Thank You, Coronavirus!

Transmission Electron Microscopic image from the first US case (CDC/ C.S. Goldsmith and A. Tamin)

Well, not really the Coronavirus. Covid-19, you can hop back on your bat and fly straight to hell.

Better stated, thank you to all who toil at great risk to keep the disease at bay, to keep us connected, to make sure essential services are not disrupted.

Thank you to the overworked medical professionals who go into the danger zone every day, all day, to treat the sick. Those masks and garments are not 100% effective, so many, many people are risking their own health to treat those in need, multiple times every day! And a good way to depress the immune system and increase risk is to be overworked and tired.

Thank you to everyone who is pulling together by staying apart. Thank you to everyone flattening the curve by social distancing, and particularly to those who are quarantined so that we lower the probability of communicating the disease.

Thank you to those of you who are hurting due to your loss of paycheck. Thank you not because you are hurting, or because you don’t have work, but because you are doing the right thing by staying home and are suffering in support of everyone’s health.

Thank you to all who are maintaining the food supply. Farmers, truckers, supermarkets, and more who keep famine from being part of the pandemic.

Thank you to all the folks who work behind the scenes, and always have, to support our infrastructure. The power is still on, we can meet via the internet, our mail and packages are delivered. One can even fly and find a hotel room if travel is essential. And we’re not buried in mounds of trash.

Thank you to all working in warehouses, sending us the stuff we want so that we can stay comfortable and somewhat less than stir-crazy while we wait this out.

Thank you to all the skeleton crews keeping manufacturing and business on life support, awaiting the day when coronavirus control is real.

Thank you restaurateurs for continuing to provide meals as takeout. May you earn enough to tide you over to the huge rush that pent-up demand will deliver when this is over.

Our canine companions deliver a hearty thank you. There are many, many happy pooches now that we humans are steadfastly going for daily walks. We finally understand why our dogs get so excited when it’s time for their single daily escape from the house.

Thank you to all who are working to ameliorate the virus crisis, unfortunately unmentioned here.

And not a thank you, but a salute to those who contracted the virus and did not make it to recovery. If this is a war, you were the first wave, and hopefully we are learning from your example how to better treat others.

What to do? What to do?

You may have implemented some changes in your lifestyle recently.  Sometimes ya gotta do whatchya gotta do, eh?

"Stay well," seems to be the current favorite departing phrase.  And it is spoken with greater verve than ever before.

Regardless, it's difficult to stay well when one is shut in all day long, watching news reports of gloom and doom.  Gallows humor says your odds of dying are 100%.  It's just a matter of when.  Assuming living long in good health is your goal, hedge your bets and carry on with your life.

Exercise is part of staying well.  Fresh air doesn't hurt either.  As luck would have it, the two can be combined by going for a hike.  And hiking doesn't require you to be in proximity to anyone!  It is a completely non-contact activity, as long as you don't surprise any bears.  Additionally, one of the hiking jewels of New York State is within striking distance of a whole bunch of folks living near 42-41'06'' N, 077-57'33'' W.

The views are striking, even on a gray approaching-spring kind of day.
We headed north into the portion of the park
where the roads are closed for the winter.

Letchworth State Park rocks!

Stone structures permeate the park
thanks to the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Perhaps the organization will be resurrected soon.

The Genesee River winds through the gorge it has cut.

Lots of great trails in the park,
and you need get close to no other people.
Or dogs.

The color of the river
was the inspiration for trade dress of
Genesee Cream Ale.

When we can huddle together once more,
a raft trip will be on the agenda.

They weren't tired after 2 miles.
This was a photo op stop.

The falls on Wolf Creek were quite impressive!
The timing was right to show the full flow
of what is commonly a trickle.

I've seen this look from these two before.
The thought bubbles say,
"What? Another picture?  We're here to hike!"
and
"Squirrel?  I didn't see a squirrel!"

The leprechauns decorated this wall on March 17.

This is a tough one to lock in visually.
The view is looking down from the top of the falls on Wolf Creek.
The frothy white visible at the top of the image
is where the creek is about to meet the river,
 WAY down there.

Hiking back southward, a final glimpse of the snaking river.

The hike was complete, but one must visit at least 2 of the 3 falls when they're so close.  The lower falls is a little less accessible, even if no less interesting.  Next time.

A nice look at the middle falls
from the grounds of the Glen Iris.
The sign said the restaurant would be opening on April 10.
Good luck with that.

Look at the SOT (Standard Old Tourist) sitting on the wall,
bisecting the view of the falls.
The plan was to present this in tandem
with the similar shot my father took of me 65 years ago,
but a disorganized photo collection is almost the same as no collection at all.

Any bets on the future of this birch tree,
still hanging on above the gorge just below the middle falls?

