Yeah, there's clearly alternative packaging going on... for a while you could even chose I think they called it 'easy access' packaging for some products. Not seeing that as much, but also not seeing as many clamshells from Amazon. Maybe the solution is to kill bricks&mortar for good...
I think this sort-of highlights the disconnect and why both sides claim dis-information... as Kazzy notes above, we have competing narratives:
*Mention was made of the news reporter and the burning car.
*This was countered with (maybe theoretical?) data on how many protestors were actually violent.
--This was countered with… mention of the news reporter and the burning car.
--But it was actually countered with $500M in damages which questions Proposition 2.
But Prop --3 is reasserted.
And this is why... 'stop disinformation' is the loaded question it is... did only 7% of protesters cause $500M in damages (some estimates going to $1B)... is the $500M too high? is the 7% too low? I also saw reports that the 7% was aggregated across *all* the protests... which might be a sort of dis-information campaign about the specific event in MN-St.P which caused $500M in damages. Unless the $500M in damages isn't accurate... etc. etc.
So, who's not taking a moral position to adjudicate whether our protests are peaceful? Further, if both are accurate... what's the non-disinformation conclusion?
And even further, one side stakes out an indefensible position that if $1 in damage is caused, the entire protest is invalidated; but then the other side stakes out the indefensible position that $infinity damage is morally justified under the circumstances being protested.
There's a problem, but it really isn't (simply) disinformation.
So you're sayin' they eat bugs? If we had real capitalism, there'd be a distribution network translating my surplus cicadas into silk. Alas, Crony Cricket Capitalism is keeping us down.
Not calling anything progress until we find a replacement for clamshell packaging.
It would be nice if it could replace 'plastic wrap' but the thing that makes plastic wrap useful is its clingy-stretchy-ness... absent that it would be like covering it with wax paper. So I suppose we'll have to see all of it's properties (native and manipulated) to figure out where it would fit in? Heck, if all it did was replace toilet paper bundling, would be huge. Is it translucent? Does it take ink?
My point about grift (perhaps a word past it's sell-by date) is that I personally was surprised by the speed at which mini-careers and mini-industries were created around fixing/solving that weren't as interested in fixing/solving as they were in perpetuating/extending.
Yeah, prepare for all the current rifts/debates to be cast and re-cast as 'the reason' we're at this point or 'the thing' we need to get past this point.
The one useful takeaway that hit me over time was that none of the factions were blameless, and there was no point in going to the wall for a malefactor who happened to be on your team. Since the issues are largely non-doctrinal, there's freedom in pursuing procedures that will land on bad actors regardless of faction.
But, as Pinky said, it's not simply obvious which are the best procedures and which aren't a type of 'grift' appropriating the language of procedures - either for 'change' or 'status-quo' or the worst: status quo masquerading as change.
Mr. Leveler, would you mind stepping over here while we review your transaction. In the meantime, besides your ID can we see two proofs of address, proof of citizenship, and your original social security card. Do you rent or own?
From what I've seen (MD and OH) the lotteries are open to anyone who has been vaccinated as of the drawing date...
Do any have a cut-off date, that is, a lottery that excludes people who were vaccinated in, say, JAN-MAR?
That would be dumb if there were... but I could see from the reporting how it sounds like they are targeting the group who isn't yet vaxed, when as far as I can tell, it's targeting the general vaxxed populi and the stragglers are simply missing out on chances each time there's a draw.
But given the dreadful communications around all things virus/vaccine, I wouldn't be surprised if we were encouraging people to hold-out for a smaller pool of eligibles when all they are doing is missing drawings and joining an ever increasing pool. Possibly too one of the states has foolishly designed just such a system (but I haven't seen it yet).
Well, I come from a proud tradition that rejects the mumbo-jumbo of this pseudo-science and instead has a robust personality practice based around the humors. Based.
My perhaps more serious comment would be that our humors based personality is about recognizing the weaknesses of our personality types so that we might work cross-wise against our 'personality.' What I notice about a lot of the personality studies these days is that it's about embracing your 'true' enneagram number or your M-B type. I prefer blend the old and the new, so I'm a better INTJ than the rest of you because I know that those are my weaknesses that I have to counter to be a better person. Which might be the most INTJ comment ever. QED.
