C19 MUSINGS BACKLOG
Been a while since I did a thread
I tweet little as a) I’m busy & b) I respect your time, for which I’m grateful. Been accumulating a bunch of thoughts, & its time to clear the backlog: 25 quick observations/quotes/analogs/history lessons. Something for all:
Been a while since I did a thread
I tweet little as a) I’m busy & b) I respect your time, for which I’m grateful. Been accumulating a bunch of thoughts, & its time to clear the backlog: 25 quick observations/quotes/analogs/history lessons. Something for all:
1.Milgram
Others have noted parallels of Milgram exprmnt & lockdown. Hwvr, what I haven’t seen noted is in Milgram 65% delivered deadly shocks to their subjects when in diff. rooms vs. 30% when in the same room. Lockdowners didn’t have to see the people whose lives they destroyed
Others have noted parallels of Milgram exprmnt & lockdown. Hwvr, what I haven’t seen noted is in Milgram 65% delivered deadly shocks to their subjects when in diff. rooms vs. 30% when in the same room. Lockdowners didn’t have to see the people whose lives they destroyed
2. LA Covid–Fermi Paradox
Look at below chart: LA hospitals barely reached ‘19 census at the peak in winter ‘21. We know hospitals operate at ~85% capacity, so they were never overwhelmed
Its like a 2020 version of Fermi Paradox: if there’s a pandemic where are all the patients?
Look at below chart: LA hospitals barely reached ‘19 census at the peak in winter ‘21. We know hospitals operate at ~85% capacity, so they were never overwhelmed
Its like a 2020 version of Fermi Paradox: if there’s a pandemic where are all the patients?
3. Fundamentalism
“Fundamentalism is the belief in the original form of a religion or theory, without accepting any later ideas”
This describes everyone who decided in Feb ’20 COVID killed 5%+ of the infected, lockdowns & masks can stop a resp. virus, & then never reevaluated
“Fundamentalism is the belief in the original form of a religion or theory, without accepting any later ideas”
This describes everyone who decided in Feb ’20 COVID killed 5%+ of the infected, lockdowns & masks can stop a resp. virus, & then never reevaluated
4. Einstein
“What really interests me is whether God could have created the world any differently; in other words whether the requirement of logical simplicity admits a margin of freedom” If Einstein wondered if God controlled creation maybe we should wonder if we control viruses
“What really interests me is whether God could have created the world any differently; in other words whether the requirement of logical simplicity admits a margin of freedom” If Einstein wondered if God controlled creation maybe we should wonder if we control viruses
5. Seatbelts
Ford began offering seatbelts on all models in 1955 and they were shown to reduce traffic fatalities by 70%. Only 2% of customers opted in.
What happened to the American spirit?
Ford began offering seatbelts on all models in 1955 and they were shown to reduce traffic fatalities by 70%. Only 2% of customers opted in.
What happened to the American spirit?
6. Govt Smear Campaign
In the late 60’s actress & activist Jean Seberg was the subject of an FBI smear campaign designed to “cause her embarrassment & serve to cheapen her image with the general public” b/c they didn’t like her politics. Sound familiar to anyone? @gbdeclaration
In the late 60’s actress & activist Jean Seberg was the subject of an FBI smear campaign designed to “cause her embarrassment & serve to cheapen her image with the general public” b/c they didn’t like her politics. Sound familiar to anyone? @gbdeclaration
7.What if we let random professions dictate an entire year of our lives like Epis have: accountants where everyone is prohibited from incurring any debt, chiropractors where everyone is arrested if demonstrating poor posture, dieticians where sugar is banned (insp by @bergerbell)
8.Masks
I don’t believe masks affected the course of the pandemic. I used to think so & understand intuitively why others might. But, I reevaluated🤯Regardless, it should be a nat'l emergency to remove them ASAP as they suck the joy out of life & are harmful to kids development.
I don’t believe masks affected the course of the pandemic. I used to think so & understand intuitively why others might. But, I reevaluated🤯Regardless, it should be a nat'l emergency to remove them ASAP as they suck the joy out of life & are harmful to kids development.
9. Solutions
A common critique I get is “what’s ur solution?” At some point-probably in late '19-we lost any ability to "control" the pandemic in the US. It had become widespread, it does its thing & we're along for the ride. Some problems have no solutions; the spoiled hate this
A common critique I get is “what’s ur solution?” At some point-probably in late '19-we lost any ability to "control" the pandemic in the US. It had become widespread, it does its thing & we're along for the ride. Some problems have no solutions; the spoiled hate this
10.Bill Gates
In ‘18 Gates gave away copies of what he felt an important book: Factfulness. In sum its about how when you look at the data, the world is far better than media tells you. Written by H Rosling of Karolinska Inst.--which believes lockdowns have killed > COVID. Ironic
In ‘18 Gates gave away copies of what he felt an important book: Factfulness. In sum its about how when you look at the data, the world is far better than media tells you. Written by H Rosling of Karolinska Inst.--which believes lockdowns have killed > COVID. Ironic
11.Panic Lockdown vs LockdownPanic
Most people seem to believe we locked down b/c we panicked. I think the causality is reversed: people panicked b/c our government locked us down, which most had previously viewed as inconceivable. This caused mass hysteria & extreme loss of life
Most people seem to believe we locked down b/c we panicked. I think the causality is reversed: people panicked b/c our government locked us down, which most had previously viewed as inconceivable. This caused mass hysteria & extreme loss of life
12. Historian Deirdre N. McCloskey
"For reasons I have never understood, people like to hear that the world is going to hell"
Wow has that been reinforced over the last year.
