Octopus Overlords

CTXS traded up today.

Kirkland Plague Diaries, Day 6

the lorn winds of COVID-19 has almost just about roughly virtually literally *decimated* (the lunchtime business of local ramen restaurants) of this booze-geoisie suburb. traffic today into the office has been very light and i arrived at the bus stop 11 minutes earlier (than was usual Before the End-Times). i made sure not to press the 'request stop' button on the bus with my bare finger. the last of the morning commuters, resigned to their fate, had donned none of their virus filters - they're not effective anyways. i passed on my bike only two trudging walkers-of-dogs, momentarily venturing from their formerly $2M-valued mansions along Lake Washington Blvd. they're probably worth $3M now. at the stand-up meeting today, a coworker used her pallu as a face mask in a token gesture to ward off the sickness; a voodoo talisman held up in the wake of the greytide of Destiny. gallows humor ripples amongst the coworkers, the only palliative available to us in the mass lament to God's final judgement. the dept. director finally said something along the lines of '..you all are set up to work from home? maybe? i think you've all done it before...' i have placed a request to work the remainder of next week from the safety of my bunker, but no response has been yet forthcoming. perhaps upper management has succumbed to this insidious wasting pestilence, this soul-corroding- no wait they're at their desks.

gilraen wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 12:37 am

gameoverman wrote: Wed Mar 04, 2020 10:41 pm If it's hard to transmit how did it get all around the world inside two months?

Who said it was hard to transmit? COVID-19 is estimated to have the r0 (reproductive number) of ~2.28. That's double of seasonal flu.

No one. I was using that statement to explain why I'm assuming it has been spreading worldwide since Day 1 without requiring the newly infected in the US to be anywhere near China, anywhere near someone coming from China, or anywhere near any items contaminated by such people. If you're a homeless person in downtown LA or a rich person in a beach house in Malibu, you have mostly likely already been exposed to it- that's my hypothesis. As more testing is done I believe this will be proven as we see cases basically everywhere. The part I'm in doubt over is what the economic effect will be and the final death tally. I do expect the death tally to be lower, certainly lower than a Spanish Flu level. I think searching for a China connection, or traveler from China connection, makes sense due to low availability of tests. You might as well start with the obvious ones. But as more people get sick and seek treatment, and as more testing is done, then we'll get a real idea of how widespread it is.

First case in Tennessee now. A 44 year old man who traveled out of state is all they're saying.

Daehawk wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 2:15 pm Is California cold? The cruise lines? I just dont believe them when they say when its warm it will go away.

I can tell you that I have never had the flu during anything other than the winter months. I have had a summer cold a couple of times in my life, so that's rare but not unheard of in my experience. Since this new virus seems to share some traits with the flu I have no problem believing it will also be seasonal. "Cold" is relative. When it drops below 75-ish degrees I feel like it's getting cold. People who live where it snows in winter might not agree that's cold.

The planes are flying with way less people now....this could be an economic catastrophe. So many other industries are hooked in to flying. That's nearly as scary as the virus.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/busi ... e=Homepage

COVID-19 is the last straw for struggling domestic UK airline, Flybe.

just got notice that the office is being closed for two weeks and all employees are to work from home. there's _still_ no official policy for contractors! but i was told by my onsite manager to just WFH anyways... which i was planning on doing, policy or not.

I received death threats for having coronavirus

A man who contracted the coronavirus on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship has said he has received "graphic" death threats.

Carl Goldman, who owns California-based radio station KHTS and remains in self-isolation, told the BBC's Victoria Derbys

For the past few months I've been editing session descriptions and bios for NVIDIA's GTC conference, which starts in just a couple of weeks. A week ago, the flow of new records slowed to a trickle, and now it's all but stopped. My contact at NVIDIA hasn't answered my last two emails asking what's up. This is the first time I've done this project, so IDK what's normal...but I'm wondering if GTC is about to get canceled. Or maybe they're just too busy to bother with their copy editor, whose labors are nearly finished anyway.

I'd better get paid.

