New York Times: F.B.I. Warns of Fraudulent Coronavirus Antibody Tests. “The F.B.I. has issued a warning about scammers who advertise fraudulent Covid-19 antibody tests as a way to obtain personal information that can be used for identity theft or medical insurance fraud. The warning, issued Friday, is the latest in a series of alerts from the federal government about fraudulent exploitation of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Monthly Archives: June 2020
NBC News: S. Dakota Gov. Noem says ‘we will not be social distancing’ at July 3 celebration with Trump at Mount Rushmore
NBC News: S. Dakota Gov. Noem says ‘we will not be social distancing’ at July 3 celebration with Trump at Mount Rushmore. “South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says the thousands of people who attend the July 3 celebration for Independence Day at Mount Rushmore with President Donald Trump will not be required to practice social distancing despite an increase in coronavirus cases across the country.”
ESPN: Baseball’s minor leagues cancel 2020 season due to coronavirus
ESPN: Baseball’s minor leagues cancel 2020 season due to coronavirus. “Baseball’s minor leagues canceled their 2020 season on Tuesday after Major League Baseball decided not to provide any players to its affiliated teams amid the coronavirus pandemic.”
WTRF: Ohio launches website combining state and local budgets and checkbooks
WTRF: Ohio launches website combining state and local budgets and checkbooks. “The state of Ohio launched a new website Tuesday that combines information about the state’s budget and how much is being spent. [The site] creates a one-stop, interactive look at state and local governments’ budgets and checkbooks.”
Malta Independent: Through virtual reality, the general public can now visit underwater cultural heritage sites
Malta Independent: Through virtual reality, the general public can now visit underwater cultural heritage sites. “The project features 10 sites, where each site is given a detailed description and videos which show the sites in great detail. The project is in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA), the University of Malta and Heritage Malta, with an investment of €100,000 over three years.” I can’t find a link to the actual site in the article! It’s at https://underwatermalta.org/ . Also, the headline kind of makes it sound like you need a VR headset to use the site. You don’t, it’s a great explore even without.
KJZZ: New Program Provides Free Crisis Counseling To Arizonans Impacted By Coronavirus
KJZZ: New Program Provides Free Crisis Counseling To Arizonans Impacted By Coronavirus. “The Resilient Arizona Crisis Counseling program is now available for free to people statewide. It’s being done in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) at the federal level, and the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) at the state level.” This is mostly an audio article, but the text appears to contain all the salient information.
Colorado Sun: Colorado governor orders bars to re-close to in-person service
Colorado Sun: Colorado governor orders bars to re-close to in-person service. “Gov. Jared Polis on Tuesday ordered Colorado bars and nightclubs to close once again to in-person service because of the coronavirus crisis, citing the fact that the establishments have been blamed for spikes in the disease in other states.”
Immuno-Oncology News: FDA’s New ‘Project Patient Voice’ to Share Symptoms Data From Cancer Trials
Immuno-Oncology News: FDA’s New ‘Project Patient Voice’ to Share Symptoms Data From Cancer Trials. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched an initiative called Project Patient Voice to create a publicly available information bank describing patient-reported symptoms from cancer trials for marketed treatments. The initiative is a part of the FDA’s Oncology Center of Excellence (OCE), which is designed to advance the development and regulation of oncology products for all types of cancers.”
The Verge: YouTube bans Stefan Molyneux, David Duke, Richard Spencer, and more for hate speech
The Verge: YouTube bans Stefan Molyneux, David Duke, Richard Spencer, and more for hate speech. “YouTube has banned several prominent white supremacist channels, including those belonging to Stefan Molyneux, David Duke, and Richard Spencer. Other channels banned include American Renaissance (with its associated channel AmRen Podcasts) and the channel for Spencer’s National Policy Institute. The channels repeatedly violated YouTube’s policies, a YouTube spokesperson said, by alleging that members of protected groups were inferior. These come alongside other violations that led to YouTube taking action.”
Neowin: Facebook announces changes to News Feed, says it will prioritize original reporting
Neowin, with the caveat that I’m not sure Facebook is helping itself or anybody else with all this deck chair rearranging: Facebook announces changes to News Feed, says it will prioritize original reporting. “Facebook today announced a few changes that it is making to how it boosts news articles in the News Feed. The company says that the changes are based on user feedback suggesting that called for credible and informative stories. The company is today talking about two main areas – ‘original news content’ and ‘trusted authorship’.”
WUSA: Did your landlord receive a mortgage deferral? This new online tool holds DC landlords accountable
WUSA: Did your landlord receive a mortgage deferral? This new online tool holds DC landlords accountable. “Back in April, DC Council passed emergency COVID-19 legislation that required mortgage lenders to offer deferrals to property owners. The legislation also called for those property owners to pass that same relief on to their renters. DISB, the District’s Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking created a tool that allows renters to hold their landlords accountable. It’s called the mortgage deferment locator tool.”
As Predicted: Parler Is Banning Users It Doesn’t Like (Techdirt)
Techdirt: As Predicted: Parler Is Banning Users It Doesn’t Like. “On Friday we predicted that just like every other social media platform out there, the new favorite among people who falsely say that Twitter is censoring conservatives, would start taking down content and shutting down accounts just like everyone else. Because, if you run any sort of platform that allows 3rd party speech, sooner or later you discover you have to do that. In Friday’s post, we highlighted Parler’s terms of service, which certainly allows for it to take down any content for any reason (we also mocked their ‘quick read on Wikipedia’ style understanding of the 1st Amendment). What we did not expect was that Parler would prove us right so damn quickly.”
Phys .org: Face mask construction, materials matter for containing coughing, sneezing droplets
Phys .org: Face mask construction, materials matter for containing coughing, sneezing droplets. “Results showed that loosely folded facemasks and bandana-style coverings provide minimal stopping-capability for the smallest aerosolized respiratory droplets. Well-fitted homemade masks with multiple layers of quilting fabric, and off-the-shelf cone style masks, proved to be the most effective in reducing droplet dispersal. These masks were able to curtail the speed and range of the respiratory jets significantly, albeit with some leakage through the mask material and from small gaps along the edges. Importantly, uncovered emulated coughs were able to travel noticeably farther than the currently recommended 6-foot distancing guideline. Without a mask, droplets traveled more than 8 feet; with a bandana, they traveled 3 feet, 7 inches; with a folded cotton handkerchief, they traveled 1 foot, 3 inches; with the stitched quilted cotton mask, they traveled 2.5 inches; and with the cone-style mask, droplets traveled about 8 inches.”
Phys .org: EPA’s relaxed enforcement of pollution reporting due to COVID-19 ends in August
Phys .org: EPA’s relaxed enforcement of pollution reporting due to COVID-19 ends in August. “The Environmental Protection Agency will end a temporary policy that relaxed reporting requirements on pollutants due to the coronavirus at the end of August, amid criticism that the pandemic policy has jeopardized public health.”
Mashable: Facebook reveals the future of VR headsets, and it’s more ‘CSI Miami’ than ‘Tron’
Mashable: Facebook reveals the future of VR headsets, and it’s more ‘CSI Miami’ than ‘Tron’. “Immersing yourself in virtual reality can feel like a sci-fi fantasy come true, but bulky, cumbersome VR headsets almost make it more trouble than it’s worth. There have been various attempts to slim down VR headsets, such as Dlodlo’s lightweight V One headset and Panasonic’s prototype goggles shown at CES 2020. Now Facebook has revealed its own glasses-like prototype headset with a display measuring 8.9 mm thick — about the same thickness as a smartphone.”