How to Find a Quality Mask and Avoid Counterfeits

The New York Times: “Knowing which mask to pick and making sure it’s not a fake requires the sleuthing skills of a forensic investigator. Our guide can help…Unlike cloth masks, high-quality masks — called N95s, KN95s and KF94s — are made with layers of high-tech filtering material that trap at least 94 to 95 percent of the most risky particles. Under a microscope, the filters look like dense forests of tangled fibers that capture even the hardest-to-trap particles that can bounce around and escape the fibers of cloth masks. High-grade masks also have an electrostatically charged filter that helps attract and trap particles…”

Mesmerizing map lets you follow the path of a drop of water anywhere in the world - FastCompany: “Click to drop a raindrop anywhere in the world, and River Runner shows you where it ends up. It’s an illustration of how connected our waterways are—and how far pollution that enters our rivers or streams can travel…”

Make Use Of: “Craigslist is one of the web’s oldest websites for ordinary people looking to buy from or sell to one another. It’s been around since 1995. While its services have changed to some extent over the years, it’s always been an open, (usually) free place to post and to respond to classified ads and listings. Unsurprisingly, this makes it a great place to buy and sell stuff. It’s highly likely that you, yourself, have bought or sold something on the site at some point. Still, Craigslist is considered by some to be more than a bit shady, and perhaps with good reason. There are a few basic rules to follow, but the items people advertise rarely come with any guarantee of quality or legitimacy. Buying some items on Craigslist can be risky, but there are some relatively safe deals to be found on the site—allowing you to save big…”

Washington Post: “Tools are expensive, and most of them spend way more time collecting dust in our basements than in use. Enter the tool library, a lending hub that allows people to take home tools and appliances, usually for a week, then return them. Some tool libraries across the country are free, and some charge a nominal annual fee, but all of them cut down on waste and overbuying while helping out neighbors. They’re similar to book libraries, but the items are often donated, and rather than novels, they’re stocked with power tools, saws and ice cream makers. “I can’t even begin to calculate how much I’ve saved since joining,” said René Nuñez, who became a member of the Chicago Tool Library last year for $20. Like many Americans who have tackled gardening and home improvement projects during the pandemic, Nuñez decided it didn’t make sense to buy another tool that he’d use maybe once or twice a year at his Chicago home…”

Wired: “Verizon users are now automatically enrolled in a data collection program tracking information like websites visited and mobile app usage. Recently reported on by Input, the telecommunications company runs a two-tiered tracking program and automatically enrolls every customer in the first tier. The Verizon Custom Experience and Custom Experience Plus programs are a rebranding of Verizon Selects, launched in 2012 to help marketers target smartphone users with increased precision.

While customers had the choice to opt in for Verizon Selects, you must manually opt out of the Verizon Custom Experience. Unlike Verizon Selects, the new programs do not share your collected data with third-party advertisers. Your personal information is only used internally by Verizon. Privacy-minded individuals should still consider opting out if they would rather their data not be collected and stored for months at a time by the telecom giant…”

Wild Child Dublin Review of Books

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