Sunday, May 31, 2020
Saturday, May 30, 2020
COVID-19
I was talking to my friend in Utah, and his perspective on COVID-19 was much more optimistic and mine more negative. Utah has not been impacted as much as Indiana. Their death rate is lower.
I am concerned that people are too lax or will become too lax. When I went into Sam's Club people were wearing masks and keeping their distance, but Walmart was like the wild west. People weren't wearing masks. Families were shopping together. Not enough people were being careful.
I would like nothing better than for the disease to slow down, but we aren't seeing that in Indiana.
I'm concerned that if people are too lax then we will get a surge.
--
Best wishes,
John Coffey
http://www.entertainmentjourney.com
I am concerned that people are too lax or will become too lax. When I went into Sam's Club people were wearing masks and keeping their distance, but Walmart was like the wild west. People weren't wearing masks. Families were shopping together. Not enough people were being careful.
I would like nothing better than for the disease to slow down, but we aren't seeing that in Indiana.
I'm concerned that if people are too lax then we will get a surge.
--
Best wishes,
John Coffey
http://www.entertainmentjourney.com
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Re: Central Park: White woman ID'ed as Amy Cooper in NYC calls police on black man over dog leash
NEW YORK, May 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- I want to apologize to Chris Cooper for my actions when I encountered him in Central Park yesterday. I reacted emotionally and made false assumptions about his intentions when, in fact, I was the one who was acting inappropriately by not having my dog on a leash. When Chris began offering treats to my dog and confronted me in an area where there was no one else nearby and said, "You're not going to like what I'm going to do next," I assumed we were being threatened when all he had intended to do was record our encounter on his phone. He had every right to request that I leash my dog in an area where it was required. I am well aware of the pain that misassumptions and insensitive statements about race cause and would never have imagined that I would be involved in the type of incident that occurred with Chris. I hope that a few mortifying seconds in a lifetime of forty years will not define me in his eyes and that he will accept my sincere apology.
SOURCE Amy Cooper
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/statement-from-amy-cooper-on-central-park-incident-301065492.html
On Wed, May 27, 2020 at 12:12 AM John Coffey <john2001plus@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYe-3ccXnPA
>
> On Wed, May 27, 2020 at 12:01 AM John Coffey <john2001plus@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lalQ3ABWIZA
>>
>> Often there two sides to every story. My personal experience with the press is that they always get the details wrong. We only see her demeanor and not the demeanor of the person doing the filming, which makes this one-sided. She seems agitated that a complete stranger is giving her orders and filming her against her permission. I would certainly be upset even if I am in the wrong. I am wondering why she is so agitated, and we don't know what transpired before the filming took place. At times the way she retreats she seems frightened. However, her statement that "I'm going to tell them (the police) that an African American man is threatening my life" means that she is either delusional or just evil. That seems to be going too far. Her bad treatment of her dog doesn't help, because she comes across as aggressive.
>>
>>
>> Her apology indicates that she realized that she was in the wrong or is just saving face. I think that it is unfortunate that the incident happened at all, but I can't imagine going up to a complete stranger and start ordering them around, especially over something as minor as a dog leash. I have seen similar behavior in public over smoking, where people get quite upset, but this just comes across to me as rude.
>
>
>
> --
> Best wishes,
>
> John Coffey
>
> http://www.entertainmentjourney.com
Re: Central Park: White woman ID'ed as Amy Cooper in NYC calls police on black man over dog leash
On Wed, May 27, 2020 at 12:01 AM John Coffey <john2001plus@gmail.com> wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lalQ3ABWIZA
Often there two sides to every story. My personal experience with the press is that they always get the details wrong. We only see her demeanor and not the demeanor of the person doing the filming, which makes this one-sided. She seems agitated that a complete stranger is giving her orders and filming her against her permission. I would certainly be upset even if I am in the wrong. I am wondering why she is so agitated, and we don't know what transpired before the filming took place. At times the way she retreats she seems frightened. However, her statement that "I'm going to tell them (the police) that an African American man is threatening my life" means that she is either delusional or just evil. That seems to be going too far. Her bad treatment of her dog doesn't help, because she comes across as aggressive.
