Old code never truly dies: Covid-19 has New Jersey scrambling for COBOL programmers to fix unemployment insurance systems.
Links
Covid-adjacent/TP
Interesting point about toilet paper shortages: toilet paper sold for home use and toilet paper sold for businesses isn’t made or packaged the same way…and all those people who used to be spending some of their trips to the bathroom at work, at a restaurant, wherever, are doing all of them at home. Which means yes, we actually are using more home-grade TP (and less commercial-grade).
https://marker.medium.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about-the-toilet-paper-shortage-c812e1358fe0
Lessons Learned by NYC Makers Producing Personal Protective Equipment for Medics
IEEE article: Lessons Learned by NYC Makers Producing Personal Protective Equipment for Medics: Focus on what health workers actually need, rather than what you think you can invent
If you have to use Zoom, how can you minimize the risks?
Article from WordFence on:
1. Are you sure you want to use Zoom and not some other video conferencing software?
2. If you have to use Zoom, how can you minimize the risks?
covid-adjacent/weird headline
speculation on long-term societal impacts of pandemic
34 people’s thoughts on how Covid-19 could impact society in the long term, both during and after the pandemic is eventually over. Some optimistic, some pessimistic, some neutral.
Link: “I’m Not An Epidemiologist But…”: The Rise Of The Coronavirus Influencers
Link: “I’m Not An Epidemiologist But…”: The Rise Of The Coronavirus Influencers
Perspective: Our modern obsession with efficiency in business has left us without buffers to deal with emergencies.
Perspective: Our modern obsession with efficiency in business has left us without buffers to deal with emergencies.
covid19/japanese art
Atlas Obscura reports on a trend where artists are drawing Amabie (アマビエ), a sort of mer-bird-person spirit associated with protection from disease.
A Healing Spirit From 19th-Century Japan Is Back to Face COVID-19
Artists are bringing back Amabie, a ‘yōkai’ associated with protection from disease.
Image by Kaori Hamura Long. The article features several other examples from the current trend.
covid/photos of empty city spaces
Amazing (and eerie) photographs of normally-crowded city streets and public spaces left deserted while everyone’s staying home.
The coronavirus outbreak is keeping people home and cities empty
Nation Close To Getting Videoconferencing Software To Work
Truth in satire from @TheOnion: “Hello, hello, okay, I can see you now, but I can’t hear you—is there something else I need to do?” said 327 million Americans in unison…
“One thing astronauts have to be good at: living in confined spaces for long periods …
“One thing astronauts have to be good at: living in confined spaces for long periods of time. Here are some tips for all who find yourself in a similar scenario.”
Learn the language of birds
I can’t seem to find it on Duolingo, though
“Stuck at home? Now is the perfect time to learn the language of birds”
A Lithium-Ion Battery That Works Even When It’s on Fire
Well, there’s a headline: “A Lithium-Ion Battery That Works Even When It’s on Fire” – IEEE Spectrum
A nice set of simulations showing how social distancing can help slow down an outbreak
A nice set of simulations showing how social distancing can help slow down an outbreak
covid19/reporting: what we know so far and what questions we should be asking.
A journalist who covered the Ebola and Zika outbreaks and lived through SARS breaks down what we know so far and what questions we should be asking.
“Stop touching my face? Why the easiest way to prevent coronavirus is so hard.”
“Stop touching my face? Why the easiest way to prevent coronavirus is so hard.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/03/03/coronavirus-prevention-face-touch/
Wow! Photo of Seals ‘Living’ in an Iceberg Wins Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020
Interesting comparison of how policy works vs how technology works.
Interesting comparison of how policy works vs how technology works.
A matter of perspective: What Is Sonic The Hedgehog Really About?
A matter of perspective: What Is Sonic The Hedgehog Really About?