Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Tuesday CoronaBuzz, April 14, 2020: 29 pointers to new resources, useful stuff, research news, and more.

Tuesday CoronaBuzz, April 14, 2020: 29 pointers to new resources, useful stuff, research news, and more.
By ResearchBuzz

LOL, I meant well, but when I got home yesterday I was wiped out. I didn’t realize how little sleep I actually got on that horrible couch in the basement. That’s the first day I’ve missed in almost three years. Welp, time to start another streak. Wash your hands and stay at home as much as you can. Please be careful. I love you.

NEW RESOURCES – MEDICAL/HEALTH

NoCamels: New ‘CoronaTech’ Portal Explores Virus-Related Innovation In Israel. “….the site offers information about technological developments from Israel and abroad, open calls by healthcare providers, organizations, and corporations, proposals, and opportunities for cross-border collaborations, access to international grants, insights and analyses by Israeli experts and entrepreneurs, and an up-to-date dashboard to find potential technologies and solutions. It also includes information on online webinars, conferences, and hackathon.”

International Rescue Committee: IRC launches online platform for refugees and immigrants in the United States seeking to obtain medical accreditation and join the fight against Coronavirus. “The International Rescue Committee (IRC) announces today Refugees.Rescue.org an online platform and collaboration with partners that will help refugees and immigrants who are trained medical and health professionals but are not credentialed in the U.S. to join the fight against COVID-19. There are currently 165,000 underutilized health-care refugee and immigrant workers who likely obtained their health-related education outside the United States, according to research from the Migration Policy Institute.”

KGUN: MAP: Coronavirus cases in Arizona by zip code. “A new tool from the Arizona Department of Health Services can show you how many confirmed cases of COVID-19 are in your neighborhood. The data, which the AZDHS released starting April 12, is broken down by zip code and shows where some of the biggest hot spots are in the state.”

Columbia Regional Business Report: New website connects organizations with equipment providers. “The S.C. Emergency Supply Collaborative portal, located at http://www.SCCOVID19.org, is a collaboration among the S.C Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the S.C. Hospital Association, the S.C. Department of Commerce and SCBio. It allows companies and community partners that can quickly produce, source, test, certify or contribute medical supplies — such as face shields, masks and ventilators — to connect with health care providers, first responders and industries.”

Geek Wire: Feel like visiting ‘just one friend’ during COVID-19 lockdown? UW illustrates damage it could cause. “That desire you have to get together with just one friend, and break the social distancing barrier which has kept us all apart during the coronavirus outbreak, may seem like a simple and harmless act. But a new website set up by University of Washington researchers illustrates how little it would take to undo the benefits of keeping our distance.”

PR Newswire: WebMD Launches Covid-19 Symptom Checker (PRESS RELEASE). ” WebMD has launched a new Covid-19 Symptom Checker to give consumers who are concerned they may have the virus practical next steps based on their symptoms and personal profile. Powered by a proprietary algorithm developed by WebMD’s medical team and driven by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, this new tool offers clear direction based on symptoms, possible exposure, and high-risk medical conditions.”

NEW RESOURCES – EDUCATION/ENTERTAINMENT

Ars Technica: University libraries offer online “lending” of scanned in-copyright books. “The coronavirus crisis has forced the closure of libraries around the world, depriving the public of access to millions of printed books. Books old enough to be in the public domain may be available for free download online. Many recent books are available to borrow in e-book form. But there are many other books—especially those published in the mid-to-late 20th century—that are hard to access without going to a physical library. A consortium of university libraries called HathiTrust recently announced a solution to this problem, called the Emergency Temporary Access Service. It allows participating HathiTrust member libraries to offer their patrons digital scans of books that they can ‘check out’ and read online.”

Penobscot Bay Pilot: New website launched supporting teachers, families in community-based learning. “Rural Aspirations, in collaboration with many other cross-sector organizations, has developed a tool for teachers and families to support and highlight community-based learning opportunities in Maine.”

Alexandria Living: Ford’s Theatre Offers Lincoln Assassination Online Programming. “History buffs and others will want to take note of some interesting programming coming available this week. Ford’s Theatre will begin live streaming digital programming Tuesday and throughout April to commemorate the 155th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.”

NEW RESOURCES – OTHER

Wakefield Express: New website helps key workers locate open garages near them. “Garages and other car maintenance facilities are currently allowed to continue operating but many have chosen to shut down to protect staff and customers, while others are operating altered or limited services. In order to help key workers in need of car maintenance who might be struggling to find a service centre, the automotive insight website Cazana has launched a free garage tracking service at KeyworkerGarages.co.uk.”

House Beautiful: “A Maker Movement” Is a New Way to Virtually Discover Artisans and Makers. “Amidst the closures and postponements during the coronavirus pandemic, we at House Beautiful were sad to hear of the postponement of one of our favorite design events: the beloved Field + Supply fair in upstate New York (to the weekend of July 17—mark your calendars!). But, those eager to discover new makers need not despair completely—the founder of Field + Supply, Brad Ford, has launched a new digital hub for discovering talented artisans: A Maker Moment. On the new website, Ford—also a designer and the owner of design showroom Fair—will spotlight furniture makers, ceramicists, lighting designers, and more creatives who are still working as we continue to stay at home.”

CBS 19: USDA announces new tool to assist rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. “U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced on Monday a resource guide of federal programs that can be used by rural communities, organizations and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Leaders in rural communities can access the COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide to look for federal funding and partnership opportunities.”

FLW Fishing: Get Covid-19 Fishing, Boating Info By State. “The State Agency COVID-19 Updates page is a hub for state-by-state fishing and boating information. It connects users to each state’s fish and wildlife service or department of natural resources website – or any website specific to COVID-19 information – where fishing and boating updates are posted. Users can choose any state and easily toggle between fishing and boating links. RBFF will update the information regularly to ensure links are live and accurate.”

USEFUL STUFF

New York Times: 52 Places, Virtually. “When we published our list of 52 places to visit in 2020 three months ago, no one could have guessed how much our world would change. And now, given our stay-at-home circumstances, we’d like to invite you on a series of virtual journeys: You can wander into the belly of an Egyptian pyramid, explore the house where Mozart was born, or fly over the rocky peaks of Glacier National Park.”

News-Press: COVID-19 fact & fiction: UF experts on how to safely handle groceries, restaurant takeout. “When it comes to safely shopping for groceries, eating takeout and handling food, it can feel like a battle between myths and facts. Can you trust that Facebook post? That Twitter meme? Anything? To suss fact from fiction on everything from washing produce to drive-thru fast food, a trio of experts from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences reached out to remind us what the data says, and to answer common food-safety questions.”

