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Monday, October 26, 2020

Eating More Chocolate: A Cure for Pandemic Fatigue?

 Identity theft is such a growing problem that it’s become almost routine — Marriott, MyFitness Pal, LinkedIn, Zynga, and even Equifax (of all places) have had high-profile online data breaches in recent years, affecting hundreds of millions of people. To help combat this problem, Experian and other companies are marketing “dark web scans” to prevent data breaches. But what is a dark web scan, and do you need it? Should You Use a ‘Dark Web Scan’ to Protect Your Identity?


... review of the Boris Mikhailov: Case History photo exhibit at MoMA appears on Bomb today:

 

“It is a disgraceful world, populated by some creatures that were once humans, but now these living beings are degraded, ghastly, appalling.” Kevin Kinsella discusses the photography exhibition, Boris Mikhailov: Case Study at MoMa 

  • ZDNet – Working from home: The future of business is remote – From Fortune 500 enterprises to very small businesses, every organization has been thrust into the future faster than prognosticators dared dream. What factors will determine failure or success in this brave new world of work?
  • ZDNet: “Mastering remote work is all about finding the right tools to stay productive and connected. This guide will have you and your team synchronized and working in harmony, wherever you happen to be…”
  • ZDNet: “Speed up your home office: How to optimize your network for remote work and learning If you’re stuck at home with family and everyone’s trying to work or study, you’ve probably noticed some network issues. Our comprehensive guide will help you get the most out of your network. Budget tips included, too…”
  • See also Tech Republic – The 10 rules found in every good remote work policy


The New York Times – False news is on the rise. We can fight the spread with a simple exercise: Slow down and be skeptical. “…The rise of false news is bad news for all of us. Misinformation can be a detriment to our well-being in a time when people are desperately seeking information such as health guidelines to share with their loved ones about the coronavirus. It can also stoke anger and cause us to commit violence. Also important: It could mislead us about voting in a pandemic that has turned our world upside down. How do we adapt to avoid being manipulated and spreading false information to the people we care about? Past methods of spotting untruthful news, like checking articles for typos and phony web addresses that resemble those of trusted publications, are now less relevant. We have to employ more sophisticated methods of consuming information, like doing our own fact-checking and choosing reliable news sources. Here’s what we can do…”



Eating More Chocolate: A Cure for Pandemic Fatigue?

Europe and the USA succumb to pandemic fatigue. Vigilance is the only known counter to spread of the virus. Practice small pleasures



Redux of my early August piece on why you should moralize less about national coronavirus performance (now ungated)


Top government executives face a sweeping inquiry into their pay and bonuses after the chairman of the corporate watchdog and boss of Australia Post stood aside in an extraordinary week of public sector expenses scandals.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was "very open" to a formal inquiry into the remuneration, tax arrangements and bonus structures of top public servants and the heads of government enterprises in an angry press conference on Friday. Mr Morrison said his decision to stand Australia Post chief Christine Holgate aside for giving four executives Cartier watches worth $19,950 should act as a "rocket" to all heads of government agencies as the nation grapples with a spike in unemployment and the worst recession in more than 90 years following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Government executives face pay inquiry after extraordinary week



Jet Suit assault teams.


Local experimentation with the Chinese vaccine seems to be proceeding very well


The progress of Africa’s largest dam, and the international relations problems it is causing.

Can they build a Netflix TV series around a woman chess player?  The article has other interesting features.


 Good signs for Covid lung damage recovery (NYT).  Not the final word, but you will note I have not been pushing the “long-term damage” line here at MR.  Just as I have not been pushing the Vitamin D thing, weak theory in my view and it gets pulled out of the hat with empirical correlations for all sorts of maladies



       October Asymptote 

       The October issue of Asymptote is now available online, with the usual large amount and variety of material -- more than enough to keep you busy over the weekend


My opinion on David’s cause of death Nika Dubrovsky, Anthropology for All. David Graeber.