Enough wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 3:06 pm We're still going ahead with the conference we're hosting next week in Colorado (0 detections) but are on pins and needles. I think the plan is to cancel last minute if the situation changes. It's only people in CO coming but still an incredibly stressful situation, arg.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

And just as I feared earlier in the thread, now that we are starting to ramp up testing we are finding cases. Two detections in CO announced late today.

Edit: and I'm reading we have now only tested 1500 people in the US to date.

China's new cases per day had fallen to 143.

Both Italy and Iran are getting close to 600 new cases per day.

It's interesting that the latest WHO daily report has a section on "infodemics", i.e. information epidemic... esp. BAD information.

The first three confirmed MD cases are from the county in which I work. I don't typically hang around 70 year old couples, so I'm not personally concerned at the moment, but since I work for their school system, I can see things snowballing and impacting us if they start panicking.

Kasey Chang wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 2:15 amChina's new cases per day had fallen to 143.

Probably one of the few benefits of being able to tell people to stay inside and stay isolated and actually having them follow that order.

Kraken wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 11:31 pm For the past few months I've been editing session descriptions and bios for NVIDIA's GTC conference, which starts in just a couple of weeks. A week ago, the flow of new records slowed to a trickle, and now it's all but stopped. My contact at NVIDIA hasn't answered my last two emails asking what's up. This is the first time I've done this project, so IDK what's normal...but I'm wondering if GTC is about to get canceled. Or maybe they're just too busy to bother with their copy editor, whose labors are nearly finished anyway.

I'd better get paid.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/ ... s-concerns

View from south central PA among friends and people I talk to seem to be that COVID-19 isn't a big deal. China handled it. Wash your hands, stock up on goods, but if you get it, probably no worse than the common cold, so why worry? The media is creating the hype/fear.

I feel like I'm standing on a beach with locals, and they're all saying that the tide unexpectedly going out revealing a mile and a half of ocean bottom is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about. It's quite a stark contrast to Twitter and OO and, despite the data, makes me wonder if my reaction is warranted.

What's weird is that even though people aren't flying, seems like the NBA fans don't care. The cheapest ticket from StubHub for the Lakers-Bucks game tonight is $145 because the event is sold out. Wonder what MLB baseball will look like at the end of the month?

Dogstar wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 10:06 am View from south central PA among friends and people I talk to seem to be that COVID-19 isn't a big deal. China handled it. Wash your hands, stock up on goods, but if you get it, probably no worse than the common cold, so why worry? The media is creating the hype/fear.

I feel like I'm standing on a beach with locals, and they're all saying that the tide unexpectedly going out revealing a mile and a half of ocean bottom is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about. It's quite a stark contrast to Twitter and OO and, despite the data, makes me wonder if my reaction is warranted.

Isn’t the local reaction mostly right? Seems like they’re actually following CDC guidance there. What are they not doing that you want them to do?

South Korea has tested more than 140,000 people for the new coronavirus and confirmed more than 6,000 cases. Its fatality rate is around 0.6%. - this indicates a more true rate as it is catching mild cases.

Kurth wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:01 am Isn’t the local reaction mostly right? Seems like they’re actually following CDC guidance there. What are they not doing that you want them to do?

To be clear, I don't think following CDC advice is a bad idea -- I think it's great, even if social distancing has a ways to go. What I was trying to express, and was apparently doing so poorly, was the cognitive dissonance between online reactions in terms of what Corona means -- potential deaths among seniors (I have two parents in their 80's), the stock market volatility, a potential global/U.S. economic slowdown vs. reactions in the real world about how it's not really a thing to be worried about/have that big of an impact.

noxiousdog wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:08 am South Korea has tested more than 140,000 people for the new coronavirus and confirmed more than 6,000 cases. Its fatality rate is around 0.6%. - this indicates a more true rate as it is catching mild cases.

I think that assumes we would have a response similar to theirs (both in terms of testing and in terms of healthcare availability).

That's not something I'd be very optimistic about.

(Also, do we know how their fatality rate is for people/age groups that other statistics suggest are most vulnerable?)

Dogstar wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 10:06 am View from south central PA among friends and people I talk to seem to be that COVID-19 isn't a big deal. China handled it. Wash your hands, stock up on goods, but if you get it, probably no worse than the common cold, so why worry? The media is creating the hype/fear.

