Posts

@NeonThriller

@Ereiam
On Twitter I’m seeing tons of conspiracy theories that claim that “Republicans are allowing COVID to go out of control on purpose to harm their opponents”.
Is this true?
I’m not panicking here, Just a question.

@igotnopicks

@NeonThriller
You need to stop looking at conspiracy theroies.

@Ereiam

@NeonThriller
Hanlon's razor: "Don't ascribe to malice what can adequately be explained by stupidity."

That's why those are just what they are: conspiracy theories.

To be absolutely fair though, that possibility has been somewhat legitimately discussed before, and is unfortunately difficult to place entirely outside the realm of possibility. Especially in regards to Trump's entirely botched pandemic response. Case and point, there was a Vanity Fair report back in July of this year that discussed the innumerable failures of the Trump administration's response to the pandemic, in which an anonymous public health expert who was reportedly "in frequent contact with the White House’s official coronavirus task force" alleged that political considerations had played a part in changing early testing plans. To wit:

Most troubling of all, perhaps, was a sentiment the expert said a member of Kushner’s team expressed: that because the virus had hit blue states hardest, a national plan was unnecessary and would not make sense politically. “The political folks believed that because it was going to be relegated to Democratic states, that they could blame those governors, and that would be an effective political strategy,” said the expert.

Of course this isn't the only thing alleged to have changed the testing strategy, and the report also mentions the more easily provable (because he pretty much outright said as much) concerns from Trump that more testing would lead to higher case counts and bad publicity, as a factor. Still, given the kinds of policy decisions Trump has often made, and his current commitment to setting as many fires as he can before his time in office runs out, the idea that his task force would float the idea of not responding at a national level for political gain is hard to dismiss outright.

It's still ultimately unproven though, and unless someone can offer more evidence on the matter, it seems likely to remain that way.

@AzriBoss
F150 Lightning

@Goku Black
What about the mandatory minimum four years of safety tests? How do we know this won't cause mass infertility?

@Latecomer
Sombra's comic arc was pretty decent and I wouldn't mind seeing him get a redemption arc as well. His example of not getting one is somewhat less agregious because he was attacking the M6 and couldn't be captured (at least as far as they knew). The trio, meanwhile were depowered (odd that the rainbow beam that stoned Discord and sent NMM to the Moon only did that to them), outnumbered, restrained and rendered completely harmless when Discord gave the suggestion. There were plenty of opportunities to try and reform them. And they also had Frenemies.

And even if those three reformed you'd still have the Pony of Shadows and Storm King.

@Vivace
So he was trying to teach/test something that was already proven beforehand and was willing to threaten, manipulate and lead four peaple to their demise/eternal worse imprisonment to do so.

@Don't
He was never trying to reform them in the first place. He was trying to test Twilight's ability to handle an external threat crisis as reigning princess. That the League of Villains got the upper hand over him and took his powers is probably informing his proposal to petrify them.

Ticketmaster mulling how to do concerts next year.

I have reservations about making a database of who has been vaccinated or gets a negative test. Especially in the private sector.

@Backgroundpony

It's a backlog of dna testing kits used for rape cases.

As far as I understand it the accusation is that solving those cases are gonna have higher priority.

@Background Pony #CAEE
Bill Gates? Why? Shouldn’t he be like the poster boy for capitalism?


@Background Pony #F752

Donald Trump Jr. tests positive for Covid-19

This is why you don’t hold large gatherings during a pandemic!

I think I'm still waiting- idk lemme test oh ok still waiting for badge, still keeping patient

@Brass Beau

"It's more of a "with technology I can do what others can but what can only I do?" kind of message. The possibility is still there and she can take that path but she's deciding that she wants to be different in a way that goes beyond her physical limitations.

Well, that would make for an intriguing character arc for her. Have her get herself something to get her the extra lift she needs, let her get the "ICANFLYICANFLYICANFLYICANFLYICANFLY!" out of her system, then have her ponder: How much of her original dreams were about what she actually wanted to do with her life, and how much was about wanting to be like Rainbow Dash for the sake of being like Rainbow Dash?

The two could even be tied together. "I built a jet pack so I can fly as fast as Rainbow Dash and then I kept making stuff." The kid calculated how to sling herself into the stratosphere. She's pretty damn smart. And since we know wheelchairs and artificial limbs are a thing, maybe she could learn some anatomy and make new technology for other limited individuals.

Some reviews of comic issue 81 have proposed that she do just that with Wind Sock's glider. Taking it to the next level (perhaps with her studying aeronautics, or engineering in general) could indeed be an interesting career path for her. Perhaps she could team up with whoever made Kerfuffle's leg? As a mechanical engineer who's thought about getting into the prosthetics field, that would elevate her to "best pony" in my book.

