected by COVID-19. Our governor quickly corrected the rules a few days later to impose restrictions on schools too. At that point, only 5 of my coworkers were allowed into our workplace. Then Minnesota went to stricter lockdown, and I was one of only 2 employees allowed in the building. And now we're easing restrictions slightly again, and we're back up to 5 employees allowed access to our workplace. I approve each of these changes. I expect restrictions to fluctuate like this throughout the 2020 calendar year, as disease ebbs and flows with the increased social contact of each wave.
If I were permanently stuck at home, I would adjust my car insurance online to indicate that I am now traveling zero distance to work. A parody news site made a joke about this discrepancy of insurance. It's so funny, because it's legitimate. People can adjust their car insurance to achieve lower payments. I haven't done it, but other people have.
Strangely, and perhaps counterintuitively, fatal traffic accidents are now significantly higher in Minnesota during lockdown. Without slowpokes (like me, insisting on driving the maximum speed limit in any lane) interfering in their driving patterns, people are apparently indulging their drive-as-fast-as-possible stupidity.
Also strangely, dog bites are up significantly in Minneapolis. It seems that people are letting their dogs out (without leashes) more frequently, because the humans are staying indoors so much longer now.
Sadly, Bernie Sanders has suspended his campaign (not quite the same as "dropping out of the race"). Unlike one candidate, Bernie Sanders is continuing to keep his staffers on health insurance through the election in November. I approve. I saw the news, then I went to the Sanders campaign website and bought a lot of merchandise and added a donation to help him cover those insurance costs.
I offer this quick reminder that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is itself changing with the times. Each new person infected brings the opportunity for a new adaptation. Some changes might be good for us, while some changes might be bad. It is also not 100% certain that people who recover are now immune nor that they are quickly uncontagious. Ignore calls that we "go back to normal" soon. That will not happen in 2020. Only irresponsible people are claiming otherwise. Normality will not resume until we have vaccines. To do otherwise would kill people unnecessarily. Canada has a rational leader who is broadcasting exactly this message.
Watch the charts (explained here) by clicking from "World" to "USA" on the top-right dropdown list. It is very clear that no USA state has yet passed the peak of this first wave of infection.
https://aatishb.com/covidtrends/
We have 1-3 inches of snow predicted for Sunday in Minneapolis. I'm ready for spring to finally happen.
It turns out, the same thing is happening to food processing. Now that residential food preparation is in high demand, all of the food that previously went to commercial packaging must now be shifted. It just takes time. There's no need to panic. I do still recommend buying Soylent for backup nutrition, on principle, not just disaster planning.
When Minnesota first started imposing restrictions, the governor left schools open. I thought it was a terrible mistake because kids still spread viruses like the noisy disease vectors they are, even though they aren't themselves as direly affected by COVID-19. Our governor quickly corrected the rules a few days later to impose restrictions on schools too. At that point, only 5 of my coworkers were allowed into our workplace. Then Minnesota went to stricter lockdown, and I was one of only 2 employees allowed in the building. And now we're easing restrictions slightly again, and we're back up to 5 employees allowed access to our workplace. I approve each of these changes. I expect restrictions to fluctuate like this throughout the 2020 calendar year, as disease ebbs and flows with the increased social contact of each wave.
If I were permanently stuck at home, I would adjust my car insurance online to indicate that I am now traveling zero distance to work. A parody news site made a joke about this discrepancy of insurance. It's so funny, because it's legitimate. People can adjust their car insurance to achieve lower payments. I haven't done it, but other people have.
Strangely, and perhaps counterintuitively, fatal traffic accidents are now significantly higher in Minnesota during lockdown. Without slowpokes (like me, insisting on driving the maximum speed limit in any lane) interfering in their driving patterns, people are apparently indulging their drive-as-fast-as-possible stupidity.
Also strangely, dog bites are up significantly in Minneapolis. It seems that people are letting their dogs out (without leashes) more frequently, because the humans are staying indoors so much longer now.
Sadly, Bernie Sanders has suspended his campaign (not quite the same as "dropping out of the race"). Unlike one candidate, Bernie Sanders is continuing to keep his staffers on health insurance through the election in November. I approve. I saw the news, then I went to the Sanders campaign website and bought a lot of merchandise and added a donation to help him cover those insurance costs.
I offer this quick reminder that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is itself changing with the times. Each new person infected brings the opportunity for a new adaptation. Some changes might be good for us, while some changes might be bad. It is also not 100% certain that people who recover are now immune nor that they are quickly uncontagious. Ignore calls that we "go back to normal" soon. That will not happen in 2020. Only irresponsible people are claiming otherwise. Normality will not resume until we have vaccines. To do otherwise would kill people unnecessarily. Canada has a rational leader who is broadcasting exactly this message.
Watch the charts (explained here) by clicking from "World" to "USA" on the top-right dropdown list. It is very clear that no USA state has yet passed the peak of this first wave of infection.
https://aatishb.com/covidtrends/
We have 1-3 inches of snow predicted for Sunday in Minneapolis. I'm ready for spring to finally happen.