Publishers Weekly: Covid-19 Updates: Special Offers, Events and Discounts. “Publishers Weekly is maintaining a listing of special offers, events, and discounts provided in an effort to mitigate the impact of the new coronavirus on the book publishing industry and on related communities.”

UPDATES

Courthouse News Service: Coronavirus Controls Bring Live Audio Finally to Supreme Court. “In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the court had delayed two rounds of arguments set for the end of March and April, pushing off some of the most highly anticipated and politically consequential arguments of its term. In the meantime, the court has held remote conferences on Fridays and continued releasing opinions and orders lists while the justices and most court staff works remotely.”

Fast Company: Want to order groceries from Amazon? New customers will need to join a waiting list. “Anyone who tries to order groceries through Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods Market who has not previously done so will now be prompted to join a waiting list before they are able to place orders.”

USA Today: Hilton, Marriott donate free hotel rooms for medical workers responding to coronavirus crisis. “Beginning [yesterday], Hilton and American Express will donate 1 million hotel rooms for medical professionals working on the coronavirus pandemic response. The rooms will be available to doctors, nurses, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other workers through the end of May, according to Hilton.”

SOCIETAL IMPACT

Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Church software companies rush to accommodate surge in usage. “As in-person worship services and religious gatherings have been shut down around much of the country, faith leaders have been left scrambling to shift all their worship services, fundraising, administrative work and community announcements to digital platforms. More than a few have been calling interfaith activist and digital media consultant Amanda Quraishi.”

CTV News: ‘We’ve got to lift up the spirits’: Front yards are the new entertainment spaces during COVID-19. “Yards have become oases for homeowners, or in the case of one man in England, a marathon route. Earlier this month, a former professional javelin thrower spent his birthday running 6-metre loops in his small backyard. James Campbell completed so many loops that he ran a full marathon in just over five hours, a feat he filmed and shared on social media.”

CityLab: Hit Hard by Covid-19, Transit Workers Call for Shutdowns. “The life of a transit worker was never easy in the United States. Then along came coronavirus. To enable the livelihoods of other essential workers, thousands of bus drivers, track repairers, yard masters, cleaners and others are still showing up to their jobs amid the pandemic. But the death toll among the ranks of front-line public transportation workers, who are considered part of the ‘essential workforce’ in most U.S. cities, suggests they are acutely vulnerable to the virus.”

British Vogue: Is The Future Of The Film Festival A Digital Experience?. “The Venice Film Festival launched the $1 billion (£802 million) hit Joker and Noah Baumbach’s critically lauded Marriage Story; Telluride followed with crowd-pleasers Judy and Ford v Ferrari (Le Mans ’66); and Toronto’s Audience Award secured Jojo Rabbit a spot on Hollywood’s awards circuit. So, now that a global pandemic has upended the 2020 festival calendar, how can programmers and filmmakers adapt? By going digital, of course.”

Abacus News: From QR codes to social media, four ways China tracks Covid-19. “China isn’t the only country using technology to track people who might have come into close contact with Covid-19. In a rare partnership, Google and Apple said that they will work together to build a system for Covid-19 contact tracing using Bluetooth. While the new system has faced criticism and raised privacy concerns, the companies promise it won’t allow people to be identified. But in China, where the government has been criticized for containment measures seen as draconian, people had little say in technological solutions that have been rolled out on a large scale. These solutions have been far from transparent and largely rely on users giving up personal information. Here’s a look at four pieces of technology that became a normal part of daily life in China.”

RESEARCH

New York Daily News: FDA approves first saliva test for coronavirus. “Researchers at Rutgers University now have a new tool to diagnose cases of COVID-19. With the authorization of the FDA, the school said on Monday, they now have clearance to use a new saliva test for coronavirus, which both expands the current testing options available and potentially signals a safer path forward for health care workers.”

POLITICS AND SECURITY

Washington Post: A plan to defeat coronavirus finally emerges, but it’s not from the White House. “A national plan to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and return Americans to jobs and classrooms is emerging — but not from the White House. Instead, a collection of governors, former government officials, disease specialists and nonprofits are pursuing a strategy that relies on the three pillars of disease control: Ramp up testing to identify people who are infected. Find everyone they interact with by deploying contact tracing on a scale America has never attempted before. And focus restrictions more narrowly on the infected and their contacts so the rest of society doesn’t have to stay in permanent lockdown.”

Politico: States still baffled over how to get coronavirus supplies from Trump. “The federal government’s haphazard approach to distributing its limited supplies has left states trying everything — filling out lengthy FEMA applications, calling Trump, contacting Pence, sending messages to Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and trade adviser Peter Navarro, who are both leading different efforts to find supplies, according to local and states officials in more than a half-dozen states. They’re even asking mutual friends to call Trump or sending him signals on TV and Twitter. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.”

New York Times: Exclusive: Nurses at Mexico Hospital Hit by Coronavirus Say They Were Told to Avoid Masks. “Nurses at a public hospital hit by Mexico’s worst coronavirus outbreak were told by their managers not to wear protective masks at the start of the epidemic to avoid sowing panic among patients, nurses and other medical workers said. Two doctors and a hospital administrator have died and at least 51 staff members have been infected since the new coronavirus was detected at the IMSS General Hospital in Monclova in the northern state of Coahuila in late March, the state health department said.”

ABC 15: Some state data is suppressed, or missing in Arizona’s new database. “State leaders in Arizona have done a data drop of information related to COVID-19 cases, but some key pieces are missing or suppressed at this time. The state released a database of hospitalizations, medical equipment in use like ventilators, cases by zip codes and other pieces of information on Sunday. However, ABC15 is told it’s not from public pressure, but that the state has been working to get complete, clean data to give to the public.”

CoronaBuzz is brought to you by ResearchBuzz. I love your comments, I love your site suggestions, and I love you. Feel free to comment, send resource suggestions, or tag @buzz_corona on Twitter. Thanks!







April 14, 2020 at 06:13PM
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Monday, April 13, 2020

CoronaBuzz will be late today

CoronaBuzz will be late today
By ResearchBuzz

Usually on Mondays I get up reaaaaaalllly early and work on CoronaBuzz / ResearchBuzz until it’s time to head over to my Granny’s. However this morning I spent that time in the basement as we had some pretty bad storms roll through. Everything’s okay for the most part though we’re under a high wind warning until this afternoon. I’ll send CoronaBuzz out this evening when I get home if we’ve still got power. Keep washing your hands, stay cool. Remember I love you. For serious. Ok?





