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Daily Archives: September 1, 2020

Google Maps now shows traffic lights at intersections

Ars Technica – Zoom all the way in and you’ll see a tiny little traffic light icon in an intersection.”…Google Maps traffic light support is just a small, static marker in the middle of an intersection indicating that there is a traffic light there. You have to zoom in really close to see the traffic lights, but if we zoom in far enough, we’re seeing them on Android, iOS, and the Web. As always the map features are going to depend on Google’s data set, and right now we’re only seeing those in the US. They show up when browsing the map or navigating…”

FDA’s Role in the Medical Product Supply Chain and Considerations During COVID-19

CRS report via LC – FDA’s Role in the Medical Product Supply Chain and Considerations During COVID-19, September 1, 2020: “The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the medical product supply chain globally and domestically. Although concerns about the U.S. medical product supply chain predate the emergence of COVID-19, the ongoing pandemic has underscored… Continue Reading

How Face Shields and Valve Masks Fail to Stop Infectious Droplets, as Shown by Lasers

Gizmodo: “A new study using lasers suggests that face shields and masks outfitted with an exhaust valve aren’t particularly great at protecting others from tiny respiratory droplets containing contagious germs like the coronavirus that causes covid-19. These aerosols can spill through and around these types of face equipment, the study found, weakening their potential to… Continue Reading

NYT Opinion – It Has Come to This: Ignore the CDC

The agency’s new guidelines are wrong, so states have to step up on their own to suppress the coronavirus. By Harold Varmus and Rajiv Shah. Harold Varmus is a former director of the National Institutes of Health. Rajiv Shah is the president of the Rockefeller Foundation. “We were startled and dismayed last week to learn… Continue Reading

Republicans flooding internet with deceptive videos and Big Tech isn’t keeping up

CNN describes each of the false videos “A series of deceptively edited and misleading videos shared by prominent Republicans have run up millions of views across Facebook and Twitter in just the past few days. And while both companies have pledged to combat misinformation, their responses to these videos followed a familiar pattern: often they… Continue Reading

Barr’s removal of career national security official, weeks before election, raises concerns

ABC News: “Current and former national security officials are raising concerns over Attorney General William Barr’s recent decision to remove the head of a Justice Department office that helps ensure federal counterterrorism and counterintelligence activities are legal – and replace him with a political appointee with relatively limited experience. “It’s very alarming,” said Katrina Mulligan,… Continue Reading

MIT offering free course online – COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 and the Pandemic

New Subject Offering: “COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 and the Pandemic” – “In Fall 2020, all MIT students and the general public are welcome to join Professors Richard Young and Facundo Batista as they discuss the science of the pandemic during this new class. Special guest speakers include: Anthony Fauci, David Baltimore, Britt Glaunsinger, Bruce Walker, Eric Lander,… Continue Reading