2022-12-31
2022-12-30
2022-12-29
Study Finds Large Gap in Excess Deaths Along Partisan Lines After COVID-19 Vaccines Introduced < Yale School of Public Health
The study found that overall, the excess death rate for Republican voters was 5.4 percentage points, or 76%, higher than the excess death rate for Democratic voters. After COVID-19 vaccines became widely available, the excess death rate gap between Republicans and Democrats widened from 1.6 percentage points to 10.4 percentage points.
"The gap in excess death rates between Republicans and Democrats is concentrated in counties with low vaccination rates"
"The gap in excess death rates between Republicans and Democrats is concentrated in counties with low vaccination rates"
Does COVID-19 vaccination cause excess deaths?
How was the situation in the United States? From the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System co-managed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration, we obtained the number of deaths within 7 days after COVID-19 vaccination in the United States from December 2020 to May 2021.4 The demographic structure of the United States was available from CDC Wonder online database,5 and the COVID-19 vaccine coverage rate from CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.6 These data were used to calculate the proportion of deaths within 7 days after receiving COVID-19 vaccination per 100 1000 vaccinated persons, stratified by gender and age group. It was found that the mortality rate within 7 days after COVID-19 vaccination was higher for males than females and increased with age. But it was still much lower than the background mortality rate
2022-12-28
2022-12-27
Scary Reports of Deaths Following COVID-19 Vaccination Aren’t What They Seem
The misinformation strategy.
Opponents of vaccination use the VAERS numbers in statements that suggest cause-and-effect conclusions. This misinformation then influences some people not to be vaccinated.
In this case, the numbers are correct, but the presumed conclusions are not.
Stevan Whitt, MD, an infectious disease doctor and chief medical officer at MU Health Care, gets questions about these claims regularly, and he wants people to have the right information.
"This intentional misrepresentation is a powerful tactic to sow confusion among large groups of people," Whitt said.
To address the misinformation about VAERS, the CDC shares context around adverse events associated with the COVID-19 vaccines and emphasizes that reports of deaths (and other adverse events) do not necessarily mean the vaccines are to blame. "
Opponents of vaccination use the VAERS numbers in statements that suggest cause-and-effect conclusions. This misinformation then influences some people not to be vaccinated.
In this case, the numbers are correct, but the presumed conclusions are not.
Stevan Whitt, MD, an infectious disease doctor and chief medical officer at MU Health Care, gets questions about these claims regularly, and he wants people to have the right information.
"This intentional misrepresentation is a powerful tactic to sow confusion among large groups of people," Whitt said.
To address the misinformation about VAERS, the CDC shares context around adverse events associated with the COVID-19 vaccines and emphasizes that reports of deaths (and other adverse events) do not necessarily mean the vaccines are to blame. "
2022-12-26
What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Meat and Dairy Every Day?
But after analyzing the available data, Murray and his team found that the association between meat consumption and health outcomes was inconsistent. "These effects are not big, and the evidence is not strong," he said.
Many of these studies are based on small sample sizes, and the results are often biased by numerous confounding variables. For example, it is difficult to untangle whether it is the lack of meat in a vegetarian's diet that reduces their association with poor heart health or whether it is their increased intake of vegetables.
Many of these studies are based on small sample sizes, and the results are often biased by numerous confounding variables. For example, it is difficult to untangle whether it is the lack of meat in a vegetarian's diet that reduces their association with poor heart health or whether it is their increased intake of vegetables.
2022-12-24
2022-12-23
Could Global Warming Start A New Ice Age?
I had a misconception that countries in Europe that have similar climates to the United States, such as England and all of western Europe, would be at the same latitude as the United States. However, if you head straight east from the eastern coast of the United States, you mostly hit Africa. The northeast United States is the same latitude as Spain.
If you travel straight west from England, you hit either Greenland or Newfoundland which is in northern Canada.
2022-12-22
Fwd: 150,00 lost since 2021 due to no processing
'An Immigration and Customs Enforcement training video obtained by Fox News Digital revealed that, since the summer of 2021, border officials have lost track of more than 150,000 illegal migrants allowed into the United States without proper processing.
In the newly obtained training videos, ICE officials discuss how the Biden administration's "no processing" immigration policy has led to several challenges for border agencies, including locating hundreds of thousands of immigrants released without charging documents.
The training videos, which were recorded from November 2021 to February 2022, were released as part of discovery in ongoing litigation brought against the Department of Homeland Security and other border agencies by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.
Border officials began releasing migrants into the interior of the United States without processing formal charging documents, which are typically required and used to set court dates for migrants to appear before federal immigration judges. Instead of receiving this documentation, migrants were given directions to find and report to an ICE official.
