Did Everyone In Quarantine Buy A New Guitar or What?

One online musical instrument site has been selling, on average, 1,000 guitars a day during the pandemic. 

Is a horde of inspired, if not necessarily talented, new musicians about to be unleashed on an unsuspecting public? JL

Samantha Hissong reports in Rolling Stone:

“We’re now selling a thousand guitars every day.” Searches for acoustic guitars and acoustic guitar amps were up by 50% year over year. Fender says there was a 92% increase in under-$500 purchases and a 26% increase amongst “experienced players” choosing higher end guitars. “In software, offering Fender Play free for three months encouraged nearly one million new players to play guitar. With 40+-year-old players, we saw increased interest in learning to play an instrument. “We see increases in lessons students in the 11-to-15 age range and over-40-year-old during shelter-in-place.”

Walmart Employs AI To Negotiate With Vendors As Robot Haggling Improves

Hagglebots can recognize the nuances of negotiation based on voice analysis. 

Getting you a better deal is not far behind. JL

Padraig Belton reports in the BBC:

Horse-trading artificial intelligence that can act on its own has begun appearing in business. If you sell to Walmart you might have already met one. An AI listening by microphone to the first five minutes of a negotiation can predict 30% of the variation in its eventual outcome, just from negotiators' voices. Machine learning helps us learn to recognise when negotiations are going well or badly. Humans have the upper hand understanding emotion and subject matter expertise, but can falter when there are many issues.

How Instagram Became The World's Favorite Pandemic Takeout Menu

Chefs and line cooks, unemployed by the pandemic, have turned to Instagram and other social media to sell their food from virtual cloud kitchens or friends and relatives backyards as a way of keeping up their skills and bringing in some income. 

And it has begun to catch on. JL

Tejal Rao reports in the New York Times:

A wave of restaurant cooks all over the country improvise new pop-ups, advertise on Instagram and (are) changing the way many diners order food. This decentralized ordering process can be disorienting for diners. It’s on you to follow each business closely, to remember each pop-up’s schedule, pickup rules and payment methods, and some cooks are better organized than others. Information trickles out in a mix of stories that disappear after 24 hours, and posts, and it can change week to week. Cooks made it work, relying on direct messages or linking out to forms, custom-built shopping pages or third-party apps.

Why New Covid Vaccines Complicate Public Inoculation

As more vaccines become available and the public is made aware of their differences, there are concerns that some will demand a certain vaccine. The problem is that, for the time being, there is simply not enough of any vaccine to warrant choice so people are being urged to take whichever vaccine is available to them in order to stop the spread, which is also encouraging ever more new variants. 

Eventually, it may be possible to assign vaccines on the basis of a subject's age, gender and health issues. But eventually is not now, nor is it the immediate future. JL

Andrew Joseph and Olivia Goldhill report in Stat:

All vaccines are not equal, and increasingly, health authorities and providers will be dealing with shots with varying attributes: different storage requirements, efficacy, dosing regimens, and manufacturing platforms. That, plus the possibility of a pickier public who may want a certain shot over another, could complicate an already-messy rollout. As more vaccines get authorized, health officials could recommend that certain people, based on age or other risk factors for more severe Covid-19, are prioritized for certain shots.

What's In Your Digital Wallet? For Pandemic Shoppers, Mostly Frustration

Even though the pandemic has given digital wallet providers a once in a lifetime opportunity to promote use for health and safety reasons, it is, so far, neither seamless nor convenient. 

Which defeats the whole purpose of replacing credit cards and cash. A crisis is a terrible thing to waste...JL

AnnaMaria Andriotis reports in the Wall Street Journal:

The pandemic has done what Apple, Google and Samsung have long struggled to do: get shoppers to use their digital wallets. 46% of people surveyed said the pandemic prompted them to use mobile wallets and other contactless payments more often or for the first time in-store. Problem is, many shoppers and cashiers have no idea how to use them. The major (one)s are still not accepted at Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes. The bank that issued the card needs to allow it to be added to a mobile wallet. The retailer needs to accept the wallet and the card. When the process goes awry, shoppers often abandon the effort and may not try again.