Need's a good catch phrase: he hits a target, then pops out of hiding on TikTok saying Fauci Ouchi Nowchi to some kpop hit.
Or something like that, I'm just spitballin' here.
Slightly more seriously, I'm just surpized at the Masktastrophe that Biden's team let happen... thought for sure we were going to walk through easy milestones to 200M vaccinations by July 4th with easing restrictions along the way to some sort of under-promise/over-deliver festival culminating July 4 weekend.
Instead, we'll hit the same targets, but be informed we as a people have greatly disappointed our government.
It's getting easier... but only in the past week or so would I call it Trivial in VA... so I expect we'll see an on-going stream of people getting vaccinated all summer... and an up-tick in the fall.
But for my daughters (12/17) who just got their second dose today... the process 3-weeks ago was not trivial... and they navigated direct to a specific Walgreens after using the Govt. Site that asked for your zip code... then told you nope!... would you like to enter another zip-code? Nope, none in that one! Want to try another zip-code? eventually they put in a zipcode for an area that we never go to... but is only 8 miles away. So... trivial? We were being actively told that there were no vaccines in our Zip.
My 17yo signed-up with the state... she was never notified that she was eligible or that there were options in an 8-mile radius.
Now? Signs at the local Costco that you can get a free vaccine... but only in the past week.
We're just now entering the the *beginning* of 'trivial' phase... an important part of trivial phase is not telling people they are idiots for not already having a vaccine that is "trivial to get"
edit: and this is obviously just for one micro-zone... multiply by 1M and I have no idea where it's trivial and where it's almost trivial, and where it's still convoluted.
Right... when my wife was taking the girls for their second... there was a walk-in (at a Walgreens) who was very concerned about whether it was 'really free' ... we're inundated with FREE but not free, so it's absolutely reasonable that folks who are exposed to FREE not free might question the whole FREE.
Do a better job making it free.
I'm also confused by the whole insurance thing from a different angle... my sign-ups asked for insurance info, but we never gave it, and it didn't force us to give it... so, why include it as it's very clear that in some cases - who knows which - the insurance company aren't being reimbursed on a dose-by-dose basis.
Make it easy, confirm it's free, make it a little easier, and don't turn it into a political validation step.
I suppose this is another of those matters where we absolutely *know* that herd immunity is achieved at exactly 70% of fully vaccinated people... Not some conspiracy theory that a combination of 66% of vaccinated adults (currently at 62%) plus another substantial overlap of people who have had the virus and natural antibodies, plus overwhelming vaccination of at-risk people = public health mitigation/success.
I'm pro-vaccine... got it myself and for all my children (except 6yo who isn't eligible) ... and we've known that vaccination rates were going to drop in the summer as Covid seasonally 'disappears' ... but we'll still see vaccine rates go up over the summer... probably topping 200M first doses... maybe hitting 230M by the start of school (maybe more) as it gets ever easier to get one.
But execution matters... and the goal should be focusing on making the vaccine easier (and easier) to get - which it has been - and emphasizing the incredible gains we've made since March (which we've made!)... and reminding people to get ready for Fall where we'll (inevitably) see a bump (hopefully a small one)... by making it even easier to get a vaccine - hopefully from your Dr.
But doomcasting that the population is failing Govt goals is still bad execution...
And using success to try to score political points is also bad execution... but probably the primary motivation.
On “Tech Tuesday: Vegan Spider Silk”
I dunno, I read that Hunter Biden cut a deal with Chinese Cricket suppliers... He's on the board as their Crisis PR expert now.
"
Yeah, there's clearly alternative packaging going on... for a while you could even chose I think they called it 'easy access' packaging for some products. Not seeing that as much, but also not seeing as many clamshells from Amazon. Maybe the solution is to kill bricks&mortar for good...
On “Make The Marketplace of Ideas Great Again: Combating Disinformation Will Take All Hands”
I think this sort-of highlights the disconnect and why both sides claim dis-information... as Kazzy notes above, we have competing narratives:
*Mention was made of the news reporter and the burning car.
*This was countered with (maybe theoretical?) data on how many protestors were actually violent.
--This was countered with… mention of the news reporter and the burning car.
--But it was actually countered with $500M in damages which questions Proposition 2.
But Prop --3 is reasserted.