"Since March 2021, CBP has been releasing noncitizens on prosecutorial discretion or humanitarian parole and directing them to report to the nearest ICE office where they intend to reside," said one border official in the training video.
Operation Horizon was launched in November 2021 to attempt to locate migrants who had not reported to ICE and send their official charging documents via mail. However, since the relaxed policy did not require the agency to obtain any identifying information on the migrants, ICE could not locate them.
"Operation Horizon, the background on this … you know, over the summer, we had well over 150,000 folks come in," an ICE official said in the video. "They were issued a piece of paper that said, 'Go find somebody in ICE,' and that was pretty much it. There was no processing. I know this isn't something that you guys asked for, and I can assure you that no one in the criminal alien program asked for it either."
Florida AG Ashley Moody told Fox News Digital that the border crisis is by design.
"Since day one of his administration, President Biden has purposefully broken down the structure and law enforcement at our nation's border with Mexico — all while confusing and misleading the nation about this devious, reckless scheme," Moody stated. "With Title 42 set to end, the administration may blame the mass surge of unvetted migrants on this rule's remission, but don't be fooled. They're playing fast and loose with the lives of Americans to advance an absurd political agenda, and the day of reckoning is upon us."
"As our litigation uncovered, this has been this administration's plan all along. They've let in and lost track of hundreds of thousands of inadmissible immigrants, and it is about to get worse. We will continue our litigation efforts to force Biden to follow the law and try to mitigate this national disaster," Moody added.'
Fwd: FBI and Twitter Attorney James Baker
From Larry:
Making matters worse, the FBI was using taxpayer dollars to pay media outlets to censor the story. After the story was wiped from Twitter and the vast majority of media outlets, with bans issued on accounts that shared the original New York Post reporting, executives sent the FBI a note of thanks for their work. The gratitude was spearheaded by former FBI attorney James Baker, who was working as Twitter counsel until last month. During his time at the FBI, Baker was behind the infamous Steele Dossier and the false Russia collusion narrative used against President Donald Trump.
31. The organizer was Vivian Schiller, the fmr CEO of NPR, fmr head of news at Twitter; fmr Gen. mgr of NY Times; fmr Chief Digital Officer of NBC News Attendees included Meta/FB's head of security policy and the top nat. sec. reporters for and others
2022-12-21
2022-12-20
Myocarditis after Covid-19 Vaccination in a Large Health Care Organization | NEJM
Among patients in a large Israeli health care system who had received at least one dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, the estimated incidence of myocarditis was 2.13 cases per 100,000 persons; the highest incidence was among male patients between the ages of 16 and 29 years. Most cases of myocarditis were mild or moderate in severity.
Incidence of Myocarditis/Pericarditis Following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination Among Children and Younger Adults in the United States | Annals of Internal Medicine
In this population-based surveillance, we found that myocarditis/pericarditis 0 to 7 days after mRNA vaccination in persons aged 5 to 39 years occurred in approximately 1 in 200 000 doses after the first dose and 1 in 30 000 doses after second dose of the primary series, and 1 in 50 000 doses after the first booster. The incidence varied markedly by age and sex, however, with a disproportionate number of cases occurring in male persons, notably among adolescents after dose 2 and first boosters.
What It's Like To be a Computer: An Interview with GPT-3
There is this thing called the Turing Test, invented by Alan Turing seventy years ago. The idea is to see if a computer could become smart enough to fool a human into thinking he is talking to a real person. We have crossed a threshold where computers have almost reached this point.
The AI appears to understand more than it actually does. It has studied human conversation and a mountain of raw information so that it can imitate a human conversation.
However, having a conversational computer isn't the only threshold the machines have crossed recently. Computer AI has become much more useful, performing all kinds of new tasks, such as surgery or writing computer code. By the end of the decade, machines will be performing many more jobs. It is very likely that in the next couple of decades, or even in this one, we will have general-purpose robots that could perform any task that we want them to do.
2022-12-18
2022-12-17
The Current State of Windows on ARM-Architecture (& Its Promising Future)
The industry is moving toward efficient ARM processors, in an effort to catch up to Apple.
This video is talking about a future processor. I saw another video claiming that Microsoft's current ARM-based devices fall way short of what Apple's M-series chips can do.
Although the video claims that there is no problem running X86 programs on ARM processors using emulation (https://youtu.be/psbucvxF-UU?t=195), reportedly many videogames have difficulty or don't work at all under emulation. However, if we are moving toward two competing hardware architectures, I hope that many software makers will compile their software to work on both platforms. For video games, it can be more complicated because the GPU hardware can be different.