April 13, 2020 at 06:29PM
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Unraveling the full-scale mysteries of your RF converter’s analog inputs

Understanding the input drive and full-scale range trade-offs in ADCs can be vital when designing analog receiver front ends.



source http://www.electronicproducts.com/Analog_Mixed_Signal_ICs/Unraveling_the_full_scale_mysteries_of_your_RF_converter_s_analog_inputs.aspx

Sunday, April 12, 2020

Sunday CoronaBuzz, April 12, 2020: 32 pointers to new resources, useful stuff, research news, and more.

Sunday CoronaBuzz, April 12, 2020: 32 pointers to new resources, useful stuff, research news, and more.
By ResearchBuzz

Wash your hands and stay at home as much as you can. Please be careful. I love you.

NEW RESOURCES – EDUCATION/ENTERTAINMENT

Texas Scorecard: Homeschool Help: New Online Program Gives Parents Free Daily Lesson Plans, Advice. “During the coronavirus outbreak, countless new families are suddenly grappling with having to figure out school at home—and the Texas Home School Coalition has come to the rescue.”

EdSource: New website offers tips for teachers about virtual special education. “To help teachers better serve special education students during the school closures, a coalition of more than 30 disability and education groups has created a digital one-stop shop of teaching resources.”

University of Arkansas: Webinar Series to Give Caregivers Tips for Teaching Children With Disabilities During Pandemic. “University of Arkansas professor Peggy Schaefer-Whitby has teamed up with the state’s Center for Exceptional Families to support caregivers who are educating children with disabilities at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly a dozen special education experts across Arkansas — and two other states — have created a three-part webinar series to assist parents who may be struggling.”

NEW RESOURCES – OTHER

The Denver Channel: Hair getting long while social distancing? Cut it yourself with the help of this website. “The site offers two types of haircuts for men. The least expensive is $18 for a 20 minute haircut. They encourage you to leave a $5 tip. About 80% of the cost goes to the barber. The rest goes to running the website. As soon as you book, you’ll get a Zoom link. There, the barber will tell you what to do.”

The National: Missing the office? This website helps recreate the sound of your workplace from home. “From ringing phones and printers to the distant hum of background conversation, the website allows you to play white noise to help you feel like you are in the office. There is even the odd sneeze and sniff thrown in, as well as the sound of heels clicking as a virtual colleague walks by.”

Allure: The New Makeup Museum Launched a Digital Exhibit for Different Generations to Connect Over Beauty Memories. “Beauty lovers had something very special to look forward to this spring: New York’s new Makeup Museum was scheduled to open on May 1 with its debut exhibit, Pink Jungle: 1950s Makeup in America. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, like so many events, the launch is on hold and visitors will have to wait a little longer to see the exploration of a past era’s cosmetics icons and artifacts. But in the meantime, the museum has launched an interactive online exhibit of sorts that will not only delight viewers but also foster meaningful connections and conversations during this socially isolated time.”

USEFUL STUFF

MakeUseOf: 5 Ways to Focus on Work at Home and Avoid Distractions. “Hopefully, by now you are familiar with some of the best work from home resources that will teach you the tricks of the trade. Once you have a workspace set up in your house, it’s still not easy to deal with the many interruptions that pop up throughout the day. Here are some of the best apps, tools, and techniques to avoid distractions and maintain focus.” But if you can’t maintain focus, it’s okay. Who can blame you?

MakeUseOf: Bored During Self-Isolation? 100+ Tips for Staying Entertained and Engaged. “Trapped inside and going stir-crazy due to quarantine? You aren’t the only one! Here are all kinds of things you can do to stay sane while self-isolating and social distancing!” Huge meta-list of pointers to MakeUseOf articles.

Business Insider: How to play the best educational game classics of all time, from ‘The Oregon Trail’ to ‘Number Munchers’. “Whether you grew up in the ’80s, the ’90s, or the ’00s, you’ve almost certainly got fond memories of the gaming classic ‘The Oregon Trail.’ It’s part of a group of early ‘edutainment’ games intended to educate, as well as delight, young players. Games like ‘The Oregon Trail,’ ‘Number Munchers,’ and ‘Lemonade Stand’ were all created by one group — MECC — that no longer exists. But the games have managed to live on, and they’re available these days entirely for free on the web.”

CNET: How to plan a remote funeral and grieve a loved one during the coronavirus pandemic. “Online resources and tools are no replacement for a gathering of loved ones and friends, but they can help families organize online memorials, memory books and donations made in your loved one’s memory. We present some resources to help plan a remote funeral or memorial and otherwise honor those who have died as a result of COVID-19. Remember that performing a physical act can sometimes help you regain some agency during a situation you can’t otherwise control.”

TrekMovie: Frugal Trekkies’ Guide To Enjoying Star Trek For Free. “These are difficult times with many tightening their belts, yet at the same time finding themselves with more free time. But even if you are on a strict budget there are many ways to enjoy Star Trek without actually spending any money, including some new limited time free offers from companies looking to help during the pandemic that is keeping so many of us under quarantine. So, we have put together a number of ways Star Trek fans can watch, read, listen, and more without leaving home or spending any money at all.”

UPDATES

Man of Many: Dating App Hinge Launches ‘Date From Home’ Quarantine Feature. “People have more time than ever to workshop pick-up lines and refine the subtle art of the dick-pic, so it’s no surprise apps like Hinge are blowing up right now. But the app isn’t forgetting about what happens after a good opener. In a new move, Hinge has dropped a new ‘Date From Home’ feature that allows users to continue dating while maintaining social distancing measures.”

US Department of Defense: Army Deploys Medical Task Forces to Help Hard-Hit Communities. “The Army has mobilized eight Urban Augmentation Medical Task Forces to the East Coast to support the coronavirus relief efforts and curb the spread of disease, senior Army leaders said.”

SOCIETAL IMPACT

New York Times: Inside the Strip Clubs of Instagram. “For the past three weeks, Justin LaBoy, 28, a former professional basketball player and a social media personality, and Justin Dior Combs, an entrepreneur and P. Diddy’s 26-year-old son, have been hosting virtual pop-up strip clubs on Instagram Live. ‘If it wasn’t for Justin and his Lives I don’t know what I would have done or how I would have paid my bills or gotten food in my house,’ said Sasha, a dancer who has been featured on the pop-up show.”

Africa News: Coronavirus: Malawi banks suspend key payments, reduce digital banking rates. “The coronavirus epidemic continues to disrupt life across the world. The disruption is all but gathering steam in affected even virus-free African countries. The rate of infection is lower on the continent as compared to Europe, Asia and parts of the Americas, where lockdowns are in place…. Our main coronavirus hub is seized with major developments around the epidemic. This piece will focus on the impact on business with emphasis on a raft of incidents that have been undertaken.”