And this is why... 'stop disinformation' is the loaded question it is... did only 7% of protesters cause $500M in damages (some estimates going to $1B)... is the $500M too high? is the 7% too low? I also saw reports that the 7% was aggregated across *all* the protests... which might be a sort of dis-information campaign about the specific event in MN-St.P which caused $500M in damages. Unless the $500M in damages isn't accurate... etc. etc.
So, who's not taking a moral position to adjudicate whether our protests are peaceful? Further, if both are accurate... what's the non-disinformation conclusion?
And even further, one side stakes out an indefensible position that if $1 in damage is caused, the entire protest is invalidated; but then the other side stakes out the indefensible position that $infinity damage is morally justified under the circumstances being protested.
There's a problem, but it really isn't (simply) disinformation.
On “Tech Tuesday: Vegan Spider Silk”
So you're sayin' they eat bugs? If we had real capitalism, there'd be a distribution network translating my surplus cicadas into silk. Alas, Crony Cricket Capitalism is keeping us down.
"
Think bigger: biggest Toga breakthrough since the Toga.
"
Not calling anything progress until we find a replacement for clamshell packaging.
It would be nice if it could replace 'plastic wrap' but the thing that makes plastic wrap useful is its clingy-stretchy-ness... absent that it would be like covering it with wax paper. So I suppose we'll have to see all of it's properties (native and manipulated) to figure out where it would fit in? Heck, if all it did was replace toilet paper bundling, would be huge. Is it translucent? Does it take ink?
On the spiders, have we tried raising wages?
On “Fight With You At The Cheesecake Factory, You Know I Hate It There”
The Cheesecake Factory isn't one restaurant among many, it's like going to all of them at once.
On “Economic Lesson V: Scarcity”
Being and Nothingness: ontological scarcity
"
The problem with scarcity is that it's everywhere.
On “The Southern Baptist Convention, Far Past The Age Of Accountability”
No? Are you?
My point about grift (perhaps a word past it's sell-by date) is that I personally was surprised by the speed at which mini-careers and mini-industries were created around fixing/solving that weren't as interested in fixing/solving as they were in perpetuating/extending.
"
I usually report my own posts, so no worries.
"
Yeah, prepare for all the current rifts/debates to be cast and re-cast as 'the reason' we're at this point or 'the thing' we need to get past this point.
The one useful takeaway that hit me over time was that none of the factions were blameless, and there was no point in going to the wall for a malefactor who happened to be on your team. Since the issues are largely non-doctrinal, there's freedom in pursuing procedures that will land on bad actors regardless of faction.
But, as Pinky said, it's not simply obvious which are the best procedures and which aren't a type of 'grift' appropriating the language of procedures - either for 'change' or 'status-quo' or the worst: status quo masquerading as change.
On “From Buzzfeed News: BuzzFeed News Has Won Its First Pulitzer Prize”
[Pushes the 'he said money launder' button]
Mr. Leveler, would you mind stepping over here while we review your transaction. In the meantime, besides your ID can we see two proofs of address, proof of citizenship, and your original social security card. Do you rent or own?
On “Linky Friday: Once More Unto The Breach Edition”
The evolution of Motte/Bailey: Whose Motte, Which Bailey?
Fitting for a Philosophy Grad Student at Notre Dame.
On “Introducing The New Morning Ed”
OT Pivots to video!
Have you considered the Milennial post-edit ironic style? a'la Brad Leone
"
I never thought anyone here was a bot...
On “Vaccination Rates Slow to A Crawl, Worrying Officials”
From what I've seen (MD and OH) the lotteries are open to anyone who has been vaccinated as of the drawing date...
Do any have a cut-off date, that is, a lottery that excludes people who were vaccinated in, say, JAN-MAR?
That would be dumb if there were... but I could see from the reporting how it sounds like they are targeting the group who isn't yet vaxed, when as far as I can tell, it's targeting the general vaxxed populi and the stragglers are simply missing out on chances each time there's a draw.
But given the dreadful communications around all things virus/vaccine, I wouldn't be surprised if we were encouraging people to hold-out for a smaller pool of eligibles when all they are doing is missing drawings and joining an ever increasing pool. Possibly too one of the states has foolishly designed just such a system (but I haven't seen it yet).
On “The Persistent Problems of Personality Tests”
Right, the Plegmatics, Sanguines, Cholerics, Melancholics and the Virtuous Man.
