In a strange twist of fate, it seems the first coronavirus patient to be infected in the UK is from Haslemere -the very place we used for our 2018 citizen science experiment: the BBC Pandemic.
Here's a news piece from the time. Bit close to home, huh.
It's an extraordinary coincidence. But for me, the most powerful bit of the original tv prog was this:
This is our 2018 simulation of the difference that everyone washing their hands 5-10 times a day might make to the spread of a flu-like virus.
See how much time it buys us?
That simulation is based on real data from tens of thousands of people who volunteered to be part of our experiment, using mobile phones to see how pandemics might spread.
Let's start with a story. Remember this one from last year? An algorithm that can tell if you're gay or straight from a single photo. It's a prospect that is both awesome and terrifying. 2/8