"For reasons I have never understood, people like to hear that the world is going to hell"
Wow has that been reinforced over the last year.
13 Osterholm 2020
“best alternative…entail[s] letting those at low risk for serious disease cont. to work,keep business…operating & run society while…higher-risk individuals protect themselves…With this battle plan,we…build up immunity w/o destroying the financial structure”
“best alternative…entail[s] letting those at low risk for serious disease cont. to work,keep business…operating & run society while…higher-risk individuals protect themselves…With this battle plan,we…build up immunity w/o destroying the financial structure”
14. Minority Report
Our restrictions on the healthy in the name of preventing “asymptomatic spread” dangerously resemble Minority Report where the precogs are ostensibly able to see people committing crimes in the future allowing authorities to arrest them in advance.
Our restrictions on the healthy in the name of preventing “asymptomatic spread” dangerously resemble Minority Report where the precogs are ostensibly able to see people committing crimes in the future allowing authorities to arrest them in advance.
15.DDay Thru German Eyes
See quotes. The point is certainly not to compare what’s being done to people now vs then. It’s the opposite: if authorities cld use propaganda to convince us THAT was moral, how hard is it to convince rich people they are virtuous to stay home & Netflix?
See quotes. The point is certainly not to compare what’s being done to people now vs then. It’s the opposite: if authorities cld use propaganda to convince us THAT was moral, how hard is it to convince rich people they are virtuous to stay home & Netflix?
16. Max Planck
Sometimes I worry Planck will be right when he said science advances 1 funeral at a time (“new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents & making them see the light, but rather because its opponents die”) Then I remember lockdowns aren’t science
Sometimes I worry Planck will be right when he said science advances 1 funeral at a time (“new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents & making them see the light, but rather because its opponents die”) Then I remember lockdowns aren’t science
17.There is no return on investment whining about politicians having botched our response, but there is infinite ROI taking personal responsibility for you, your health, & that of your family. I love hearing stories of people who got in shape for the 1st time during the pandemic.
18. Warren Buffett
“models tend to look impressive. Too often, though, investors forget to examine the assumptions behind the models. Beware of geeks bearing formulas”
paging Imperial College
“models tend to look impressive. Too often, though, investors forget to examine the assumptions behind the models. Beware of geeks bearing formulas”
paging Imperial College
19. Walensky on Schools
Every time I watch her speak on schools saying things that are demonstrably false, I wait for the camera to pan out like in the movies revealing a hostage situation. This is indeed the case, the teachers unions just aren’t in the room.
Every time I watch her speak on schools saying things that are demonstrably false, I wait for the camera to pan out like in the movies revealing a hostage situation. This is indeed the case, the teachers unions just aren’t in the room.
20. Hoffer
"Hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all the unifying agents. Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a god, but never without a belief in a devil."
This explains those that scream at people to wear masks alone outside
"Hatred is the most accessible and comprehensive of all the unifying agents. Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a god, but never without a belief in a devil."
This explains those that scream at people to wear masks alone outside
21. To those supporting lockdowns, be careful of your smugness. Recall this was a headline not too long ago:
“Democrats want to drop Joe Biden for Andrew Cuomo, poll finds”
“Democrats want to drop Joe Biden for Andrew Cuomo, poll finds”
22. CS Lewis
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive…those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience”
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive…those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience”
23. Stmts like “if everyone would just wear a mask the pandemic would end” remind me of the ads on the Yahoo homepage saying “use this one trick to retire early”
These two pieces of advice should be given the same weight; the lives of 8 bil interconnected people is complicated
These two pieces of advice should be given the same weight; the lives of 8 bil interconnected people is complicated
24. Munger
“The highest form which civilization can reach is a seamless web of deserved trust. Not much procedure, just totally reliable people correctly trusting one another. That’s the way an operating room works at the Mayo Clinic”
Boy did we lose progress on this one last yr
“The highest form which civilization can reach is a seamless web of deserved trust. Not much procedure, just totally reliable people correctly trusting one another. That’s the way an operating room works at the Mayo Clinic”
Boy did we lose progress on this one last yr
25. Teachers Unions
Every time I see a headline describing the atrocities inflicted on our kids, I picture teachers’ union leaders yawning & sipping their margaritas in Mexico reading the same headline. The reputational/political damage will be lasting.
Thx for reading/sharing.
Every time I see a headline describing the atrocities inflicted on our kids, I picture teachers’ union leaders yawning & sipping their margaritas in Mexico reading the same headline. The reputational/political damage will be lasting.
Thx for reading/sharing.
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