I feel like I'm standing on a beach with locals, and they're all saying that the tide unexpectedly going out revealing a mile and a half of ocean bottom is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about. It's quite a stark contrast to Twitter and OO and, despite the data, makes me wonder if my reaction is warranted.

I'm not particularily worried for myself, but I am worried for those that are likely to be vulnerable to the disease (and the role people who aren't worried could play in putting the vulnerable at risk)

Dogstar wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:16 am

Kurth wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:01 am Isn’t the local reaction mostly right? Seems like they’re actually following CDC guidance there. What are they not doing that you want them to do?

To be clear, I don't think following CDC advice is a bad idea. What I was trying to express, and was apparently doing so poorly, was the cognitive dissonance between online reactions in terms of what Corona means -- potential deaths among seniors (I have two parents in their 80's), the stock market volatility, a potential global/U.S. economic slowdown vs. reactions in the real world about how it's not really a thing to be worried about/have that big of an impact.

I would like to see a deeper dive into the fatality rate in that 80+ group. All of the deaths I've seen reported in the 50-59 group go on to state the victim had prior medical conditions. Now, a far greater percentage of the 80+ demographic could lay claim to having prior medical conditions - but when reporting, they seemed to be summarily dismissed simply because they are in their 80's. I wonder if the fatality rate is less among healthy 80-year olds.

The media seems to be stoking the panic instead. It's disrupting the stock market, whole industries (it's being reported airlines could lose $113 billion this year because of this) and widespread cancellation of public events. We don't seem to get very riled up by the flu, after all. Consider too that summer is coming, which is ostensibly the end of flu season and could pose a natural firewall to Corona as more people are outside where transmission is less likely to occur.

OMG....Corona outbreak at Microsoft! Someone quarantine gbasden stat before we're all doomed! DOOMED!

Defiant wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:28 am

Dogstar wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 10:06 am View from south central PA among friends and people I talk to seem to be that COVID-19 isn't a big deal. China handled it. Wash your hands, stock up on goods, but if you get it, probably no worse than the common cold, so why worry? The media is creating the hype/fear.

I feel like I'm standing on a beach with locals, and they're all saying that the tide unexpectedly going out revealing a mile and a half of ocean bottom is perfectly normal and nothing to be concerned about. It's quite a stark contrast to Twitter and OO and, despite the data, makes me wonder if my reaction is warranted.

I'm not particularily worried for myself, but I am worried for those that are likely to be vulnerable to the disease (and the role people who aren't worried could play in putting the vulnerable at risk)

I'm mostly concerned for my oldest son. A bad cold has been known to put him in the hospital with pneumonia, and he spent much of December 2018 in a virtual coma because of it. He's in the hospital now due to complications from another virus. To me it doesn't really matter whether the actual mortality rate falls in line with typical flu - typical flu can be very dangerous for my son, and at least he can be vaccinated against the flu for some level of protection. That doesn't exist for COVID-19, so it's more dangerous in my mind than the flu.

I didn't make my lunch. I have to go out and have other people touch my food today. I'm ascared.

AWS260 wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 10:02 am

Kraken wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 11:31 pm For the past few months I've been editing session descriptions and bios for NVIDIA's GTC conference, which starts in just a couple of weeks. A week ago, the flow of new records slowed to a trickle, and now it's all but stopped. My contact at NVIDIA hasn't answered my last two emails asking what's up. This is the first time I've done this project, so IDK what's normal...but I'm wondering if GTC is about to get canceled. Or maybe they're just too busy to bother with their copy editor, whose labors are nearly finished anyway.

I'd better get paid.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/ ... s-concerns

Wow. So those 800 or so records that I rewrote are moot. Nice to know. On the plus side, I wonder if they might need someone to edit the online presentations.

LordMortis wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:49 am I didn't make my lunch. I have to go out and have other people touch my food today. I'm ascared.

That should be a concern always, but not for coronavirus.

Jeff V wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:33 am I wonder if the fatality rate is less among healthy 80-year olds.

If you listen to them talk, there are no healthy 80 year olds.

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:57 am

LordMortis wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:49 am I didn't make my lunch. I have to go out and have other people touch my food today. I'm ascared.

