When I wrote a few weeks ago about the passing of my brother-in-spirit, Ken Gibson, I mentioned that he was caring for his father, who had himself been in the hospital for two days when Ken died.Ken's father was also named Kenneth Gibson, and this had been a source of confusion for me and others, going all the way back to high school when I had to remember to ask for "John" … [Read more...] about Ken Gibson, Rest In Peace (reprise)
N95 or Bust!
This tweet reminded me that it's probably time for an update to my series of posts on COVID-19 masking:Public health messaging about this has been terrible. The truth is that not all masks are created equally, and some masks are much better than others. I think public health authorities have been reluctant to say this out loud for a number of reasons, such as not wanting … [Read more...] about N95 or Bust!
Ken Gibson, Rest In Peace
My brother just died. He wasn't really my brother -- I never had any siblings -- but he was the closest thing to a brother I've ever had.I first met Kenneth John Gibson in the fall of 1978, at Luther North High School on the northwest side of Chicago. We had a bunch of classes in common and we teamed up in Unified Science class the first year. The class was a 70s-modern … [Read more...] about Ken Gibson, Rest In Peace
Inflation or Productivity Loss?
I'm seeing a lot of online chatter about inflation lately, and naturally the commentary has the stink of politics on it. Republicans are trying to pin the price increases on Biden and the Democrats. The Democrats, in turn, are trying to minimize the problem by denying that the inflation is as bad as it seems -- currently 6.8% [1], higher than it's been at any other time this … [Read more...] about Inflation or Productivity Loss?
Dune – Review
I still don't care.I still don't care about House Atreides and House Harkonnen. I'm tired of hearing about the Bene Gesserit and the Kwisatz Haderach, the Padishah Emperor and his Imperial Sardaukar troops, and Paul's mysterious connection to the Fremen (He knows how to wear a stillsuit correctly, oh my!). The whole wheels-within-wheels, schemes-within-schemes, … [Read more...] about Dune – Review