News Worldwide impact of the novel coronavirus (covid-19)

[ms spock]

I noticed a headline this morning that said there's evidence that the outcry against shutting things down in the US was amplified online by bots.

Having embraced the Inner Nerd Within I attend a group that is for tech minded folks who code, build drones, 3D Printing, designing circuitry, arduino, linux, kidhack, smart home, unraid etc and half the time I don't understand what some of the people are saying, everyone has that experience here as everyone's strength is really different. But one was telling me that 52% of the traffic on the web is bots. He might set up 1000 bots to go out and data scrape, (don't really know) and he programmes them to interact with other bots and other people on the Internet. I went through a Twitter thread the other day and the bots were crap there was on me and one other person that were people the rest were bots - they had made some very obvious mistakes in syntax of language and facts and data. I said to the other person block all these accounts these are bots and then I explained why. I can't only pick the really obvious ones but sometimes someone will come on and say do you realise you are basically talking with three bots and then goes through how to identify sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't, but I don't attach any emotion to what is said on the Internet, except here and some other boards like this because the chance is that 52% of the time you are engaging with a bot.

I watched "China in Focus" and they were talking about how they have 2 million people in their cyber department that puts out pro China propaganda and are in the process of recruiting 10 million more. That would be half of the Australian population. The numbers are amazing. I talked to the Uber Nerd of Oracle of Bot Wisdom (I understand about 25% of what is discussed) and it was explained to me how this all works - algorithms beyond my pay grade - but it's getting harder and harder to tell who is a person and who is a bot. The Nerds are not interested in the politics they are interested in the how that they are doing the bots. It is interesting as I can touch type and go really fast and I will get suspended for automation on Twitter, so it seems if you pay to have your account promoted then your automation is not punished but I as a single account user gets punished for my ability to process large amounts of certain types of information and touch type. So I am going to set up another account and pay to have it promoted and see if I get suspended then. There's no way Facebook and Twitter didn't know who the bots were being sent by and they made a LOT of money out of different cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns in the last decade.

Just to be honest my understanding of this is maybe kindergarten level and the people I spoke with are beyond PhD level probably docent material. I discuss a concept about something on the Internet and my brain stretches and changes and my whole conception of what is and is not on the Internet changes, sometimes my mind goes now where will I put this information?

The whole bot thing is really amazing.

Apparently when you create your bots and send them out to scrape data they learn and you can program them in different ways. I have no idea how you do that, I am very interested in the why though. It's fascinating.

Apparently the bots and money for the outcry in America was the same source of funding and inflammatory posts and social media in Australia. Someone said there was something similar in the code that meant it came from the same source. I can code a bit but I could never make any type of comparison other than "Wow that is some amazing code!" to "Even my kids that I teach in tech clubs can code better than that!"

 

[mamachick]

I can only speak of what I know of US. Trump called it a hoax and dropped the ball. He has many followers. Im not one of his fans. Several weeks ago, a friend started telling me about this big conspiracy (she has some paranoia). Now I am hearing it from more reasonable people. How can anyone even think that this was a ploy against our president to get him out of office, infecting countries everywhere....not just US. People are not practicing safe protocols because the president who now says its real, acts like it is no big deal and won't wear a mask himself. I believe it is going to come down hard in the next weeks.

 

[Friday]

We’re starting to see some public shaming in community transmission cases. Which is interesting. Both that it’s happening (140 people exposed at a salon), and HOW it’s happening... it’s not a Typhoid Mary situation where the individuals are named... but their victims are numbered. It’s an interesting approach. By removing the face to blame, and instead highlighting the situation many -if not most- could see themselves in? (Who hasn’t gone to get their hair cut at some time in their lives, rather than cutting their own hair? And who reeeeeeally wants to cut their own hair, if the option to not look a mess is available?) It removes the satisfaction of anger against an individual, and puts the focus right in your own lap. Are YOU going to choose to go get your hair cut? Or buy a salad? Or attend church? Will YOU be in the next statistic? Psychologically speaking? It’s kind of brilliant.

$5 says the names are leaked within the week to give the mob their feel-better. But I’m cynical like that.

 

[Sideways]

it’s not a Typhoid Mary situation where the individuals are named... but their victims are numbered. It’s an interesting approach.

