We cobbled together all the parts to built our own microinjection system for around $2500 so we can start engineering embryos. We did tests on Zebrafish eggs and we were able to successfully do a test injection.

The future is here it's just not equally distributed… yet pic.twitter.com/csh2Jv1Otr

— Josiah Zayner (@4LOVofScience) August 12, 2021

Yep. I did this as an intellectual exercise a few months ago, but I figured out that if you bought used equipment and weren’t attempting to make massive quantities, for $200,000 or so you could build your own vaccination pipeline, making mRNA vaccines. A smart person could get up to speed on this in six months to a year.

It’s amazing there has not been more bioterrorism because this stuff is getting very cheap and easy.

Another article that’s not really true.

In other words, the vaccines weren’t enough. Humanity anxiously awaited development of the first COVID-19 vaccines throughout 2020; now that those vaccines aren’t enough to permanently halt COVID-19, it would appear that vaccine manufacturers are pivoting their strategy.

If there were no anti-vaxxers and the vaccination rate had been around 90%, the mRNA vaccines would’ve been enough. (No matter what some very bad models claim). Yes, even against the Delta variant.

Contrary to what you might’ve read, the vaccines — particularly the mRNA ones — do prevent infection in most cases and do limit spread both by reducing viral load and the length of infection. Don’t believe the (mostly) liberal lies about this. That said, with persistent exposure you will probably get infected.

It depends too on what you mean by “permanently halt.” There was never a model in my head that this could’ve or would’ve occurred. Covid was always going to go endemic; Zero Covid was a very harmful fantasy that only resulted in (and is still resulting in) torturing many people for little gain and which promotes permanent lockdown as well as perpetual prison countries.

If it is not obvious, I keep thinking of No Country for Old Men in reference to the Covid disaster. They feel the same, have the same sonority. Both a tale of slow-motion but preventable catastrophes, with poor decisions leading to an inevitable and predicted tragedy.

We didn’t have to be here, but we are. Now many feel the need to resort to deceit about it all.

Months after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine, I continue to suffer side effects including perfect health and having to deal with morons.

— Marie Connor (@thistallawkgirl) August 6, 2021

Same. Another side effect is that my muscles are looking awesome.

Oh wait, that’s actually a side effect of working out all the damn time…which I can do because I am not dead of Covid since I got vaccinated.

I just became a rocket scientist; all you need to know:

The death of the filesystem (as a user-facing UI) is one of the most tragic losses in computing history. https://t.co/enCQOTJL63

— Screeching Voice of Kevin (@kevin_bowen) August 11, 2021

It is indeed a tragic loss. And the reason for it dying has absolutely nothing to do with “ease of use” or the latest bit of pedestrian hogwash, that hiding the file system is for “security.” The real reason is that removing access to the file system is yet another method to turn computing devices into locked-down vendor-controlled consumption boxes, devices where what is surfaced, what is capable of being found, is under someone’s else’s control. The algorithm and the search box will decide what you can find, what you can know — not you.

I’m constantly amazed by how easily people are hoodwinked and bamboozled by the appeals to “security” and the claim that something is being done for their own good, all when it directly and obviously harms them in very easy-to-see ways. How does that work? I think people want the wool pulled over their eyes in many cases. Far easier than thinking.

The really amazing thing about personal computers is that the same device that runs the software can be used to write the software. People buy them as consumers and then some fraction of consumers become creators. But that is not the case in a world of tablets and phones.

— Dr. Dad, PhD (@GarrettPetersen) August 12, 2021

Large corporations hated that world and are desperately trying to take it away. They will eventually fully succeed. I’m surprised that general purpose computers just weren’t outright banned already, but due to a fortuitous turn of events, that couldn’t happen nearly as quickly as large corps would’ve liked.

We’re in the last few years now where we can still sort of make our computers do what we want. Even now, it’s difficult and getting harder every day. In a short while it won’t be possible at all. For “security,” of course. What they fail to mention, though, is that it’s not for your security.

“They’re doing this because they LIKE lockdowns” has led to innumerable bad takes for months; now it’s leading people to miss how angry vaccinated people are at unvaccinated for forcing a return to precautions on their behalf. Like, I’m legit worried about the level of rage.

— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) August 10, 2021

I’m beyond rage at the deliberately unvaccinated and the anti-vaxxers. I could go ape on those motherfuckers in public and not feel an ounce of regret, so it’s right to be worried about that level of rage. I could handle going to jail for the delight of caving an anti-vaxxer’s face in.

However, I do think a lot of the blue state scoldy people do actually like lockdown — maybe not even lockdown itself, but the ritual and asceticism around it. And of course the opportunity to scold, castigate and admonish has a lot of value to them. If lockdown and masking goes away, they lose that source of great joy.

It’s a mess. And if it ain’t, it’ll do till the mess gets here.

Access to all the world’s knowledge is not worth being constantly under surveillance, and for a lot of people that is going to be the end state of the com revolution.

— Ian Welsh (@iwelsh) August 11, 2021

That does appear to be the case. What sf novel was that where everyone had cameras and/or surveillance devices in their very blood? Seems like we might actually go that far.

And by the way I actually wasn’t kidding the other day about how it’s likely that vendors will start screenshotting our screens every five seconds. Or just a continuous feed saved off somewhere. I think that’s very, very likely.

Can we go back?

The first ten on today’s playlist: