Now a fizz shortage?

Coronavirus crisis may disrupt US production of beer, soda - New York Daily News

Brewers and soda-makers rely heavily on carbon dioxide, or CO2, the chemical responsible for the carbonization of their products. However, a recent drop in ethanol production in the U.S. could lead to a drastic shortage of the fizz-creating chemical, and result in a production nightmare for the beverage industry.

https://bit.ly/2VntlbP

Actually I thought beer got its fizz from, you know, being beer. But it seems I might have missed something there. And how producing ethanol is linked to carbon dioxide I have no clue.

Maybe I should have taken that second semester of chemistry after all.

No grog

Yes, it snowed last night, but not as much as they said it would

Five inches is what they said, that was the NWS Boston office, but I never believed it for a minute, not in our pleasant valley. Less than one is what happened, but it was snow nonetheless, overnight. And then it rained all morning and into the afternoon and washed all the snow away, and what we wound up with was just another cold, windy, wet day, just like yesterday and the day before.

I'm considering making this summer black-and-white.

It just seems appropriate, somehow.

Apparently they still use snail mail on the Upper East Side

 Coronavirus causing mail interruptions across NYC

"I am angry," said boiling building occupant Josh Baran, 63. "I understand that they may be short, some people may be out sick. But for a week?  That's unacceptable. Does that mean I won't have mail for a month?"

https://bit.ly/3bvtVJO

OK, coronavirus, now you've gone too far

Shakespeare in the Park canceled for the first time in 58 years

https://bit.ly/2KaveCb

Really, this is priceless

Trump is the only person who can decide to re-open businesses and restart the economy, he says.

Fine. So what is his decision?

His decision is: You guys do it.

Be very wary of Trump’s health surveillance plans - The Washington Post

[Ed. Or, for that matter, anybody's.]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/16/be-very-wary-trumps-health-surveillance-plans/

Ducks in a truck

Answers, they expected?

Glitches and 'payment status not available' message prevent $1,200 stimulus checks from reaching millions of Americans - The Washington Post

The IRS launched a "Get My Payment" tool Wednesday for people to track the status of their payment and enter direct deposit information, but many who used it said they received a message saying "Payment Status Not Available," a frustration that left them without answers.

https://wapo.st/2xq0dHJ

Touching.

Whaaaat?

White House says small business loan program for coronavirus impacted firms is out of money - The Washington Post

Republicans and Democrats say more action is needed to build on the massive $2 trillion economic rescue law passed just three weeks ago, but they cannot agree on what to do.

https://wapo.st/3elLvSF

Hey, I wouldn't mind having a few "talks" myself. Where do I sign up?

AOC 'in talks' to endorse Biden for president - New York Daily News

https://bit.ly/2K8jD6I

Hoosiers!

GOP Congressman: Amid Pandemic, Choose American 'Way of Life' Over American Lives | Time

Restarting the U.S. economy is more important than ensuring Americans stay home to prevent more deaths from coronavirus, says a GOP congressman from Indiana in no uncertain terms.

https://bit.ly/3bdiyX5

[Full disclosure: I was born a Hoosier, but after six weeks I got out if town.]

You've got something against sharing, or what?

Cyber security researchers uncover hidden backdoors and secret commands in 12,000 Android apps – HOTforSecurity

"We identified 12,706 apps containing a variety of backdoors such as secret access keys, master passwords, and secret commands that can allow users to access admin-only functions or attackers to gain unauthorized access to users' accounts," said the researchers in the study.

https://bit.ly/2XCiEDF

But surely you won't mind waiting a few more days, will you?

Donald J. Trump's name will be on stimulus checks in unprecedented move - The Washington Post

Computer code must be changed to include the president's name, and the system must be tested, these officials said. "Any last-minute request like this will create a downstream snarl that will result in a delay," said Chad Hooper, a quality-control manager who serves as national president of the IRS's Professional Managers Association.

https://wapo.st/3ahxW3v

Moi

Who Would Have Predicted This? Americans Excel at Staying Home
An estimated 90% of citizens have complied with social distancing guidelines

Read in Bloomberg: https://apple.news/Afyvydw6WT2CKCI5sXkljtw


Shared from Apple News

It rained hard here all day yesterday…

…so I blew the whole thing off binging Fargo, the TV show, on Hulu. So today I'm feeling pretty Minnesotafied. 

The first time I watched the movie, Fargo, there was a moment when I wondered what everybody else was laughing so hard about and then I remembered, wait, I'm not there anymore, and they talk weird here in Massachusetts. But now, it seems to me it's the Minnesota people who sound a little strange and the people here sound normal.

It's not clear if that means I've made some kind of progress or just the opposite; it's wicked difficult to tell.

Not likely to be a big trend, but still…

CV Dazzle: Camouflage from Face Detection

https://cvdazzle.com/

We will not have to impose strict surveillance on the people…

…not when we can get them to demand it themselves.

Government can't force use of tech Google and Apple created to track coronavirus
The more people in a region that have downloaded the area's contract tracing app, the more effective it's going to be at identifying people who may have been infected.

Read in CNBC: https://apple.news/AWOaSR1ukREG8_lu3W41bzw


Shared from Apple News

It's another grand and glorious week for staying home

Oh Thank God: Trump Appoints Ivanka and Jared to Council to Reopen America
The economy is in shambles, but fear not: the poster children for nepotism are on the case.

Read in Vanity Fair: https://apple.news/AJw7jv6tcSVaf-8zrjyyORw


Shared from Apple News

Another week, another SNAFU

States say rapid coronavirus testing machines sitting idle

The kits were delivered to the states by the feds — but only with enough cartridges to test about 100 patients.

https://bit.ly/2yU3G1n

The undistanced