Quality press coverage plays a really pivotal role with this.

We've had a couple of major outbreaks related to specific places: the Ruby Princess cruise ship which docked in NSW, and the Cedar Meat Works in Victoria.

There are 2 different approaches that different media outlets are taking, and sometimes it's ruthlessly obvious, sometimes it's more subtle.

The first approach is a dramatic name and shame, someone is responsible for all these cases fury. Unhelpful, except to the limited extent that it has resulted in inquiries which will hopefully figure out what not to do next time. But ultimately, finding someone to blame and shame.

The alternative angle that other media outlets take (fewer than go for the first option) is to simply feed facts (x number of cases now traced to event Y). That's informative, but it also fuels an educational angle: this disease is super contagious in situations like Event A, and Event B.

That second approach is helpful. I know that now isn't the time to go on a cruiseliner, and that workplaces involving close-quarter workers producing foodstuffs is also a hotspot where extra precautions are required.

Definitely we're getting the name and shame here. Early in the piece, 2 of our lazier news outlets persistently ran a story about a certain couple's wedding at a certain winery where 30 odd people came away infected, with the slant being very much on the "how dare they/how stupid were they" to have that wedding event.

The pics of full beaches seem to be front page gold atm. But to me, the relevant picture isn't the beach, where actually there's often deceptively more space between people than a pan-shot cover photo suggests - the relevant picture is the solitary public toilet block that all these beach goers are using. Sitting on the beach with 3 metres to the nearest sunbaker? Isn't such a big risk in and of itself. 1,000 people using the same public toilet block doesn't make quite the same dramatic front page though!

 

[blackemerald1]

the relevant picture is the solitary public toilet block that all these beach goers are using.

^Most community based facilities in parks etc have been shut & are not permitted to be opened because of the risk. Same goes for public accommodation that are now permitted to open - no public facilities available.

^That's going to be awkward.

What about pubs & restaurants??

I think there is a bit of competitiveness going on between States here. People are comparing infection rates & betting on which will go the longest without a new report of infection.

Just goes to show Aussies will bet on anything, anywhere, anytime. :rolleyes:

 

[Mee]

We’re starting to see some public shaming in community transmission cases. Which is interesting. Both that it’s happening (140 people exposed at a salon), and HOW it’s happening... it’s not a Typhoid Mary situation where the individuals are named... but their victims are numbered. It’s an interesting approach. By removing the face to blame, and instead highlighting the situation many -if not most- could see themselves in? (Who hasn’t gone to get their hair cut at some time in their lives, rather than cutting their own hair? And who reeeeeeally wants to cut their own hair, if the option to not look a mess is available?) It removes the satisfaction of anger against an individual, and puts the focus right in your own lap. Are YOU going to choose to go get your hair cut? Or buy a salad? Or attend church? Will YOU be in the next statistic? Psychologically speaking? It’s kind of brilliant.

$5 says the names are leaked within the week to give the mob their feel-better. But I’m cynical like that.

My best friend has a close friend who broke quarantine rules to have a haircut at her stylists home. It’s really interesting to see how friendship as old as I am - they were friends at school and are about ten years older , has Been challenged over this.

Mean while /. I gave one dog and my husband a dodgy hair cut - motivated by heat not vanity. Both have lots of thick hair. We have giggled and giggled about it . No one has made any comments on video call meetings he has- with the right styling ( careful cover up) it looks - not good but passable.


I used to spend fortunes at salons but cut my hair my self too. I use the ‘unicorn method’ ?. My hair type is forgiving - I don’t think it looks any different tbh . Done it for a few years .


Tbh - I think the less coiffed look is kinda cool amd attractive right now- Both physically and for showing priorities.

There is a meme saying that we come out of this as a hunk, a monk, a chunk or a drunk. As long as it’s not self damaging I’m cool- so get a bigger size of trousers, read more, or doll up at home- Its all what calms us. Not the drinking thing ideally .

 

[Freida]

The conspiracy stuff is just astounding. I know it's insane in the US but I'm also hearing about it in other countries. Bill Gates microchipping the entire world population thru the not yet found vaccine is blasting over social media and people are just falling into line believing it. It doesn't matter that there is no truth behind the rumor. It was on the internet so it must be true.