Her apology indicates that she realized that she was in the wrong or is just saving face. I think that it is unfortunate that the incident happened at all, but I can't imagine going up to a complete stranger and start ordering them around, especially over something as minor as a dog leash. I have seen similar behavior in public over smoking, where people get quite upset, but this just comes across to me as rude.
Central Park: White woman ID'ed as Amy Cooper in NYC calls police on black man over dog leash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lalQ3ABWIZA
Often there two sides to every story. My personal experience with the press is that they always get the details wrong. We only see her demeanor and not the demeanor of the person doing the filming, which makes this one-sided. She seems agitated that a complete stranger is giving her orders and filming her against her permission. I would certainly be upset even if I am in the wrong. I am wondering why she is so agitated, and we don't know what transpired before the filming took place. At times the way she retreats she seems frightened. However, her statement that "I'm going to tell them (the police) that an African American man is threatening my life" means that she is either delusional or just evil. That seems to be going too far. Her bad treatment of her dog doesn't help, because she comes across as aggressive.
Her apology indicates that she realized that she was in the wrong or is just saving face. I think that it is unfortunate that the incident happened at all, but I can't imagine going up to a complete stranger and start ordering them around, especially over something as minor as a dog leash. I have seen similar behavior in public over smoking, where people get quite upset, but this just comes across to me as rude.
Often there two sides to every story. My personal experience with the press is that they always get the details wrong. We only see her demeanor and not the demeanor of the person doing the filming, which makes this one-sided. She seems agitated that a complete stranger is giving her orders and filming her against her permission. I would certainly be upset even if I am in the wrong. I am wondering why she is so agitated, and we don't know what transpired before the filming took place. At times the way she retreats she seems frightened. However, her statement that "I'm going to tell them (the police) that an African American man is threatening my life" means that she is either delusional or just evil. That seems to be going too far. Her bad treatment of her dog doesn't help, because she comes across as aggressive.
Her apology indicates that she realized that she was in the wrong or is just saving face. I think that it is unfortunate that the incident happened at all, but I can't imagine going up to a complete stranger and start ordering them around, especially over something as minor as a dog leash. I have seen similar behavior in public over smoking, where people get quite upset, but this just comes across to me as rude.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
COVID-19 numbers
What do the numbers tell us? The world has double the number of known cases it had one month ago. There have been half a million new cases in just the last four days. The United States has about 90% more cases in one month. Indiana has 129% more cases than one month ago, and the number in Indiana continues to rise at a linear rate.
The rate of testing is a major factor in how many cases we see. There are likely many more that we don't know about.
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Trump's Biggest Failure - China
Although this video from last October is long, it gives a very detailed account of China's aggressive foreign and economic policies. The ending is not kind to Trump. I think that it is relevant considering that the current pandemic came from China.
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Various Comments from my friend Al
Good call. Keep in mind we're hunkering down to avoid getting sick. In reality, we're waiting for the vaccine. If we can stay healthy we can live long enough to get the vaccine. If there is no vaccine, it's just a matter of time before we're infected. Once infected we'll have to endure the effects of COVID-19 and hope for the best.
It surprises me when I see married couples and boyfriend & girlfriends at the supermarket. If you're married with children, only the Mom or Dad should expose themselves. They should decide who will dodge the bullets (COVID-19). There's no sense in both of them exposing themselves.
You wouldn't believe Fishers. People are wandering around like it's a regular day off. Some in pairs and some in groups of 3 or 4. No social distancing. It's hard to believe they are not watching the same news you and I watch. I guess they're bored to tears.
Ikr? It's hard for me understand people. Obviously, more people stayed home than attended Saturday's protest. So, most people understand the concept of social distancing. Unfortunately, we get reckless close to home. People somehow believe you can't get infected in a Kroger or a Walmart. Lol
How many Klingons does it take to change a light bulb?
Two. One to change the bulb and the other to insult him for being afraid of the dark.
