Nice interview! However, now I will see/hear that dude from The Man from Earth every time I read your writings now. As that's the one your voice in combination with your lively speech pattern brought to mind, hope you don't mind. :-)
The only time I've worn a cloth mask is to preserve humidity in an extremely dry environment, and to keep rough dust in such environment away. Well, the latter is more so an effect of the reduced airflow I guess.
I remember a Japanese YouTube channel having a link to an infomercial in the description of the videos during the sham. Supposedly, it was meant to argue for the usage of masks.
However, the infomercial clearly pointed out, clearly even if you don't know Japanese, that the N95 masks only stop some ~70% of particles under the conditions that both people wear masks, keep a distance of at least 2 meters, in a well-ventilated room, the humidity is around 40%, and neither person is speaking above "conversational levels".
The N95 is called thus as it is rated to remove 95% of particles done to a six that is a little more than double the size of the SARS Cov 2 virus. But they are rated only for protection of the wearer, not as source protection. Any claims that they work as source control are nonsense. There is a video still up on YouTube that has a man trying out first 1 then 2 N95 respirators in cold weather. You can clearly see that his exhaled breath exhausts in jets around the respirator with a little coming through the filter. Now, what he says is inconsistent with what you see, which is my guess for why the video was never pulled down by YouTube for they did pull down vids that were in any way anti mask.
As far as masks and respirators working in Japan, I ask, “Why didn’t they?”. 99% of the population of Japan followed masking recommendation for 3 1/2 years. During that time Japan had 8 waves of Covid with the 7th larger than any before it and the 8th larger still. And, masks were not the only mitigation action taken. Masks with unsocial distancing, plastic barriers between seats with every other seat unusable, hand sanitizer for use upon entering and exiting buildings, lockdowns lite, zoom classes, remote work and other nonsense. Yet, wave after wave after bigger wave of covid swept over us. Where does the real evidence point to, that these counter measures were effective or ineffective at best?
Masks have their uses. I am not anti mask. I use them as my training indicates for their use. But they do not offer any protection against viruses and this has been known for over a century.
I do remember that video, or it might've just been a gif of it I saw. Perhaps any effect they found in that study is more so from the redirected/limited airflow bringing down the reach of droplets to ~2 meters before the ventilation sweeps it away.
Well, whatever the case may be, 70% is very scant performance and that was with the supposed top performer N95 while, if I recall correctly, the other masks, which most people use, didn't even reach a 40% reduction.
I also realise now that "infomercial" is the wrong word to use. Sorry about that!
It was a paper, 4-5 pages or so, with one page having a plot scoring different masks on something along the lines of how many percent of baseline droplets reach a certain distance. But it was early 2021-ish, a bit beyond my memory for details I'm sorry to say.
If the concern is over droplets, masks are not necessary, gravity pulls them out of circulation quickly. Unless we are right in the face of an infected person or on the ground, near their feet, we have nothing to worry about. Further, it was know early on that covid does dot spread through droplets, but aerosols, which the masks do not stop. However, masks act against droplets like screens do to water balloons and break the mostly harmless droplets into the deadly aerosols that are small and light enough to remain suspended in the air column and get entrained in the airstream. Masks and “testing” are keeping this madness gaining.
Life has got so surreal that the Babylon Bee’s stature proves to be true far too often.
From what I have observed at my kids’ school, they did not cut holes in masks to play instruments, the pulled them down when it was their section’s time to play and back up when they had a measure or more of rests; kinda like masking between bites. Swim coaches wore masks in the water as did the human performers at Sea World here; I posted photos of the latter in an earlier piece on my substack.
So their claims about the equipment and the reality about the equipment both contradict the ways they claim the equipment would be helpful, just in different ways.
I honestly didn't even think of the article text; that was just the only instance left of such an image which hadn't been struck down by some site's "community guidelines".
"Bite-sized masking" — reminds me of something bossman said: "I know you spend an hour in the same car to&fro work; however, when you're working within 2 meters of each-other I would like you to use masks". Not verbatim, but close enough.
The insanity some people seem to arrive at to get away from the stress of some old lady nagging them after getting riled up by social media and state media are perplexing.
Good times. I listened to the interview and it was a good one. It is good to put a voice to your writing. Concerning FACTA: A lot of us don't care because we don't have to, we aren't living outside of the US, but yeah, to me, looking at it, it reminds me of Gavin Newsom who wanted to institute a similar policy that former California citizens would still have to pay California taxes after moving from California.
As far as why I disagree with these people about masks, or vaccines, lockdowns, or anything, it's not to change their minds. It is to show to them, that there are differing views out there outside of their echo chamber.
Thanks. He did some kind of magic with my voice as it has never sounded like that to me before; always much higher pitched and whinny before.
Yes and no on FATCA. If we are who we say we are, then knowing about it would necessitate action against it. I think that is why no one wants to hear about it. It is also a case of what a Lutheran pastor in Germany wrote that went something like this; First they cam for the gypsies and I said nothing, for I am not a gypsy. Then they came for the communists and I said nothing, for I am not a communist. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.
By not stopping FATCA, the VINMO reporting was a given eventuality as is much worse down the pike.
Nice interview! However, now I will see/hear that dude from The Man from Earth every time I read your writings now. As that's the one your voice in combination with your lively speech pattern brought to mind, hope you don't mind. :-)
The only time I've worn a cloth mask is to preserve humidity in an extremely dry environment, and to keep rough dust in such environment away. Well, the latter is more so an effect of the reduced airflow I guess.
