There is only that much that can be done........

"There is only that much that can be done by them". How many times have we not heard this statement regarding the helplessness of giant establishments when it comes to grass-root controls. The reason for this is obvious in their sheer size. As the size of corporations increase and as the organization spreads across the globe increasing the customers and the people employed with varied customs, languages, preferences and what not are employed, it is very very difficult to know exactly what one person is doing in the establishment. Now, that is business and we will have this talk some other time. It is like having a dinosaur's body with its pea sized brain.

What I would like to talk about in context is that of facebook, twitter, youtube and the like. With customers varied as is the world, it is a herculean task with a centralized team controlling data into and out of centralized servers. Yes, there are servers in many countries and you would like to call it de-centralized. We will come back to this. If this is the model they still would like to continue then I would suggest these companies to take a leaf out of traditional manufacturing companies. The D&D is made in the parent country. The manufacturing of various parts are made worldwide and assembly takes place in a country which did not participate in any of the other operations. What is happening here is a new variation of scientific management. Wherein specialization is localized and the best locality for a specific job is targeted and optimized. The first step of optimization is the job of zeroing on the place itself. Now, once the manufacturing is done, these traditional companies have a presence in all the states of a specific country at major cities and if possible towns also. This gives the big organization a taste of the local thinking. Now, it is all about targeting in the most optimal way with the differing tastes and cultures in mind.

It is high time these big social media companies learn to localize. Localize normally associated with computers is only language. But, localization is much more than a language. The same language is spoken and written in various ways in a matter of a few 100 kilometers. Now, this knowledge comes if there are teams managing specific local geographical locations. With the amount of ad revenue these companies are reaping, it is a responsibility of giving a bit to the community which makes these websites possible. One of the first steps would be to recruit local talent with a varied specializations so that a majority of the local population is represented. The algorithms can be tweaked to reflect more towards the local taste and reduce the global shit which people dont care. This easily separates the global team with the local team and the local team can curate the ones affecting the local areas more and then move out less affecting issues.

Yes, it is not easy, but that is the way these companies can survive in the future. We now have real federation with the activity pub protocol. Mastodon, pleroma, pixelfed and many more are already on the train. They are working perfectly. You now have people running instances which collect like minded people and share ideas. These instances are at the same time free to expand their vistas by connecting to other like minded ones or related ones. There is a bit of anarchy here and I like it. As one of my friends point out, anarchy as a religion is not acceptable. Anarchy in its pristine form is always preferred. With these small groups, it is very easy for administrators to maintain their instances. The rules are laid out in the beginning itself. In fact you know the rules when you join and instance. You know what you are not supposed to do on that instance. If you want to talk about something else then you should search for such an instance and put your views there.

The proprietary ones cannot be as free spirited as these, but, they should try. Because right now, they are struggling. Administration depends more on algorithms. It is an utter failure. There will always be means wherein content can be put back in other ways. And, these algorithms look for content which is gaining more eyeballs. The easy, digestible, shocking, breaking issues get the eyeballs and the algorithm definitely will support it and brings it into the forefront for other users thereby converting them also. If this is what they want, then it is the job of the government to not allow this. If the government wants exactly this, then stopping this rests on the general public and they should act.

People, what is wrong with you and your masks

There is something really wrong with majority of the people in the world. Yes, it is a matter of discussion whether the social distancing rules and wearing a mask is going to help in a pandemic. Yes, there will be arguments on both sides. But, the mask wearing side has always won. Now, there are many classifications on the attitudes of people wearing masks. Let us for a moment forget about the age old classifications based on caste/creed/color and what not and concentrate on masks. Oh...I heard you. What a waste of time. We could have continued our discussion on traditional classifications. You are interested more in it. You feel that is more colorful. You feel that is more relevant. You feel ..... OK, I understand. Shall we now get back to the masks...

Lot many people are still considering the present pandemic a conspiracy theory. I have always maintained neural ground and will not take any particular sides until it is so clear that there really are no sides. I have seen educated people talk non-sense. Let us leave the mask for a moment and come to the next item important, Oximeter. There are very clear instructions as to when you require an oximeter. Let us assume you have decided to home quarantine after testing positive or the doctor has advised home quarantine based on your past health. Now, two instruments needed will be a thermometer and the oximeter. In a six person home an oximeter might be a good buy. But the requirement is very clear. You should have an oximeter with you if you are showing any symptoms of the pandemic at hand. Will the oximeter save your life? No. It will tell you if your health in home quarantine is deteriorating and you should consult the hospital immediately. So, one person decides not to buy the oximeter not because he understood why it is required. He doesnt want to buy, because it is a conspiracy theory by the capitalist companies. By the way he is wearing a mask. Thank the force for that.