How New Covid Variants Lowered Efficacy For J and J, Novavax Vaccines

Both vaccines are still useful - and offer better efficacy than some other vaccines, including the Chinese versions. 

But it is becoming apparent that booster shots or new versions may be required to deal with the emerging variants from South Africa, Brazil, etc. JL

Beth Mole reports in ars technica:

Johnson & Johnson’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine was 72% effective at preventing moderate and severe disease in the United States and 85% effective at preventing severe disease globally. But the one-shot vaccine struggled to fight off emerging virus variants in other countries, lowering its overall efficacy to 66%. The lower efficacy in countries outside the US suggests the vaccine struggled against variants. Novavax, announced its vaccine was 89% effective in the UK but just 49% effective in South Africa.

Robot Maker To Sell Droids To Pandemic-Trapped Humans Craving Company

Yup, it's been a weird year. JL

Thomas Macaulay reports in The Next Web:

The maker of Sophia the robot plans to sell droids to people craving company during the COVID-19 pandemic. The humanoid could provide some animatronic company to people suffering through lockdowns and restricted human interactions. (But) it’s just a chatbot in a robotic body. No AI whatsoever was involved. AI scientist, Yann LeCun, described Sophia as “complete bullshit” and slated the media for promoting the “Potemkin AI.” Robosexuals should take note: Sophia isn’t programmed to perform sex acts.

The Reason 'Is Flying Safe?' Is the Wrong Question

The better airplane filtration systems are, the stricter airlines are about insisting all passengers wear masks and the less crowded flights are, the safer flying is. 

So the question for travelers is not about flying per se, but about the precautions airlines and passengers take before, during and after flight. JL

Abraar Karan reports in Vox:

We know airplanes have great ventilation with HEPA filtration that can block viruses — when the system is running. We also know that distance from index case and duration of contact during travel are both related to a higher virus attack rate. As planes become more crowded, community transmission increases, and new, more contagious variants of the virus proliferate, the chance that someone who is infected is sitting next to you goes up. Does that mean flying is dangerous? It depends on numerous protections holding up, which can and will be out of our control for flights.

Has Covid Transformed the Office Forever?

Probably to a lesser degree than many believe. 

In surveys, remote workers worry that colleagues who show up physically will get better assignments, pay and promotions. The hybrid office may deliver the worst of both worlds due to the need for collaboration - and peer pressure. Once a majority are vaccinated and personal interaction is deemed relatively safe, remote work may be more prevalent than previously, but the socio-economic imperative of office culture may prevail. JL

John Seabrook reports in The New Yorker:

The pandemic is accelerating a “second digital transformation”: a virtual office that connects the desktops, where employees will go to work, whether they’re present in the office or remotely. The hybrid sounds like a logical post-pandemic approach, and many companies are trying it, but mixing in-person and remote workers presents new challenges. "Hybrid is likely to deliver the worst of both worlds.” A hybrid company still has substantial real-estate costs, and the threat to company culture posed by resentful remote workers who feel that they’ve been unfairly denied plum assignments and promotions. 57% think the stigma of working remotely would linger after the pandemic.

Why the Pandemic Hurt Workers More Than Investors

Investors benefitted from rising equity markets, which more than offset any losses they may have suffered in income. 

Those dependent primarily or exclusively on wage earnings suffered disproportionately from layoffs, furloughs and small business losses. JL

Robert Gebeloff reports in The Upshot:

Lower-wage workers were disproportionately affected by the job losses. At the same time, Americans benefited from gains in share prices: both people who own individual stocks in brokerage accounts and those who own stocks in personal retirement accounts, like mutual fund IRAs, or in those offered by employers, such as 401(k)s. In addition to controlling 38% of the value of stock accounts, the top 1% control 18% of equity in residential real estate, 24% of liquid bank accounts, and 51% of  accounts that hold individual stocks. The top 10% control 84% of all of Wall Street portfolios’ value.