Irish Examiner: #CoronavirusSolidarity diary: Florist gives flowers ‘free of charge’ to Glasnevin Cemetery. “In the days and weeks ahead we will be highlighting for posterity those stories which capture the unique community spirit of Ireland’s repsonse to the ongoing crisis. Please let us know about community initiatives which have been set up to offer support to those most impacted by the crisis or examples of people who are going above and beyond the call of duty. Tag us at @irishexaminer and use #CoronavirusSolidarity.” Up to four parts, and a lovely read if you’re feeling down.

Montana Free Press: Realtors, renters and landlords adjust to an uncomfortable new normal. “A week after Gov. Steve Bullock issued a stay-at-home order designed to slow the spread of COVID-19, the Montana Association of Realtors got on a conference call with the organization’s leaders across the state. Realtors wanted to know how to help people move when movement is restricted. While similar orders in California and New York have designated real estate activity as nonessential, and thus subject to stay-at-home directives, Montana’s order defines real estate as ‘essential’ and, as such, unrestricted.”

BBC: Coronavirus: The US clothing firms now making gowns and gloves. “In a normal year Michael Rubin’s athletic apparel factory in Pennsylvania would be ramping up for the start of baseball season, churning out team uniforms and clothing to sell to fans. Instead his company, Fanatics, has remade itself into a gown and mask manufacturer for hospitals facing shortages of protective gear as they fight the coronavirus. Fanatics isn’t alone. Thousands of companies across the US have responded to pleas for help from hospitals facing shortages of critical health supplies.”

The Guardian: Burning Man cancels festival amid coronavirus and plans virtual event. “The organizers of Burning Man announced on Friday that they will not be assembling 80,000 people in the Nevada desert this summer to build giant works of art and then set them on fire. Instead, due to an ongoing global pandemic, they will hold a ‘Virtual Burning Man’, which they hope will attract 100,000 participants.”

BuzzFeed News: Why Mundane Daily Twitter Hashtags Keep Trending During The Coronavirus Pandemic. “As a pandemic ravages the globe and the economy plummets like Dan Cortese in spandex shorts and a bungee cord, we are all desperately looking for some form of stability and normalcy. Luckily, you, a chronically online person, do not have to look far to find this tiny shred of pre-COVID-19 life that grounds us back in our base humanity. Just fire up Twitter before 10 a.m. and check the trending topics — chances are you will see the most banal and useless hashtags trend each morning: #MotivationMonday, #ThursdayThoughts, #FridayFeeling.”

NiemanLab: Under stress but seeing their work resonate, local news orgs are experimenting through the pandemic. “The coronavirus outbreak and its economic impact are forcing news organizations of every size to make life-or-death business decisions. Small independent publications, even those not chiefly dependent on advertising, are staring down short-term financial challenges and long-term uncertainty. Still, there’s a sense that there are still opportunities afoot for those nimble enough to capitalize on them. Newsrooms are keen to fortify reader-generated revenue streams and demonstrate the value of local journalism while the interest — and the stakes — are at historic highs.”

UT News: Seeing Your Mental Health Provider Virtually is Here to Stay. “In the United States alone, millions of Americans live with mental illnesses, and less than half of them receive the support they need. The COVID-19 impact exponentially amplifies this concern, given lack of physical access to providers due to stay-at-home orders across the country. Hospitals are overwhelmed by the influx of infected patients, and so other health issues such as psychiatric concerns, while still ever pressing, become a challenge to address. This raises the critical question: Will COVID-19 transform mental health care in the United States? We think so, and we hope it is here to stay.”

CBC: Métis dancers keep connected by putting a spin on a social media trend. “A group of Métis jiggers from Manitoba are keeping connected by putting their own spin on a new social media trend. The trend, which is often found in videos on the app TikTok, involves users covering their phone camera with a makeup brush and then pulling it away, revealing their new outfit, makeup styles or in some cases traditional regalia and dance styles.”

RESEARCH

American Library Association: Public libraries launch, expand services during COVID-19 pandemic. “As public libraries close their buildings to the public, staff continue to serve their communities in innovative ways. Those are among the chief findings the Public Library Association (PLA) announced today in the broadest survey of public libraries’ response to the pandemic to date, with 2,545 unique responses nationwide. Most respondents (98%) reported their buildings were closed to the public but, in many cases, staff continued to expand access to digital resources, launch virtual programs and coordinate services with local government agencies.”

Mashable: Why suicide risk may increase as we cope with COVID-19. “Trauma and grief follow in COVID-19’s wake as the disease destroys our collective sense of normalcy, kills thousands of Americans, and threatens to be deadly for a projected 60,000 people in the U.S. The loneliness, anxiety, and depression that, for some, accompany the pandemic has prompted concern about a brewing mental health crisis. Now, a new article published in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that COVID-19 may lead to increased risk of suicide. The suicide rate, which is 14.2 per 100,000 people, has been rising steadily for years.” I wish I could give everyone who reads this a hug. Except those of y’all who don’t like hugs. I wish I could stand a respectful distance away and tell you a funny joke. And if you don’t like being told funny jokes — well, I can’t do it and I’m not there now! Ain’t it great?

MIT Technology Review: The race to find a covid-19 drug in the blood of survivors. “In the US, a slow and confused rollout of coronavirus testing helped the new virus get a foothold and cause what is now a raging outbreak. But drug and biotech companies have been searching for a cure since January, when the severity of the epidemic in China became evident. Among the most promising candidates are antibody drugs, a type that already accounts for most of the top-selling medicines in the US.”

ABC News: Sewage analysis suggests a New England metro area with fewer than 500 COVID-19 cases may have exponentially more. “Preliminary findings released this week from a new effort to track the spread of the coronavirus through sewage data suggests that one metro region in Massachusetts that’s reported fewer than 500 positive tests actually may actually have exponentially more.”

MIT Technology Review: Here’s what it will take to live in a world with covid-19. “This new social order will seem unthinkable to most people in so-called free countries. But any change can quickly become normal if people accept it. The real abnormality is how uncertain things are. The pandemic has undercut the predictability of normal life, the sheer number of things we always assume we will still be able to do tomorrow. That is why everything feels unmoored, why the economy is collapsing, why everybody is stressed: because we can no longer predict what will be allowed and what will not a week, a month, or three or six or 12 months hence.”

POLITICS AND SECURITY

Reuters: Exclusive: Coronavirus-hit airlines in push for divisive route subsidies. “Major airlines are seeking operating subsidies for key routes once coronavirus restrictions are lifted, a leaked lobbying document shows, stoking tensions with some low-cost carriers that are less likely to benefit from the additional funds.”