I don't think that Intel will stand still as their processors get out-competed. All they would need to do is come up with more powerful processors to recapture the market. They also are planning to come out with 3-nanometer chips in a couple of years.
However, ARM's main strength is power efficiency, so it will remain popular on portable devices.
According to one video, the industry is moving away from PCs as we know them today, and toward System on a Chip devices like what Apple has done. Although these tend to be more efficient, you can't change the hardware configuration, like the memory size, after you buy them.
2022-12-15
2022-12-14
2022-12-11
2022-12-10
2022-12-09
Anne Sacoolas: US citizen handed suspended sentence for causing death of British teenager Harry Dunn
American citizen Anne Sacoolas was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, at the Old Bailey in London for causing the death of British teenager Harry Dunn in a fatal traffic collision in August 2019, meaning she will not have to go to jail.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/08/uk/anne-sacoolas-sentencing-harry-dunn-death-intl-gbr/index.html
https://youtu.be/iHVyNoD4pww
https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/08/uk/anne-sacoolas-sentencing-harry-dunn-death-intl-gbr/index.html
https://youtu.be/iHVyNoD4pww
2022-12-07
Will 2023 be the year we discover the truth about Covid's origins?
According to recently released emails acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), one Australian virologist wrote on February 8, 2020, "I do a lot of work in China and I can [tell] you that a lot of people there believe [the virus escaped from the Wuhan lab] and believe they are being lied to."
To End Climate Lunacy, Stop Treating Warming & C02 Hysterically
'To win this argument, it is necessary to focus on the scientific facts.
A warming planet saves lives. Analyses of millions of deaths in recent decades in numerous countries, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, show that cooler temperatures killed nine times (July 2021 study) to seventeen times (In May 2015 study) more people than warmer temperatures. The planet's recent modest warming (by 1.00 degree Celsius on average since 1880, as calculated by NASA) thus has been saving millions of lives.
CO2 emissions do not pollute and instead are environmentally beneficial. In 2017, over 300 scientists, including Richard Lindzen of MIT and William Happer of Princeton, signed a statement that made this point: "carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. To the contrary, there is clear evidence that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is environmentally helpful to food crops and other plants that nourish all life. It is plant food, not poison." Every one of us, indeed, also exhales carbon dioxide with every breath.
Since 1920, deaths each year from natural disasters have decreased by over 90 percent. And this happened, data from EM-DAT - The International Disaster Database presented by The University of Oxford show, not only as the planet has warmed, but as world population has quadrupled.
Global warming has not increased hurricanes. A NOAA report, updated on November 28, 2022, states that "there is essentially no long-term trend in hurricane counts. The evidence for an upward trend is even weaker if we look at U.S. landfalling hurricanes, which even show a slight negative trend beginning from 1900 or from the late 1800s."'
A warming planet saves lives. Analyses of millions of deaths in recent decades in numerous countries, published in the British medical journal The Lancet, show that cooler temperatures killed nine times (July 2021 study) to seventeen times (In May 2015 study) more people than warmer temperatures. The planet's recent modest warming (by 1.00 degree Celsius on average since 1880, as calculated by NASA) thus has been saving millions of lives.
CO2 emissions do not pollute and instead are environmentally beneficial. In 2017, over 300 scientists, including Richard Lindzen of MIT and William Happer of Princeton, signed a statement that made this point: "carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. To the contrary, there is clear evidence that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide is environmentally helpful to food crops and other plants that nourish all life. It is plant food, not poison." Every one of us, indeed, also exhales carbon dioxide with every breath.
Since 1920, deaths each year from natural disasters have decreased by over 90 percent. And this happened, data from EM-DAT - The International Disaster Database presented by The University of Oxford show, not only as the planet has warmed, but as world population has quadrupled.
Global warming has not increased hurricanes. A NOAA report, updated on November 28, 2022, states that "there is essentially no long-term trend in hurricane counts. The evidence for an upward trend is even weaker if we look at U.S. landfalling hurricanes, which even show a slight negative trend beginning from 1900 or from the late 1800s."'
2022-12-06
2022-12-04
2022-12-02
How Private Equity Robbed Taylor Swift, Toys R Us & J Crew | The Class Room ft. Adam Conover
I don't have an opinion on this. Why should it be illegal to buy companies? Should it be illegal to take loans to buy companies? Should it be illegal to serve on the board of directors of a company that you bought?
2022-12-01
How I view the US after 12 years living abroad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIwOclLlRts
This is a bit one-sided: Government is good. Capitalism is bad.