I went to Kroger's today and I was shocked to see how people are letting their guard down. Just because the state has started to open up a little doesn't mean the pandemic is over. My local Kroger's had the largest amount of mouth-breathers I've seen in one spot since viewing The Walking Dead. People really have no regard for the safety of others or any respect for front line workers who are trying to battle COVID-19. I think as states continue to open businesses people will become victims of their own stupid decisions. Some should order a large batch of Darwin Awards this year because there are going to be a lot of deserving to win one. Lol
Best wishes,
John Coffey
It surprises me when I see married couples and boyfriend & girlfriends at the supermarket. If you're married with children, only the Mom or Dad should expose themselves. They should decide who will dodge the bullets (COVID-19). There's no sense in both of them exposing themselves.
You wouldn't believe Fishers. People are wandering around like it's a regular day off. Some in pairs and some in groups of 3 or 4. No social distancing. It's hard to believe they are not watching the same news you and I watch. I guess they're bored to tears.
Ikr? It's hard for me understand people. Obviously, more people stayed home than attended Saturday's protest. So, most people understand the concept of social distancing. Unfortunately, we get reckless close to home. People somehow believe you can't get infected in a Kroger or a Walmart. Lol
How many Klingons does it take to change a light bulb?
Two. One to change the bulb and the other to insult him for being afraid of the dark.
I went to Kroger's today and I was shocked to see how people are letting their guard down. Just because the state has started to open up a little doesn't mean the pandemic is over. My local Kroger's had the largest amount of mouth-breathers I've seen in one spot since viewing The Walking Dead. People really have no regard for the safety of others or any respect for front line workers who are trying to battle COVID-19. I think as states continue to open businesses people will become victims of their own stupid decisions. Some should order a large batch of Darwin Awards this year because there are going to be a lot of deserving to win one. Lol
Best wishes,
John Coffey
Monday, May 11, 2020
Indiana death toll
In the state of Indiana, there were 260 deaths in the last week. There were 567 deaths in the last two weeks.
COVID-19 deaths worldwide
With the numbers ever increasing, I think that people lose sight of the scale of COVID-19. Worldwide there were 32,000+ deaths in the last week. That is about 11 times the death toll of 9-11 in a week. In the last two weeks, there have been over 73,000 deaths.
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Back On Track Indiana: What's Open, What's Closed?
There are multiple scenarios that could happen, varying from COVID-19 quietly going away, to COVID-19 being an extinction-level event. Although the latter is unlikely, the disease doesn't show much sign of slowing down either.
The Future of Humanity
Something I wrote last year:
I see a danger to the future existence of the human race, and it is the kind of thing that people should think about and prepare for now. Sometime in the next 50 years, machines will be smarter than people. There are major technical hurdles to overcome, such as the inevitable end of Moore's Law, which probably means that it is not right around the corner or even within the next couple of decades, but it will happen, and easily within this century. And if for some reason it does happen within the next couple of decades then that means the results will be upon us that much sooner.
We can predict what will happen next and follow it to its logical conclusion, which is a future without people.
As machines become smarter, people will become increasingly reliant on technology. We can see that already with smartphones, which only have been with us for barely over a decade. Eventually, machines will do all the heavy mental work, which will make our lives easier, but also make us more dependent.
And since we will be so dependent on the machines, we will start incorporating them into us. This will evolve over time until we are no longer purely human, but human-machine hybrids. Perhaps when your biological brain dies, the machine part of you will be able to continue with all your memories intact. Maybe it would have an artificial body or maybe it will exist in a virtual world. It is likely that some would prefer to live in a virtual world where they can do more things than they could in the real world. Taken to the eventual extreme, our descendants would no longer bother with biological bodies and prefer to exist as machine intelligence either in the real world or in virtual ones.
The evolutionary pressure will be against purely biological people. Having machines incorporated into you will make you more productive, competitive, and increase your quality of life.
The future I describe might be long distant, but if it is not the future we want for the human race then we should start thinking about it now. Maybe we could have a Pure Human movement that would prohibit the merging of machine intelligence with human intelligence? This could be roughly analogous to the current legal ban on human cloning, because we very likely have the technology right now to clone humans, but countries ban it because they are uneasy about the implications of where that might take us.