Associated Press: Libertarians debate: How to respond to coronavirus pandemic?. “Libertarian principles of self-reliance and minimal government have been around for centuries. But they are being tested as never before in a time when much of the world, and many of their adherents, see a clear role for government restriction on basic liberties. From trillions of dollars in government aid to the enforced closings of schools and businesses around the world, the spread of the coronavirus has renewed a long-running debate among libertarians over such core beliefs as private enterprise and individual autonomy.”

New York Times: The ‘Red Dawn’ Emails: 8 Key Exchanges on the Faltering Response to the Coronavirus. “As the coronavirus emerged and headed toward the United States, an extraordinary conversation was hatched among an elite group of infectious disease doctors and medical experts in the federal government and academic institutions around the nation. Red Dawn — a nod to the 1984 film with Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen — was the nickname for the email chain they built.”

Mother Jones: Delta Tells Sick Flight Attendants: “Do Not Post” on Social Media or Notify Fellow Crew. “Delta Air Lines has directed flight attendants who test positive for the coronavirus to ‘refrain from notifying’ fellow crew members or posting about their health on social media, according to an email HuffPost reviewed. The email, sent Thursday afternoon to more than 25,000 flight attendants, stated that Delta management will ‘follow an established process’ to alert co-workers who recently came in contact with flight attendants who ‘are symptomatic or diagnosed with COVID-19,’ the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus. ”

CoronaBuzz is brought to you by ResearchBuzz. I love your comments, I love your site suggestions, and I love you. Feel free to comment, send resource suggestions, or tag @buzz_corona on Twitter. Thanks!







April 12, 2020 at 09:29PM
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Eastern European Digital Art, Ontario Historical Society, Dungeons & Dragons, More: Sunday ResearchBuzz, April 12, 2020

Eastern European Digital Art, Ontario Historical Society, Dungeons & Dragons, More: Sunday ResearchBuzz, April 12, 2020
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

The Calvert Journal: 5 Eastern European creatives trailblazing the world of digital art. “Museums and galleries remain closed, but the stream of online art in our feeds keeps coming. Long before the Covid-19 pandemic reiterated the importance of digital media, the traditional museum had already lost the monopoly of art to the internet. Which is why in December 2019, Moscow’s Garage Museum of Contemporary Art launched Garage Digital, a virtual platform that aims to bring together artists to explore new forms of visual culture that emerge from the contemporary dialogue between technology and society. Working on disciplines ranging from big data analysis to 3D printing, these five artists have been selected as the first cohort to be featured in Garage’s virtual platform, setting the trend for their new digital museum experience.”

Ontario Historical Society: OHS Launches Ontario History Journal Digital Archive. “The Ontario Historical Society (OHS) is excited to announce that, for the first time, the entire run of over 120 years of the Society’s Ontario History journal is now available online. The OHS has digitized the full text of over 2,000 articles and book reviews, making the archive the largest single collection of stories about Ontario’s history.”

New-to-me, from Polygon: An artist created 3D models of every D&D monster, and you can have them all for free. “For more than five years, one man has been creating 3D models of every single monster in Dungeons & Dragons’ 5th edition, and giving away those digital files for free, so people with 3D printers can make them at home. Miguel Zavala’s art project consists of more than 1,900 digital files, and he has nearly 3,000 paying subscribers supporting his work on Patreon.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

Neowin: Mozilla pushes Firefox 74.0.1 fixing two zero-day exploits. “Mozilla has pushed Firefox 74.0.1 along with the related security advisory. The new update, which users are advised to apply soon, comes with fixes for two critical zero-day vulnerabilities. The new patches are also available for Firefox 68 users with version 68.6.1. Normally, the update will apply automatically, but you can go to the hamburger menu > Help > About Firefox and apply the patch manually.”

The Verge: Everyone can now access their Instagram DMs on the web. “Instagram’s making it easier for people to send direct messages from their browser. The company announced on Friday that it’s rolling out access to DMs on the web to everyone globally.”

BetaNews: New email service aims to give users full control of their inboxes. “Email is now the primary form of communication for most people, but a side effect of that is it’s also become the primary means of distributing malware and other threats as well as becoming an advertising medium. Edison Software has announced that this summer it’s launching OnMail, which it claims is the first mail service to provide users with full control over what can enter their inboxes.”

USEFUL STUFF

Make Tech Easier: How to Create a DIY Chromecast Using Raspberry Pi and Raspicast . “You can set up your Raspberry Pi to act as an inexpensive Chromecast-style streaming device. Although you can’t implement the same protocols as Chromecast, you can get very similar end-results. You’ll learn in this tutorial how to turn your Raspberry Pi into a Chromecast alternative, using the free Raspicast software and the Raspicast for Android mobile app.”

Wired: How to Cover Your Tracks Every Time You Go Online. “VENTURE ONLINE NOWADAYS, and your presence is immediately logged and tracked in all manner of ways. Sometimes this can be helpful—like when you want to see new movies similar to ones you’ve watched in the past—but very often it feels invasive and difficult to control. Here we’re going to show you how to cover some of those tracks, or not to leave any in the first place. This isn’t quite the same as going completely invisible online, or encrypting every single thing you do. But it should help you sweep up most records of your online activity that you’d rather disappear.”

Inverse: A.I. Gahaku Turns Your Selfie Into An Oil Painting Masterwork. “Ready for your close-up? AI Gahaku is an online A.I. tool that’s going viral, promising to produce impressive selfies that make you look like an oil painting. The service promises to take images and apply one of 10 different styles, complete with museum description that makes the work seem ideal for the next gallery exhibition.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Rochester Institute of Technology: RIT/NTID wins coveted prize to create accessible books as part of global reading initiative . “Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf is one of four international innovators selected to create cost-effective packages of high-quality accessible children’s books in languages children use and understand. The initiative, from All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development and the Global Book Alliance’s Begin With Books, enables the prize winners to collectively create thousands of leveled books in seven underserved spoken languages and nine sign languages, serving regions of the world where children have few or no books for preschool or kindergarten.”

