Favorites May 3 2021

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz

We did this math weeks ago and released as dashboard on 4/20. Perhaps @NateSilver538 could help amplify (and happy to have his team help us share the news of joint work w/awesome undergrad Quan Ngueyn and scientist, @BeckettStephen). covid19dashboardgt.shinyapps.io/us_immunitylev…

Nate Silver @NateSilver538

One thing I find a bit weird is that discussion of how the herd immunity math might play out in the US often brushes past the role that natural immunity (from having had COVID) plays. Experts estimate that ~1/3 of the US population has had COVID at some point.

It is a pretty cool dashboard. I just wish it had county data.

Andy Baio @waxpancake

Spoiler Alert: By the end, every Trump voter in the focus group shifted their stance, with some stating they now planned to get the vaccine. What worked? A one-two punch of facts and emotion. First, the five facts that moved them, laid out by former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden.

A good approach for individuals but apparently it doesn't scale, required zoom focus groups. Here's the emotional arguments, and the podcast episode.

paige dzenis @paiiige

The most deranged yet delightful thing I read today is that some anti-maskers/vaxxers are now wearing masks out of fear that a vaccinated person will “shed” vaccine side effects onto them

I don't even.

Caleb Watney @calebwatney

Democrats should run on popular things, and tech optimism is popular. vox.com/2021/5/3/22410…

If you're wondering about the chart, "Messaged" means they were told both the positive and negative arguments about technology. I’m pretty sure that “messaging” on any subject moves people to the center.

CommunistDandelionHat @Popehat

One of the things I think we’ve lost, as that Onion meme suggests, is how to process frequently-wrong and morally blameworthy people doing things that are right and praiseworthy. https://t.co/jxWEfLj8no

Liz Cheney @Liz_Cheney

The 2020 presidential election was not stolen. Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system.

I think he means this meme

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias

Melinda’s gonna blow the whistle on the microchips in the vaccine. “I was okay with secretly tracking everyone at first, but Bill just wouldn’t relent even when it was clear the auto factories really needed those chips.”

The actual news is that Bill and Melinda Gates are getting divorced.

The New York Times @nytimes

Breaking News: The FDA is said to be preparing to expand use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine to adolescents as young as 12 by next week, opening up the nation’s vaccination campaign to millions more Americans. nyti.ms/3ug27mj

Fantastic news. Younger kids next I hope!

Patrick McGeehan @NYTpatrick

Snapshot of the effect of closing @Entergy's last reactor at Indian Point: Today at 5 p.m., about 43% of NY state's electricity was generated by burning fossil fuels. One week before, less than one-third came from fossil fuels. Nuclear power's share fell to <25%, from >33%.

This is so dumb.

Finally a segment from within a very long thread by Klein, about why he’s so excited about ‘alt-meat’ products, which was started when he said he believes “said being vegan comes at a cost in the food you eat” and some people got mad.

Ezra Klein @ezraklein

The core problem for reducing animal suffering is that people like meat. A lot. The more money they make, the more of it they want. And while certain religions have been able to blunt that, basically nothing else has. Meat consumption just goes up and up, year after year.

Ezra Klein @ezraklein

This is why I’ve come to the view that you need to work with people’s taste for meat rather than against it. It’s why I believe in funding alt proteins, to accelerate plant and cell-based meats that are indistinguishable from, or better than, meat.

nytimes.comOpinion | Let’s Launch a Moonshot for Meatless MeatIt wouldn’t actually take that much of an investment for Biden to get us headed in the right direction.

Ezra Klein @ezraklein

I hope we can make it basically seamless to be vegan. Lots of food is great without meat. And for the food that isn't, we can invent plant or cell-based meats. But until we do, I don't think it's useful to pretend that this isn't a problem.

I think I probably fall in the camp he describes pursuing. I can’t disagree with the moral or climate arguments, I just like meat and dairy too much to give it up.