Shutdown Diary
The latest stats from Washpo:
From CDC:
Let's be clear that there is another wave underway; hut it largely is based on the 45% of the unvaccinated population. The numbers I've seen are over 90% of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are from the unvaccinated I'm sure the anti-vaxxers want to focus on the 8% or so vaccine breakthroughs. This is a distortion of vaccines. They are not guarantees against infection, especially during a pandemic, although they almost never circulate from the vaccinated group. Almost none of the infected vaccinated experience life-threatening complications. No doubt people's immune systems may vary given health and/or age factors, with some indications that older people may need a booster after several months
The recent rant of an Alabama female doctor who treats COVID-19 patients in a state only a third fully vaccinated went viral on social media. She herself, despite precautions, got mildly infected while pregnant before vaccines were available; she then got vaccinated while breastfeeding her infant. A related video is embedded below:
Life's Little Problems
I have a cloud backup account with a prominent vendor in Big Tech. A number of these systems work with a desktop client. Over the last 2 years, the desktop client has gotten hosed probably at least 3 times. It's never clear why; it just crashes literally within launch. Quite often it takes days to get back on track. I usually infer the desktop client has been corrupted or maybe my client has a new version and and needs to be updated.
The deinstall//reinstall is easier said than done. In this latest case, the client doesn't handle logons directly but works by linking to your browser where you login there and are directed to return to your client. It SEEMS to work; you go through a series of prompts (basically the files you want to save .including a local physical folder/logical drive corresponding to your online storage drive). I seemed to go through the whole sequence--and then nothing. More annoyingly, the desktop client shows a status of "not signed in". Say what? There seemed to be successful handshake through the browser; that seemed to launch the backup protocol. Maybe I have to relaunch the client for the settings to take effect? Nope. I couldn't find a clue at the vendor website. I finally stumbled upon a non-Microsoft Windows tech website which had accumulated like 20 tips to try if your online storage client isn't working. Most of them weren't relevant, but one caught my eye: try launching your client with escalated privileges. I've used that concept successfully in different contexts, and it seemed plausible. BINGO! It's finally functioning as expected, probably going through several days of accumulated changes.
Now s different pet peeve: phone SIM trays. I own a low-end Android phone from a well-known vendor {I pretty much refuse to pay more than $150 for a replacement phone.) I think I'm on my third or fourth over the past 9 years. I think the last time was motivated by a water accident. Don't get me wrong: although I own a couple of Garmin devices, I typically rely more on Google Maps. Why? Various things, including being able to send directions from Google to my phone versus typing addresses into the Garmin. And my car audio uses s Bluetooth connection to my song collection on my phone SD card. Originally I thought I would be able to do things like trade stocks on a break from work, but usually I can't connect to the Internet in the building at work. My phone usually goes crazy when I get off work. But it has its disadvantages, too, I'll get spam messages, e.g., from political operatives in WV. Dude, I haven't voted in WV since 2014-5. I've still got those auto service plan scammers obsessed with me; yeah, I've got call blocking, but they have an infinite number of phone numbers from different area codes. The chances I'm going to pick up on an unfamiliar number is near-zero. Sorry to cold-calling IT recruiters/
But back to SIM trays. Granted this is better option than when I had to pry off the back of the phone and/or extract the battery in order to gain access to a card slot. Most readers are probably very familiar with tiny, thin SIM cards and SD cards. (I have a companion SD card slot in my SIM card tray.) I remember the grief I went through installing the SD card so the cellphone acknowledged/used it.. These cards really don't snap into place, and it isn't unusual for my fat fingers to have issues and drop a card a dozen or so times. It's not just the SD card; you can end up dislodging your SIM card in the process (you can't mess with that or your phone service won't work).
So what motivates this rant? My original smartphone carrier eventually ceased US operations and I got transferred to another vendor. The major carrier behind the service actually merges with another one, and long story short, my vendor has been sending out replacement SIM cards with the alleged benefit of an expanded data network access.
So I got my card and reluctantly started the task one evening. One word of caution to others: it's not a DIY activation process; you have to do it through their customer service and they don't staff 24 x 7. This isn't really mentioned in their documentation, and the bottom line is you lose phone service until activation via another phone. So, for example, I had to call customer service the next morning using Amazon Alexa. (I could have also used Google Voice on my PC).
