Hacker News: AndrewBissell

We Opened the Schools and ... It Was Fine

AndrewBissell — Sun, 05 Dec 2021 18:14:19 +0000

Article URL: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/12/we-opened-schools-and-it-was-fine/620824/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29451343

Points: 2

# Comments: 1

Why scientists think the new variant may have emerged in an HIV patient

AndrewBissell — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 19:57:51 +0000

Article URL: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/scientists-think-new-variant-may-have-emerged-hiv-patient/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29353527

Points: 10

# Comments: 0

New comment by AndrewBissell in "The Impact of Vitamin D Level on Covid-19: Systematic Review Meta-Analysis"

AndrewBissell — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 15:08:45 +0000

> Given that a lot of the COVID morbidity and mortality is the cytokine storm rather than the infection itself, I wouldn't consider it a priori clear that Vitamin D helps, is neutral, or harms patients who get COVID.

Autocrine vitamin D signaling switches off pro-inflammatory programs of cells: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-021-01080-3

New comment by AndrewBissell in "The Impact of Vitamin D Level on Covid-19: Systematic Review Meta-Analysis"

AndrewBissell — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 15:02:31 +0000

> This is not as strong a conclusion as it first sounds, for two reasons.

1. This says nothing about Vitamin D as a cure once you got infected. It might work, or it might not, but this study simply does not address the question at all.

Huh? Everyone I know who thinks vitamin D might be helpful says you need to supplement with it on a consistent, ongoing basis, not try to take big catch-up doses once you get sick or wind up in the hospital. Given how safe and cheap it is (and that adequate vitamin D levels may be associated with a range of other improved health outcomes as well), even a 25% reduction in those risks would be a big deal.

New comment by AndrewBissell in "BioNTech says it expects more data on new variant in two weeks"

AndrewBissell — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 14:58:34 +0000

> Should it be necessary, Pfizer and BioNTech would be able to redesign their shot within 6 weeks and ship initial batches within 100 days, BioNTech added.

BioNTech says it expects more data on new variant in two weeks

AndrewBissell — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 14:57:50 +0000

Article URL: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-biontech-says-expects-more-131627959.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29350744

Points: 4

# Comments: 1

Portugal returns to Covid restrictions despite high jab rate

AndrewBissell — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 03:00:41 +0000

Article URL: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-health-europe-pandemics-0bb530dc611841344773b1d992eefd21

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29347137

Points: 30

# Comments: 2

New comment by AndrewBissell in "B.1.1.529"

AndrewBissell — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 21:57:51 +0000

I call this the "No True Lockdown" argument. If they fail to indefinitely prevent significant outbreaks (and in nearly every case they have), well, it just means they weren't implemented soon enough. Even if they drag on for weeks and months with zero cases, only to have an outbreak at the slightest loosening of restrictions. I guess the idea is that if the entire world did this at once the virus would disappear? Completely unworkable, and almost surely false, given the existence of animal reservoirs.

Your entire framing of these policy choices as inevitable and the only option is baseless. Australia and New Zealand used to be held up as the shining lights of "just act fast enough and you can avoid the need for any sustained restrictions" and now we are seeing just how well kicking the can in that way actually works, and the lengths that must be gone to keep kicking it.

New comment by AndrewBissell in "B.1.1.529"

AndrewBissell — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 21:27:09 +0000

"limited downsides"

https://news.yahoo.com/remote-learning-led-to-catastrophic-l...

https://www.wfp.org/stories/hunger-pandemic-food-security-re...

https://gazette.com/business/nearly-40-of-u-s-small-business... https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/the-imp...

Northern Territory authorities 'surge' into remote communities to give vaccines

AndrewBissell — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 20:25:41 +0000

Article URL: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-11-24/nt-covid-binjari-rockhole-outbreak-vaccine-surge/100640078

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29344696

Points: 3

# Comments: 0

Grant: Vaccines will never eliminate COVID, so it's time to pivot our response

AndrewBissell — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 01:42:52 +0000

Article URL: https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/grant-vaccines-will-never-eliminate-covid-so-its-time-to-pivot-our-response

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29337373

Points: 19

# Comments: 6

Is a New Eugenics Afoot? (2001)

AndrewBissell — Thu, 25 Nov 2021 01:34:55 +0000

Article URL: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1066325

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29337322

Points: 7

# Comments: 3

Operation Paper: The United States and Drugs in Thailand and Burma (2010)

AndrewBissell — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 00:57:37 +0000

Article URL: https://apjjf.org/-Peter-Dale-Scott/3436/article.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29325733

Points: 5

# Comments: 0

The Fascist History of Disney Is Still Influencing American Life (2017)

AndrewBissell — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 04:07:13 +0000

Article URL: https://www.pastemagazine.com/politics/walt-disney/walt-the-quasi-nazi-the-fascist-history-of-disney/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29314486

Points: 12

# Comments: 1

New comment by AndrewBissell in "When are enums not a code smell?"

AndrewBissell — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 17:08:38 +0000

Every one of these language toolbox books should come with a disclaimer for new devs up front about how the mark of a good craftsmen is knowing when to use the tools, when to bend or break their rules and guidelines, etc. I know it certainly might have saved me a fair bit of grief and oddly written code.

New comment by AndrewBissell in "When are enums not a code smell?"

AndrewBissell — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 14:44:13 +0000

Somehow I knew it must have been a dependency injection advocate who came up with the idea that enums are a code smell.

New comment by AndrewBissell in "People in 150 cities globally standing up to authoritarian controls on freedoms"

AndrewBissell — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 03:24:37 +0000

"schismogenesis"

I'm just curious, did you happen to pick up that term from Jasun Horsley?

Across Europe, protests swell against pandemic restrictions

AndrewBissell — Sun, 21 Nov 2021 02:04:39 +0000

Article URL: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/europe-protests-restrictions-rotterdam/2021/11/20/298d8f7c-4a14-11ec-beca-3cc7103bd814_story.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29293545

Points: 4

# Comments: 3

Investigation launched into abnormal spike in newborn baby deaths in Scotland

AndrewBissell — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 17:34:40 +0000

Article URL: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19726487.investigation-launched-abnormal-spike-newborn-baby-deaths-scotland/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29279856

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

New comment by AndrewBissell in "Austria makes Covid19 vaccination mandatory as of Feb 2022"

AndrewBissell — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 14:33:24 +0000

Yes, whereas we only get the raw unadulterated truth from our media outlets and tech censors here in the West.