I’m losing track now. One thing that has been a big help is routine. I have been working through most of the lockdown so far, and it keeps things straight; I know what day of the week it is, and what meetings I have scheduled, and what work I’ve got to do. On the long weekends and over the Easter holiday, I managed to lose complete track of the days, and where I should be. Even now, once I go into weekend mode, it is much easier to relax than it was before the lockdown. I rarely think about work on Saturdays and Sundays. Is this how other people lived normally?
It looks like the lockdown as we know it is coming to an end. Unfortunately, Covid-19 is still out there, I don’t think the death rate and the new infection rate is as low as those in charge were hoping it would be. I for one am not looking forward to being released from these restrictions, and potentially facing a higher chance of catching the virus. No matter the change in guidance, it was important enough to lock down the economy and restrict us all to our homes (except Dominic Cummings, of course); that virus hasn’t gone away – people are still catching it and dying from it. So I don’t want to take advantage of any loosening of the lockdown restrictions, I will be more than happy to stay at home and not go out. I hope that cases don’t increase, and I will be keeping an eye on the daily briefing figures optimistically.
I’ve got a Pop Will Eat Itself gig to go to in October, and that will probably be the first time I properly leave the house – if I go. But live music concerts are not the sort of environment that supports social distancing – if anything, social distancing is positively frowned upon. I’m not sure it will go ahead.
TTFN.
Saturday, May 30, 2020
Sunday, May 24, 2020
20-05-24 - Covid-19 Day #69 - I - Bank Holiday Weekend
I’ve started watching “How To Get Away With Murder”, which was a big hit a few years ago. Everyone seems very unlikeable though, so I’m not sure I’ll watch another series. Having said that, I’m only two thirds of the way through, and it may improve. I suppose it’ll end in a court case. I’d rather watch something like “The Good Wife” though, I think.
I watched “Jackie Brown” as well, finally. TW & I tried to watch it a number of years ago, when we had a weekend away in Tunbridge Wells, but unfortunately the DVD player in the room couldn’t play the DVD so we never saw it. TW was on the phone to friends, and I didn’t want to watch something else that we were watching together, so I started JB and quite enjoyed it. I didn’t realise how long the film was – 2 hours and 40 minutes! That’s a proper blockbuster…
Apart from that, I went to Tesco yesterday for the first time since the lockdown started, in order to do a big shop. With so few people in the store, it was quite a mellow experience. I spent quite a lot, but didn’t actually come home with much – except some houmous and Haribo. And some very nice non-alcoholic beers for me :-)
One thing I have noticed about this lockdown and working from home is that it is much easier to slip into relaxed “what day is it?” mode at the weekends and especially on long weekends. And this morning TY came down to breakfast thinking it was Monday, so it’s not just me – which is reassuring. With tomorrow being a bank holiday in the UK, I am looking forward to a completely structure-free day.
TTFN.
I watched “Jackie Brown” as well, finally. TW & I tried to watch it a number of years ago, when we had a weekend away in Tunbridge Wells, but unfortunately the DVD player in the room couldn’t play the DVD so we never saw it. TW was on the phone to friends, and I didn’t want to watch something else that we were watching together, so I started JB and quite enjoyed it. I didn’t realise how long the film was – 2 hours and 40 minutes! That’s a proper blockbuster…
Apart from that, I went to Tesco yesterday for the first time since the lockdown started, in order to do a big shop. With so few people in the store, it was quite a mellow experience. I spent quite a lot, but didn’t actually come home with much – except some houmous and Haribo. And some very nice non-alcoholic beers for me :-)
One thing I have noticed about this lockdown and working from home is that it is much easier to slip into relaxed “what day is it?” mode at the weekends and especially on long weekends. And this morning TY came down to breakfast thinking it was Monday, so it’s not just me – which is reassuring. With tomorrow being a bank holiday in the UK, I am looking forward to a completely structure-free day.
TTFN.
Saturday, May 16, 2020
20-05-16 - Covid-19 Day #61 - I - Government Twitter
I noticed a thing yesterday – that the government, or the civil service, have descended into the fray on Twitter to dispute claims about the way the Covid-19 debacle has been handled.
I think the fact that the govt. have decided to issue rebuttals and publish them on Twitter is a bad thing for a couple of reasons:
• By publishing a rebuttal to a news article in which the DHSC had a right of response, the govt. are starting a precedent. In the future, if they don’t publish a rebuttal, can we take it that the article is correct?
• Twitter is an egalitarian platform – meaning that if someone puts across a point of view, anyone can dispute that. Occasionally people quote their sources, but not always, and Twitter can be a very argumentative place where it is difficult to establish veracity
• The rebuttals that the DHSC (Department of Health and Social Care, under the Twitter handle @DHSC) have not really rebutted the articles; in fact, they have confirmed that the main claims are indeed true.