How Covid Data Inconsistencies Cause Virus Damage Underestimates

Data on positivity, infections and death rates are all calculated differently by local, state and federal government agencies. Those who are asymptomatic or only mildly sick - increasingly the people most likely to spread Covid infection - may never be counted at all. The same is true for co-morbidities like heart attacks.

Hospitalization rates remain the most accurate scalable data. But even flawed data can help social scientists estimate the scope of the virus and provide better guidance for stopping the spread. JL

Jo Craven McGinty reports in the Wall Street Journal:

For every documented case of Covid-19, there are at least two undetected infections, and the unusually large number of deaths that occurred last year suggest the virus killed more people than the data record. By the end of 2020, 450,000 excess deaths occurred. Standardization is an issue, missing people who are asymptomatic or who were mildly sick and never tested. The way states calculate positivity rates is a grab bag. The best publicly available data are hospitalizations. In real time, testing, case counts, hospitalizations and death tallies help health-care workers and policy makers track the disease, craft strategies to curb its spread and allocate sometimes scarce resources.

Cancer Drug May Offer Most Effective Covid Cure For Already Infected

The more scientists learn, the more effective the response. JL

Sissi Cao reports in The Observer:

An unexpected COVID-19 drug derived from a rare sea animal and historically used to treat cancer is found to be 27.5 times more effective than the Gilead Sciences’ popular coronavirus drug remdesivir. The discovery of Aplidin’s effect in treating COVID-19 was not a result of random screening. Scientists at UC San Francisco found the drug by looking for existing treatments that would protect the specific human proteins targeted by the coronavirus. Lab tests showed that Aplidin was effective when used against two different human lung and epithelial cells infected with the new viral strain.

The Reason Covid Double-Masking Is Becoming A Trend

As Covid vaccination gets closer, no one wants to be the last person infected. 

And news about the variants from the UK, Brazil and South Africa during the particularly dangerous winter months are causing more people to use two masks when going out in public, to be even more sure. JL

 Sandee LaMotte reports in CNN:

A single-layer mask isn't really effective in blocking aerosols and even homemade two- and three-ply fabric masks are only partially protective, somewhere in the 50% to 60% range of effectiveness. "Put a surgical mask under a cloth mask and you get "over 91% removal efficiency for particles."

White House, Congress Ratcheting Up Pressure On Tech-Generated Covid Misinformation

Disingenuous claims, especially by social media companies, YouTube and prominent search engines, that they are working to limit dis-and-misiformation, especially about Covid and vaccines, are no longer acceptable in Washington. 

The White House and Congress are demanding action - and now have the power to insist on it, especially since many Republicans, for their own reasons, also want to see tech's power reined in. Big tech is responding by hiring legions of Democratic lobbyists, but observers believe that may not work this time as public frustration with tech has also grown. JL

Cat Zakrzewski reports in the Washington Post:

Democrats have been extremely critical of the tech companies' hands-off approach to falsehoods since the 2016 election. Now that they're in charge in Washington, expect them to use their control of the White House and key committees to force Silicon Valley companies to take greater responsibility for disinformation. Facebook, Twitter and Google have struggled to enforce their rules on misinformation — and experts warn allowing anti-vaxxers to use their platforms unchecked for so long has made policing the conversation more difficult.

A Year Later, the Playbook For Covid Protection Is Evolving

Lessons learned the hard way, but more importantly, lessons widely applied in practice. JL

Daniela Hernandez and colleagues report in the Wall Street Journal:

After nearly a year of study, the lessons include: Mask-wearing, worker pods and good air flow are much more important than surface cleaning, temperature checks and plexiglass barriers in offices and restaurants. Public-health experts now advocate wide use of cheap, rapid tests to detect cases quickly because scientists now think more than 50% of infections are transmitted by people without symptoms. 40% to 45% of those infected never develop symptoms. With the new viral variants that can transmit more readily, the potential for silent spread is even higher. Asymptomatic spread and aerosolization is what made mask-wearing essential.”

