Renting cruise ships seems like a good idea. Park them in the Hudson River, and use them for isolation. They have all the systems you need to keep people going. Or better yet instead of bailing out the cruise ship lines, buy the boats. We're going to need them for a long time. And will want to modify them. #
In my experience it’s times like these when real progress is made in tech.#
If you're a longtime reader of my blog, you know one of my best friends is NakedJen of Salt Lake City and Santa Cruz. Deadhead. First of her name. Dog person. Movie lover. Advocate for beets. "The first faerie off the ferry." The cute little nut. That's Jen. Anyway, the CLN decided just as all hell was about to break loose in SLC to go to Bali. I watched it happen. I didn't say anything because I was sure lots of people were saying it. If this is what was meant to be, so be it. Anyway, as the shit began to hit the fan here, after Trump closed us off from Europe, I got word that Jen is coming home. Good. It hasn't been easy. Few flights, and lots of cancellations. But -- her flight from Bali to Seoul is at 1AM, which is 1PM Eastern. From there, I'm guessing she goes to Los Angeles and then to Salt Lake. I'm sure Jen will be Jen where ever she is. If she has to weather this out in Bali, or Seoul, or even LA. But we really do want her back in the good old US of A. #
- I've been pretty frank here as the crisis developed in February and early March, and we now are much further along, and there's more bad news coming. I'm inferring this from what I've heard about what has already happened in north Italy, and what we know is happening here, from doctors, and public info. You can find links to all my sources on the home page of Scripting News. #
- Health care workers need protective gear, asap. This is a higher priority than testing, believe it or not. Here's why. A lot of health care workers in the US either have Covid-19 or are going to get it soon. When they get it a decision has to be made whether to isolate or not. Of course they should be isolated, not just for our protection, but to get them the rest and care they need. On the other hand, if they are isolated they can't care for non-medical people who are infected. So, there's an exponential curve operating here. Over time, all health care workers will have to be isolated, or infect new people, or get very sick and possibly die. #
- Our health care system will fail. That means people who get the virus won't get help. You'll stay at home, and recover if that was meant to be, or not. It's too late to stop this from happening. #
- The supply chain for food and other essentials is shaky. I've learned a bit about that in putting together the Woodstock Today page. The local retailers talk about the supply chain, openly, on the record. Look at Cub Market and Woodstock Hardware for examples. #
- The best system we have, it seems to me, is Amazon plus UPS/Fedex. But there are real problems in that system, inside Amazon with infections at warehouses and in the delivery services. I have no idea about Amazon's supply side. However, some of the items I have ordered recently from Amazon have been delivered. I have a thermometer coming all by itself from China. I think however it will be returned by UPS at the very last step in the delivery chain. I hope not. I'd really like to take my own temperature! 🚀#
- When I realized how essential Amazon had become I posted this on the home page. Amazon has become the indispensible company. It's a huge problem that the president has a problem speaking with Bezos. This connection is too valuable to be left idle. #
- The Daily podcast has also become indispensible. They are really rising to the occasion. #
- BTW, for people who think the incompetence here is unprecedented, it is not. Two examples in my own lifetime. 1. The AIDS epidemic. It took years before the US government recognized there was a problem and started fighting the virus. 2. Puerto Rico's hurricane and earthquake. We let the island which is part of the United States die. No help at all. #
- If we want a competent government, we have to make it so. A lot of us have managed not to suffer for all the crazy shit the US government has been doing for decades. But now it's come home to everyone. This gives us a chance to turn in a new direction. I hope we do. #
- Finally, the trillion dollar stimulus must go to shoring up the hospitals and food supply chain, and making sure people have enough money for basics. That way we can assure that the part of the economy we need to survive will continue to exist. The rest of it, airlines, cruise ships, hotels, they will be repurposed for other uses. For scrap perhaps, or to house the homeless or sick. People have no idea what a months-long shutdown of the economy will do. We will be different people when and if we emerge. #