Here's a view of the upper falls,
with it's north facing snow mass and spiffy new bridge.
The arch is such an aesthetic improvement over the old trestle.
And you are correct, I couldn't find the trestle image either.

Love the frozen natural graphics.
Do you see the muscular Frankenstein?
How about the long-nosed golem?
The singing orangutan?

Take a hike in Letchworth soon,
or your opportunity will be mist.

Social Distancing? BAH !!!

We Techies SCOFF at your puny attempts.  Social distancing? We’ve been perfecting the technique for years!  No, wait, not just years, our entire lives!

Push the donuts and coffee under the door and just let us do our jobs.  Nothing has changed!

Where is Mr. Popular now?  I’ll tell you where. He’s in the hospital, fighting for his life, because he always glad-hands everyone he meets.  And he’s there with the people who think that face-to-face meetings are the key to progress.  

Those of us with ravaged faces, lacking in the social graces, prudently remained at home, inventing technology enabling cell phones (and computers).  Where would you be now, if not for us? Reading a paper book, that’s where. By candlelight.

WE ARE THE FUTURE!  Those of us who put electrical tape over selfie cameras are the new generation (selfie video is wasteful of bandwidth for those of us not part of the glitterati, who are all sick).  We can work effectively with minimal human contact. We invented email so we don’t have to talk directly to anyone, and so we can keep working without inhaling what you sneeze.

Learn to code!  Read schematics!  Close the door!

Join us. Stay healthy the Techie way!

Interpreted - Coronavirus prevention - advice to the public

There is no shortage of advice on how to prevent COVID-19 from making you sick.  Who provides the best?  Perhaps the World Health Organization is near the top.

For your own safety, please read this culturally-adjusted (for residents of the USA and maybe Canada, eh?) interpretation of their guidelines . 

There's the little mother infector.
Image courtesy of the CDC

Wash your hands frequently

Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.  Or douse them in gasoline and light them up. Make sure a pail of uninfected water is nearby.

Why? Well, duh!  Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub or gasoline immolation kills viruses that may be on your hands.  And you know where those hands have been. Shame on you.

Maintain social distancing

Maintain at least 1 meter (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.  Better yet, stay at least that far away from everyone. You never know when some low-life is going to explode into a coughing fit.  Shouldn’t be that hard for most of us, given how attractive we are. Wear your haz-mat suit if you must ride the subway.

Why? When someone coughs or sneezes they spray boogers and small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain virus. If you are too close, like less than a kilometer (0.62 mile), you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has the disease.  And who wants to suck in a stranger’s fluids in any case? Or even most loved ones?

Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

Stop picking your nose!  Mom was right. Besides, you really don’t want a lifetime of nostril-enlarging picking to create this big bulbous honker in the middle of your face, do you?

Why? Hands touch many surfaces and can pick up viruses. Did you wash your hands after that quick trip to the restroom?  Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to your eyes, nose or mouth. From there, the virus is on the fast track to enter your body and can make you sick.  Little bastards.

Practice respiratory hygiene

Make sure you, and the people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene. This means breathe as little as possible.  If you must breathe, be sure to cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. You can buy Bent-Elbow-Tissues at CVS or Walgreens. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately by using the remaining gasoline and matches.

Why? Droplets spread virus. By following good respiratory hygiene you protect the people around you from viruses such as cold, flu and COVID-19, even if they don’t really deserve it.  And don’t be tempted to go sneeze on Mom in the nursing home. She’s the one who was on the money about nose-picking, right?

If you have fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical attention, but call in advance. They really don’t want to see you, and will try to get you to medicate yourself in the comfort of your own home. Follow the directions of your local health authority.  Someone may be sent in a haz-mat suit to take your keys.

Why? National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on the situation in your area. Calling in advance will allow your health care provider to quickly direct you to the right health facility, or to build a 40-ft high wall around your house or apartment with funds from the federal budget. This will also protect you and help prevent spread of viruses and other infections.

Never buy anything from China

Hey, you never know what you’re getting.  It’s your patriotic duty to buy more expensive and uninfected American-made goods.

Why? The Vice-President has stated that some people are saying that infected Chinese factory workers are breathing into products slated to be shipped to America.  This is doubly troubling considering that the Chinese could have contained this outbreak if they didn’t deny it to begin with.

If you’re over 60, and particularly if you have underlying health conditions, prepare your will

Always a good policy to be prepared.  The odds say that you’ll be OK, but are you really sure?  When was the last time you won anything?

Why? A well written will can prevent a post-mortem fight over your assets, which will certainly happen in an infected courtroom where court-officer coughing fits will expose all your heirs.  Don’t be lazy. Do your part to prevent the spread of the infection.