The Offline Report

Senator Kamala Harris is raising the specter of wildfires or an earthquake occurring while the world is slowly, so painfully slowly, responding to the coronavirus pandemic, COVID19. This is a brainstorm blog post of what a useful daily COVID19 Box Score could consist of. COVID19 Thursday March 19, 2020 Number of tests administered in each state since January 2020, week-to-date, and yesterday: Test results (#positive, #negative): # of first responders in quarantine:     A written summary listing medical personnel, firefighters, police officers in quarantine. Also include count of first responders exposed, with symptoms, not yet tested. Fatalities and recoveries since January 2020: Status of medical supply availability, including masks, gloves, ventilators, beds: ... Expressed in a written summary, including which hospitals or medical authorities were contacted, which never responded. Status of shelter-in-place orders:    When was the last she...

Make your own fashionable mask, blast it with a hair dryer to sanitize, wash your hands, then wrap that mask 'round your pretty face in solidarity with mask-wearers everywhere! Q. Why? A. Preventative mask-wearing will be a part of our lives this decade, to protect ourselves from pandemics or wildfires. Smoke inhalation is very sneaky and smoke masks prevent injury. Q. Will people think I have the virus if I wear this? A. Does it matter? Preventative mask-wearing is a thoughtful act, saying "I don't want to be Typhoid Mary and give you a deadly virus. Have a great day!" Zeynep Tefucki wrote in the New York Times that early in the SARS virus outbreak, officials advised mask-wearing to all citizens, regardless of whether they'd been tested, diagnosed, or exposed. SARS has a much higher death rate than COVID-19, and that virus was very quickly contained. Tefucki addressed the fact that surgical masks are not as effective as N95. But surgical masks still help ...

While healthcare workers tending to 1918 flu pandemic patients did wear masks, they didn't wash their hands, this report from CBS news says. "Viruses would not be discovered for another 15 to 20 years," Dr. Jeremy Brown, Director of Emergency Research at NIH said. Enemas, whiskey and bloodletting were the most common treatments of the mysterious illness that was later known as the 1918 pandemic. People also were told they'd be less likely to catch the deadly illness if they spent time outdoors, so people gathered in the open. The flu spread briefly in the spring of 1918, went dormant then came back with a vengeance that fall. People bled from their mouth, eyes and nose. The "second wave" that fall struck young people in their 20s more than the elderly. ---------------------------- Further Reading: The Coronavirus is no 1918 Pandemic:     theatlantic.com This work by AJ Fish is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Int...

Today is the tenth annual National Day of Unplugging . This is a fun exercise that triggers an onset of addiction withdrawal symptoms known as the "DTs" or "delerium tremens" (typically associated with alcohol addiction): "The main symptoms of delirium tremens are nightmares, agitation, global confusion, disorientation, visual and auditory hallucinations, tactile hallucinations, fever, high blood pressure, heavy sweating, and other signs of autonomic hyperactivity (fast heart rate and high blood pressure)." "Mortality without treatment is between 15% and 40%.[4] Currently death occurs in about 1% to 4% of cases.[2]" -- Wikipedia Willfully boarding the DT roller coaster is a useful way to transition away from low-productivity screen-refreshing spirals, and into deep work. It helps to know that DTs will hit you, and to recognize them when they arrive. Properly labeling them DTs instead of, say, a personal anxiety disorder, reduces the terror of ...

Vote for me, vote for me I want the nomination for the Presidency Vote for me, vote for me If I am elected, this is how it will be. I'll cut your tax in half I'll make the Russians laugh I'll feed the hungry people everywhere. I'll bring the railroads back New trains and new track From Waikiki to old Delaware. Vote for me, vote for me I want the nomination for the Presidency Vote for me, vote for me If I am elected, this is how it will be. I'll give Detroit one year New cars that run on beer Or anything except gasoline. I'm looking to the sun More power for everyone And the cleanest sky that you've ever seen. I'm not going to kid you, there's a lot to do Little can I promise, it's really up to you But if we all work together And I think we can And if you want some new ideas Then I'm your man. Vote for me, vote for me I want the nomination for the Presidency Vote for me, vote for me If I am elected, this is how it...

In the cool of the evening, when the fires start burning bright Hear the twilight callin', as the flames burst into the night It's creeping in your bloodstream... like a Metal disease Underneath the streetlights, everything is larger than life Ya hear the roar, see it gleaming like the edge on a switch-blade knife A worldwide eruption... underneath your skin Worldwide corruption... slowly seeping in, [Chorus:] It's a pandemic It's a metal disease... pandemic Brain cell abduction, creeping in like sin, it's a pandemic... 'A metal disease... pandemic Brain cell destruction, breeding metal from within... Whaaaa!!!! Give into the venom, circulating underneath the skin Like mercury poison, liquid metal boils within Spreading like a wildfire, burning up the earth Caught in the crossfire, all around the world There's no way to stop it now... [Chorus:] It's a pandemic It's a metal disease... pandemic Burnt in your hard drive, smokin...

We don't need a party Just a place to meet My mind is still racing while the city sleeps But I don't complain Cause I know we're okay Race against the clock Running on no sleep When there's no time to rest And there's no need to dream Cause when you're with me I feel like I'm dreaming I hang out and hold on (And count the days till I come home) I can't brave this all alone Quarantine my heart, baby In someone else's arms I feel unhealthy How can we survive and finally live our dreams In a world filled up with players on opposing teams? Darling, how can I go on? Sing me one more song Not even an hour on the interstate Such an unforgiving journey An eternal wait And I hit the cruise control There's a swelling in my soul It's so good I speed up and get home To find you… Quarantine my heart, baby In someone else's arms I feel unhealthy (So never let me go) If I can't feel your heart beating I might as...