Though Rainbow Dash did teach at the school on top of being a Wonderbolt. Perhaps Scootaloo could do something similar — the stuff she'd learn in Wonderbolts Academy would be quite helpful for testing anything flight-related before offering it to patients, and as a handi-capable Wonderbolt she'd be a living advertisement for her tech.

Plus it reminds me of a fanfic I just read:

The Fault In My Cutie Mark

Scootaloo wonders how she got a cutie mark with a wing and a lightning bolt (features normally associated with "flies real good") with her wings the way they are. Then she meets a pegasus who's having trouble flying, and gives him some pointers that Rainbow Dash taught her (in an unsuccessful attempt to get her flying). She then concludes that that's what her cutie mark means, helping to teach other pegasi proper flight technique.

Developing assistive tech for other disabled pegasi (and potentially creatures in general) could also be a fitting interpretation of her cutie mark.

Donald Trump Jr. tests positive for Covid-19

@Beau Skunky
I doubt they'd poke fun at anything on one side and just be the typical very bias "We should have won! We got cheated!" whining and never question the other side, epically with what we know now, the that Hollywood has been doing for the past 4 years and won't stop. What I've been seeing, hasn't been quelled any worries that won't be the case. Seems like the same type of schlock most reboots tend to be.

Doesn't help that anyone that doesn't go along is lambasted endlessly until they agree with "The group" on everything (ask Jones town how that went) How many times have we've seen them cannibalize each other, in an never-ending purity test?

Rich Wonderbolt: I'm so bored make me that dress!

Rarity: It will take time. I am working as reasonably as I ca…

Rich Wonderbolt: "Well work faster! I wanna show off how cool I am! Maybe if you work 5 more hours than you make it in time!

Rarity: I do NOT wish to lose my sleep, thank you very much. Progress is being made at a healthy pace. The dress I am making is incredibly elaborate. It will be as if the gods made it. Just be patient and…

SLAP

Rich Wonderbolt: "Listen here, do you know who I am? I am the Lady of the North! I am descended from the great pegasus kings of old! I demand a dress so I can show it off to the Wonderbolts! And you're saying you won't work faster?

Rarity: Yes I know what I said great Lady of the North.

Rich Wonderbolt: I'm a noble! You're just a little peasent!

Rarity: Darling you had better listen to me…

Rich Wonderbolt: You do what I say, okay! You're just a fashion designer! A mere craftswoman!

Rarity: Yes that is what I am. And… WHAT OF IT?

Rich Wonderbolt: People like you exist to make ponies me look good! That's all! Now know your place. Goodness, is this how all working ponies are, people who are so lazy they can't miss a few days of sleep? Well you know what I say? I say your slackers…"

WHACK

Rarity: Do not ever call me or any other craftspony a slacker again. You should know provoking us hard workers is a good way of signing your death warrant. Remember that. Now leave, unless you would like to know how I dealt with uncouth ponies in the slums of Fillydelphia where I came from. Don't test me.

(A little overdramatic and unpolished possible ooc but I was inspired when Sanji beat up Fullbody for disrespecting him in One Piece.)

@Ereiam
You made the argument about population density and size. I made the argument, subjectively, that those factors does not matter all that much in the grand scheme of things. Your math is correct, but my personal opionion of its significance differs from yours. Living in a country with 15 people per Km2 (38 people per mi2), massive testing and tracking/quarantining, we still cant contain it and have hundreds of cases everyday. If questioning how relevant that geographical distance/population size is makes me a bad faith actor, so be it I suppose.

Oh, and said person is attacking everyone that does not agree with them all the time using language such as: "Silbasa: "The EU is incompetent and everyone who disagree or argues against me simply has Trump Derangement Syndrome. :):):):););):):):);););):):(;(;)"" — not really a good faith debater no?

@DarkObsidian
You gotta be you. I am also a child of the 90s. We did walk around with a large stick up our collective rear ends back then about everything, as people tend to do now. Better times.

@Latecomer
Theres your difference, fancy words did little to save those people.

@Background Pony #CAEE
Not identical but the close comparisons. Europes nations are very different and yes its a broad brush I am painting with. Point is: even with all these measures, we still did not contain it. In Norway every county have teams tracking every known infected and anyone they have been in contact with, getting them quarantined. Widespread testing. We still cant stop it and have hundreds of new cases every day in one of the most sparsly populated countries over here.

@Commune
Sweden had no strategy. They are regretting that today and are now starting slowly to implement standard measures. We have lost 350 something, they have lost around 6000 so far.


EU leaders are feeble. We knew about this shit last December. Nothing was done. They left the door wide open, and then bam(!), here we are. If only they cared about their own peoples as much as they care for meddling in the rest of the world we would have little to complain about.

@Meanlucario
This one?

It’s called the Harkness Test.

@Meanlucario
Harkness Test.

So some more good news on the vaccination front. Pfizer now says its COVID-19 shot is 95% effective a month after the first dose, and that they'll be seeking clearance for use very soon.