This is a bit one-sided: Government is good. Capitalism is bad.
2022-11-30
2022-11-28
2022-11-24
2022-11-15
2022-11-12
The Quantum Hype Bubble Is About To Burst
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBLVtCYHVO8
I have been saying for years that Quantum Computing is overhyped. The claims have been very pie in the sky.
2022-11-06
2022-11-05
2022-11-04
2022-11-02
2022-11-01
No, the U.S. isn’t going to run out of diesel fuel in 25 days
Tucker Carlson: The US is about to run out of diesel fuel
This mean that truckers and trains cannot transport food and other commodities. The economy could collapse.
Mansfield warned that at the U.S. economy level, consumers may feel pain at the pump, but for businesses that rely on diesel for operations, supply will still be available.
"That is not to say there will not occasionally be situations where there is a true physical lack of products," the company said. "Some cities might run dry on diesel for a few days, at least at the terminal level. But the fuel supply chain is dynamic, and suppliers will rally to fill in any gaps in supply."
"That is not to say there will not occasionally be situations where there is a true physical lack of products," the company said. "Some cities might run dry on diesel for a few days, at least at the terminal level. But the fuel supply chain is dynamic, and suppliers will rally to fill in any gaps in supply."
This is also the time of year that refineries are doing maintenance. They tend to do that in the spring and fall, which is when demand is lower and the weather is decent. So, refinery capacity drops at this time of year.
Third, U.S. refinery capacity has fallen in the past few years as several unprofitable refineries were closed. So, that's a new factor that has appeared in the past couple of years.
But the primary reason is the cutoff of Russian imports. Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. was importing nearly 700,000 barrels per day (BPD) of petroleum and petroleum products. Most of those imports were finished products and refinery inputs that boosted distillate supplies in the U.S.
The loss of those Russian imports has caused problems for refineries as they struggle to fill holes in their product slates. Refineries do have a small amount of flexibility in shifting gasoline production to diesel production. But it's a relatively small amount (e.g., ~5% in a refinery I once worked in). That also means that if refiners do shift production, it also potentially creates shortages in the gasoline market.
Some relief is on the way, as some diesel imports are on the way from Europe to the East Coast. But, the distillate market won't likely return to normal before next summer at the earliest.
Third, U.S. refinery capacity has fallen in the past few years as several unprofitable refineries were closed. So, that's a new factor that has appeared in the past couple of years.
But the primary reason is the cutoff of Russian imports. Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. was importing nearly 700,000 barrels per day (BPD) of petroleum and petroleum products. Most of those imports were finished products and refinery inputs that boosted distillate supplies in the U.S.
The loss of those Russian imports has caused problems for refineries as they struggle to fill holes in their product slates. Refineries do have a small amount of flexibility in shifting gasoline production to diesel production. But it's a relatively small amount (e.g., ~5% in a refinery I once worked in). That also means that if refiners do shift production, it also potentially creates shortages in the gasoline market.
Some relief is on the way, as some diesel imports are on the way from Europe to the East Coast. But, the distillate market won't likely return to normal before next summer at the earliest.
2022-10-27
2022-10-26
Taiwan chip production
What if we were to incentivize, i.e. bribe, Taiwan to move its semiconductor business to someplace relatively safe? Or move part of it? Hawaii, Thailand, Australia, or the Philippines? At some point they may want to expand their capacity, so why not expand it to another country? Become more of an international company. It might seem reasonable if we provide the right incentives.
Better than fighting a war.
Meanwhile we could work on increasing our capacity, or invest in some allied country that makes chips.
On Oct 26, 2022, at 4:21 PM, Larry wrote:
Best wishes,
John Coffey
On Oct 26, 2022, at 4:21 PM, Larry wrote:
"If China would invade Taiwan, that would be the biggest impact we've seen to the global economy — possibly ever," Glenn O'Donnell, the vice president and research director at Forrester, told Insider. "This could be bigger than 1929."
While TSMC may not be a household name, you almost certainly own something that's powered by its chips.
TSMC is in the foundry business, meaning it doesn't design its chips but instead produces them at fabrication plants for other companies. The company accounts for over half of the global semiconductor market, and when it comes to advanced processors that number is, by some estimates, as high as 90%. In fact, even the best chip from China's top semiconductor manufacturer, SMIC, has been said to be about five years behind TSMC's.
TSMC counts Apple as its biggest customer, supplying the California tech giant with the chips that power iPhones. In fact, most of the world's roughly 1.4 billion smartphone processors are produced by TSMC, as are about 60% of the chips used by automakers, according to The Wall Street Journal.
