The coronavirus delta variant hasn’t stunted the U.S. economy so far. Here’s why.

Because we are actually fighting against the lockdown lifers now is one big reason. Have to keep up the battle against them, and the kid-torturers. Anti-vax idiots, too.

Masks Are Back, Maybe for the Long Term.

But should not be. Terrible idea. If you’re vaccinated, it’s mostly pointless. Fuck masks.

The delta variant and covid-19 burnout.

I don’t understand this. The vaccines work, particularly the mRNA ones. Even if you get infected after vaccination, it’s roughly a mild cold. Most people get little more than the sniffles. Many are completely asymptomatic.

This fucking death cult of “completely safe” has utterly melted everyone’s minds.

Get vaxxed. Get the booster when it’s available. Live your damn life. You’ll be ok.

mall music stores in the 80's pic.twitter.com/7BcAwqGrFp

— QueenCityJamz (@QueenCityJamz) August 6, 2021

I remember all of these. A few of them, I only went into once or twice.

The lower right photo, the one of Musicland, is definitely not from the 1980s. (I suspect some of the others are not as well.) It’s from roughly late November or early December 1994. Speed was released on VHS November 8, 1994, so that’s when the promo stand-up would’ve been at the front of the store.

who exactly is stunned by this, i gotta know https://t.co/ZiDIDxzLMs

— Bo Bolander (@BBolander) August 7, 2021

Having been to many non-rich countries, I can confirm that many of them also have far better health care than the US. That people defend this system and cannot imagine anything better is just fucking insane.

Well. Some North Texas smaller ERs are closing tonight to consolidate staffs at other places. I’ve been doing this a while and this is the worst I’ve seen ERs ever.

If you chose not to vax, from the bottom of my heart, screw you.

— GruntDoc (@gruntdoc) August 6, 2021

Indeed. Time to start levying massive penalties against these assclowns, house arrest, murder charges, kids taken away, the works.

I know we won’t, but a guy can dream.

It's wild to me that a bunch of infosec people traveled to Vegas during a pandemic.

I get if you're forced to go, but damn.

— Chad Loder (@chadloder) August 6, 2021

Hi, have you heard about these vaccines that in almost all people prevent any severe illness and/or chance of hospitalization and death?

They’re pretty cool, you should totally look into them!

Apple some years back: We can’t hack our encryption because we need our users to trust software updates.

Apple today: We are going to use a software update to install a mass surveillance application on every single iPhone in the US https://t.co/dXm0I68Sie

— abolish the filibuster (@onekade) August 6, 2021

It’s time to get off the Apple ecosystem, I think. I guess it’s back to Linux for me. In the phone space, probably a fliphone again.

Don’t know the timeframe, but this surveillance is inevitably going to be used to police thoughtcrime, etc. That is its whole point, after all. I know Apple feels the need to sell many more iPhones in China, but doesn’t mean I have to turn myself into a surveillance guinea pig so Tim Cook can get a bit richer.

Moderna’s final analysis of our Phase 3 COVE Study is out (median follow-up 5.3 months):

•Against COVID-19: 93.2%
•Against severe COVID-19: 98.2%
•Against death caused by COVID-19: 100%

— Chise 🧬🧫🦠💉 (@sailorrooscout) August 5, 2021

Very nice. Immunity seems to persist well. Delta boosters also make sense, though the vaccine is still quite effective even against that variant. I always expected boosters to be required.

Apple’s plan to “think different” about encryption opens a backdoor to your life.

If it’s not clear, Apple’s move doesn’t really have anything to do with CSA at all. That’s just the usual “think of the children” canard that everyone trots out when they want to ramp up surveillance and label anyone who objects a monster. What this is eventually aiming for is the Chinese market.

Right now this evil anti-feature will only be enabled in the US. However, it’s easier for Apple to trial something in the States. The real goal, though, is introducing this in the Chinese market so the iPhone gets the CCP stamp of approval. Apple has had a bit of trouble selling iPhones in China partially because Apple phones have historically been a little more privacy-focused, which of course the CCP does not appreciate.

It doesn’t matter to Apple (or anyone) if this snares innocent people because it’s not about that. It’s all about selling more iPhones in China. Once you bring geopolitics and multinational corporate thoughtspace into the mix, the move makes a lot more sense. The hash detection database/AI at first will only flag the most heinous things but as it expands (and especially in China, but inevitably here too), it’ll start reporting thoughtcrime, banned memes, cancellable ideas, etc.

Financially this will be a huge net win for Apple so I don’t see any possibility of it being reversed as the Chinese market is so large.