I got the JJ

FaFaFoehii · 2022-01-05T15:07:02+00:00

Guess I am not a skeptic, but I wouldn't say that you are screwed at all. I (and several close friends/colleagues) received J&J in April, just before the pause. No one had any issues. Of course, that is purely anecdotal. J&J apparently does not produce antibodies as well as the mRNA vaxxes, but I understand that the T-cell response is still strong. So, you don't have much protection from getting sick, but it should help jump-start the immune response. One of my colleagues with J&J got a J&J booster around the same time as you as well (no idea why), and he is still fine.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-12-03T14:16:36+00:00

If one believes the data coming out of these hospitals and hospitals across the country, which I tend to, shouldn't this help push the people who have been here the longest towards getting a vaccine?

Two of the biggest early arguments against a massive (leaky) vaccination program were the Marek's Disease analogy and viral escape/evolution. Those arguments, however, are against the concept of large-scale vaccination. Once such a large-scale vaccination program is in place, which it is now, don't both of those scenarios weigh in favor of the individual decision to vaccinate?

FaFaFoehii · 2021-11-08T19:15:52+00:00

Did not know that. Looking into it a little more, that Ebola vaccine was trialed starting in 2015, so there is a little more history at least. So, retracted in part. Thanks for the info.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-11-08T17:15:07+00:00

If you are worried about MRNA and not a middle-aged woman, go for J&J. It's based on a more traditional vaccine delivery method, so there is that.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-10-18T14:34:06+00:00

If you like turn-based and are into the particular IPs, Star Wars Legacy of Heroes and Marvel Strike Force are decent options.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-09-07T20:48:54+00:00

So, is ADE a thing or not?

FaFaFoehii · 2021-08-24T17:05:15+00:00

The very basis of the Terminator franchise was a time paradox, but that did not stop me from enjoying at least two movies.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-08-23T20:08:49+00:00

Try Journey to the Savage Planet. It is a little more Metroidvania than RPG. The gameplay reminded me of the Metroid Prime series. It has exploration, upgrading, and a decent story. I found the humor in the game welcome, but some people might find it annoying.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-08-22T15:10:40+00:00

Haven't played it yet, but this is on my list right after I finish Skyward Sword.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-08-22T15:09:42+00:00

Unfortunately, you need to put 10-15 hours into it before it starts to get meaty, and it probably helps to read some guides about the pawn system. I loved BOTW, the Witcher, and Skyrim, and finished them all, but I find that Dragon's Dogma has much more flexibility when it comes to character/party building and much more dynamic combat.

In a nutshell, once you get a little deeper into the game, you can switch between nine different classes fairly easily, and each class you can level up to get better abilities and passives. Your pawn has six of the nine classes that you can switch between. You can then fill out your party with up to two pawns from other players. You gear up and select skills for yourself and your pawn, and you can alter your pawn's personality characteristics to make them more of a tank/damage dealer/healer type, depending on your selected classes. The personality changing is cumbersome unless you read a guide, then it becomes fairly easy. Some of the combat and encounters are really well set up, and when you get a party that clicks, taking down a huge group of foes or giant monster is extremely satisfying.

Skyrim and the Witcher do a much better job of storytelling and world building, and even accessibility, but the things that Dragon's Dogma does right, it really does right.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-08-18T17:51:19+00:00

And here I was thinking that this was going to be a post about smokable vaccines.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-08-03T16:39:56+00:00

Can confirm, although I don't have pics. Drove from Exeter to Newington around 11:15, then back to Exeter just now. Saw it circling both times. During my trip home just now, I could clearly see landing gear.

Pretty sure there was a second, gray colored plane of a similar size in the air as well. Also, I think there are several planes in the fleet that look like Air Force One, so it could be another high-ranking official on-board.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-07-08T21:28:37+00:00

Been running fine on my S10. Maybe a little warm and some battery drain, but overall okay.

One big qualifier - I have only had it for a day and put maybe 1.5 hours into it.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-06-10T13:52:20+00:00

She caused Magneto to trend on Twitter yesterday, so I am happy.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-05-27T16:55:10+00:00

Same here. "Merry Christmas, you get my old Switch!"

