[amphibian]

What if you did a Muay Thai teep to him instead of saying anything? Promise kept, guy goes down stairs, you stay safe.

[QuickTidal]

amphibian, on 10 March 2021 - 02:50 PM, said:

What if you did a Muay Thai teep to him instead of saying anything? Promise kept, guy goes down stairs, you stay safe.

Cameras in the elevators...and I'd need you to teach it to me first.

[Cause]

QuickTidal, on 10 March 2021 - 02:47 PM, said:

So I had a fun interaction this AM.

Our condo bldg has a 3-person capacity during COVID for social distancing. Everyone in my bldg has observed this rule and abided it for over a year now. Since my wife, myself and my two kids makes 4, we are at max. If we are waiting and the elevator has even one person on...we will wait and let that person go because choosing otherwise would bring 4 people into that persons space. And when we are on the elevator and it stops to serve another floor, we say "sorry" and indicate the 4 of us being capacity and 99.9% of the time the people will graciously wait for the next one, just like we do in the reverse.

Well, this morning some douchebag (young, white, South-African accent) goes to muscle on...and my wife says "Uh, we're at capacity"...he points at my two kids and said "Well, they don't count....and I have to get to work"

Sidebar: I promised my wife years ago that I would not yell at people in public or escalate confrontations...because we live in a big dense city and you never know who might stab you.

He shoved his way on, and my wife said "well we're getting off then." and we got off, she called him an asshole and I calmly told him that he was rude AF. Better to get off and avoid the confrontation than escalate...but I WANTED to tear a strip off him.

So yeah, that was fun. Like asshole, if the 1minute you have to wait for the next elevator car is too much for you, or will make you late for work, that's a YOU problem, not a WE problem.


I'm going to rat him out to security tonight for not abiding the rules. People are getting squirelly and shitty as the pandemic wears on. Fuck.

What’s his South African accent got to do with it...!

Yip def a shitty thing to do, especially since if he is going to work I presume he was going down? Just take the stairs! Unless you live on like the 20th floor? I always take stairs down to avoid waiting for a lift.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

QuickTidal, on 10 March 2021 - 02:47 PM, said:

People are getting squirelly and shitty as the pandemic wears on. Fuck.

'We're in the Third Quarter of the Pandemic. Antarctic Researchers, Mars Simulation Scientists and Navy Submarine Officers Have Advice For How to Get Through It

[...] with more than a dozen Antarctic deployments behind him, Salom has grown accustomed to the ebb and flow of life on the ice. There's the surge of excitement when new arrivals join the camp, the feeling of isolation from the rest of the world when earth and sea disappear in the endless night from April to August; and the joy when the sun finally appears behind the mountains once again. He's also been around long enough to know that, as people reach the end of their deployments, many begin to struggle—whether they've been at McMurdo [McMurder?] for over a year, or even just a few months.

[...]

Researchers have a term for what Salom is describing: the "third quarter phenomenon." First named in 1991 by researchers studying people living in cold regions, the phenomenon (still theoretical) is characterized by mood shifts among people nearly finished with a long period of isolation. Those affected often feel anxious, withdrawn, and increasingly vulnerable. Researchers haven't been able to definitively prove the phenomenon exists, in part because its effects can vary from person to person. [Good reason to be skeptical.] But anecdotal evidence and research suggest it often strikes people beginning 75% of the way through an isolating event. While researchers looking into the phenomenon have focused on explorers like Salom, what they've learned about it could now be applicable to a much larger group of people: those self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic, which, at least in some parts of the world, is potentially about three-quarters through[...]

[...] researcher who has examined how people behave in extreme settings, says that "the psychological and social experience of monotony, sensory deprivation, social isolation, proximity with others, is very similar" to that likely being experienced by people isolating during COVID-19. "For some people, this third quarter phase may be really challenging," [...]

The third quarter phenomenon can lead some to experience major mood shifts and change the way they relate to other people. [...]

By the last week of any given long-term submarine mission, Kilby says, the crew tended to get testy. "It's almost so well known, that if someone blows up on you, it's just like, 'Hey, man, it's like the last week, everyone's like this right now.' So everyone's almost bonding over the fact that it's that last week and that everybody's grumpy."


[...] Mars Desert Research Station [...] where hundreds of people have "settled" on the Red Planet. To emulate life at a space station, the quarters are tight—Rupert compares the bedrooms to closets—which means you can never really get away from the five or more other participants, or out of earshot of their conversations. Even when participants venture outside, they're required to wear bulky model spacesuits[...]