How Robinhood Day Traders Have Gamed Wall Street Out of $5 Billion. So Far.

Day traders on the retail investing website Robinhood , who are largely young gamers and sports bettors bored at home due to the pandemic, are giving Wall Street professionals a run - or trolling - for their money. 

But before anyone starts celebrating how the little guy is winning, it is worth revealing that Robinhood's data is actually being purchased by some big Wall Street firms and hedge funds, who are using that knowledge to make even more money off the day traders' bets. Just like in Vegas, the house always wins, though due to this sort of digital action, the size of the house may be expanding to include some new players. JL

Elizabeth Lopatto reports in The Verge:

Robinhood makes option trades easy and free. Plus, stocks are memes now, and you trade them to show off to your friends. The professionals underestimated the day traders’ sophistication. (But) remember as you watch the chaos unfolding with GameStop’s stock price: Wall Street can also get in on screwing Wall Street. Someone on Wall Street will find a way to make money on it. Wall Street is what happens when you mix money with feelings. Second, the internet is real life. And third, the Street always wins, especially if you’re trading with Robinhood.

Why China's Covid Vaccine Is Facing Unexpected Global Backlash

The Chinese government had planned to use access to their vaccines - which it claimed were equally effective to those made in the US and UK - as a diplomatic asset for projecting Chinese power and scientific accomplishment, especially to lower income countries.

But further testing has revealed that the Chinese vaccines are less effective - @50% vs 90-95% US vaccines - a fact which China attempted to suppress, and even so, shipments of the Chinese vaccines have been slow and inconsistent, possibly because of demand driven by new outbreaks in China. JL

Sui-Lee Wee reports in the New York Times:

Beijing officials who hoped the vaccines would burnish China’s global reputation are now on the defensive. 24 countries, most of them low and middle income, signed deals with Chinese vaccines because they offered access when richer nations claimed most doses made by Pfizer and Moderna. Brazil and Turkey have complained Chinese companies have been slow to ship the doses and ingredients. Disclosures that have trickled out suggest that China’s vaccines, while considered effective, cannot stop the virus as well as those developed by Pfizer and Moderna. The Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore have had to reassure citizens it is safe.

Second Generation Covid Vaccines Are Coming

The history of epidemics - and vaccines - suggests that just as the virus evolves, so will methods of prevention and remediation. Researchers are already working on them. JL

Zoe Cormier reports in Scientific American:

There are 240 novel vaccines in development. Here are a few that show the most potential: Self-Amplifying RNA inserts genetic material from the virus directly into human cells, spurring the body to manufacture the “spike” protein. And like mRNA vaccines, it only delivers the genetic material. Protein subunits deliver the actual spike protein itself (rather than a whole virus or genetic material). Designed protein nanoparticles deliver proteins from SARS-CoV-2 as their weapon of choice. (But) "The history of vaccinology is littered with things we thought we knew.”

The Reason Auditors Are Struggling To Hold AI Accountable

It is very difficult to prove algorithmic bias - or to prove that it doesn't exist. 

That is especially true when neither the company being audited nor the auditor is willing to reveal the assumptions that went into the algorithm assessing the subject algorithm. JL

Alex Engler reports in Fast Company:

HireVue says it has stopped using facial analysis, the evaluation tools (it) sells to companies. HireVue also cited an independent audit that supposedly exonerated its algorithms from bias. The idea of algorithmic auditing is that an independent party scrutinizes the inner workings of an algorithm. It might evaluate concerns about bias and fairness, unintended consequences, and create more transparency to build consumer trust. It can decline to provide access to its data and models, or expand the scope of the audit to be more meaningful. The company appears to be more interested in favorable press than legitimate introspection.