The first practical problem is that you need to eject the SIM tray (on my phone, along the left edge from the face of the phone). Typically you have to use a SIM eject pin (which is a pin with the elliptical handle) in a small pin hole just below the tray. Great; I can't even remember where I put my eject pin when I last used it several months back. Am I really going to have to buy a replacement eject pin from Amazon? I did have paper clips, bur too big to insert in the pinhole to trigger tray release. I don't have any sewing needles. So what to do? My eyes glanced at a pushpin I had bought for a corkboard; would that work? Yup.
The next 30 minutes or so were exasperating with both cards constantly falling out of their slots. I also made a mistake of not relocating the original SIM far away, so at one point I've got the two SIM cards next to each other and wondering if I'm inserting the right SIM card. Am I mounting the cards correctly? I really dread going through the SD card recognition problem again. I finally get the tray inserted back into the phone and turn on the phone with a prayer.
Yup, the phone notes I've changed my SIM card and starts processing it; I've got a new wallpaper and it's installing new apps like TikTok and Twitter/. I head to storage settings, and yes, it can see my SD card. I just double check by clicking on one of my song tracks.
Of course, that wasn't the end of my fun and games. She wants to know my PIN, which I think is really a violation of Security 101, but I need my phone service restored; she claims the PIN doesn't work. Dude, I logged into my account using my PIN last night; don't tell me that! She eventually moves on and then demands that I recite some long alphanumeric string (about 20 characters) in faint grey ink at the bottom of the card from which I punched out the SIM card. Dude, I have decent eyesight, don't need glasses, and I can barely make out this code. Eventually she says the card has been activated; try the phone. Who am I going to call this early in the morning. Eventually I decide on the local IT help desk which has a super-long voice messaging system; I connect so it seems okay; she would later call me directly to verify. So that's the story, except for the odd thing I started getting a series of Spanish text messages from my carrier for God knows what reason. It's been a long time since my high school Spanish classes.
Entertainment
I suspect I'll be watching a lot of Olympics in my spare time over the next 2 weeks. As I write, I'm watching the men's long distance bicycle road race on USA Network. Earlier I watched much of the Parade of Nations and a beautiful rendition of Lennon's "Imagine". I got rather annoyed over the facemasking kabuki dance. According to Washpo, over 80% of US athletes are vaccinated against COVID-19, and Vox reports a similar range for international athletes. You're walking in an open stadium; I would suspect most athletes have been tested, and few if any show respiratory symptoms. That doesn't rule the possibility of vaccine breakthroughs, with Japan itself in the midst of a COVID-19 surge, and we know a few athletes have been recently infected. Maybe the Olympics committee is worried about mixed messaging of unmasked athletes.
I've definitely matured beyond the "USA! USA!" chants growing up as a military brat. Besides, I have a tendency to root for the underdog, would probably be thrilled at upset successes from small nation athletes.
Amazon Prime recommended Wedding Dance, a 2009 film. I'm personally not that much into dance, and I've seen too many movies about struggling dance studios, but this movie is surprisingly good. A young woman grew up in a single-parent home and operates/inherits her Mom's dance studio. Engaged, she plans to shut down the studio when she discovers the studio has an unexpected co-owner--the father she's never met. The dad is a construction worker/handyman who has just been laid off and is about to head to the Northeast for another job when he learns about his ex-wife's studio and a grown daughter he never knew he had. The daughter is wary of her father, but he turns out to be more than a capable replacement male dance instructor. I found the movie storyline very interesting and compelling.
Probably the most confusing WWE story is an apparent swerve as Roman Reigns turns down a widely expected/promoted SummerSlam challenge from Cena and instead accepts a challenge from returning Finn Balor. I don't speak for all fans, but if WWE used Cena in a bait and switch, I'll be pissed. I have zero interest in Reigns/Balor. I did, however, enjoy Reigns' shoot promo, where he accuses Cena of doing the same shtick he's been doing since 2005 and takes a shot at a part-time wrestler taking a spot others had earned a right to, week-in, week-out.