[...] warns participants that the project becomes more difficult three-quarters of the way through. [...] who herself has taken part in more than a dozen simulated Mars missions varying in length from several weeks to a few months, advises participants to share their pet peeves early on to avoid fights down the road (she hates when people brush their teeth in the kitchen sink, for instance). During one simulation, two crewmates came to blows after one was caught squirreling away the group's hot chocolate mix, she says. "The little irritations that didn't bother you… become suddenly not okay," [...] "The last couple of days, you're gonna like be like,' dude, get the hell out of here.'" In extreme cases, some participants have walked away from the simulation early. [...] mental fatigue often leads to accidents and injuries during this leg, and she worries that, in the context of COVID-19, the same phenomenon could lead people to give up social distancing and other preventative measures as they tire of following public health guidelines.'



[...] "If you know [isolation] is going to end, it sort of makes sense to conserve some of your resources and save them for when you might be going back into a slightly more dynamic and changeable environment," [...] But it's essential that we all stay vigilant, because we're a long way from herd immunity, and until we reach that point, the virus could easily reassert itself. [...] social distancing may become psychologically harder before it gets easier, since vaccinated people are likely to begin to enjoy a more normal life before those of us who remain unvaccinated.

The adventurous souls who spoke to TIME about their experience with third quarter syndrome relied on remarkably similar coping mechanisms, all centered around the notion of focusing on their mission. For Sorby and Strøm, that's been promoting positive action to combat climate change; [...] For those of us isolating because of COVID-19, the goal is simpler but no less noble: reducing the spread of the virus and keeping as many people from getting ill as possible.

But even seasoned pros can find their willpower drifting sometimes. When that happens, the people who spoke with TIME recommend concentrating on the here and now—keeping to a routine that offers a sense of control, or appreciating whatever little joys you can find along the way. Salom says his life has been enriched by getting outside to hike, stargaze or watch the aurora australis (the southern sibling of the northern lights). Routinely exercising has been important, he says, as has his pursuit of fun projects'

https://time.com/594...andemic-advice/

'This effect has been studied in polar and space missions, [...] This study provides an additional analysis of [...] a conventional submarine patrol mission, to consider whether a stage-model of adaptation (in particular a third quarter effect) could be observed. [...] While the data could be interpreted as supporting a third quarter effect, they also reflected a general decline in individual well-being across mission duration. However, the decline was relatively small in real terms, and may not reflect meaningful changes in affect or performance.'

https://docs.lib.pur.../vol14/iss1/12/

'Over the years there have been numerous systematic attempts to test the TQP. One popular group that has demanded a good deal of attention is Antarctic research scientists. [...]

[...] despite the many studies in support of a TQP, there have been exceptions with regards to changes observed at Antarctic stations[...]

In the context of mobile land-based expeditions, a third quarter effect has been less readily observable. [...]

[...] expedition studies suggest that certain dimensions of stress and mood may be more susceptible to the TQP than others and may be outcome-specifc . [...] to explain such inconsistencies, Sandal et al. [...] suggested that a stage-model of adaptation is probably more relevant for groups undergoing prolonged confinement in which boredom and monotony are prominent stressors. Thus, time in itself may not be a strong predictor unless taking into consideration aspects of the environment.'

https://www.research...f_time_in_space

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 10 March 2021 - 05:15 PM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

'UK variant up to 100 percent more deadly, study finds

[...] highly infectious variant of COVID-19 first discovered in the United Kingdom is between 30 to 100 percent more deadly than previous strains'

https://www.aljazeer...dly-study-finds

'This trucker thought COVID would "disappear" after the election. Now he'll be on oxygen the rest of his life

[...]

"Before I came down with the virus, I was one of those jackasses who thought the virus would disappear the day after the election. I was one of those conspiracy theorists. All these people that are saying that it's fake, blah blah blah, they're lying to themselves," he said.

Prior to the election, then-President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter that "you won't be hearing so much about" COVID-19 after November.

His son, Eric, had also claimed on Fox News that the coronavirus would "magically, all of a sudden go away and disappear and everyone will be able to reopen" after election day.

[...] suffers from "foggy memory" now and sometimes has trouble speaking[...] he still feels the after-effects of his infection which include, "pain in different parts of his body. He has dizzy spells. His heart races when he gets up to do anything."