The Case For Vaccination Mega-Sites

Scale. It's faster, more efficient and probably safer than a hodge-podge of  pharmacies, supermarkets, clinics and government offices. JL

Maryn McKenna reports in Wired:

Mass sites could put the most shots into the most arms in the shortest period of time. There are ways in which it is less complicated—in dose allocation, transportation, and other logistics—than by distributing doses through hospitals, pharmacy chains, and supermarkets. “If we want speed, then the best way to do that is to stand up mass vaccination clinics, 10 or 20 in a state, instead of the hundreds of  doctors’ offices and hospitals and health departments. It’s slower to roll vaccine out to priority populations than it is to mass-vaccinate a lot of people.”

NextDoor App Is Replacing Local Newspapers With Gossip, Inuendo and Rumor

The problem with not having an editor is that no rumor is too vile, dishonest or hurtful to publish. JL

Will Oremus reports in OneZero:

Nextdoor is an evolution of the neighborhood listserv, a place to trade composting tips, offer babysitting services, or complain about the guy who doesn’t clean up his dog’s poop. It also has well-documented issues with racial profiling, stereotyping of the homeless, and political ranting of various stripes, including QAnon. The app boomed during the pandemic, reporting an 80% jump in users in March, as neighbors sought advice on where to find toilet paper and masks. The company now operates in some 268,000 neighborhoods globally and has reportedly eyed going public at a valuation of $5 billion.

Why Companies Are Pushing Employees To Get Covid Vaccination

Leaders believe that getting a majority of employees vaccinated is an essential step to reopening offices and smaller businesses which, in turn, will reinvigorate the economy. JL

Chip Cutter reports in the Wall Street Journal:

Across industries, business leaders are turning to all-hands staff meetings, video memos and other workplace forums to address skepticism about the Covid-19 vaccine and encourage employees to get it. Companies have taken on a stepped-up role in disseminating public-health information to employees (because) surveys have found people often view their employers as more credible sources of information than government, social media or media outlets. Getting a critical mass of employees vaccinated is crucial to reopening offices and returning workplaces to a semblance of normal, executives say.

How Leaders Can Adapt Big Tech's Attention Economy Business Model

The economic incentives to capture attention have accelerated during the pandemic. But the business issue for tech companies, their leaders and venture investors is whether the quality of that attention is deteriorating, while the threat it poses to socio-economic stability may be rising. 

While no one enterprise has the power to change technologically-driven global behavior, it may be that the ability of big tech leaders to agree on a set of standards could produce the basis for an optimized, mutually beneficial solution.

Tristan Harris reports in MIT Technology Review:

You can’t carry out a logic of infinite growth on a finite substrate. To make money selling thinner and thinner “fake” slices of attention debases information by destroying capacity to trust sources of knowledge or share what is true. (But) it is difficult for any one actor to optimize for well-being when others are competing for finite resources and power. Without rules and guard rails, the most ruthless win. That’s why legislation and policies are necessary. The greater meta-crisis is that democratic processes for creating guard rails operate at a much slower pace than the rate of technological development. “The problem with humanity is that we have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.”

Research: Making More Than $75K Annually Does Make People Happier

Yeah, that whole money doesn't buy happiness thing always seemed suspect. JL

Matthew Gault reports in Motherboard:

The study, titled Experienced well-being rises with income, even above $75,000 per year, doesn’t mince words. “There was … no evidence of an income threshold at which experienced and evaluative well-being diverged, suggesting that higher incomes are associated with both feeling better day-to-day and being more satisfied with life overall.” How a person views money determined a lot about the role money played in their happiness.Anyone who conflated money with personal success was miserable.

How Wuhan Marked 1 Year Covid Anniversary: Triumphalism, Denial, Misinformation

Chinese officials tout the country's authoritarian approach to reducing the Covid threat, but refuse to acknowledge that the virus originated in China. And some insist it came from the US. The truth is unlikely to emerge anytime soon. JL

John Sudworth reports in the BBC:

Wuhan has recovered from the world's first outbreak of Covid-19. It is now being remembered not as a disaster but as a victory, and with insistence the virus came from somewhere - anywhere - but here. Despite China's promise of international co-operation, the world is still no closer to an answer to the question of where did the virus come from? For China, this city's past is now propaganda and the truth, like the virus, is being brought under tight control. "Your question is not friendly."

