h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Does "post-industrial" assume that industry stopped at some point? I look around and still see factories, so probably people are still manufacturing a few things.

OK... I should have said post industrial revolution, I suppose. We are now in the information age, which is after the industrial age.


If anyone wants to nit-pick this statement, go ahead and I'll .

Please don't .

The information age is certainly a worthy phenomenon. I suppose that it's the informational content of production that makes more an more of a difference.

I'm sorry if I upset you.

At the moment I'd say we are suffering from information overload..and some of the info seems suspect.

or it's just too much

Definitely!

But there are upsides to this lockdown - I haven't had to set an alarm to get up since it started (getting up rather later than before...). I'm also less pale than usual at this time of year from having been outside more, in the good weather.

I'm getting more sun, too, except when I've gone walking in the rain.

Paulh, I was also getting annoyed about my apparent inability to express myself clearly.

I can relate to that.

Decided there's not much point in de-cluttering as there's nowhere to take decent stuff. Mind you, there is some rubbish too...

Got wound up earlier about the continual 'battle' language. It's a virus, a biological entity trying to reproduce itself. Might not be doing nice things to us, but it doesn't know that, it's just our opinion.

I keep thinking I should get on with sorting out the junk, but...
With the council tip closed, I would still end up living with it just in different boxes.
Also theres a load that's too good to dump, but I can't think of where to get rid of it.

I thought up a good drinking game for The 'Rona.

Watch the evening news and drink a shot every time you see someone wearing a mask UNDER their nose. Drink a double every time someone uses the phrases "New Normal" or "In an Abundance of Caution".

A quarter of the Massachusetts workforce is now unemployed.

"drink a shot every time you see someone wearing a mask UNDER their nose."

Oh, isn't that INFURIATING??!!!??

Drives me crazy....

I mean either wear one or don't, but tucking it under your nose means it doesn't do *anything* except waste a perfectly good mask to be your security blanket, and DOCTORS NEED THEM!

There may be another side to this.

I get panic attacks when my nose is covered up by *anything.* Granted, I have a better mask now than I used to have, and it doesn't bother me as much. But I'm distracted by the mental maneuvers that I have to indulge in to minimize my panic.

This is not ideal. I don't think we will have to wear masks for the rest of our lives. This will pass.

If I am close enough to someone else to require having my nose covered, I will push the mask up over my nose. I'm not irresponsible.

For what it's worth, the mask I have was given to me by doctors in a hospital. I assume that it was one they could spare, so I am not depriving them of safety equipment. Let's trust people. We're all afraid, and this is affecting our normal judgment.

As of May 7, everyone in Massachusetts will be required top wear masks (or other face coverings when social distancing is not possible. So, we don't have the *option* of not wearing the things. Whether we wear them correctly or incorrectly, we will still be wearing them. Whatever state you are in may have other requirements.

60% of the Covid-19 deaths in Massachusetts are happening to people in longterm care institutions. These people were probably not wearing masks, and it might have done them no good even if they did.

What would do the most good would be to test *everyone*, as California and some towns are doing. People who have active infections will self-s=isolate. People who have beat the virus and are no longer infectious can go anywhere they want. People without the virus should be free to circulate. Problem solved.

The trouble is that the very act of moving the mask about on your face could transmit infection onto your skin (& into eyes/nose).
On the other hand the current view seems to be that wearing one is more helpful to prevent infected people transmitting, than to stop people receiving it.

The glove wearing I see is also poorly done. There was a lady in the supermarket last week, wearing gloves, intermittently holding her scarf mask. Really just passing any infection around.

I live in an unincorporated, and quite conservative leaning (redneck) community in Texas. The state relaxed the rather lax stay-at-home orders at the end of the month. I did go out that day, to a local restaurant that has outdoor seating. While I still observed social distancing and wore a mask until seated, and brought my own hand sanitizer and sprayed it liberally on my hands and other items, I will not be going out again any time soon after seeing how everyone else were completely ignoring any restrictions. Reading many of the "discussions" on local social media (Nextdoor), many folks in this area are actually antagonistic to the restrictions, and are verbally attacking anyone who supports them. (I'm also confident most of these folks own red MAGA hats.)

There is one restaurant that is being pro-active, going above the required restrictions, that I'll feel comfortable getting meals to-go. I trust the staff, but I absolutely do not trust the clientele.

I should be amazed, but I'm not at all, that a political divide has arisen in this country regarding a most apolitical virus.

There was probably a religious divide among plague-stricken villagrs in past centuries.

At Mom's funeral yesterday, the younger relative grandchildren and great-grandchildren were all hugs. kisses and handshakes. We took off our masks and got on with accepting the hugs and kisses...

On the other hand, I berated my neighbor for getting two feet from Mrs. Phred while asking to borrow a newspaper.

Social distancing behavior can change when the benefit side of perceived risk/reward changes...I feel sorry for younger people still seeking the company of the opposite sex right now...It's like everyone has potential Aids without the fun of contracting it