The first “rebuttal” I saw from @DHSC linked to this press release. Unfortunately, the release confirms most of the claims that the article in the Guardian made, i.e., that the army did help distribute stocks of PPE; that Movianto did store PPE temporarily in a smoke-damaged warehouse containing asbestos dust; that stock was stored in the aisles (albeit temporarily).
To my mind, publishing a link to this rebuttal on Twitter is almost inviting jeering and questioning, especially when the rebuttal is of such a questionable quality.
The second “rebuttal” was in response to an article in The Mirror which claimed that the NHS app collected care workers’ data for marketing and ads.
The DHSC, from the same Twitter account (@DHSC) responded that this claim was “factually wrong”, but of course this gave the right of reply to the Mirror journalists who responded: “The story is not factually wrong. The firm changed their privacy policy today, after we approached them for comment. Also, users of the app have been sent marketing materials over email. I enclose a screenshot.”
There is a third story involving Jen Williams and the Manchester Evening News here, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (tweeting from the account @mhclg), where it seems that someone in an official capacity has yet again taken umbrage at what journalists are reporting.
Because of the way Twitter is set up, this looks like a discussion among equals, and each participant in the conversation can be given the same levels of respect and credibility. But it does seem that the rebuttals issued by the government either don’t rebut the claims they are intended to, or they can be quickly disproven.
From my perspective, it seems as though the government have indulged in a pointless attempt to steer the narrative around to their benefit, and it seems as though they have failed utterly. There is a phenomenon known as the Streisand Effect, where attempting to censor something can ensure it is discussed more widely. The govt. could have kept quiet in all three of these areas and attempted to appear above it all, but they chose instead to get down and dirty, and have thereby contaminated themselves.
Currently it seems the score is 3-0 to the journalists. Still, tomorrow’s another day, eh?
TTFN.
I think the fact that the govt. have decided to issue rebuttals and publish them on Twitter is a bad thing for a couple of reasons:
• By publishing a rebuttal to a news article in which the DHSC had a right of response, the govt. are starting a precedent. In the future, if they don’t publish a rebuttal, can we take it that the article is correct?
• Twitter is an egalitarian platform – meaning that if someone puts across a point of view, anyone can dispute that. Occasionally people quote their sources, but not always, and Twitter can be a very argumentative place where it is difficult to establish veracity
• The rebuttals that the DHSC (Department of Health and Social Care, under the Twitter handle @DHSC) have not really rebutted the articles; in fact, they have confirmed that the main claims are indeed true.
The first “rebuttal” I saw from @DHSC linked to this press release. Unfortunately, the release confirms most of the claims that the article in the Guardian made, i.e., that the army did help distribute stocks of PPE; that Movianto did store PPE temporarily in a smoke-damaged warehouse containing asbestos dust; that stock was stored in the aisles (albeit temporarily).
To my mind, publishing a link to this rebuttal on Twitter is almost inviting jeering and questioning, especially when the rebuttal is of such a questionable quality.
The second “rebuttal” was in response to an article in The Mirror which claimed that the NHS app collected care workers’ data for marketing and ads.
The DHSC, from the same Twitter account (@DHSC) responded that this claim was “factually wrong”, but of course this gave the right of reply to the Mirror journalists who responded: “The story is not factually wrong. The firm changed their privacy policy today, after we approached them for comment. Also, users of the app have been sent marketing materials over email. I enclose a screenshot.”
There is a third story involving Jen Williams and the Manchester Evening News here, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (tweeting from the account @mhclg), where it seems that someone in an official capacity has yet again taken umbrage at what journalists are reporting.
Because of the way Twitter is set up, this looks like a discussion among equals, and each participant in the conversation can be given the same levels of respect and credibility. But it does seem that the rebuttals issued by the government either don’t rebut the claims they are intended to, or they can be quickly disproven.
From my perspective, it seems as though the government have indulged in a pointless attempt to steer the narrative around to their benefit, and it seems as though they have failed utterly. There is a phenomenon known as the Streisand Effect, where attempting to censor something can ensure it is discussed more widely. The govt. could have kept quiet in all three of these areas and attempted to appear above it all, but they chose instead to get down and dirty, and have thereby contaminated themselves.
Currently it seems the score is 3-0 to the journalists. Still, tomorrow’s another day, eh?
TTFN.
Friday, May 15, 2020
20-05-15 - Covid-19 Day #60 - I - A Week of Watching Telly
This week I have mostly been watching telly. Well, that’s a fib; I’ve been working too, but I’ll remember it as a week of good telly.