Pfizer said Wednesday that new test results show its coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective, is safe and also protects older people most at risk of dying — the last data needed to seek emergency use of limited shot supplies as the catastrophic outbreak worsens across the globe.

The announcement from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, just a week after they revealed the first promising preliminary results, comes as the team is preparing within days to formally ask U.S. regulators to allow emergency use of the vaccine.

They also have begun “rolling submissions” for the vaccine with regulators in Europe, the U.K. and Canada and soon will add this new data.

Pfizer and BioNTech had initially estimated the vaccine was more than 90% effective after 94 infections had been counted in a study that included 44,000 people. With the new announcement, the company now has accumulated 170 infections in the study — and said only eight of them occurred in volunteers who got the actual vaccine rather than a dummy shot. One of those eight developed severe disease, the company said.

There are still some questions to be answered about it, of course, and initial supplies will most likely be limited to high risk groups, but at least we're getting closer to maybe finally putting this pandemic behind us.

@DarkObsidian
Which means he sure isn't safe enough to use as a test, not with the Empire and everyone in it on the line.

@Latecomer
I think she was prepared for Sombra. She set it as a test for Twilight and offered her minimal resources because I don't think she considered him that much of a threat, much like Nightmare Moon. Both came back with barely any resources and no armies themselves, without which Twilight is quite capable of handling them.

If Twilight failed, Celestia and Luna could take out Sombra. They were likely on standby to do just that.

@MagpulPony
Trump however may well be responsible for rushing a vaccine through without proper testing or safety checks. I wouldn't trust anything developed under a Trump directive regardless of how talented and well meaning the scientists, researches, engineers, etc. working on the actual product are, because Trump and his army of uneducated sycophants will cut every corner possible to ensure Trump gets the credit and his precious ego-boost, no matter the cost to the plebes.

So, my buddies 06 LBZ duramax has started suffering from low fuel pressure lately and I can’t find out why. We replaced the pump with a brand new one like 3 months ago, his injectors are brand new as well. I inspected the lines to make sure they’re not leaking and even did a smoke test to confirm it’s not leaking. We made sure the pump is also getting the right amount of power as well and it is. I might need to take a look at the sensors. Anyone have any ideas why this could be happening?

Welp, Josh Norman has tested positive for Covid….

@Ciaran
A remark on that: Make no mistake, I didn't mean to criticize anyone involved with the event for doing it the way they are doing it, just in case it came across as such.
The suggestion is purely with the intent to ease the workload for the people who are doing all these things manually right now.

This took longer than I hoped, Javascript is not my forté, but it works. Tested in Firefox and Chrome with Violentmonkey v2.12.7


In action video (everything filter, contains some nudity)

If anyone wants to improve this somehow, by all means please go ahead. This is just a base to show how it could work.