[...] summed up his condition [...] "Life is no good right now. Except for one thing: I'm alive."'

https://www.alternet.../03/2651007063/

'COVID-19 took disease tests out of the lab — and may keep them there

It could help us be ready for the next pandemic

[...] Before the pandemic, small companies [...] and academic research labs were working on shrinking and speeding up tests that could diagnose someone's viral infection by detecting a virus's genetic material in a swab from their nose or throat. They wanted to make it possible for these highly accurate tests to be done in a doctor's office, at the patient bedside, or at home. [...] Most of this kind of testing, known as molecular testing, still had to be done in a lab.

Skyrocketing need for COVID-19 testing accelerated all of those nascent efforts. Suddenly, the federal government and private companies were investing millions, and the Food and Drug Administration was using emergency authorizations to get tests on the market. Experts long predicted that at-home testing could be the future, but the pandemic shortened the timeline to get there.'

https://www.theverge...ome-disease-pcr

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 10 March 2021 - 07:16 PM

[Malankazooie]

Well guys, tomorrow March 11, marks one year of the new reality we have settled into. What do you remember about that day 12 months ago? I remember coming home from work and settling in to watch some NBA and the breaking news that the games were cancelled. From that moment onward, it was such a snowball of moment to moment announcements. It was surreal and I remember feeling a lot of anxiety, like almost to the point of freak out levels of anxiety.

[Aptorian]

I remember joking with the rest of the staff at work that in a few weeks we'd probably be closing the library. That evening the Prime Minister announced a full lockdown was to go into effect the coming Monday - I and a coworker were the only people to show up for work next day and we spent the day hanging up posters, throwing out stuff from the refrigerator and closing down offices. Didn't see anyone from work for the next two months.

[Mentalist]

Malankazooie, on 10 March 2021 - 07:32 PM, said:

Well guys, tomorrow March 11, marks one year of the new reality we have settled into. What do you remember about that day 12 months ago? I remember coming home from work and settling in to watch some NBA and the breaking news that the games were cancelled. From that moment onward, it was such a snowball of moment to moment announcements. It was surreal and I remember feeling a lot of anxiety, like almost to the point of freak out levels of anxiety.

I got sent home March 6th (the prior Friday), so the news of the lockdown one week later was basically "oh, okay then". I got my VPN hooked up the following Monday, and haven't been to the office since.

I do remember being bemused about the fact that Lent literally started the week when I was sent home, and I gave up alcohol for Lent. When everyone else was coping with the new reality with excessive booze, I had to stay sober. That stung a bit.

[Macros]

We cancelled our trip to Norway I *think* this day last year.

I was thinking well this is going to be a shitty 2/3 months.

Oh boy was that an undersell

[QuickTidal]

Cause, on 10 March 2021 - 05:12 PM, said:

What’s his South African accent got to do with it...!

Haha, I mentioned it because I'd figured you'd read it and comment. Bloody Joburgers!

[Aptorian]

A bad batch of the AztraZeneca vaccine has (likely, not yet determined) caused multiple deaths and people getting blood clots across Europe. At least one 60 year old woman is believed to have died from Blood clots after getting her vaccine here in Denmark. Accourding to the EU office in charge of this stuff, it concerns a millions doses.

Ohh boy, this is like throwing gasoline on the anti-vax crowds fire.

This is especially critical in Europe where a lot of people have avoided getting the AztraZeneca vaccine because they want the Phizer version.

This post has been edited by Aptorian: 11 March 2021 - 02:54 PM

[QuickTidal]

Aptorian, on 11 March 2021 - 02:53 PM, said:

A bad batch of the AztraZeneca vaccine has (likely, not yet determined) caused multiple deaths and people getting blood clots across Europe. At least one 60 year old woman is believed to have died from Blood clots after getting her vaccine here in Denmark. Accourding to the EU office in charge of this stuff, it concerns a millions doses.

Ohh boy, this is like throwing gasoline on the anti-vax crowds fire.

This is especially critical in Europe where a lot of people have avoided getting the AztraZeneca vaccine because they want the Phizer version.

https://medicalxpres...tria-death.html

And 22cases of blood clots in 3million people speaks of not the vaccine causing the clots or deaths directly, but people with previously unknown genetic clotting issues (like Factor 5 Leiden) that the vaccine would warn against. My wife knows she has a possible blood clot issue, so she made sure to tell them (she got the Pfizer vaccine anyways, but still) when she got her jabs. Blood clots can occur from MANY medications used on the daily and usually accompany warnings about it. So if I had to guess what's happening is I'd say that this is people with genetic predisposition to the blood clots and they've only realized on the back of a vaccine that might contain ingredients that exacerbate the condition? If it was a bigger problem being more directly caused by the vaccine, it would have shown up in a FAR bigger portion of the population who has had the AZ jab (so basically ALL of Britain so far?).

