Day 124 – Bits of news

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After yesterday’s unashamedly lazy post (hey, I was busy with other stuff – see below), let’s have some text on today’s effort, shall we?

The other thing I was busy with was a GooseChase. Basically, a fun*, interactive series of challenges which the teams have to undertake and complete within a given time period. This particular GooseChase is for the Virtual Quiz Groups that got together over lockdown, and while we’re still not allowed to see each other in the flesh or go round each others place and do things, I thought I’d lob one of these together for our entertainment. There is an app, but holey-moley it’s expensive. And expensive in USD – I can’t even work out how much it would be in ZARs.
Anyway, if you thought putting a quiz night together was hard work, wow. You ain’t seen nothing yet. An organisational nightmare.

But if it comes off, it has the potential to actually be quite cool.

What else?

Well, Garmin is half back. I was able to sync a bit overnight and although the interface looks (perhaps understandably) like it’s taken a savage beating and the cuts and bruises haven’t quite subsided yet, it is still breathing – just – and will hopefully continue its recovery. Amazing that it managed to find a ICU bed right now.

Talking of medical stuff, I need to go to a doctor’s office today and I’ve never been less enthusiastic about anything. It’ll be the smallest public space I’ve been to in months, and also probably the longest period of time I will have spent in any indoor public space all year. If you remember my Virus FAQs post, these were two of the things I suggested were best avoided, but sometimes, needs must. So I’m going to put on my Big Boy panties (and my Big Boy mask), take a deep breath (outside) and just do it. I’ll also have my Big Boy sanitiser along with me and won’t hesitate to use it.

Don’t test me.

I have been listening to The Lathums. They’re from Wigan, so the a is hard and harsh, just like all a’s should be (glass, grass, path, bath etc.)

Don’t @ me.

More here.

Finally, some more news on our shit government. This is an image from part of Andrew Mlangeni‘s funeral yesterday.

A true giant of Apartheid resistance, a Rivonia Trialist and an ANC stalwart, it obviously attracted a lot of attention. Hands crossed on the left there is village idiot Fikile Mbalula – currently the Minister for Transport.
Now I have nothing against a decent send off for Mlangeni: he certainly deserves it. But so does every other individual dying at the moment.
So the question is, why are there so many people there? And why are they standing so close to one another? That goes against the regulations for funerals which have been rigorously applied for everyone else.

And then Mbalula turned up on TV this morning saying that the situation “had been exaggerated”. With advance apologies to my reading audience: fuck you, Fikile.
I, like everyone else, can see from the footage that at least two of those regulations above are being ignored and that’s only out of three, given that it’s not nighttime.

Is it any wonder that the lockdown regulations are being so openly and regularly flaunted? The only difference is that there are fines, police brutality and criminal records for the general public. Fikile and his government chums get – at best – a gentle slap on the wrist.

It’s just another example of one rule for them, one for the rest of us.

Right. Rant over. I’m off to mentally prepared for this afternoon’s trip, and to see if I can sort out another couple of GooseChase challenges before lunchtime.

Have a nice day. Wear a mask.

 

 

 

* terms and conditions apply. 

Day 123 – Garmin news

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A story in pictures.

Last Thursday:

 

But why? Ah:

 

 

People aren’t happy…

 

Broken:

 

No news is no news:

 

Suddenly:

 

A New Hope:

 

Don’t worry:

 

Now all I need is a functioning Connect screenshot to tie this post – and this whole unhappy incident* – up.

Sadly, I don’t have one of those just yet.

 

 

 

* Unless you’re a member of Evil Corp, obviously. 

 

Day 122 – More on masks

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I’ve made my thoughts on wearing masks in public places completely clear, I think.
Not least here:

…and it used to be so easy in that you either wore one or you didn’t.

The fact is that while a mask is always better than no mask, equally some masks are better than others. Here’s a video from the University of New South Wales demonstrating this with a sneeze.

Prepare yourself.

(Incidentally, earlier in that video, there are demonstrations of talking and coughing as well – just click on the YouTube icon bottom right to have a look).

So yes, surgical mask > two layers of cloth > one layer of cloth.
And all of them are MUCH better than no mask at all.

It’s pretty clear how the differing masks have differing efficacy, and it’s pretty clear how no mask means that you spread respiratory droplets and aerosols – potentially laden with virus – everywhere when you sneeze.

A reminder here that we are asked to wear masks exactly for that reason: to stop us breathing out respiratory particles which might spread the virus to other people.

Which brings me to my next point.

I’m seeing a lot of masks on sale that look like this:

Or this:

Check out how stylish they can like to be!

They’re often advertised with catchy phrases like “low resistance” or “easy breathing” or some such. And that’s because, as demonstrated by the photoshopped whoosh of air in the top image, these are one-way masks. That circular plastic “respirator valve” thing clicks shut when you inhale, meaning that what you breath in is filtered through the mask fabric, but it pops open when you exhale, meaning that there is no barrier for what you breathe out. Magic.

A quick quote, if I may?

A reminder here that we are asked to wear masks exactly for that reason: to stop us breathing out respiratory particles which might spread the virus to other people.

Oh.

Yes, I’m sorry, but these masks are completely useless in the context of coronavirus and Covid-19. There is literally no barrier at all to prevent you breathing out aerosolised virus all over everyone around you. And that’s exactly why you’re wearing it in the first place.

Sure. They’re probably great for sanding or mowing grass or working in dusty environments like woodworking shops and grassmowing sheds(?), because in those instances, we’re trying to stop ourselves from breathing nasty stuff in.

That’s not why we are wearing masks at the moment.

But let’s be honest about this: getting people just to wear masks is proving difficult enough. If we’re now going to try to give them more detailed rules and regulations, we’re not going to get very far.

So all I am asking of you is that if you are planning to get a mask like this, just don’t. It doesn’t help. And when the inevitable mask debate comes up with friends and/or family, send them here so that they don’t buy one either.

Don’t buy these sorts of masks. 

A little bit of information goes a long way.
(Nowhere near as far as a little bit of misinformation, but that’s a whole other story.)

Day 120 – Cableway QP

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Not much time to blog today, but for all the right reasons. We walked up to the old Sanatorium above Simonstown: 160m ascent in just 700m was quite a test, but on the plus side, there were great views and we didn’t get mugged.

It’s the small things.

This is one of the trestles for the old cableway that ran here in the first half of last century. Quite an amazing sight running right down to the harbour from the top here…