I remember a Japanese YouTube channel having a link to an infomercial in the description of the videos during the sham. Supposedly, it was meant to argue for the usage of masks.
However, the infomercial clearly pointed out, clearly even if you don't know Japanese, that the N95 masks only stop some ~70% of particles under the conditions that both people wear masks, keep a distance of at least 2 meters, in a well-ventilated room, the humidity is around 40%, and neither person is speaking above "conversational levels".
Is that something you recognise?
The N95 is called thus as it is rated to remove 95% of particles done to a six that is a little more than double the size of the SARS Cov 2 virus. But they are rated only for protection of the wearer, not as source protection. Any claims that they work as source control are nonsense. There is a video still up on YouTube that has a man trying out first 1 then 2 N95 respirators in cold weather. You can clearly see that his exhaled breath exhausts in jets around the respirator with a little coming through the filter. Now, what he says is inconsistent with what you see, which is my guess for why the video was never pulled down by YouTube for they did pull down vids that were in any way anti mask.
As far as masks and respirators working in Japan, I ask, “Why didn’t they?”. 99% of the population of Japan followed masking recommendation for 3 1/2 years. During that time Japan had 8 waves of Covid with the 7th larger than any before it and the 8th larger still. And, masks were not the only mitigation action taken. Masks with unsocial distancing, plastic barriers between seats with every other seat unusable, hand sanitizer for use upon entering and exiting buildings, lockdowns lite, zoom classes, remote work and other nonsense. Yet, wave after wave after bigger wave of covid swept over us. Where does the real evidence point to, that these counter measures were effective or ineffective at best?
Masks have their uses. I am not anti mask. I use them as my training indicates for their use. But they do not offer any protection against viruses and this has been known for over a century.
I do remember that video, or it might've just been a gif of it I saw. Perhaps any effect they found in that study is more so from the redirected/limited airflow bringing down the reach of droplets to ~2 meters before the ventilation sweeps it away.
Well, whatever the case may be, 70% is very scant performance and that was with the supposed top performer N95 while, if I recall correctly, the other masks, which most people use, didn't even reach a 40% reduction.
I also realise now that "infomercial" is the wrong word to use. Sorry about that!
It was a paper, 4-5 pages or so, with one page having a plot scoring different masks on something along the lines of how many percent of baseline droplets reach a certain distance. But it was early 2021-ish, a bit beyond my memory for details I'm sorry to say.
"unsocial distancing"
Nice! I'm going to steal that one.
"other nonsense"
https://babylonbee.com/news/to-prevent-their-kid-from-being-socially-awkward-and-weird-parents-choose-to-homeschool
At least, from what I've seen, they didn't have orchestras like this?
Thanks for the very detailed answer!
If the concern is over droplets, masks are not necessary, gravity pulls them out of circulation quickly. Unless we are right in the face of an infected person or on the ground, near their feet, we have nothing to worry about. Further, it was know early on that covid does dot spread through droplets, but aerosols, which the masks do not stop. However, masks act against droplets like screens do to water balloons and break the mostly harmless droplets into the deadly aerosols that are small and light enough to remain suspended in the air column and get entrained in the airstream. Masks and “testing” are keeping this madness gaining.
Life has got so surreal that the Babylon Bee’s stature proves to be true far too often.
From what I have observed at my kids’ school, they did not cut holes in masks to play instruments, the pulled them down when it was their section’s time to play and back up when they had a measure or more of rests; kinda like masking between bites. Swim coaches wore masks in the water as did the human performers at Sea World here; I posted photos of the latter in an earlier piece on my substack.
That's interesting!
So their claims about the equipment and the reality about the equipment both contradict the ways they claim the equipment would be helpful, just in different ways.
I honestly didn't even think of the article text; that was just the only instance left of such an image which hadn't been struck down by some site's "community guidelines".
"Bite-sized masking" — reminds me of something bossman said: "I know you spend an hour in the same car to&fro work; however, when you're working within 2 meters of each-other I would like you to use masks". Not verbatim, but close enough.
The insanity some people seem to arrive at to get away from the stress of some old lady nagging them after getting riled up by social media and state media are perplexing.
Good times. I listened to the interview and it was a good one. It is good to put a voice to your writing. Concerning FACTA: A lot of us don't care because we don't have to, we aren't living outside of the US, but yeah, to me, looking at it, it reminds me of Gavin Newsom who wanted to institute a similar policy that former California citizens would still have to pay California taxes after moving from California.
As far as why I disagree with these people about masks, or vaccines, lockdowns, or anything, it's not to change their minds. It is to show to them, that there are differing views out there outside of their echo chamber.
Thanks. He did some kind of magic with my voice as it has never sounded like that to me before; always much higher pitched and whinny before.
Yes and no on FATCA. If we are who we say we are, then knowing about it would necessitate action against it. I think that is why no one wants to hear about it. It is also a case of what a Lutheran pastor in Germany wrote that went something like this; First they cam for the gypsies and I said nothing, for I am not a gypsy. Then they came for the communists and I said nothing, for I am not a communist. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.
By not stopping FATCA, the VINMO reporting was a given eventuality as is much worse down the pike.
Yes. I can believe it. Good things happen to people with a purpose in life.
Fantastic!
おめでとうございます‼️ Congrats on landing a new job? I haven’t found anything more, but that is due to everywhere I look, employers are still requiring masks.
The interview came out better than I dared hope. His equipment made my voice sound by far the best I have ever heard it.