Covid-19

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Winter. Made with Leica SL. Photo by Om Malik

I was full of ideas when I went to sleep and was going to take some time today and write. But last evening, after FDA approved the second booster shot for folks over 50, I got my second booster shot. It has been six months since I got my booster, and I got nervous. I am glad to have the booster, as I plan to travel shortly.

The reaction to the second booster has been pretty much the same as my previous three vaccine shots – pain in the arm, a little tired, and a tad groggy. Still, it has sapped my enthusiasm to write. So, once I am finished with my routine work, I will take some time and spend the rest of the day reading. Disconnected reading, to be precise, is where I read a book or articles on a screen that is not tethered to a network.

I use my iPad Mini in an offline mode to read, and I save and download all the stuff I want to read in either the Safari Reading List or Pocket. I have only recently started to use Readwise, and I am still in the early part of my journey with that product, but that is a good product to use for making notes and tagging my archives. I find disconnected reading is a good antidote to the social media reality of modern media. Mike Solano puts it best in his recent newsletter: 

Twenty years in, our social internet is a medium of communication that appears to tend naturally toward ephemerality, chaos, and mistrust, which in turn engenders a sense of insecurity among most people.

SlapHappy/ Mike Solano

Have a great Wednesday. 

March 30, 2022. San Francisco. 

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A new variant of coronavirus is upon us. As is its wont, Omicron is more infectious and is spreading fast. While, in the past, the virus impacted only a handful of close friends and family, the recent spike has impacted quite many friends. A few of them are struggling, despite having been vaccinated. 

As I was researching the possible impact of the new variant, I couldn’t help but notice how difficult it was to find accurate, actionable information about Omicron and how to deal with it. Except for a handful of writers — Ed Yong of The Atlantic, for example –, one gets quickly sucked into a quagmire of hot takes and incremental information.

It leaves you even scratching your head, perhaps highlighting the problem we have in an Internet-centric information economy. Information is easy to produce, but intelligence remains in short supply. 

In the end, I ended up emailing a few friends — who are experts, doctors, or both, and they all pointed me to a handful of sources to make an informed decision. On their recommendations, I have been following Bob Wachter of UCSF on Twitter and Katelyn Jetelina (aka YourLocalEpidemologist) on Substack. They are pretty direct and clear in their communication about the virus and its reality.  

I was planning to travel for the holidays, but instead, I have gone into a self-imposed lockdown. Sure, I have been vaccinated and received the booster, but why take unnecessary risks. I hope you are doing your bit to keep yourself safe! 

December 21, 2021. San Francisco

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Geeta Dayal, a well-respected art critic and music journalist, is helping organize a music concert, Music for India, on Saturday, June 5th. She announced the news about the concert on Twitter. All proceeds from the concert, which will stream online, will go towards COVID relief efforts in India. Headlining the event is legendary musician Terry Riley. Indian classical violinist Kala Ramnath and pedal steel guitar explorer Chuck Johnson are going to join Riley. Several other musical acts are likely to join the concert. I am going to watching this concert and doing my best to support the relief efforts.  You can follow Geeta on Twitter to get updates on the concert.

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It has been a rough few days for the citizens of India, who have been struggling with the rampaging COVID-19 virus. The pandemic is more widespread than either media or official figures seem to indicate. Many of you emailed and asked about what is the best way to offer help and aid. Here is a list of simple resources to get you started. 

  1. Joy of Sharing: This is a Norwalk, CA-based charity group that gathers funds for vital supplies. Please select COVID-19 INDIA to designate your funds. 
  2. Aid India: Like Joy of Sharing, it too accepts credit cards for online donations. 
  3. Mission Oxygen: This is an initiative by a community of founders from the Delhi region to donate life-saving equipment to hospitals.
  4. Give India is helping organize funds for oxygen, food, survivor support, and other needs for those who desperately need it. 
  5. Hemkunt Foundation is helping laborers and migrant workers who have been made jobless and homeless. They are helping to provide them with food, shelter, and basic hygiene/survival supplies.

I hope this list helps. I will keep updating the links as I find them. 

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Bryan William Jones, a good friend and a professor at the University of Utah, is a fine photographer. Like me, he too is biased towards Leica, and Leica SL in particular. He used Leica and the Apple iPhone to capture moments from inside the Covid-19 MICU at the University of Utah’s Medical Center – the state’s flagship operation.  The staff wanted their story told, and finally, it can be told. Bryan made some powerful images and shared them in this visual essay.

Read article on Bryan William Jones

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Sunday Musings

David Churbuck, a friend and a former boss, wrote an essay on his blog, exploring American individuality and the current politicization of something as simple as wearing a mask to prevent the virus’s spread for the collective good. He points out that this isn’t the first time. Helmets, seat-belts, and now the masks are part of the … Continue reading Sunday Musings

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Pandemic Silence

The pandemic’s horrors are well known to most, but there have been some silver linings. The emptiness of the streets, fewer people driving, and general lack of activity gave us the gift of silence. How silent were many parts of our society? The silence was very noticeable — I would walk out every morning and … Continue reading Pandemic Silence

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#205

September is almost over. Two hundred and five days have passed since I started isolating during this pandemic. As someone who loves traveling, it has been challenging to stay in place. Six months later, I have begun to feel comfortable with the idea of not going anywhere.  It has allowed me to read and explore … Continue reading #205