However, we might not be able to prevent it. Linking machines with human intelligence is likely to happen in such small steps that we will easily adjust to it. It is sort of happening already with our dependence on computers. It could also start as a series of military applications where having the most effective soldiers determines who wins wars. And once the genie is out of the bottle, we will never get it back in.
--
Best wishes,
John Coffey
http://www.entertainmentjourney.com
I see a danger to the future existence of the human race, and it is the kind of thing that people should think about and prepare for now. Sometime in the next 50 years, machines will be smarter than people. There are major technical hurdles to overcome, such as the inevitable end of Moore's Law, which probably means that it is not right around the corner or even within the next couple of decades, but it will happen, and easily within this century. And if for some reason it does happen within the next couple of decades then that means the results will be upon us that much sooner.
We can predict what will happen next and follow it to its logical conclusion, which is a future without people.
As machines become smarter, people will become increasingly reliant on technology. We can see that already with smartphones, which only have been with us for barely over a decade. Eventually, machines will do all the heavy mental work, which will make our lives easier, but also make us more dependent.
And since we will be so dependent on the machines, we will start incorporating them into us. This will evolve over time until we are no longer purely human, but human-machine hybrids. Perhaps when your biological brain dies, the machine part of you will be able to continue with all your memories intact. Maybe it would have an artificial body or maybe it will exist in a virtual world. It is likely that some would prefer to live in a virtual world where they can do more things than they could in the real world. Taken to the eventual extreme, our descendants would no longer bother with biological bodies and prefer to exist as machine intelligence either in the real world or in virtual ones.
The evolutionary pressure will be against purely biological people. Having machines incorporated into you will make you more productive, competitive, and increase your quality of life.
The future I describe might be long distant, but if it is not the future we want for the human race then we should start thinking about it now. Maybe we could have a Pure Human movement that would prohibit the merging of machine intelligence with human intelligence? This could be roughly analogous to the current legal ban on human cloning, because we very likely have the technology right now to clone humans, but countries ban it because they are uneasy about the implications of where that might take us.
However, we might not be able to prevent it. Linking machines with human intelligence is likely to happen in such small steps that we will easily adjust to it. It is sort of happening already with our dependence on computers. It could also start as a series of military applications where having the most effective soldiers determines who wins wars. And once the genie is out of the bottle, we will never get it back in.
--
Best wishes,
John Coffey
http://www.entertainmentjourney.com
Friday, May 8, 2020
Flynn Goes Free | The Ben Shapiro Show Ep. 1007
The first twenty-three minutes breaks down the Flynn case pretty well
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Sunday, May 3, 2020
People aren't doing enough.
When I passed Wendy's, there was a huge line of cars in the drive-through, and people, mostly employees apparently on break, were hanging out together maybe with some other people in the parking lot.
I went to Sam's Club to get some supplies, and there were people there not wearing masks and families shopping together. I have also seen families shopping together at Walmart. There is no reason for more than one person from a family to be doing the shopping, and more people need to be using the curbside pickup as I have been doing.
I have also seen people in my neighborhood having outdoor parties.
The mood of the country seems to be that we want this to be over. People are encouraged by news that some restrictions will be eased up, albeit rather slowly and in some places more than others, so they are taking this as an indication that they can do whatever they want.
However, the pandemic is not over. The number of cases continues to increase, and it doesn't even show signs of slowing down.
I need to remind people that the death rate in Indiana is 5%. I do not want to die, nor I do not want my close relatives to die, nor would I want to be terribly sick gasping for air for a couple of weeks assuming that I didn't die in the process.
What restrictions will be lifted will be done slowly and first in specific areas that appear to have less risk. We need to test the waters slowly to see if we can get by with this.
Many people see this as both a freedom issue and an economic issue. Although I sympathize, our country has been through much larger struggles where people had to make sacrifices. In times of emergency, the government has to go to extraordinary measures not only to keep us safe but to also keep the economy going.
In this regard, consider a hypothetical scenario: Suppose for whatever reason there was radioactive fallout and the government told us that in order to stay safe and to keep others safe that we need to stay in our homes most of the time. In this case, how many people would defy the government orders in the name of freedom?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)