University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Whitman Archive receives 2020 NEH Grant. “The National Endowment for the Humanities has announced new grants for humanities projects across the country. The Walt Whitman Archive is among this year’s 224 recipients. The $350,000 grant will support the revitalization of the online archive’s infrastructure, making the site easier to search and utilize.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

Reuters: U.S. approves Google request to use segment of U.S.-Asia undersea cable. “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Wednesday approved Alphabet Inc unit Google’s request to use part of an U.S.-Asia undersea telecommunications cable after the company warned it would face significantly higher prices to carry traffic by other means.” Good morning, Internet…

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April 12, 2020 at 08:53PM
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Saturday, April 11, 2020

North Carolina Newspapers, Suffragist Laura Clay, Project Tempo, More: Saturday ResearchBuzz, April 11, 2020

North Carolina Newspapers, Suffragist Laura Clay, Project Tempo, More: Saturday ResearchBuzz, April 11, 2020
By ResearchBuzz

NEW RESOURCES

DigitalNC: The Daily Record from Dunn, NC Now Online. “A new newspaper title, The Daily Record, has been added to the DigitalNC collection thanks to our new partner, the Dunn Area History Musuem. 1134 issues spanning the years 1950-56 are available to view online, expanding our coverage of Harnett County, North Carolina.”

H-Kentucky: Laura Clay Papers now digitized and online at ExploreUK. “The Laura Clay papers (dated 1819-1959, bulk 1906-1920; 13.63 cubic feet; 34 boxes, 2 folders, 3 items) consists of correspondence, pamphlets, periodicals, organizational records, petitions, scrapbooks, broadsides, programs, legal documents, and suffrage pins and ribbons, which document the career of Kentucky suffragist Laura Clay.”

TWEAKS AND UPDATES

TechRadar: Amazon’s Project Tempo could arrive this year to take on Google Stadia. “We now know quite a bit more about Amazon’s push into video games: the tech giant is planning to release its first big budget video games next month, is developing interactive Twitch experiences, and has a cloud gaming platform called Project Tempo in the works.”

BetaNews: With app-free, account-free Meet Now option, Skype is a viable alternative to Zoom. “While there has been a good deal of controversy about Zoom lately, the video conferencing service remains incredibly popular. This is at least in part because of its ease of use, and the fact that it can be used without having to create an account. Well aware that the privacy and security issues that have plagued Zoom have left many people considering alternatives, Microsoft has issued a timely reminder about the Meet Now option in Skype. This feature makes it possible to use Skype without having to install any software, or even sign up for an account.”

CNET: Google hides real Easter eggs for Easter, delivers AR Easter bunny. “Users who search for ‘Easter,’ ‘Easter 2020’ and other Easter-related topics will see a banner in the top-right corner of their search results page that illustrates some of the adorable animals associated with the holiday, including a pink bunny and a chick hatching from a decorated egg.” There’s also an AR bunny.

USEFUL STUFF

Search Engine Journal: Social Media Image Sizes 2020 Guide. “The bad news? No two social platforms have the exact same rules for image sizes. The good news? We’ve come up with a completely updated guide on how to size social media images for the social networks that matter. Here it is.”

AROUND THE SEARCH AND SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD

Magdalen College: New archive of T.E. Lawrence biographer, Jeremy Wilson. “Over the next three years, Dr Lucy Smith will be cataloguing the archive of Jeremy Wilson (1944-2017), the authorised biographer of T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935, Senior Demy 1911-1914). Lucy joined Magdalen College as the Wilson Project Archivist this month. As Wilson was a dedicated and pre-eminent Lawrence scholar over a fifty-year period, the acquisition of his research papers should prove an invaluable resource to scholars of Lawrence, and a substantial addition to the growing Lawrence collections at Magdalen. ”

Yonhap News Agency: S. Korea approves 680 mln won for digital archiving of inter-Korean excavation project . “The government on Monday approved the spending of 688 million won (US$565,000) on creating a digital archive of relics found from a historical site in North Korea through an inter-Korean excavation project, the unification ministry said. The Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Council approved the expenditure plan necessary to build the archive, including fees for data processing, creating content and consulting, according to the ministry.”

SECURITY & LEGAL

BetaNews: Security researcher discovers vulnerabilities in iOS and macOS that could be exploited to hack webcams. “Ryan Pickren, a former Amazon Web Services (AWS) security engineer, found a series of security flaws in Apple’s web browser, some of which could be exploited to hijack the camera of a Mac or iPhone to spy on users. The webcam hacking technique combined a total of three zero-day bugs.”

RESEARCH & OPINION

CNET: NASA created a game that lets you help map the ocean’s coral reefs. “Specifically, researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California have spent years canvassing the ocean floor using special cameras mounted to drones and aircraft. The unique lenses on the cameras give the researchers a clear view of the ocean floor, including coral and other wildlife with 3D imagery from locations in places like Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa. Now, NASA has a huge job on its hands — combing through those images and identifying everything that’s in them. NASA’s solution? A new game for Mac and iOS called NeMO-Net, which you can play right now (an Android version is still in the works).”

Analytics India: How Google Is Teaching Robots To Be Agile Like Dogs. “With Google AI conducting many studies, a considerable amount of research has gone into understanding how machines can imitate human – or animal – behavior. Most recently, the company developed a system that learns from the motions of animals to give robots greater ‘agility’.”

Algorithm Watch: Google apologizes after its Vision AI produced racist results. “In an experiment that became viral on Twitter, AlgorithmWatch showed that Google Vision Cloud, a computer vision service, labeled an image of a dark-skinned individual holding a thermometer ‘gun’ while a similar image with a light-skinned individual was labeled ‘electronic device’. A subsequent experiment showed that the image of a dark-skinned hand holding a thermometer was labelled ‘gun’ and that the same image with a salmon-colored overlay on the hand was enough for the computer to label it ‘monocular’.” Good afternoon, Internet…

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April 11, 2020 at 10:57PM
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Saturday CoronaBuzz, April 11, 2020: 34 pointers to new resources, useful stuff, research news, and more.

Saturday CoronaBuzz, April 11, 2020: 34 pointers to new resources, useful stuff, research news, and more.
By ResearchBuzz

Wash your hands and stay at home as much as you can. Please be careful. I love you.

NEW RESOURCES – MEDICAL/HEALTH

Multiple Sclerosis News Today: New Database to Compile COVID-19 Data About People with MS and Related Diseases. “The database, called COViMS (COVID-19 Infections in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Diseases), will record information on people in North America with MS and other demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system — namely neuromyelitis optica and MOG antibody disease — and who develop COVID-19. There has hitherto been no such database for this purpose.”

Daily Mail: Software developer creates a simplified website of coronavirus statistics to make them accessible for the blind or visually impaired. “Tyler Littlefield, a software developer based in Boston, has created a database of COVID-19 statistics meant to be accessible to the visually impaired. …the site organizes up-to-date COVID-19 data in simple charts specifically designed to be legible to a range of aid devices the visually impaired use to access websites.”