TSMC semiconductors are also used in high-performance computing: They can quickly process reams of data and guide missiles, making the company highly valuable in the eyes of government entities.
According to a 2021 report from the Semiconductor Industry Association, in 1990 the US produced 37% of the world's chip supply. These days, the US is responsible for only 12% of global chip production.
While the consequences of an invasion could be significant, many experts say it's just a matter of time before it happens, whether it's by 2030, 2025, or even by the end of next year. On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken predicted China would take steps to annex Taiwan on a "much faster timeline" than previously thought, signaling that it could be sooner rather than later. The US government is already playing out war-game scenarios to prepare for this, and in the event of a full invasion it would reportedly consider evacuating the skilled chipmaker engineers on which it's become so reliant.
The spotlight has focused increasingly on Taiwan and the semiconductor industry as a whole in recent weeks following the export regulations the US government slapped on China. Those regulations limit sales of semiconductors made using US technology and are meant to curb China's ability to develop advanced technology.
How TSMC and US-China Tensions May Dictate Fate of Global Economy (businessinsider.com)
East Chicago man out on bond for attempted murder charged again with same crime
I am a little concerned that we release people to go out to commit the same crimes again.
2022-10-25
2022-10-23
Trump 'Repeatedly' Discussing Picking MTG As Running Mate: Journalist
Donald Trump has "repeatedly" discussed choosing Marjorie Taylor Greene as his running mate, a journalist said.
He's been discussing it since February, NYT magazine reporter Robert Draper told the Daily Beast.
Trump is considering Greene because of her unflagging loyalty to him, Draper said.
Greene has promoted far-right, white supremacist, and antisemitic conspiracy theories, including the white genocide conspiracy theory,[6][7] QAnon, and Pizzagate,[8][9] as well as other extremist conspiracy theories[10][11] about mass shootings, the alleged killings perpetrated by the Clinton family, and the 9/11 attacks.[12][13] Before running for Congress, she supported calls to execute prominent Democratic politicians, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
"Vaccinated employees get a vaccination logo just like the Nazi's forced Jewish people to wear a gold star. Vaccine passports & mask mandates create discrimination against unvaxxed people who trust their immune systems to a virus that is 99% survivable," she wrote.
Marjorie Taylor Greene Says COVID Safety Measures Are Equivalent to the Holocaust.
Ben Shapiro replied to the tweet, writing, "This is demented nonsense. It is nothing like the Holocaust, and any comparison thereto is both insulting and insane."
https://www.thewrap.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-holocaust-masks-republicans/
2022-10-21
2022-10-20
2022-10-19
2022-10-18
Coming soon: Netflix with ads
Netflix has been discussing an ad-based tier for some time, and now we know how much it's going to cost. (Drumroll, please.) The new Basic with Ads plan will cost $6.99 per month.
Compare that to the Basic plan at $9.99, Standard at $15.49 and Premium at $19.99.
Here's what you get with the ad-supported plan:
Video quality up to 720p HD
An average of 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour
There are a couple of caveats. Some movies and TV shows won't be available due to licensing restrictions, though Netflix says it's working on this. And you won't be able to download content to watch when you're offline.
Netflix's ad-based tier will launch Nov. 3. The streaming giant says its current Basic, Standard or Premium plans will not be impacted by the new one, but don't be surprised to see price hikes down the line.
Other streaming services offer ad-supported plans, or they will soon. Compared to HBO and ESPN, Netflix isn't too bad. Here's how these plans stack up:
Paramount+ and Peacock: $4.99
Hulu and Disney+ (coming Dec. 8): $7.99
HBO Max and ESPN+: $9.99
Compare that to the Basic plan at $9.99, Standard at $15.49 and Premium at $19.99.
Here's what you get with the ad-supported plan:
Video quality up to 720p HD
An average of 4 to 5 minutes of ads per hour
There are a couple of caveats. Some movies and TV shows won't be available due to licensing restrictions, though Netflix says it's working on this. And you won't be able to download content to watch when you're offline.
Netflix's ad-based tier will launch Nov. 3. The streaming giant says its current Basic, Standard or Premium plans will not be impacted by the new one, but don't be surprised to see price hikes down the line.
Other streaming services offer ad-supported plans, or they will soon. Compared to HBO and ESPN, Netflix isn't too bad. Here's how these plans stack up:
Paramount+ and Peacock: $4.99
Hulu and Disney+ (coming Dec. 8): $7.99
HBO Max and ESPN+: $9.99
A normal and terrifying thing about chemistry
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nleE-VEb_dU
The pork industry was looking for a humane way to slaughter pigs, so they tried having the pigs breathe pure nitrogen which did the trick. This has been suggested as a humane way to do capital punishment, and there is a political movement of people who support suicide for terminally ill patients who were encouraging people to breathe pure helium, which is easy to obtain, as a painless way to die.