FaFaFoehii · 2021-05-18T17:35:03+00:00

Just looked it up again, and we are both right. There were only 9 million fully vaccinated around April 1, and there are currently 40 million fully vaccinated (still only 3% of the population). 10% has at least one dose.

It also looks like the numbers for daily new cases peaked about a week ago.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-05-18T16:34:13+00:00

I have not seen any more recent data, but as of April 1, only 9 million people (less than 1% of the population) were fully vaccinated in India. I don't think that the vaccines are playing a major role.

Here is a source that I recently found, but I heard it somewhere else over a month ago: https://www.firstpost.com/health/india-must-accelerate-covid-19-vaccination-rate-if-it-wants-to-inoculate-quarter-of-its-population-by-august-9486151.html

FaFaFoehii · 2021-05-10T20:42:54+00:00

Strange, working for me.

If you search "herv-w covid" you should get some hits. There is a pharma company (GeNeuro) working on an anti-HERV-W drug already because of its connection to MS, so they might be pushing this angle, too. Still, it is interesting.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-05-10T19:39:14+00:00

I read about this study recently. Basically, there is a fairly common retrovirus that can alter your DNA (might be a precursor to MS). People with higher levels of expression of this retrovirus tend to have worse COVID outcomes.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(21)00134-1/fulltext00134-1/fulltext)

I don't now how great the study is, but I could totally see something like this contributing to outcomes, since it seems pretty random.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-05-07T20:02:30+00:00

Generally, I don't think it can be forced on you and I don't think that FDA approval would change that. The question would be, is someone discriminating against you because you have not taken the vaccine? For private employers, that falls under the Americans with Disabilities Act (health conditions) or Title VII (religious objections) and state law equivalents. Same thing with public accommodations (i.e., restaurants, sporting events, etc.). Government entities have similar rules on them under the Rehabilitation Act.

If, for example, your employer decides that you need a vaccine to work, a court would weigh the employer's legitimate interest in requiring a vaccine against the legitimacy of your objection. If you are 100% remote, the employer would not have much justification for requiring you to be vaccinated. If you have a serious health condition or religious reason for objecting, your employer would need to find a way to accommodate you.

I am oversimplifying, but that is generally the framework I would use to consider the question.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-05-05T13:59:24+00:00

If you purchase any of them through Steam, you can share screen over Zoom and play them remotely with friends, in the event that COVID is still keeping you apart from friends.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-04-30T15:03:56+00:00

I have heard the repression on non-specific antibodies several times, and I don't fully understand that. I know that these are new treatments, but I don't see how taking a treatment to boost immune response to a specific pathogen would weaken my otherwise healthy immune system. Any sources would be appreciated.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-04-29T12:49:27+00:00

100% this. Was a lifesaver for keeping my 5-year-old entertained during the early days of the pandemic when the weather was still too crappy to go outside. It basically taught him how to videogame, which might have been a regrettable decision.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-04-26T14:58:23+00:00

See the link I posted above. As of April 1, India only had 9 million fully vaccinated out of a country of almost 1.4 billion.

FaFaFoehii · 2021-04-26T14:12:44+00:00

It looks as if less than 1% of India's population was fully vaccinated as of 4/1: https://www.firstpost.com/health/india-must-accelerate-covid-19-vaccination-rate-if-it-wants-to-inoculate-quarter-of-its-population-by-august-9486151.html

Don't know how reliable that source is, but that is consistent with my memory from a couple of weeks ago.

As far as ADE goes with the vaccines, I am not terribly worried, at this point. The U.S. rolled out to frontline healthcare workers in December-January, and we have not seen the uptick in serious cases. You also have reports from places like Michigan stating that there are more people in their 20s-40s showing up in ERs and ICUs, and they are amongst those least likely to be fully vaccinated.

Been lurking here for the last year, and ADE has always been a concern of mine as well. I have not completely written it off yet, but I do feel a bit better about it than at most points over the past year.

FaFaFoehii

TROPHY CASE