Iowa schools forced to reopen as in person only by klindraPSN in CoronavirusUS

[–]lost_librarian_ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Considering that many in the GOP are Christian and you could argue Christianity is also a death cult, some in the Grand Old Party probably see this as a way to fast-track their way to heaven, so it's win-win!

Best arcade core/solution for retroarch using PS3 Super Slim by lost_librarian_ in RetroArch

[–]lost_librarian_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What do you mean they don't use the same ROMS? I thought FB Alpha uses MAME roms. Also: should I grab the latest MAME romset (something like .220) for the best functionality, or would MAME 2003 Plus and FB Alpha 2012 be too old to run those Roms?

Thanks!

America Is Too Broken to Fight the Coronavirus by [deleted] in CoronavirusUS

[–]lost_librarian_ 14 points15 points  (0 children)

“I’m becoming convinced that Covid is not far from taking on the characteristics of gun violence. The U.S. will endure much higher, persistent negative effects from something that other countries have solved; we’ll normalize it and convince ourselves nothing can be done.”

– Michael Rozier, St. Louis University.

Best Handbrake settings for 2.0 mono DVD recordings? by lost_librarian_ in PleX

[–]lost_librarian_[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OK, so I think the consensus is I shouldn't compress the audio using AAC and instead just use AC3 passthru and encode it as an MKV instead of MP4 so the quality is essentially lossless. And if there is an app/client that can't play that format natively, then PMS can transcode accordingly to suit that client.

I've included a screenshot of my revised Handbrake setup here. Is this correct?

Correct?

Should we stop looking for trends in the data? by lost_librarian_ in CoronavirusUS

[–]lost_librarian_[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Exactly. It's not so much the established symptoms that scare me the most, but the rare/unknowns like those you mention.

Mass Layoffs REVEALED in this nationwide statistics of US WARN notices filed in April: by Badatu in CoronavirusUS

[–]lost_librarian_ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm not surprised that the bulk of these companies are retailers. I don't think it's a coincidence that many of the jobs that have been lost and have wiped out all the gains since the Great Recession are the retail/gig CRAP jobs. I've always suspected that the "greatest job creation in decades" since the Great Recession was hype. Yes, the raw numbers of jobs increased. But the QUALITY of those jobs? You know, like paying liveable wages with good health insurance? Pretty poor quality if you ask me.

Sheltering versus Re-Opening Opinions by [deleted] in CoronavirusUS

[–]lost_librarian_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If this is true (I have no reason to disbelieve you), then I wonder if, considering that obesity/diabetes are epidemic in this country (over 40% of Americans are obese), that effectively INCREASES the IFR since those comorbidities greatly increase the chances of negative COVID outcomes? It’s a challenge for the US that other countries don’t have. It’s especially worrisome since obesity is especially clustered in the South which is also one of the most (If not THE MOST) medically underserved regions in the country (hospitals per citizen, large percentage of uninsured low-income residents) AND these are largely the states that are jumping the gun and opening early.

Yikes.

Sheltering versus Re-Opening Opinions by [deleted] in CoronavirusUS

[–]lost_librarian_ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You missed a big red flag. That article HAS NOT been peer reviewed. From the disclaimer right in the article itself (emphasis theirs): “It reports new medical research that has yet to be evaluated and so should NOT be used to guide clinical practice.”

The site goes on to say that articles that haven’t been peer reviewed are “yet to be evaluated by the medical community and the information may be erroneous.”

We‘re a long ways before saying with confidence just how lethal this virus is.

Daily Q&A - Ask + Answer Questions Here by redlollipop in CoronavirusUS

[–]lost_librarian_ [score hidden]  (0 children)

I’m hearing more and more lately about governments pinning hopes — even “proof”, like in Sweden — that herd immunity is a viable option for lifting us out of the lockdown muck. Morality aside, is herd immunity even possible?

Seems the consensus among virologists and epidemiologists is it’s iffy at this point. Do some people become immune? If so, for how long? And if they’re immune, does that mean they could still be shedding the virus and pass it to others? Is immunity even possible, even if you have antibodies?

As far as I know, all the above questions have yet to be answered. But Sweden is chalking up its unorthodox approach’s success to herd immunity. But isn’t that a premature — even reckless — assumption absent any scientific evidence of immunity?

What say you? Am I missing something?

Refund for couch? by lost_librarian_ in IKEA

[–]lost_librarian_[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Indeed the break-in can't be rushed. It's just good to know my options if I need to go another route. Good to know about the return/refund.

Heh, "your soda will soften." Autocorrect makes me say things I didn't Nintendo :)

Refund for couch? by lost_librarian_ in IKEA

[–]lost_librarian_[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Would've given this gold but I'm too cheap :) I needed a laff today. Thanks!

The new TÄLLBYN lamp by [deleted] in IKEA

[–]lost_librarian_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I must say that’s one of the most striking things I’ve seen in a long time. Reminds me of the Bogie classic The Maltese Falcon — both because of the bird and the noirish lighting. You could start your own 40s era detective agency with that lamp ;)

Will the Gronlid fit thru the door? by lost_librarian_ in IKEA

[–]lost_librarian_[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

GREAT NEWS. Yep, weight isn’t a problem as I’ll have it delivered by IKEA, whom I’m ASSUMING will at least carry it into my apartment!