UCLA School of Engineering: UCLA Web App Enlists Public Support to Mitigate Spread of COVID-19. “UCLA has launched Stop COVID-19 Together to help fight the spread of COVID-19. The web-based app is a simple 5-minute survey that will enable the public to share real-time information about their exposure to the virus and specific symptoms.”

Medmastery: The 1 Million Ventilator Staffing Challenge. “Our goal is to train 1 million medical professionals to confidently use ventilators in an ICU so they can save lives—possibly yours. This is where the toughest battles against COVID-19 are being fought. Freeventilatortraining.org is a series of online courses on how to use a ventilator (powered by Medmastery). In under 24 hours, these courses take medical professionals, unfamiliar with the ICU environment, and cross train them to save a life with a ventilator. These courses are free and can be completed from home on any device.”

NEW RESOURCES – EDUCATION/ENTERTAINMENT

Jam Bands: Grateful Dead Announce ‘Shakedown Stream’ YouTube Concert Series. “Grateful Dead have announced a new, weekly YouTube concert series, dubbed ‘Shakedown Stream.’ The series debuts this Friday, Apr. 10 at 8 p.m. ET…. Prior to the screening, Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux and Dead historian Gary Lambert will host a live pre-show.”

SyFy Wire: The Pull List: Comic Shop Database Arises With New Comics On Hold. Also Hugo Picks!. “Last week, a group known as the Comics Industry Collective launched its new website 28 Pages Later, a guide for comics fans and customers looking for local stores around the country. The site has its roots in efforts that began some time ago, as comics writer Leah Williams (Gwenpool Strikes Back) stepped up and began compiling information on which local stores were still open and could still offer some kind of service even as shelter-in-place orders meant many non-essential businesses were closing up shop for the time being.”

The Bookseller: CUP provides free resources to support students during coronavirus outbreak. “CUP’s Academic division has made more than 700 higher education and reference works available to view online in HTML format to students, available through their university libraries. Coronavirus research has also been placed onto a free online collection, with the editorial process adapted to ensure the information is online with 24 hours of the receipt of a manuscript.”

Beyond the Joke: News: Slapstick Festival Releases Archive Online Including Unseen Harry Hill. “Bristol’s annual Slapstick festival of silent, visual and classic screen comedy is hoping to help lift the nation’s spirits from this week by sharing previously unreleased footage captured during a selection of the unique events it has staged over the past decade featuring top UK entertainers…. Other shows lined up for sharing include Harry Hill (pictured with Chris Daniels) talking about his favourite comedy moments; highlights from when Sir Ken Dodd and French & Saunders received their Aardman/ Slapstick Comedy Legend awards; a stand-up comedy set from John Cleese as part of a mixed music and mirth show and the first stage reunion in decades of Little & Large, the double act best described as the Ant & Dec of their day and whose reminiscences now seem even more bittersweet following the death this month of Eddie Large (Hugh McGinnis).”

Denver Post: Colorado photography center puts its entire 180-artist collection online. “It’s impossible to tout the valiant efforts of one Denver cultural organization to keep art thriving during the great coronavirus shutdown of 2020 without mentioning a few others for context…. The Colorado Photographic Arts Center adds mightily to the mix, using the pandemic as an incentive to put its entire in-house collection online. CPAC’s just-released digital gallery is an easily accessible assemblage of images featuring some of the world’s most-respected photographers past and present, including Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Berenice Abbott and Philippe Halsman.”

ABC News Australia: Coronavirus pandemic sees zoos, wildlife parks and museums go online during shutdowns. “Zoos, wildlife parks, museums and aquariums are among those offering tours, talks and live streams that allow people to holiday at home — quite literally.”

Engadget: Radiohead is uploading concert films to YouTube for isolated fans. “Radiohead has made a career for themselves writing songs about personal and social alienation. And so it should come as no surprise that the band is now trying to help its fans get through recent tough times by posting weekly concert videos to its YouTube channel.”

Electronics Weekly: Google sets free a Flutter introductory video course. “The search giant says it wants to help people develop new skills during the home lockdown period, and so has partnered with the London-based App Brewery to provide the new course. It will be free as long as you activate it within the next three months. These courses can cost hundreds, if not thousands of pounds, so it’s well worth investigating if you have any inclination to learn more about Flutter, which works with Android, iOS and desktops.”

NEW RESOURCES – OTHER

Technical .ly: Maryland businesses: Use this web tool to determine whether you’re eligible for COVID-19 relief programs. “The Maryland Business Relief Wizard launched on Wednesday. It’s a web tool where users can get a look at which programs are still accepting applications, which will change as announcements are made about funds running out (such as the Maryland Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Loan and Grant Fund filling up this week) or gaining new resources (like if Congress passes more funding for the PPP).”

KSBY: ‘Onward California’ website helps Californians find jobs. “The website … will help employees access emergency resources, training for a new career and connections to employers seeking people with their current skill set. Several private industries are running Onward CA in collaboration with the state, Mastercard, the University of California, California State University, California Community Colleges and technology companies, including LinkedIn and Salesforce.”

USEFUL STUFF

Make Tech Easier: 6 Great Sites to Play Online Board Games with Friends. “Board games have traditionally been a tabletop activity, but in the age of the Internet, there’s no reason every player needs to share the same table. Online board games are quickly becoming a popular way to spend time with friends and family who might not share your geographical location, and it’s not just online chess anymore. Here are some great sites for you to play online board games with friends.”

France Today: Go for a Museum Hop in France from the Comfort of Your Home. “In a remarkable effort in support of the #culturecheznous initiative by the French Ministry of Culture, museums have prepared virtual visits to invite us through their doors, in anticipation of a future visit #IRL. You can enjoy special exhibitions, browse the permanent collections and even attend concerts. So make yourself a cup of your favourite drink, put your feet up and join us on this virtual tour de force of France’s most precious cultural treasures… and some of its lesser known jewels.”

Lifestyle Asia: 9 best online resources to learn how to make bread. “We’re all spending way more time at home these days. Chances are, you’re picking up a few newfound hobbies, whether it’s playing the ukulele or learning Spanish. Yet, for something that will really yield into a life skill far beyond these days of lockdown, you’ll want to try your hand at making bread. As everybody’s Instagram feeds flourish with the ubiquitous homemade sourdough starter flex, perhaps it’s also time for you to learn the art of turning three simple ingredients into the universe’s greatest gift.”

Mashable: How to use Twitter during the coronavirus pandemic without falling into a black hole of anxiety. “You can get the news faster than ever before by relentlessly refreshing your Twitter timeline, which can be a blessing and a curse during the coronavirus pandemic. We all probably know someone who is stressing themselves out right now by anxiously scrolling Twitter all day. If you find yourself doing this, please know that there are ways to stop. Whether it’s asking friends for help or using a time management app, it’s totally possible to cut down on your Twitter time.”