The Reason Google Maps Is Adding Covid Vaccine Sites

Searches for 'vaccines near me' have increased five-fold in the past few weeks. JL

Napier Lopez reports in The Next Web:

Searches for “vaccines near me” have increased fivefold, according to Google, so in the coming weeks, the company will begin to make vaccination locations available on Google Maps and Search. The feature will display information like whether you’ll need an appointment or referral to get vaccinated, if the vaccine is limited to certain population groups, or if the vaccine is available at a drive-through location. Google (also) says it’s opening up select buildings, parking lots, and open spaces operated by the company for vaccine distribution.

Covid Causes Budweiser, Coke, Pepsi Not To Advertise On This Super Bowl

The statement is a tad misleading as Bud and Pepsi will be advertising sub-brands - like Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade and Mountain Dew - which are actually more popular, especially with younger demographics, than their original brands. 

But the decision does highlight the sensitivity of marketing in an environment in which the pandemic, politics and the economy are fraught with division. JL

The Associated Press reports:

For the first time since 1983, the beer giant isn't advertising its Budweiser brand during the Super Bowl (It will advertise) Bud Light, Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, Michelob Ultra and Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer. Instead, it’s donating the money it would have spent on the ad to coronavirus vaccination awareness efforts. PepsiCo. won't be advertising Pepsi. (It will be advertising Mountain Dew and Frito-Lay). Coke, Audi and Avocados from Mexico are sitting out the game altogether. “With COVID and economic uncertainty, there’s a risk associated with messages that are too light. ... (or) with anything too somber."

Why If Poor Countries Go Unvaccinated, Rich Countries Will Pay

There are two elements of risk: one is that the virus will continue to mutate rapidly if citizens of poor nations are not vaccinated, thereby threatening the health of those in wealthy countries, even those who think they are safe due to inoculation.

But the other risk is financial. If those in poor countries must remain in lockdown or continue to suffer from recessionary impacts, profits and supply chains for enterprises in wealthier countries will also be significantly impacted. JL

Peter Goodman reports in the New York Times:

In the most extreme scenario, with wealthy nations fully vaccinated by the middle of this year, and poor countries largely shut out, the study concludes the global economy would suffer losses exceeding $9 trillion, greater than the annual output of Japan and Germany combined.If people in developing countries remain out of work because of lockdowns required to choke off the spread of the virus, they will reduce sales for exporters in North America, Europe and East Asia. Multinational companies in advanced nations will also struggle to secure required parts, components and commodities.

How To Hold Social Media Accountable For Undermining Democracy

Accountability begins not just with content, but with how the social media platforms' algorithms amplify, recommend, connect and target users to drive them towards disinformation and hate speech. JL

Yael Eisenstat reports in Harvard Business Review:

This is about what the platforms choose to do with content, which voices they amplify, which groups are allowed to thrive (by) the platforms’ own algorithmic help. To categorize social media companies, who nudge users towards the content that will keep them engaged, who connect users to hate groups, who recommend conspiracy theorists,  as “internet intermediaries” who should enjoy immunity from consequences is absurd. Hold companies accountable for misinformation or extreme rhetoric, how their recommendation engines spread it, how their algorithms steer people towards it, and how their tools are used to target people with it.

Tech Trends That Covid Is Already Accelerating In 2021

AI, autonomous solutionos, quantum computing. JL

Usman Shuja reports in Venture Beat:

AI must become practical. 80% of companies plan to accelerate their digital transformation, but only 30% of digital transformations have met or exceeded their target value. Less than a quarter of companies in 2020 State of AI reported significant bottom-line impact. The solution is to create solutions that will be operated by someone who is not necessarily a data scientist. Solutions must become more autonomous. Autonomous solutions will be critical towards implementing AI at scale. AI, quantum, and other tech will influence biotechnology. 