There is gas exchange between the oceans and the air. CO2 in the oceans forms carbonic acid, which is used by calcifying marine organisms to combine with calcium to make calcium carbonate to create shells. This process is sequestering atmospheric CO2 over the long term, turning CO2 into limestone deposits, which is why atmospheric CO2 has been on a serious decline over the last 40 million years.
2022-10-16
2022-10-08
2022-10-06
Electrical carbon capture
There are an octillion phytoplankton that are the basis of the ocean food chain, plus all the other plants that are the basis of the terrestrial food chain, all of which take CO2 out of atmosphere. Atmospheric CO2 is plant food and it has been in a sharp decline over the last 40 million years. What a pity to waste it. It is a valuable natural resource.
All of human civilization arose over just the last 12,000 years after we came out of the most recent period of mass glaciation. Geologically it is not a very long time. In just 10,000 years from now, half of North America will covered by a mile of ice and this period of mass glaciers will last another 80,000 years.
We will run out of most fossil fuels by the year 2100 and we will run out of coal by the year 2150. Then the natural sequestration of CO2 by calcifying marine organisms will continue to deplete atmospheric CO2 until it eventually gets so low that it threatens all terrestrial plant life. This has come close to happening already during the ice age 20,000 years ago. If it happens again then we will have to generate CO2 from limestone deposits to survive.
We are not the enemy of nature; we are its salvation.
Begin forwarded message:
Best wishes,
John Coffey
Begin forwarded message:
From: Larry
Subject: Electrical carbon capture
Subject: Electrical carbon capture
It would be great if we could go back to using coal with this carbon capture.
Allowing the demand on natural gas to drop lowering the price.
It would be interesting to see if this could be eventually used in personal gasoline cars so that the world doesn't also try to phase them out.
2022-10-04
Fire Tablets
Right now Amazon is selling some of their Fire Tablets at half price. Although they are budget tablets, not nearly as powerful as iPads, I am pretty impressed with the value for the price.
I have argued that if you have a good smartphone then you might not need a tablet, but I have enjoyed my Fire Tablet while traveling. They are more useful if you subscribe to Amazon Prime.
2022-10-03
GAME OVER for EUROPE - People resort to desperate measures!
I do not know how accurate this is. Reportedly, Europe is facing an energy crisis this winter.
2022-10-01
At-Home COVID-19 Antigen Tests-Take Steps to Reduce Your Risk of False Negative: FDA Safety Communication | FDA
Most at-home COVID-19 tests are antigen tests and do not detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus as well as molecular tests, most of which are laboratory-based such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. Molecular COVID-19 tests are generally expected to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus at least 95% of the time when someone is infected. However, at-home COVID-19 antigen tests are generally expected to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus at least 80% of the time when someone is infected.
When you perform an at-home COVID-19 antigen test, and you get a positive result, the results are typically accurate. However, if you perform an at-home COVID-19 antigen test, you could get a false negative result.
The FDA recommends repeat testing following a negative result whether or not you have COVID-19 symptoms.
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/home-covid-19-antigen-tests-take-steps-reduce-your-risk-false-negative-fda-safety-communication
The WORST Housing Crash In 40 Years JUST BEGAN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkIhqBHgEDQ
I have always been very skeptical of gloom and doom predictions. Nobody can predict the future with any accuracy. However, a housing bust would not surprise me.
2022-09-30
The Collapse of HBO Max
I like HBO Max better than Netflix, but reportedly it is going away and is going to be combined with The Discovery Channel.
Chess commentator sacked for sexist comments during match
All chess players - men and women - can become grandmasters, which is the highest title a chess player can attain, if they have a rating of 2,500 and above.* The very top female chess players have this title.
The woman grandmaster title is only for women and requires a lower rating of 2,300.
The commentators were discussing whether Zhu Jiner could become grandmaster, when Mr Smirin said: "She's a woman grandmaster or what?... Why she wants to be like men grandmaster in this case?"
Mr Smirin went on to appear to admit that he had privately said "chess is maybe not for women".
Fellow commentator Fiona Steil-Antoni said to him: "You're saying, you know, 'chess is maybe not for women'," and Mr Smirin replied: "I didn't say it openly... in private, private conversation."
And he also seemed to admit saying another female player - Grandmaster Aleksandra Goryachkin - had been "playing like a man".