I've also heard from people that I would never have expected that this entire thing was started in the US as a way to get trump fired. Yep. People believe that "they" started a worldwide pandemic over one countries president. Sorry y'all conspiracy nuts but the US isn't really that important anymore in the bigger picture so it's not worth a pandemic to try to get one person voted in.

The most terrifying part for me is that whole "they" part. No one can tell you who "they" are or where they get their info but anything that is credited to "they" is suddenly fact.

This is how genocide starts ...."they" start spreading rumors and blame and the next thing you know neighbors who have lived next too each other for generations start killing each other. It always comes back to people being scared and needing someone to blame. They don't have to have truth. They just have to have belief.

That is way scarier than a virus.

 

[rightkindofme]

There is a meme saying that we come out of this as a hunk, a monk, a chunk or a drunk. As long as it’s not self damaging I’m cool- so get a bigger size of trousers, read more, or doll up at home- Its all what calms us. Not the drinking thing ideally .

The drunk bit is leading to the chunk part in my case. Well, I'm not getting drunk. But I'm drinking more than in the past.

 

[Mee]

The drunk bit is leading to the chunk part in my case. Well, I'm not getting drunk. But I'm drinking more than in the past.

We s as the too. Not getting drunk but because DH is home not away we are having a glass of wine maybe every third day , sometimes every second, instead of just at the weekend.

I am going to be an even chunkier monkier person.

I’m eating three meals a day because of dH being home too. Breakfast lunch and supper every day - almost. A couple of times I have just said ’ I cannot’ but I am finding I am genuinely hungry at meal times for the first time in my life. My body cannot use that much food though :(

 

[ms spock]

Heart breaking America has reached 100,000. Sending my best wishes and care. It's spreading in Africa, poor Yemen, Brazil is rocketing up there, Russia isn't doing well, Spain is still going through it, the UK makes me angry they did Exercise Cygnus which dramatically exposed the gaps in Britain’s pandemic response but shelved it's findings, Italy which I followed for awhile is still there.

Here's a song for anyone who needs to be soothed. These songs speak to my soul.

the relevant picture is the solitary public toilet block that all these beach goers are using. 1,000 people using the same public toilet block doesn't make quite the same dramatic front page though!

That's a really good point. Especially when you see cleaners in hazmat type suits spraying comprehensively in other countries around the world. Obvious things like ATMs, in one news clip they sprayed the inside of the trains and then methodically sprayed the outside and one cleaner did the edge of the top of the train almost on the roof. They are taking the infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 seriously.

On March 10th, Mongolia recorded its first confirmed case of COVID-19. A French national who had arrived from Moscow on March 2nd. Mongolia was ready. They isolated his entire office and the horse he rode in on (it was a train). They quarantined the entire aimag (district) and shut down all trains, cars, and public transport. Mongolia went into partial lockdown, shutting a range of shops. They decontaminated 9.2 million square meters, across 6,000 locations. They decontaminated some places twice. COVID Underdogs: Mongolia

Professor Raina MacIntyre was talking about how fecal transmission apparently could continue for up to a month, and testing in this region was was potentially more accurate than throat swabs. It's in one of her longer lectures on YouTube. It will be interesting to see what comes out in the longer term studies. This was the concern of students going back to school. The week Australia decided that UNESCO stated that 90% of the world's students were in lock down in order to prevent the transmission of the virus. It's now down to 70%.

I had a parent ring me last night asking me if I would do some teaching outdoors STEM going from the beach up an estuary. She said she was stunned that the kids were going back to school, because they had intimated a lock down would be around the 6 month mark. She has a sister in Queens. She said she couldn't make sense of that. I said I was the same. It's so challenging.

 

[Changing4Best]

I went to see the eye doc today. As I was waitingfor the bus to come pick me up after my appt, this joker walked in and tried to squeeze into the seat next to the other person waiting to see the doc. His excuse was that he's Not contagious. No one knows if they are or not, even if they just got their test results back. They could Have been infected while waiting for the results. Thankfully the office manager came and got him and took him back to see the doc, but before she did, she gave him a hug and made some joke about social distancing. I just looked away. My bus came then. What a relief!

 

[LuckiLee]

I have seen it all. A "Heroes work here" sign in front of a Dunkin Donuts.