Google Workers Announce Global Union Across 10 Countries

As the tech platforms have taught their employees, scale enhances power. JL

Zoe Schiffer reports in The Verge:

The newly formed coalition, called Alpha Global, is comprised of 13 different unions representing workers in 10 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Switzerland. Alpha Global is affiliated with the UNI Global Union, a federation of labor unions representing 20 million people worldwide, including workers at Amazon. Organizers plan to tackle issues like the treatment of content moderators, as well workers being forced to sign nondisclosure agreements.

100 Years On, Robots' Reality Exceeds Fictional Expectations

The word 'robot' first came into common use in 1921. 

Though expectations remain exceptional compared to reality, the big difference between then and now is software. JL

Christopher Mims reports in the Wall Street Journal:

In a century-long dialogue between inventors of fictional and actual robots, engineers have for the most part been forced to play catch-up, either realizing or subverting the vision of robots first expounded in books, movies and television. Now, the reality of robots is in some areas running ahead of fiction, even ahead of what those who study robots for a living are able to keep track of. “The main difference between automation today and what we had 50 or 60 years ago is that we added software.”

Moderna Still Effective Against Covid Variants, Though Less vs South African

Moderna's vaccine remains just as effective against the original Covid viruses and against the new English variant. It is somewhat less effective against the South African variant, though still above levels designed to be effective. 

It is studying whether giving a booster shot would be useful to those who receive its vaccine. JL

Andrew Joseph reports in Stat:

Moderna is studying adding booster doses to its vaccine after finding its Covid-19 vaccine was less effective against a variant first identified in South Africa. Scientists found that there was a sixfold reduction in the vaccine’s neutralizing power against the (South African) variant,B.1.351, than against earlier forms of the coronavirus. There was no loss in neutralization levels against B.1.1.7, first identified in the United Kingdom. Despite the reduction against B.1.351, the antibody levels generated by its vaccine “remain above levels expected to be protective.” Still, it was going to start testing adding a booster dose.

New CDC Director Says US Has No Idea How Much Vaccine It Has

The previous administration had no distribution plan and incomplete records, resulting in a lack of information about how many people have been vaccinated, how much vaccine is available and how much can be expected to be delivered in the next few months.

The situation should begin to ease as public health professionals increasingly take over direction of the pandemic fight from political appointees. JL

Amanda Macias reports in CNBC:

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Sunday that the federal government does not know how much coronavirus vaccine the nation has. The lack of knowledge of vaccine supply is indicative of “the challenges we’ve been left with. The process of distributing the vaccine, particularly outside of nursing homes and hospitals, out into the community as a whole did not exist when we came into the White House.” Production will increase after the first 100 days and the expected introduction of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine will also help ease supply problems.

Wearables, Apps Tell Bosses If Remote Staff Is Unhappy But Don't Offer Real Support

The quick fix. In a nano-trading economy it's increasingly seen as good enough. Especially as more people work remotely and future results are uncertain.

But as wearables and apps to ascertain employee 'mood' proliferate, organizational psychologists warn that they can mask the need for real institutional and leadership support, as well as pose a threat to ethical and operational performance. Technology is merely a tool that can provide signals - some strong, some weak. Investment in time and resources is required for lasting optimization and desired outcomes. JL

Suzanne Bearne reports in the BBC:

How probable is it that employees would be willing to press a button on a wristband to let  their boss know how they're doing? With depression and anxiety estimated to have cost the global economy $1 trillion per year in lost productivity before the pandemic, according to the WHO, Covid-19 lockdowns and home working appear to have worsened the issue. Wearable technology allows your employer to track your emotional state. "We moved from anonymous to identifiable data after trials found people want to be identified." (But) human resources experts warn that technology should not be used as a quick plaster to help staff working from home. It has to be backed up with proper support for employees.

The Art and Science Of Boarding A Plane During A Pandemic

Statistically, back to front, window to aisle, appears to be the safest and most efficient. 

