Favorites August 7 2021

Noah Smith 🐇 @Noahpinion

So let me get this straght...Ethiopia, a country of over 100 million people, launches an all-out war on a breakaway region of 7 million people...and...loses that war?

economist.comIn Ethiopia’s civil war, Tigrayan forces take the offensiveThe conflict has entered its most dangerous phase yet | Middle East & Africa

So now I know more about Ethiopia. Strange political structure…

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

Mix and match vax works, important for the majority of the world where mRNA vaccines are still scarce. https://t.co/z2rUEkuUlI

Eric Topol @EricTopol

Just published @TheLancet A randomized mix and match trial of AZ and Pfizer vaccination in >800 people shows that mixing is safe and can engender at least as good, if not better, immune response https://t.co/V40Dy59Ia8 by @XinxueLiu and colleagues https://t.co/tKl59LFz4i

So do a first dose ASAP of AstraZenica then follow up with an mRNA once it's available.

Dan Federman @TheFederman

San Francisco prioritizes cars in more than 97% of our public road space. It’s a miracle only 53% of trips are car trips.

Scott Feeney @graue

The SF BOS recently reaffirmed a climate goal of 20% or fewer trips in the city by car, by 2030. When we last measured in 2019, we had 53% car trips. https://t.co/e8q9dF1dZV

His full thread has details of the calculation. I wish the slow streets concept was being applied in more places.

Noah Smith 🐇 @Noahpinion

And in 5 to 6 weeks they'll all be protected

(((Harry Enten))) @ForecasterEnten

"What changes the unvaccinated minds? Fear." The top 5 states for vaccination rates over the last week are the same 5 that are top 5 in new cases. Polling shows unvaccinated who fear the virus are 8x more likely to want to get vaccinated. https://t.co/6t0SPn3wXb

The rare Batman facepalm.

Kinneygoirishname @lukemckinney

Two seconds before they tell the swimmer he's being hunted for sport

They're pretty well armed, I don't like his chances. Or, if you prefer a heist joke.

John Scalzi @scalzi

Coca-Cola is slowly positioning Coke Zero to become the default "Coke," for when the tax burden on sugared soda becomes substantial enough that they are no longer able to price it the same as the zero sugar soda, basically.

Kelly Sedinger @Jaquandor

@scalzi I'm not smart enough to understand why they keep futzing around with something that everybody says is just fine.

I never considered the possibility that they'd be positioning Coke Zero as a contingency plan.

Jane Coaston @janecoaston

You’re not outwilding Peter the Great, you’re just not

Beware the monarch wandering around with a pair of pliers at the ready.

Adam Gurri @adamgurri

Seems that @slatestarcodex story about an old FDA incident was very inaccurate

jabberwocking.comA 3-part story about short bowel syndrome and the FDA – Kevin Drum

This is a really clear rebuke of the item on the FDA I included a few days ago. Overall, I'll definitely think twice about including quotes from Scott Alexander. He barely even admits he was wrong.

Adobe House, Mountain View, 2018