That should be a concern always, but not for Coronavirus.

Man, sometimes too much knowledge is a heavy burden. Are you able to enjoy restaurants or do you have to work on shutting off portions of your brain that are going into inspection mode? (not a mocking question but serious. Once you've seen things it tends to color one's future experiences...)

$iljanus wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:00 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:57 am

LordMortis wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:49 am I didn't make my lunch. I have to go out and have other people touch my food today. I'm ascared.

That should be a concern always, but not for Coronavirus.

Man, sometimes too much knowledge is a heavy burden. Are you able to enjoy restaurants or do you have to work on shutting off portions of your brain that are going into inspection mode? (not a mocking question but serious. Once you've seen things it tends to color one's future experiences...)

When he thinks no one is looking, Smoove eats gas station hot dogs and hot-bar soup from grocery stores.

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:57 am

LordMortis wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:49 am I didn't make my lunch. I have to go out and have other people touch my food today. I'm ascared.

That should be a concern always, but not for coronavirus.

Researchers are still learning the specifics of how COVID-19 is transmitted,

Disease transmission becomes possible when someone inhales these droplets or touches their eyes, mouth or nose after coming into contact with surfaces where these droplets land.

As of now, there’s no evidence of COVID-19 transmission through food.

Well, unless your food handler lands droplets surfaces known as... food....

I've mentioned it before, but when I first started in the field I think it was 9+ months before I ate something that I didn't personally prepare. I've seen some insane, insane things. Now it's not a problem, no.

I am the watcher on the walls. I am the shield that guards the realms of men.

LordMortis wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:05 pmWell, unless your food handler lands droplets surfaces known as... food....

Right, there could be cornoavirus droplets on your food if they're making you a ready-to-eat item and they sneeze on it. But unless you're rubbing the sandwich in your eyes or aspirating it into your lungs that virus is going to go into your stomach and get lit-up.

I'd be more concerned about a food handler's dirty, dirty hands giving me HepA or Norovirus, quite frankly.

LawBeefaroni wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:05 pm When he thinks no one is looking, Smoove eats gas station hot dogs

You had to go there.

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:14 pm HepA

Actually, that is a real concern here and probably contributed to my cutting back even further on eating out. The Coronavirus was 97+% joke. Hep? Not so much. I have a weak ass liver and we had a serious outbreak throughout my whole traveling radius in 2016 that continues to quietly in the background. Add that to me being one of the early victims of the whooping cough resurgence that began in 2009 and... (Pertussis "Where'd you catch that 1890?" stuck with me several months after contracting it, even as I finally was diagnoses and given all of the anti-s and all of the steroids (And absolutely fell in love with prednisone))

https://www.clickondetroit.com/health/2 ... -yourself/

Well, this should round out all of your fears and issues - have you thought about concerts?

The fourth person in New Zealand diagnosed with coronavirus attended the Tool rock concert at Spark Arena last Friday.

..

"We encourage all people in the area of the concert to be aware of the symptoms and contact the Healthline if concerned," Bloomfield said.

"The advice is that the risk is very low for all others who attended this concert."

Casual contacts at the Tool concert could be in the hundreds, Bloomfield said.

"There was no way of tracking the people who were in that area of the concert, they are classed as causal contacts and the advise to them is to call Healthline if they have any symptoms. The people we are focused on tracking down the close contacts and health officials have been in touch with all those people," he said.

LawBeefaroni wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:05 pm

$iljanus wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 12:00 pm

Smoove_B wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:57 am

LordMortis wrote: Fri Mar 06, 2020 11:49 am I didn't make my lunch. I have to go out and have other people touch my food today. I'm ascared.

That should be a concern always, but not for Coronavirus.

Man, sometimes too much knowledge is a heavy burden. Are you able to enjoy restaurants or do you have to work on shutting off portions of your brain that are going into inspection mode? (not a mocking question but serious. Once you've seen things it tends to color one's future experiences...)

When he thinks no one is looking, Smoove eats gas station hot dogs and hot-bar soup from grocery stores.

That's a great video - I might need to take it! Thanks.

The title is clearly enough for me to not watch it.