But there is growing interest in technological solutions such as sending a prompt to each passenger's smartphone when it is their turn to board - and then, when they land, to deplane. JL

Aarian Marshall reports in ars technica:

A global pandemic has done the impossible: shaken up airplane boarding procedures. A subgenre of researchers, engineers, physicists, computer scientists, cyberneticists, and economists search for optimal ways to cram crowds onto flying tubes. They’ve devised 20 methods to get people onto planes. Along with requiring masks, providing sanitizer, and, banning passengers from middle seats, many airlines have created boarding and deboarding processes that avoid packing flyers too closely. The “WilMA back-to-front offset-2,” boards back to front, by rows, with the window seats first. (But) to board passengers dynamically, push an alert to a passenger’s smartphone when it is their turn to board.

The Reason Pfizer Is Only Delivering Half the Vaccine Doses It Promised To Europe

At least for a change it's part of a longer term plan and not because of a screw-up. JL

Jan Olsen reports in the Associated Press:

Pfizer confirmed it will temporarily reduce deliveries to Europe of its COVID-19 vaccine while it upgrades production capacity to 2 billion doses per year. To meet the new target Pfizer is upscaling production at its plant in Belgium, which “presupposes adaptation of facilities and processes at the factory which requires new quality tests and approvals from the authorities. As a consequence, fewer doses will be available for European countries at the end of January and the beginning of February.”

Covid Strain From South Africa Shows Increased Resistance To Vaccines

The evidence on the lethality and vaccine resistance of the emerging South African strain of the Covid virus is not yet definitive but researchers are now studying this and other mutations even as vaccinations are beginning to accelerate in the US, Europe and some other areas. JL

Debora Patta reports in CBS:

A lab in South Africa (is) studying one of the more worrying new strains of the virus, which appears to have some resistance to the antibodies that vaccines create in the human body to fend off the bug. The new strain discovered in South Africa appears to have the ability to reduce the effectiveness of antibodies in people infected with the original version of the virus significantly. That means those infected in the first wave could have little protection from the new strain, and it could render some of the vaccines less effective. Vaccines may have to be tweaked every so often to protect against mutant strains

How To Free Conspiracy Theorists From Pathological Manipulation

Defeating psychotic leaders in elections, winning battles against domestic terrorists intent on taking over reins of power and cutting off from social and other media pathological manipulators intent on using violence to make up for their loss of self-respect, are complementary means of reducing the risk posed by shared psychosis between manipulator and manipulated. JL

Sarah Burris reports in Raw Story:

"When mental pathology is accompanied by criminal-mindedness, the combination can make individuals far more dangerous than either alone." Shared psychosis can spread through the population through emotional bonds, heightening existing pathologies and inducing delusions, paranoia and propensity for violence—even in previously healthy individuals. For healing, remove the offending agent (the influential person with severe symptoms). Dismantle systems of thought control. Fix the socioeconomic conditions that give rise to poor collective mental health in the first place.

Could California's Empty Shopping Centers Be A Housing Fix?

While soaring real estate values and NIMBY-ism have prevented affordable housing development in residential areas, the state has a vast trove of abandoned or underutilized commercial zones that legislation could open for residential use. JL

Patrick Sisson reports in CityLab:

In a state that needs 2.5 to 3 million more affordable rental units, converting underutilized retail and office space into apartments is gaining fresh attention from California lawmakers, especially as pandemic-fueled e-commerce and remote work trends continue to empty brick-and-mortar stores and business parks. 40% of commercial zones in California’s 50 largest metros prohibit residential development. Commercial-to-residential conversions would incentivize turning vacant big box sites into workforce housing.

Will Covid Shake Up Capitalism?

Yes. Every crisis of the past 120 years in which the majority have been forced to suffer, especially due to poor leadership (wars, depressions, pandemics), has brought significant change to the socio-political system.

This one is unlikely to be any different. JL

James MacIntosh comments in the Wall Street Journal:

History is full of examples of crises bringing in major changes to political economy. The aftermath of the Covid crisis could be much more government intervention. Executives who have been frantically greenwashing their companies to appeal to environmental and socially minded investors will find it harder to lobby against government restrictions designed to protect workers or combat climate change. It will be doubly hard if they were beneficiaries of government lockdown handouts. Shareholders should brace for change.