UPDATES

BBC: Coronavirus: Teachers in Singapore stop using Zoom after ‘lewd’ incidents. “Singapore has suspended the use of video-conferencing tool Zoom by its teachers, after a ‘very serious incident’ during a home-based lesson. Singapore closed its schools on Wednesday in response to a rising number of coronavirus cases. But one mother told local media that, during her daughter’s geography lesson, obscene images appeared on screen, before two men asked girls to ‘flash’.”

Mashable: ‘Saturday Night Live’ to return with remote broadcast. “Saturday night will be (sort of) live again. After a three-week hiatus in response to preventative coronavirus measures, SNL will return with new content on April 11. While individual sketches may not necessarily be live (we’ve all faced technical difficulties with video streams of late), but the show will include a “Weekend Update” and other segments filmed remotely by the cast.”

BBC: Coronavirus: India to extend nationwide lockdown, state minister says. “India has decided to extend a strict nationwide lockdown imposed last month to stop the spread of the coronavirus, a top official says. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with state ministers, and many of them urged the government to prolong the measure.”

TechCrunch: Google starts highlighting virtual care options in Search and Maps. “The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on virtual care options as both doctors and patients try to reduce in-person visits for routine care as much as possible. Patients aren’t always aware of what’s available to them, though, so over the course of the next two weeks, Google will roll out new features in Search and Maps that will highlight telehealth options.”

CNET: Singapore had the coronavirus under control. Now it’s locking down the country. “As the world scrambles to contain the coronavirus, Singapore has been held up as a role model for its early and decisive response to the threat. The city-state drew international praise for its ability to blunt the spread of COVID-19 while avoiding some of the drastic containment measures seen in countries like China, Italy and Spain. But Singapore’s lauded response has come into question. This week, it enforced a partial lockdown as it struggles to contain a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.”

SOCIETAL IMPACT

BBC: Coronavirus: The people fighting fakes from their sofas. “Social media companies are struggling to contain a wave of coronavirus misinformation. Into the breach have stepped volunteers who are fighting to stop rumours, bad advice and conspiracy theories from going viral.”

California Streets Blog: Crashes Down: Real-Time Data Shows Stay-at-Home Orders May Be Saving Lives in More Ways Than One. “Researchers at UC Davis’ Road Ecology Center are using real-time collision report data from the California Highway Patrol to measure and compare crash rates during the stay-at-home orders. The preliminary report [PDF] finds that collisions have reduced by half since the order went into effect on March 20, from about 1,000 collisions per day a year ago to about 500 per day, and from about 400 injury or fatal crashes per day to about 200. The data is from state highways, which in some cases are freeways and rural roads but can also be main streets.”

Mashable: New emoji are being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. “One unexpected effect of the coronavirus pandemic has to do with the colorful little pictograms we use on our phones and computers to express, well, pretty much everything: emoji. According to the Unicode Consortium, a non-profit which takes care of the Unicode Standard – a widely-used standard for character encoding on computers and phones – the release of Unicode 14.0 has been postponed by six months.”

BBC: Coronavirus: I’m using my pizza oven to toss masks for nurses. “After consulting with a couple of his engineer friends and procuring large sheets of acrylic, [Dimitri] Syrkin-Nikolau and his staff have started making face shields for healthcare workers. The industrial pizza oven heats the acrylic up until it’s soft enough to bend into the right shape, and then it is attached to a foam strip and straps.”

Religion News Service: Shunning online services, some clergy preach ‘abstinence’ from gathered worship. “For weeks, as Easter approached, churches have been rushing to use the internet in new ways, livestreaming and videoconferencing to keep the faithful together for weekend worship. But at least a handful of churches across the country — including three Southern Baptist ones — have intentionally decided not to worship online on recent Sundays as some political and health officials said coronavirus-related social distancing applied to religious gatherings.”

Refinery29: How People Are Celebrating Easter This Year. “Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. Not just because it’s right around my birthday (shout out to all the Aries out there). I also love it because it typically means that my entire family comes over. Plus, my competitive childhood self was obsessed with winning the Easter egg hunts (again, Aries). But, this year, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, my holiday will look a little different.”

Consumer Reports: Coronavirus Is Pushing Car Dealerships Into Online Sales and Home Delivery. “As the coronavirus pandemic intensified this year, foot traffic at the Honda of Hollywood dealership in Los Angeles dried up quickly. To try to keep some business flowing, the dealership started advertising online transactions and free home deliveries that would respect social distancing, says Roland Perez, digital marketing director for Bakhtiari Auto Group, which owns the dealership and others in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area. Dealership visits are now by appointment only, he says.”

RESEARCH

Tom’s Guide: Apple and Google team up to fight coronavirus with contact tracing. “Today, Apple and Google announced a surprising collaboration: the two will unite to bring contact tracing to their smartphones in order to fight coronavirus. And both companies are committed to doing so while respecting user privacy. In posts made by both Apple and Google, the companies declared ‘a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user privacy and security central to the design.'”

New York Times: How Will We Know When It’s Time to Reopen the Nation?. “Some cities or states will recover sooner than others. It’s helpful to have criteria by which cities or states could determine they’re ready. A recent report by Scott Gottlieb, Caitlin Rivers, Mark B. McClellan, Lauren Silvis and Crystal Watson staked out some goal posts.”

POLITICS AND SECURITY

The New Yorker: How Did the U.S. End Up with Nurses Wearing Garbage Bags?. “America was watching, shocked, as doctors and nurses pleaded for protective gear and medical equipment such as ventilators. [Eric] Ries was asked to help start a Web site that would match hospitals and suppliers. Sure, Ries said, he could have something up and running by Monday. What followed over the next two weeks was an inside glimpse of the dysfunction emanating from Trump’s Washington in the midst of the pandemic, a crash course in the breakdown that has led to nurses in one of the wealthiest countries in the world wearing garbage bags to protect themselves from a virus whose outbreak the President downplayed until it was too late to prepare for its consequences.”

NPR: Federal Support Ends For Coronavirus Testing Sites As Pandemic Peak Nears. “Some local officials are disappointed the federal government will end funding for coronavirus testing sites [yesterday]. In a few places those sites will close as a result. This as criticism continues that not enough testing is available.”

CoronaBuzz is brought to you by ResearchBuzz. I love your comments, I love your site suggestions, and I love you. Feel free to comment, send resource suggestions, or tag @buzz_corona on Twitter. Thanks!







April 11, 2020 at 10:14PM
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