Most recently we raced through Save Me Too, a brilliant drama on Sky Atlantic. We watched the first series a few years ago now and were really looking forward to another helping, and it didn’t disappoint. As gritty and bleak as the first series, the only thing that was missing for me were the strange goings-on in the background of some shots. I definitely recommend it, but you’ve got to have a strong stomach, and you’ve got to watch the first series first.
Before that, it was Breeders; again, on Sky. For me, the series started off slowly and actually I’m not sure the main characters (played by Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard) were likeable. But as the episodes progressed I got more into it, and the ten episodes passed in a flash. There was a particularly touching moment in one of the episodes which I tweeted about and got some likes from Daisy Haggard herself and one of the writers, which I was quite pleased with.
On BBC2 there was Normal People, of course, which has taken the nation by storm. I loved it, as it seems, did everyone else; for me, it was the space and the quiet of the filming. As a friend mentioned, it was understated. Looking back on it, I think there was a going on which was implicit rather than explicit, which made a nice change.
And lastly, but not least, there was Feel Good, a TV show on C4 or All 4 starring Mae Martin. That was a show with a different feel, it was a bit offbeat and focused on addiction of all sorts. I enjoyed it and it also starred Charlotte Ritchie, who I recognised from Fresh Meat and Ghosts (which helped), as well as Phoebe from Friends – which was nice!
TTFN.
Most recently we raced through Save Me Too, a brilliant drama on Sky Atlantic. We watched the first series a few years ago now and were really looking forward to another helping, and it didn’t disappoint. As gritty and bleak as the first series, the only thing that was missing for me were the strange goings-on in the background of some shots. I definitely recommend it, but you’ve got to have a strong stomach, and you’ve got to watch the first series first.
Before that, it was Breeders; again, on Sky. For me, the series started off slowly and actually I’m not sure the main characters (played by Martin Freeman and Daisy Haggard) were likeable. But as the episodes progressed I got more into it, and the ten episodes passed in a flash. There was a particularly touching moment in one of the episodes which I tweeted about and got some likes from Daisy Haggard herself and one of the writers, which I was quite pleased with.
On BBC2 there was Normal People, of course, which has taken the nation by storm. I loved it, as it seems, did everyone else; for me, it was the space and the quiet of the filming. As a friend mentioned, it was understated. Looking back on it, I think there was a going on which was implicit rather than explicit, which made a nice change.
And lastly, but not least, there was Feel Good, a TV show on C4 or All 4 starring Mae Martin. That was a show with a different feel, it was a bit offbeat and focused on addiction of all sorts. I enjoyed it and it also starred Charlotte Ritchie, who I recognised from Fresh Meat and Ghosts (which helped), as well as Phoebe from Friends – which was nice!
TTFN.
Saturday, May 02, 2020
20-05-02 - Covid-19 Day #47 - Where Did The Week Go?
It seems only yesterday that I was sitting in the living room enjoying Teen Wolf, the 1985 comedy
starring Michael J. Fox. Actually, though, that was last Sunday. Last weekend was a time for going back to my youth, as on Saturday afternoon I watched Brewster’s Millions starring Richard Pryor, also from 1985.
I did enjoy hiding away in the gloom of the living room with the curtains drawn while the sun blazed down outside. TW spent the weekend luxuriating in the garden, which was fine, as she is always so busy during the week. If she gets an idea into her head, she’s normally busy at the weekend as well.
starring Michael J. Fox. Actually, though, that was last Sunday. Last weekend was a time for going back to my youth, as on Saturday afternoon I watched Brewster’s Millions starring Richard Pryor, also from 1985.
I did enjoy hiding away in the gloom of the living room with the curtains drawn while the sun blazed down outside. TW spent the weekend luxuriating in the garden, which was fine, as she is always so busy during the week. If she gets an idea into her head, she’s normally busy at the weekend as well.
On Thursday night I think it was, I nearly caused an electrical fire. I knocked the glass of water which normally sits on my bedside table over, and of course there are a few chargers also sitting on that table. I dried them off and plugged them back in, but after a few minutes I noticed my phone wasn’t charging. When I felt the charging pad it was really hot, as was the USB lead plugged into it. I quickly unplugged it, and I had the feeling that if I hadn’t done so, we could have ended up with a fire, which wouldn’t have been fun. I was a bit fretful after the event and ended up not getting to sleep until 12:30, but all’s well that ends well, as they say. And it means I can indulge my habit of buying consumer electronics, as I need to replace the charger now. The USB connector looked rusty, and the female connection on the charger looks a bit melty, so I’m not planning to use it again.
TTFN.
TTFN.
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