"That's true," said Mr Smirin, when questioned about his apparent comments. "She played in Russia super final. Small minus she made, but it was very strong tournament. She also had like 2,600 plus rating."
Challenging him again, Ms Steil-Antoni asked: "What does that have to do with playing like a man, only men can play well?"
"No, no," Mr Smirin responded. "But she's playing in style, positional style... But OK, I'm always curious, why can women play among men but men cannot play with women in women tournaments? Interesting question."
The woman grandmaster title is only for women and requires a lower rating of 2,300.
The commentators were discussing whether Zhu Jiner could become grandmaster, when Mr Smirin said: "She's a woman grandmaster or what?... Why she wants to be like men grandmaster in this case?"
Mr Smirin went on to appear to admit that he had privately said "chess is maybe not for women".
Fellow commentator Fiona Steil-Antoni said to him: "You're saying, you know, 'chess is maybe not for women'," and Mr Smirin replied: "I didn't say it openly... in private, private conversation."
And he also seemed to admit saying another female player - Grandmaster Aleksandra Goryachkin - had been "playing like a man".
"That's true," said Mr Smirin, when questioned about his apparent comments. "She played in Russia super final. Small minus she made, but it was very strong tournament. She also had like 2,600 plus rating."
Challenging him again, Ms Steil-Antoni asked: "What does that have to do with playing like a man, only men can play well?"
"No, no," Mr Smirin responded. "But she's playing in style, positional style... But OK, I'm always curious, why can women play among men but men cannot play with women in women tournaments? Interesting question."
* Reaching a rating of 2500 is not the only requirement for becoming a Grandmaster.
Chess is dominated by men, maybe because it is a highly competitive (and egotistical) game. Men tend to prefer competition whereas women tend to prefer cooperation.
2022-09-29
2022-09-28
Facebook and Craigslist scams
I have noticed that a few people have created new Facebook accounts because they said that their old account was hacked or there is a problem with it. In some cases, people say that they can no longer access their old accounts.
This can get confusing because there are also fake accounts that look like the original accounts. All of this is part of scams, for example, I had a 'friend' ask to borrow money. It is always strange when you get friend requests from people who are already friends, meaning that these new friend requests are likely from fake accounts. And if they are not fake accounts then you need to verify that these people are who they say they are.
So today I encountered a scam. One of the hacked accounts had been talking to me briefly for a few days making small talk. At first, I was fooled thinking that I was talking to my friend in Salt Lake City. Then today the account tried to pull a scam that went like this:
I was immediately suspicious. I have seen many scams as a seller on Craigslist that will claim that they want to verify your identity with a code number and that you have to message the code number back to them. What they are actually trying to accomplish is to do a password reset on your account, which requires a code verification, so if you give them the code then they will be able to change your Craiglist password and take over your account. Then they can use your account to scam other people.
So I realized this Facebook scammer was doing the same thing trying to take over my Facebook account. I contacted my friend on his new account and he verified that this other account was not him. However, I took this one step further. I told him that I didn't know which account was the real one, the old or the new, so I asked for his phone number so that I could call him and verify his identity. As soon as he answered the phone, I knew that I was talking to the real person.
I blocked the bad account and reported it to Facebook as someone impersonating a friend.
This can get confusing because there are also fake accounts that look like the original accounts. All of this is part of scams, for example, I had a 'friend' ask to borrow money. It is always strange when you get friend requests from people who are already friends, meaning that these new friend requests are likely from fake accounts. And if they are not fake accounts then you need to verify that these people are who they say they are.
So today I encountered a scam. One of the hacked accounts had been talking to me briefly for a few days making small talk. At first, I was fooled thinking that I was talking to my friend in Salt Lake City. Then today the account tried to pull a scam that went like this:
He said that he was trying to install Facebook on his phone, but he needed a code number to finish the installation. He said that Facebook required that the code be sent to a second phone number, which makes no sense, and asked if he could use my phone number. I had already inadvertently given this person my phone number because I had asked him to give me a call so that we could chat.
I was immediately suspicious. I have seen many scams as a seller on Craigslist that will claim that they want to verify your identity with a code number and that you have to message the code number back to them. What they are actually trying to accomplish is to do a password reset on your account, which requires a code verification, so if you give them the code then they will be able to change your Craiglist password and take over your account. Then they can use your account to scam other people.
So I realized this Facebook scammer was doing the same thing trying to take over my Facebook account. I contacted my friend on his new account and he verified that this other account was not him. However, I took this one step further. I told him that I didn't know which account was the real one, the old or the new, so I asked for his phone number so that I could call him and verify his identity. As soon as he answered the phone, I knew that I was talking to the real person.
