Peter Todd @pete@petertodd.org

Did a via ferrata today. The scariest part was a traverse across the side of a cliff. I'm good with heights. But with 600m (!) of nothing under me, I was frankly kinda scared and shaking a bit.

But objectively, that was very safe. Climbing gear works. The _actual_ most dangerous part was these innocent looking steps. Why? Because they're held in place by rebar stakes that could impale you if you tripped.

Your monkey brain is shit at assessing risk in a modern society. Think logically.

https://twitter.com/EduEngineer/status/1430096875080855553?s=09

"British Airways lost 4 out of 4000 pilots in one month during mass vaccination.
Similarly, JetBlue lost 5 out of less than 4000.

Using reasonable assumptions, I compute p-values of 0.0140 and 0.0025:"

Interesting.

If you're gonna specify kilometers to three decimal points, why not just say meters?

A human lifetime time sheet in weeks.

Now fill out your local lockdown.

Delta’s rise is fuelled by rampant spread from people who feel fine
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02259-2

You mean when you put enormous selective pressure in a virus to spread asymptomatically by shunning anyone with symptoms, it evolves to spread asymptomatically?

Wow, I would have never expected that! I thought viruses evolved according to the most up-to-date social justice.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/08/17/new-case-jabs-makes-idea-vaccine-passports-absurd/

Dumb take: the US Air Force depends on the exact same contractors themselves.

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/08/new-zealand-children-falling-ill-in-high-numbers-due-to-covid-immunity-debt

'“The lack of immune stimulation… induced an “immunity debt” which could have negative consequences when the pandemic is under control and [public health intervientions] are lifted,” the doctors wrote. “The longer these periods of ‘viral or bacterial low-exposure’ are, the greater the likelihood of future epidemics.”'

...and the more excuses public health gets to dominate our lives forever. Safer to assume bad faith here.

https://amp.smh.com.au/world/europe/astrazeneca-lead-scientist-says-delta-makes-mass-testing-pointless-in-uk-20210811-p58hpe.html

Kinda crazy for this to be in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Probably helps that AstraZeneca was developed by a university team, with less motives for profit...

"If there is a traffic jam, maybe there should be a traffic honey too?" @olko

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/tthis-chicken-vaccine-makes-virus-dangerous?s=09

Not mentioned: the vaccine mfgs have a financial interest in making leaky vaccines, as vaccination is now mandatory...

COVID-Zero: Was It Worth It? – Quillette
https://quillette.com/2021/08/09/covid-zero-was-it-worth-it/

"Sober, conservative analysis suggests that COVID-Zero costs hundreds of Australian lives each month."

"If COVID-19 was your ancestor’s saber-tooth tiger, then the lives lost every day to COVID-Zero is the cost of running away. The obvious difference is that your ancestor got away from the saber-tooth tiger. When we eventually reopen, COVID-19 will catch us."

Good sign: an older man had no qualms asking to sit at the same table as me in the restaurant car on the train as the rest were full, and he took of his mask immediately. No covid distancing nonsense.

Arrivals at Zurich airport does however have this going for it.