Monkinetic Weblog

4 years ago, as #Covid19 was just beginning to crest across the world, I started a new postiion as Senior Python Engineer at YouGov. I enjoyed my work immensely and got to help build some truly interesting things (more on that later 😁).

Sadly, Aug 01, 2024 was my last day at YouGov. I worked with the great people in the Research Platforms department for 4 years, helping to build and improve the systems that connect our amazing Panel to the research surveys that guide many organizations' product and political decision-making.

I worked with a great crew and especially want to say thank you to Allan Crooks and Clayton Butler, and the teams they led, for their leadership, and their inspiration adn guidance.

There are too many other folks to list, but I hope they know how much I enjoyed working together to do good things.

So now I'm looking for a new position focusing on #python #webservices #backendsystems, and/or #dataengineering. In addition to getting deep into technical solutions, I really enjoy working across teams to fully understand use cases, stakeholders' pain points, and help define solutions that have the best ROI possible.

Check out my resumé at https://monkinetic.blog/resume.

My privileged, suburban zip code in Gilbert, AZ is 12 square miles. I remember when we had 18 cases of #covid19. We're at 530 now.

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John Gruber responds to a new article in The Guardian that people with even mild coronavirus systems can be having serious brain disorders (for example strokes, encephalomyelitis, and psychotic episodes):

Germany yesterday reported 298 new cases of COVID-19.

The U.S. reported over 55,000. Just yesterday. It is raging out of control here in the United States. It’s that simple. We’ve lost any handle on it we might have had, infections are now raging out of control, and a large segment of the population has decided to pretend it isn’t happening and isn’t a big deal if you do get it.

For those of us who’ve been taking this seriously since March, it’s soul-crushing that this is where we’re at after four months of isolation. It sucks. We who’ve done the right thing are the ones most yearning for — and let’s be honest, most deserving of — a few tastes of normalcy.

I am begging everyone I know - please recognize that it is insane, or worse cruel, to pretend this isn't happening, or that it's a plot from people on the other end of a political spectrum to inconvenience you or steal your precious individual liberties... this is hundreds of thousands of friends and families suffering or dead.

Do the right thing — stay home as much as you can, wear a mask and keep your distance when you’re out. You don’t want to get this and you don’t want your family to get it.

We're number one #arizona #transmission #covid19 @dougducey

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Soon we are headed out to California for 5 days just to get out of Arizona for a bit. But this is not "vacation", this is "move the quarantine temporarily to another state". We realized this morning that planning family #travel is more complicated now, with way less mental energy available to plan.

What used to be pretty standard "get us out of the house for 5 days" activities now feel like huge tasks which we have to accomplish with our brains 94% occupied by #covid19 #blacklivesmatter #racism, and other current events. Just the idea of cleaning house (for the pet-sitter) feels insurmountable.

it-aint-pretty tags: covid19 title: Arizona and COVID19 - it ain't pretty twitter_id: "1272883580348194817" twitter_url: https://twitter.com/steveivy/status/1272883580348194817

Governor Ducey - please take action NOW #covid19

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Sent today to the office of #arizona Governor Ducey:

Governor Ducey,

It is paramount that in the face of skyrocketing #COVID19 cases in Arizona, your office issue actionable guidance on mask/face covering usage to slow the community spread of the novel coronavirus. My family and I wear masks anytime we leave the house or our car, but we see almost no one doing the same right now unless the destination specifically requires it.

There are too many citizens who take your office's "recommendations" as hand-waving suggestions, and the numbers speak for themselves.

Please, for the sake of your citizens, speak out quickly and strongly. Mandate mask usage in public for all our safety.

Sincerely,

--Steve Ivy Gilbert, AZ

Arizona residents: Contact Governor Ducey

Research continues to show that masks/face coverings DO help prevent community spread of the #covid19 virus. Please, Arizonans: wear masks anytime you are well, most any place.

Population-wide face mask use could push COVID-19 transmission down to controllable levels for national epidemics, and could prevent further waves of the pandemic disease when combined with lockdowns, according to a British study on Wednesday.

Reuters: Widespread mask-wearing could prevent COVID-19 second waves: study

"Our analyses support the immediate and universal adoption of face masks by the public," said Richard Stutt, who co-led the study at Cambridge.

He said combining widespread mask use with social distancing and some lockdown measures, could be “an acceptable way of managing the pandemic and re-opening economic activity” before the development of an effective vaccine against COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.

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How's that working out Arizona #covid19 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/states-reopen-map-coronavirus.html

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So far in 2020 I’ve read 30 books #quarantine #covid19

God money's not looking for the cure God money's not concerned about the sick among the pure

-- Head like a Hole

#covid19

Another week, another 157107 #covid19 cases #uspol ... I've started hearing the "we don't believe the numbers" responses first-hand #SMH

You know what's manly and cool? Doing whatever it takes to protect your family, friends, neighbors, and community regardless of what others think. Oh you thought I meant a gun? No, WEAR A MASK #covid19

Love that trend line that says Arizona can start lifting pandemic activity restrictions #ohwait #covid19

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Wanting to pull together some thoughts on the novel coronavirus #COVID19, and where we are here in #Arizona. But there's so much to pull together I just get so tired. 🦠🗑🔥

I'm compiling the books I've read just since April 9th - I'm up to 12, with 2 in-progress, one of which is Scalzi's Last Emperox #covid19 #reading

Sifting Through the Pandemic is a site about how to recognize misinformation on social media, focused -- obviously -- on information about the pandemic. OneZero provides an example in this article, where someone claiming to be a doctor posted that hand-sanitizer would do nothing to kill the coronavirus (False!).

What I love about the infodemic.blog system (SIFT) is how simple and memorable it is:

• Stop
• Investigate the Source
• Find Better Coverage
• Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context

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Trump seeks to further distance himself from increasingly unpopular and politically costly coronavirus lockdowns.

"Unpopular", "politically costly", but effective at flattening the curve. I think maybe people don't realize that in order to #flattenthecurve on #covid19 you have to maintain the suppression activities over the life of the curve. If you stop, the curve goes back up.

This are projections for Arizona from CovidActNow.org:

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Right now the "expected hospitalizations" curve is nice and flat, but lift the restrictions on activities too soon, and the demand for beds exceeds supply in about 10 days. Calling for new restrictions after they've been lifted would be a hard sell to a population frustrated with the isolation and hurting from the economic effects we're already seeing. There's no easy answer, but I believe that solutions are going to involved more government aid to -- yes, small businesses -- but especially to disadvantaged populations who are getting hit the worst.

#lockdown #stayhomestaysafe

Drowning is silent. There is no splashing. No cries for help. Every breath is precious. None can be spared.

This pandemic is silent.

There Is No Noise in a Covid-19 Emergency Room

#covid19