I blocked the bad account and reported it to Facebook as someone impersonating a friend.
Never give a code number (or password) to a person in a message or email. It is a scam.
--
Best wishes,
John Coffey
http://www.entertainmentjourney.com
--
Best wishes,
John Coffey
http://www.entertainmentjourney.com
2022-09-26
MAGNUS CARLSEN: "I Believe Hans Niemann CHEATED"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfqXnFNnDII
I don't believe that Hans cheated. There is very little evidence for it. Hans is a rising star and had the best game of his career and Magnus didn't. If I can lose to players rated 200 (or in my case 500) points below me then so can Magnus.
P.S. The Babe Ruth story is misunderstood. He was pointing to people he knew in the stands, but the myth remains.
The story about Hans claiming ahead of time that he was going to win a tournament is interesting. Over 20 years ago I was running a Utah championship tournament when a teenager told me that he was going to beat everybody to prove that he was the best player. I thought that this was a very cocky statement to make, but to my surprise, this is exactly what he did.
Good video.
I don't believe that Hans cheated. There is very little evidence for it. Hans is a rising star and had the best game of his career and Magnus didn't. If I can lose to players rated 200 (or in my case 500) points below me then so can Magnus.
Shit happens. Twenty years ago I got a draw against Grandmaster Igor Ivanov. About the same time, I watched a B player friend of mine beat Grandmaster Susan Polgar in a speed tournament.
The story about Hans claiming ahead of time that he was going to win a tournament is interesting. Over 20 years ago I was running a Utah championship tournament when a teenager told me that he was going to beat everybody to prove that he was the best player. I thought that this was a very cocky statement to make, but to my surprise, this is exactly what he did.
2022-09-23
2022-09-22
2022-09-20
2022-09-18
The Latest Facebook Statistics
Facebook had 2.934 billion monthly active users in July 2022. With a world population of 7.75 Billion, roughly 2 out of every 5 people on the planet used Facebook in the month of July.
2022-09-16
2022-09-15
Re: Watch "You're Immortal And I Can Prove It" on YouTube
I like the video. It doesn't teach me anything new, but he makes entertaining videos.
On Wed, Sep 14, 2022 at 11:34 PM Albert wrote:
A "Thoughty" video.
2022-09-14
2022-09-10
Re: Ukraine makes progress
Although I sympathize with the plight of Ukraine, I never thought that this is a war that they can win. I assumed that it all would be over in a couple of months.
We are depleting our national treasure over a war that is little in our national interest.
It is like the Domino Theory all over again. I remember in the 1960s when the politicians were talking about the Domino Theory.
On Sat, Sep 10, 2022 at 10:50 AM Larry wrote:
Reuters: Russia abandons northeast Ukraine bastion after Kyiv severs supply line.On Fri, Sep 9, 2022, 10:23 AM Larry wrote:On Fri, Sep 9, 2022 at 7:31 AM Larry wrote:
2022-09-09
Jordan Peterson Comments on the Queen's Passing
"We stumbled plenty but we still walked uphill. And you in your country can say that more than most."
2022-09-08
2022-09-07
2022-09-06
2022-09-04
Memphis TN
My brief stays in both Memphis, Tennessee, and Oakland, CA were essentially the same. The people at the hotel desk told me to not walk to my car unless I was being escorted. My cab driver in Memphis told me that the city was the murder capital of the United States, surpassing Washington D.C. He said that he was trying to save up enough money to go somewhere else.
This is why I like small cities.
On Sun, Sep 4, 2022 at 6:04 PM Larry wrote:
2022-09-03
2022-09-02
2022-08-31
2022-08-29
2022-08-28
2022-08-27
23 Genius Quotes From Albert Einstein That Will Make You Sound Smarter | Inc.com
7. "The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits."
2022-08-26
Reverse Stroke | 60 Minutes
I saw this on youtube. Experimental treatment for stroke. I don't know how effective it is.
2022-08-23
Do You Have To Show Your Receipt?
I wondered about this since businesses asking to see your receipt feels a little intrusive.
2022-08-21
Effect of mRNA Vaccine Boosters against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Infection in Qatar | NEJM
Compared to the primary series, booster effectiveness against symptomatic omicron infection was 49.4%, with the primary series 76.5%.
Study shows probability of getting COVID for mask wearers vs. non-mask wearers
In the healthcare setting, 9% of the mask wearers and 33% of the non-mask wearers tested COVID-19 positive.
Additionally, in community settings, the team noted that 6% of mask wearers and 83% of non-maks wearers tested SARS-CoV-2 positive.
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