It's like the whole Thalidomide thing in the 50's (60's) where women who were pregnant and given it had babies with severe birth defects...well Thalidomide didn't get taken off the market after that, it just came with a warning about taking it during pregnancy and is still widely used in cancer treatments and whatnot.

My two cents anyways.

[Aptorian]

You're putting way too much common sense in to this.

The news cycle has already fired up. When a headline says "It's nothing to worry about" - People gon' worry.

This post has been edited by Aptorian: 11 March 2021 - 03:27 PM

[QuickTidal]

Aptorian, on 11 March 2021 - 03:26 PM, said:

You're putting way too much common sense in to this.

The news cycle has already fired up. When a headline says "It's nothing to worry about" - People gon' worry.

Meh, let them. The vaccination, case and death rates in the US and the UK are dropping because the vaccine is so widely in play now and that defence is starting to take hold...we'll be out of this before they have a chance to bitch.

My country is getting enough vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, and AZ) to vaccinate the entire population (without the J&J vaccine numbers which we will ALSO be getting) before July 1st. We're nearly there. Just avoid the 3rd wave as best we can.

[Mentalist]

QuickTidal, on 11 March 2021 - 04:16 PM, said:

Aptorian, on 11 March 2021 - 03:26 PM, said:

You're putting way too much common sense in to this.

The news cycle has already fired up. When a headline says "It's nothing to worry about" - People gon' worry.

Meh, let them. The vaccination, case and death rates in the US and the UK are dropping because the vaccine is so widely in play now and that defence is starting to take hold...we'll be out of this before they have a chance to bitch.

My country is getting enough vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, and AZ) to vaccinate the entire population (without the J&J vaccine numbers which we will ALSO be getting) before July 1st. We're nearly there. Just avoid the 3rd wave as best we can.

My dad said he's waiting for J&J.

I'm ambivalent, cuz I'm so low on the priority list. I'd prefer a traditional vaccine rather than an RNA variant, though.

[amphibian]

I am heterozygous for Factor 5 Leyden. Looks like I'll have to be real careful about which vaccine I take.

[QuickTidal]

amphibian, on 11 March 2021 - 09:54 PM, said:

I am heterozygous for Factor 5 Leyden. Looks like I'll have to be real careful about which vaccine I take.

If it helps, my wife is the same as you, and she got the Pfizer in Feb and is fine. No clots.

[Macros]

Got the first jab of Astra zenica yesterday evening.

No side effects so far, have changed from Google to bing though

[WithdrawalRoutine]

QuickTidal, on 10 March 2021 - 02:47 PM, said:

So I had a fun interaction this AM.

Our condo bldg has a 3-person capacity during COVID for social distancing. Everyone in my bldg has observed this rule and abided it for over a year now. Since my wife, myself and my two kids makes 4, we are at max. If we are waiting and the elevator has even one person on...we will wait and let that person go because choosing otherwise would bring 4 people into that persons space. And when we are on the elevator and it stops to serve another floor, we say "sorry" and indicate the 4 of us being capacity and 99.9% of the time the people will graciously wait for the next one, just like we do in the reverse.

Well, this morning some douchebag (young, white, South-African accent) goes to muscle on...and my wife says "Uh, we're at capacity"...he points at my two kids and said "Well, they don't count....and I have to get to work"

Sidebar: I promised my wife years ago that I would not yell at people in public or escalate confrontations...because we live in a big dense city and you never know who might stab you.

He shoved his way on, and my wife said "well we're getting off then." and we got off, she called him an asshole and I calmly told him that he was rude AF. Better to get off and avoid the confrontation than escalate...but I WANTED to tear a strip off him.

So yeah, that was fun. Like asshole, if the 1minute you have to wait for the next elevator car is too much for you, or will make you late for work, that's a YOU problem, not a WE problem.


I'm going to rat him out to security tonight for not abiding the rules. People are getting squirelly and shitty as the pandemic wears on. Fuck.

White South Africans are our absolute worst export ☠️ When they find out that the rest of the world doesn’t afford them the same level of white privilege as SA, their already-poor social skills deteriorate even further 😬

[Aptorian]

You should have stabbed him, QT.

Make it a teaching moment for the kids. "this is what happens when you don't observe elevator etiquette, sweetie" *stab, stab, stab-stab-stab*. "Do you want to holde daddies shank?"

This post has been edited by Aptorian: 13 March 2021 - 03:45 PM