Code:
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// ==UserScript== // @name Derpibooru Badge Helper // @namespace Derpibooru // @match https://derpibooru.org/* // @run-at document-idle // @grant GM_getValue // @grant GM_setValue // @grant GM_deleteValue // @grant GM_listValues // @grant GM_xmlhttpRequest // ==/UserScript== console.log("Badge Helper Running"); // Export and Import data functionality createExportImport(); // Uploader var uploader_span = document.querySelector("span[class=image_uploader]"); if (uploader_span) { console.log(uploader_span); // Check if there's an account linked var anchor_element = uploader_span.querySelector("a"); if (anchor_element){ // Uploaded with an account, create the STORE THIS ACCOUNT button var account_name = anchor_element.textContent; var new_button = createStoreAccountButton(account_name); // Display it uploader_span.appendChild(new_button); } } // Artist tags var tag_div = document.querySelector("div[class=tag-list]"); if (tag_div) { console.log(tag_div); // Get all artist tags var artist_tag_anchors = tag_div.querySelectorAll("a[href*='artist-colon'][class=tag__name"); console.log(artist_tag_anchors); for (var artist_anchor of artist_tag_anchors){ // Parse the artist tag page and possibly create and display the storage button for this tag var account_name = handleArtistTag(artist_anchor.href, artist_anchor.closest("span")); } } /** * Reads the given url and extracts the associated user account for this tag - if it exists - and displays a store button for it * @param tag_url url of an artist tag to parse * @param parent element to append new buttons to as children */ function handleArtistTag(tag_url, parent){ // Load the given url GM_xmlhttpRequest({ method: "GET", url: tag_url, onload: function(response) { if (response.status == 200){ // Create document from reply to ease parsing var response_doc = new DOMParser().parseFromString(response.responseText, "text/html"); var tag_info_div = response_doc.querySelector("div[class=tag-info__more]"); if (tag_info_div){ // Check if there's a userpage link on this artist tag page // Get all fitting anchors and all strongs, the anchor right after a strong announcing "Associated users:" is the right one // This is in case there might be more than one profile link at an artist tag in a description somewhere var selected_elements = tag_info_div.querySelectorAll("strong, a[href*='/profiles/']"); for (var i = 0; i < selected_elements.length; i++){ var cur_elem = selected_elements[i]; if (cur_elem.nodeName === "STRONG" && cur_elem.textContent.includes("Associated users:")){ // This is the right one, next element is the user account anchor var account_name = selected_elements[i+1].textContent; // Display the button to save it var new_button = createStoreAccountButton(account_name) parent.insertBefore(new_button, parent.firstChild); } } } } } }); } /** * Creates and returns a button to store the given account name on click * @param account_name String containing the account name to display and store on button click * @return the created button */ function createStoreAccountButton(account_name){ // New button var new_button = document.createElement("button"); new_button.textContent = "Store " + account_name; // On click store it new_button.onclick = async function(){ GM_setValue(account_name, true); console.log("Stored " + account_name); this.textContent = "STORED " + account_name; } return new_button; } /** * Displays an export and import button at the start of the page, that can be used to export or import script data */ function createExportImport(){ // Get HTML body var body_elem = document.getElementsByTagName("body")[0]; /* * EXPORT */ var export_button = document.createElement("button"); export_button.textContent = "Export Badge Data"; // On click display current data export_button.onclick = async function(){ // Get all stored keys var stored_keys = GM_listValues(); // Make a list var list_form = ""; for (var key of stored_keys){ list_form += key + ","; } // Now show it to user console.log(list_form); prompt("Badge Data Stored", list_form.substring(0, list_form.length - 1)); } // Display the button body_elem.insertBefore(export_button, body_elem.firstChild); /* * IMPORT */ var import_button = document.createElement("button"); import_button.textContent = "Import Badge Data"; // On click prompt user for new data import_button.onclick = async function(){ // Prompt user for input var prompt_result = prompt("Provide Data To Import", "Put Previously Exported Data Here, insert spaces to purge all"); if (prompt_result){ // Delete all currently stored keys before storing user submitted ones for (var key of GM_listValues()){ GM_deleteValue(key); } // Split the list to store the individual names var split_result = prompt_result.split(","); if (split_result.length > 1){ // Now store the new data for (var i = 0; i < split_result.length; i++){ GM_setValue(split_result[i], true); } } // Done. Inform the user alert("Given data imported."); } } // Display the button body_elem.insertBefore(import_button, body_elem.firstChild); }

—-

@Goku Black

Although I do not wish to contradict you in your statement regarding a national lockdown for the USA, because I personally do not feel able to foresee the effects of such a measure, I must contradict you in your example of Sweden.

First of all, it is generally not a good idea to fall back on a source that is already more than a month old. Especially with the rapid developments in the corona virus, this is almost a little careless. An article in the German newspaper "Die Zeit" on Thursday said the following: Sweden was indeed quite proud of its own way in the Corona crisis. Now the numbers of infections and deaths are rising significantly. Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has now put the citizens of his country in the mood for difficult times — and is deviating more and more from the previous course.

All signs went in an undesirable, wrong direction. There is a danger that the situation will become "totally dark", Löfven said. "We risk that more people will get sick, more people will die", that there will be more overworked people in the healthcare system and that more operations will be postponed. It was Wednesday afternoon and even the last Sweden should have realised after his speech that the situation in the Kingdom is very serious.

While supporters of the Swedish way thought that they were still confirmed in the summer, the situation has changed dramatically in recent weeks, with the number of infections rising rapidly. On Thursday, the health authorities reported that 4658 new infections and 40 more deaths have been added, bringing the total number of infections and deaths to 171,365 in the country of ten million people. The 14-day incidence is 481 per 100,000 inhabitants. Recently it was announced that the positive rate of corona tests in the Stockholm region had reached 20 percent — in Germany a peak of almost eight percent had recently been achieved.

The authorities are increasingly deviating from their special path — even if it is not formulated in this way. But there are more and more and stricter recommendations and restrictions. First, more stringent recommendations were announced for individual regions: people should avoid physical contact with people outside their homes, neither organise nor participate in parties, and the use of public transport is discouraged.

Löfven said that the government believes that more measures are needed to contain the spread of the virus. From the 20th November on, there will be a daily ban on alcohol sales throughout the country from 10 pm. This is a sharp cut for the restaurant business. Swedish media quote innkeepers who are at least surprised by this, or even speak of a "catastrophe" or "deathblow" for their industry. Löfven said some people ignored the risk. More and more had begun to relax in the autumn, more and more thought that a day at the shopping centre meant nothing, or that a birthday party made no difference. "But unfortunately, it makes a difference." Every decision you make in your daily life makes a difference. "Everyone's behavior is important."

So much for the glorious Swedish way in the Corona crisis.