Newsletter week three, thanks for hanging with me. This week: an essay on COVID’s viral storytellers, how Tesla faked out its drivers (including me), more snarky news takes, people to follow, books to read, and explugation. Stories are easier to invent and spread than messy scientific truth David Quammen has been writing books on science,…
An Italian study shows that men testing positive for COVID-19 have three times the likelihood of suffering erectile dysfunction compared to those without a positive test. SCRIPT: 30-SECOND VACCINE SPOT (ED) Interior, casual restaurant. A man, mid-40s, good-looking but not strikingly so, slightly balding, sits at a restaurant table opposite an attractive woman, brunette, several…
I know it’s not the most important question right now, but given how often we speak of the COVID Delta Variant, what’s the right way to capitalize it? This discussion is not a definitive answer from a grammar expert, but more of a philosophical ramble intended to make you think. What is the Delta Variant?…
Those who are not afraid of COVID-19 are behaving irrationally. It’s time to use emotional and graphic advertising to change their minds about vaccination. It worked for smoking; it will work for COVID. Content warning: today’s post contains graphic and disturbing images. If these scare you more than COVID, please get your priorities straight. We…
I tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. So far, I’m fine. Here are some thoughts on that experience for you. How I got the virus I don’t know how I got the virus. My family and I are all fully vaccinated, having completed our vaccine doses months ago. My family has limited our outside contacts. Over…
On Friday, President Biden said social media platforms including Facebook are “killing people” with misinformation about COVID-19. Facebook’s response: “It’s not us, really.” Facebook’s statement is classic deflection; I’ll deconstruct it for you. On July 15, Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, made a public statement about virus misinformation, which he called “an urgent threat…
If you received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for COVID-19, should you be worried? The leaders of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the FDA issued a statement this morning suggesting a pause in the administration of the J&J vaccine. As they wrote: CDC and FDA are reviewing data involving six reported U.S. cases…
Today I undertake a morbid and probably misguided analysis of the depth of the COVID-19 tragedy in America, examining the number of years of life lost. Trigger warning: this post discusses causes of death including suicide. Why would I undertake such a task? We are all reeling from the shocking numbers here. Half a million…
A new, not very well understood strain of coronavirus is circulating in California. In its article about it, the LA Times did a very good job of combining fear and uncertainty into a confusing mix that creates more heat than light. Given the amount of misinformation spreading about the virus from conspiracy theorists and anti-vaxxers,…