Shutdown Diary
The latest from Washpo:
In the past week in the U.S. ...
New daily reported cases fell 23%
New daily reported deaths fell 9.1%
Covid-related hospitalizations fell 10.5% Read more
Among reported tests, the positivity rate was 2.5%.
The number of tests reported fell 19.3%
At least 165.1 million people have received one or both doses of the vaccine in the U.S.
This includes more than 131.9 million people who have been fully vaccinated.
Well, I did go to Lidl's (grocery store) last week, the first time not wearing a facemask in over a year (well, it was pulled down just in case I ran into a mask fetishist). I had gotten an email from the chain earlier saying it was easing mask policy where allowed. When I got to the store, no word at the entrance--just a reminder to practice social distancing. But on entering the store (we're talking dozens vs. hundreds of shoppers), all employees were masked as well of the vast majority of shoppers. I think I ran across two older (middle-aged) couples unmasked. I did overhear one female shopper behind me bitched about me or others being unmasked. I did wear my mask to Home Depot and to the barbershop over the weekend, mostly because I didn't know about any policy changes. It turns out Home Depot has relaxed its policy as well in accordance with local policies. As to the barbershop, I go every several weeks or so. I didn't see a note on face coverings but there doesn't seem to be a requirement for an advance appointment or to sign in with contact information.
In terms of work, I attended a remote townhall where some government employees went unmasked in a similar CDC-compatible guideline (vaccinated, mask optional). They won't mandate you get vaccinated, but if you are unmasked, they can inquire if you are vaccinated. Bottom line, it's an honor system. My work schedule hasn't changed yet but it seems they intend to have most people on-site vs. teleworking by end of summer. To those of us who prefer teleworking, there's sentiment for better supervision on site and a concern about fairness to employees who have had to work on site during the pandemic. (I worked a partial period of time on site before Maryland's surge of COVID-19 cases last fall.) They distinguish between telework and remote work. I know my Mom suggested me working remotely at her Texas home, and I told her policy wouldn't allow that. I have to be able to commute to work on little notice.
A few points I wanted to make in this segment. First, one of my little sisters has a newborn granddaughter. When I said I didn't know her son and daughter-in-law were expecting, she referenced a text she sent during my exchange on family vaccinations, saying her daughter-in-law was pregnant. (I don't recall that text, but that's not the point.) I did a query on the point (I think I was at a Johns Hopkins site), and I don't think I saw specific study references, but a few points: it turns out Pfizer didn't know at the time but up to a couple dozen or so pregnant women had been included in the trials with no reported issues; also, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines don't include live viruses; finally, you have to look at the unintended consequences of not vaccinating, including the possibility of mother and child getting infected to COVID-19.
Second, there are discussions of vaccine breakthroughs, in other words, you get COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. Some salient points: no vaccine is 100% effective, but there are only a few thousand infections over hundreds of millions of administered doses; generally most such infections are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, not requiring hospitalization
Finally, more skepticism over government incompetence in vaccine distribution; Tyler Cowen of Marginal Revolution points to a Gray Lady piece showing thousands of doses vulnerable to expiring unused in Africa and Canada, as, among other things, politicians or bureaucrats debate rare side effects, like blood clotting. (Many people needlessly die from the disease in the interim.)
Life's Little Problems
For the familiar reader of this segment, WD finally sent a replacement to my defective easyStore 4-TB, which developed some power connection issue. (I was halfway tempted to try to extract the drive and try to mount it in a new USB drive enclosure, but these drives are enclosed in a near seamless black shell.) I can't tell if the replacement is new or reconditioned, but it's a different model (Passport), same capacity. This one doesn't come with a warranty, but it is functional.
I mentioned I have ongoing problems with external keyboards. My few months-old Bluetooth keyboard, which I really like, is toast. Not sure why, but some of the keys are sticky, e.g., I might have to type 'a' 10 times to get it to print on the screen. When I substituted one of my spare wired ones, one of the keys was missing. It may be that keyboards have warranties but I consider them consummables like car tires. I don't even want to think about finding a box to return a keyboard. Now you can spend a lot of money on a keyboard (north of $50), but you can find a functional one in the $15-30 range with wired ones cheaper. It's a thing I can readily buy at Walmart, but if I want selection (for example, more recently I've been into rechargeable (by USB) wireless/Bluebooth keyboards), I can find a wide selection at Amazon.
Speaking of USB power, I have a ton of power banks, electric plug/converters, and the like. I have an extension cord collection, like my keyboard collection, and various plugs--for example, I use a 3-prong adapter to connect my Amazon microwave to a standard extension cord. (One of my pet peeves are certain technology brick power cords that basically monopolize outlet space.) So one of my latest finds was a cord with a mini-power strip with a couple of USB outlets; I found it my last trip to Home Depot I think for under $10.
Another note on my recent cranky note about the USB-C connection needed for my new Bluetooth earbuds with a missing charge cord. I just realized that my newer Amazon Fire tablet also runs off a type C connection, so I could have used that charge cord.
Readership
With 3 days left in the month, it looks like the blog readership will increase for a second month in a row, mostly due to an unexplained 2-day surge of hits last week. My Twitter numbers are also up, although I've lost 2 followers over the month, lowers not great when those are in the single digits to begin with. Twitter for me runs hot and cold; the last couple of days I've drawn in the 4-digit impressions, with multiple mulri-hundred impression tweets. In part, I'm going off the kerfuffle over the Jan 6 commission Senate vote. I just can't predict what sticks; one of them might hit 1K (it's a few dozen away, creeping up over time) which dealt with Trump's payroll tax deferment last year, a rather wonky topic.
Entertainment
I think the weirdest bit I've ever seen in some time is the zombie lumberjack match between Damian Priest and the Miz at Backlash. At first I thought maybe it was maybe some storyline related to the Damian character but then I saw him kick one of the zombies. I still don't understand the point.
Probably the hottest rumor going around is a John Cena return, which is a natural since we have 2 heel champions. There are rumors he'll make an appearance when the 2 main shows return to the road in about 6 weeks (i.e., with live audiences). The funniest thing is when one of the news channels referred to Cena as an actor vs. wrestler.
