Good. We have people needing housing and people not needing office buildings. Something needed to change.
Remote work is gutting downtowns
221–230 of 262 posts
Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns
#222Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've had funny conversations about why I still wear a good n95 on public transit (planes included). My right-leaning and remarkably well educated parents are incredulous. A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. Wow, I was wrong! And not catching bs colds from weirdos on the bus or the grocery store makes it worth it. My face isn't that pretty anyway.
> A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. I have always looked at Japan as a mixed bag of things that the entire planet will be doing in 10-100 years (yes, even sex bots and other forms of liberal individualism). I am so glad that at least parts of the west have caught onto the practice of masking up when sick, if there were ever a silver lining from the pandemic. I'm still looking for a solu…
>I'm still looking for a solution to the mask straps biting into my ears on planes
Try getting a proper N95 instead of a flimsy ear-loop mask: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Aura-Particulate-Respirator-9205/d...
Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns
#223Earlier quoted context omitted.
I used to get the bus to work about 10 years ago because parking in the city became so expensive (I stopped long before Covid hit). The thing I don't miss is that I got sick every single Winter. All it takes is one inconsiderate person to not cover their mouth and everyone is getting ill. And it happened all the time . I had a commute time that ranged between one and two hours over that stretch as I'd lived in a coup…
I've had funny conversations about why I still wear a good n95 on public transit (planes included). My right-leaning and remarkably well educated parents are incredulous. A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. Wow, I was wrong! And not catching bs colds from weirdos on the bus or the grocery store makes it worth it. My face isn't that pretty anyway.
N-95 masks are rated to capture 50 um (micrometer).
COVID-19 is 10.5 um. Water droplet to carry them just a tad bit above.
Hydrostatic testing to get that 50um in N-95 mask were based on 8.0 pH Latex hydrostatic droplets.
COVID-19 best infection spread rate is at 5.8-6.2 pH (opposite spectrum of Latex's pH).
So, more will pass thru that mask unhindered.
Nonetheless, the dispersal rate is lower only if the infected wears it. Tough to make a public policy on that to this day
Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns
#224Earlier quoted context omitted.
I used to get the bus to work about 10 years ago because parking in the city became so expensive (I stopped long before Covid hit). The thing I don't miss is that I got sick every single Winter. All it takes is one inconsiderate person to not cover their mouth and everyone is getting ill. And it happened all the time . I had a commute time that ranged between one and two hours over that stretch as I'd lived in a coup…
I've had funny conversations about why I still wear a good n95 on public transit (planes included). My right-leaning and remarkably well educated parents are incredulous. A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. Wow, I was wrong! And not catching bs colds from weirdos on the bus or the grocery store makes it worth it. My face isn't that pretty anyway.
I have a smile that could sink a thousand ships so I consider wearing a mask to be a public service to the rest of you.
Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns
#225Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've had funny conversations about why I still wear a good n95 on public transit (planes included). My right-leaning and remarkably well educated parents are incredulous. A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. Wow, I was wrong! And not catching bs colds from weirdos on the bus or the grocery store makes it worth it. My face isn't that pretty anyway.
N-95 masks are rated to capture 50 um (micrometer). COVID-19 is 10.5 um. Water droplet to carry them just a tad bit above. Hydrostatic testing to get that 50um in N-95 mask were based on 8.0 pH Latex hydrostatic droplets. COVID-19 best infection spread rate is at 5.8-6.2 pH (opposite spectrum of Latex's pH). So, more will pass thru that mask unhindered. Nonetheless, the dispersal rate is lower only if the infected we…
Not really. Due to brownian motion and diffusion the mask will catch almost all particles anyway.
The mask is rated to capture 95% of airborne particles generally, but it’s efficiency doesn’t correlate to the spacing within the filter media.
Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns
#226Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nah, its just what happens when you have a kid. I was exposed all the time commuting to work on public transit. Once my kid got into preschool I was sick for months at a time.
It's hard to explain the near exponential increase in pathogen exposure when 20+ kids are in a room doing the least hygienic things imaginable for 4-8 hours a day. I rode the subway every day for years and rarely got sick, but a few weeks of a kid in daycare and it was all coming at me at once.
And everything, literally everything, is going straight in the mouth unless you tackle them to break up the play.
Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns
#227Earlier quoted context omitted.
I muse to myself, without a shred of evidence, that masks do "train your immune system". Since they are no where near perfect, pathogens do make it though. However, the "initial viral load" is much smaller, giving your body more time to mount an effective defense. So, I would like to believe you are not neglecting your immune system by masking. Rather, by not overloading it, just being less sick than the unmasked, on…
> However, the "initial viral load" is much smaller, giving your body more time to mount an effective defense. That's a myth from the early pandemic. Viral dose doesn't correlate with disease severity: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-11-relationship-viral-do...
But:
the likelihood of becoming infected may rise with the size of that "dose."
So a small dose might still prime the immune system even if you don't get sick.
Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns
#228Earlier quoted context omitted.
Even if the plane's filtration is good, if the person 3 feet away from you is coughing it's not going to be that good. I'd rather rely on the combination of filtration & a mask. Defense in depth. Day to day i'm not religious about masking, but for things like public transportation, airplanes, etc I try to always have face protection on.
Pressurized airplanes have air changes per hour in the 12-16 range. That's above the ASHRAE recommended 6-12 air changes per hour for places that may contain viruses. (Obviously, ASHRAE isn't the CDC or healthcare organization directly, but they do know a few things about standards setting for HVAC.) Excellent filtration isn't as relevant when the average air molecule is in the aircraft for only 5-10 minutes. The sta…
The real hazard is when you're on the ground. I've seen cabin C02 levels above 3000ppm when the cabin air handling hasn't been turned on!
I'll take my mask off to eat/drink in the air, which I didn't do the one time I had to fly mid-pandemic.
Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns
#229Earlier quoted context omitted.
> A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. I have always looked at Japan as a mixed bag of things that the entire planet will be doing in 10-100 years (yes, even sex bots and other forms of liberal individualism). I am so glad that at least parts of the west have caught onto the practice of masking up when sick, if there were ever a silver lining from the pandemic. I'm still looking for a solu…
Cut the elastic ear loops off of an old mask and tie it to the elastic on a new mask to bridge the gap between the new mask ear elastics (or use a piece of string) so the pressure is on the back of your head. If you fly a lot, there are also very likely commercial solutions for this.
A well-fitting elastomeric respirator is comfortable and much cheaper than n95s in the long run, but it will get more looks in public. If you're the kind of person who cares about that, just use 3m Auras.
Re: Remote work is gutting downtowns
#230Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've had funny conversations about why I still wear a good n95 on public transit (planes included). My right-leaning and remarkably well educated parents are incredulous. A few years ago I thought personal masking didn't really matter. Wow, I was wrong! And not catching bs colds from weirdos on the bus or the grocery store makes it worth it. My face isn't that pretty anyway.
I have a smile that could sink a thousand ships so I consider wearing a mask to be a public service to the rest of you.
thank you for your service