"
Well, I come from a proud tradition that rejects the mumbo-jumbo of this pseudo-science and instead has a robust personality practice based around the humors. Based.
My perhaps more serious comment would be that our humors based personality is about recognizing the weaknesses of our personality types so that we might work cross-wise against our 'personality.' What I notice about a lot of the personality studies these days is that it's about embracing your 'true' enneagram number or your M-B type. I prefer blend the old and the new, so I'm a better INTJ than the rest of you because I know that those are my weaknesses that I have to counter to be a better person. Which might be the most INTJ comment ever. QED.
On “Vaccination Rates Slow to A Crawl, Worrying Officials”
Worse than changing his mind later on... his retcon was a lie.
It was a lie to say he lied because it was a noble lie.
Fauci isn't a cautionary tale about the banality of evil, he's a cautionary tale about the banality of Exec Mgmt.
"
Need's a good catch phrase: he hits a target, then pops out of hiding on TikTok saying Fauci Ouchi Nowchi to some kpop hit.
Or something like that, I'm just spitballin' here.
Slightly more seriously, I'm just surpized at the Masktastrophe that Biden's team let happen... thought for sure we were going to walk through easy milestones to 200M vaccinations by July 4th with easing restrictions along the way to some sort of under-promise/over-deliver festival culminating July 4 weekend.
Instead, we'll hit the same targets, but be informed we as a people have greatly disappointed our government.
"
It's getting easier... but only in the past week or so would I call it Trivial in VA... so I expect we'll see an on-going stream of people getting vaccinated all summer... and an up-tick in the fall.
But for my daughters (12/17) who just got their second dose today... the process 3-weeks ago was not trivial... and they navigated direct to a specific Walgreens after using the Govt. Site that asked for your zip code... then told you nope!... would you like to enter another zip-code? Nope, none in that one! Want to try another zip-code? eventually they put in a zipcode for an area that we never go to... but is only 8 miles away. So... trivial? We were being actively told that there were no vaccines in our Zip.
My 17yo signed-up with the state... she was never notified that she was eligible or that there were options in an 8-mile radius.
Now? Signs at the local Costco that you can get a free vaccine... but only in the past week.
We're just now entering the the *beginning* of 'trivial' phase... an important part of trivial phase is not telling people they are idiots for not already having a vaccine that is "trivial to get"
edit: and this is obviously just for one micro-zone... multiply by 1M and I have no idea where it's trivial and where it's almost trivial, and where it's still convoluted.
"
Right... when my wife was taking the girls for their second... there was a walk-in (at a Walgreens) who was very concerned about whether it was 'really free' ... we're inundated with FREE but not free, so it's absolutely reasonable that folks who are exposed to FREE not free might question the whole FREE.
Do a better job making it free.
I'm also confused by the whole insurance thing from a different angle... my sign-ups asked for insurance info, but we never gave it, and it didn't force us to give it... so, why include it as it's very clear that in some cases - who knows which - the insurance company aren't being reimbursed on a dose-by-dose basis.
Make it easy, confirm it's free, make it a little easier, and don't turn it into a political validation step.
"
Execution matters.
I suppose this is another of those matters where we absolutely *know* that herd immunity is achieved at exactly 70% of fully vaccinated people... Not some conspiracy theory that a combination of 66% of vaccinated adults (currently at 62%) plus another substantial overlap of people who have had the virus and natural antibodies, plus overwhelming vaccination of at-risk people = public health mitigation/success.
I'm pro-vaccine... got it myself and for all my children (except 6yo who isn't eligible) ... and we've known that vaccination rates were going to drop in the summer as Covid seasonally 'disappears' ... but we'll still see vaccine rates go up over the summer... probably topping 200M first doses... maybe hitting 230M by the start of school (maybe more) as it gets ever easier to get one.
But execution matters... and the goal should be focusing on making the vaccine easier (and easier) to get - which it has been - and emphasizing the incredible gains we've made since March (which we've made!)... and reminding people to get ready for Fall where we'll (inevitably) see a bump (hopefully a small one)... by making it even easier to get a vaccine - hopefully from your Dr.
But doomcasting that the population is failing Govt goals is still bad execution...
And using success to try to score political points is also bad execution... but probably the primary motivation.
On “Linky Friday: Lies, Slander, and Calumny Edition”
Good point, just let me know when you want your beer back.