Let us come back to the masks. What is wrong with people. The mask is not a handkerchief. It is not be touched every milli-second. Let me see the different ways the masks are touched and handled by the public
1. Majority wear it because the government is levying fines for people not doing so.
2. Many are wearing substandard thin cotton masks, while we are talking about N95.
3. Many are wearing it at their chin.
4. Many are wearing it so loose that all the air going in and coming out might be full of the virus.
5. If they want to pull the mask down, they do so by holding it exactly in the middle an pulling it below their chin.
6. They again hold exactly the middle portion to pull it back.
7. They dont cover the nose and it is at the mouth level.
8. They are not washing it every day(if washable).

Am I an expert in recommending masks? No. I am only logical at it. So, what is the best mask?

1. An N95 mask wore properly covering the nose and the mouth down to the chin such that majority of the air going in and coming out is through the mask.

What other choices?

Though not medically recommended, masks made of multiple layers of cloth with criss-cross strands could be made at home. Preferably more than 3 layers. If possible a filtering medium in between the layers is recommended.

How to really wear it?

1. Hold the masks only at the strands which are for fixing it. Fix it such that it covers your nose and the mouth and you feel that majority of the air entering is through your mask only. You are not feeling the air entering through the sides of the mask. If this is not so then there is no point of wearing your mask.
2. Once you wear it, do not touch any portion of the mask. Move around as though you are not wearing them. Do not touch your face at any point of time.
3. If you want to remove it, again, hold them at the strands and make an arrangement for hanging the mask from the strands. Ensure that you or any others or any other thing does not touch the surface or the insides of the mask. To wear it again, follow step 2.
4. It is better you have a mask for the office work separately and keep it at the office.
5. If you are using masks made of layers of cloth, it is recommended to wash them everyday.

For better results with the mask, another important aspect is maintaining distancing. At any point of time maintain at least a minimum of 1 metre distance between everybody. And everybody in the vicinity also to maintain the same. It is not enough that you are wearing the mask properly and maintaining the distance. Everybody else should do so. This will minimize the payload, if it exists in any of the person in the group.

With all the above we are ensuring that the payload when delivered to our body, will be minimal and our immune system is capable of fighting that smaller payload.




Survive.

Why are we here

Yes, Why are we here. Why are we born on this planet and why on this planet and only on this planet. Why is this question being asked now. Is this the right time to ask this question and is it the right time. In fact, are we allowed to ask this question. The whole world has been swallowed and united by a pandemic. United is a very big word and that too encompassing the entire world with that is a bit..... We are united only in discussing about it and the devouring news regarding the pandemic. But when it comes to resolving the problem at hand, there has been no unity.

Let us see, what does a restaurateur do in this time of a pandemic. He can serve free food until his capability to do so runs off. Which happens very quickly in this modern world. We dont stock anything except our electronics, which is totally useless and a headache for cleaning. Our forefathers always planned for a bad day, bad year, if possible, out of experience. Dried food which can be store for a long time. Food grains which have long storage life etc were always maintained. Now, it is all, JIT. The concept of cost cutting, the concept of saving time so that the time saved can be spent on our electronic devices. So, did we get our answer for the first question. Are we here to consume and consume only. We are not creating a new earth. We are trying to move to more dirtier and dangerous planet instead of cleaning up and maintain the most inhabitable planet in the known cosmos.

It is all the same everywhere. All Indians dream of going towards the west and the west are always in awe at the philosophical and metaphysical knowledge available for ready digestion if anybody wants to have some. Since we are in the times of a pandemic can the funds for the rocket scientist be transferred to the scientists/doctors working towards the pandemic. Can the same be done for other areas of research. Can we press the pause button for two quarters for all other scientific spending. Will there be an alien attack within this time. Can we stop the petty quarrels related to our fake borders, ethnicity, colors, beliefs, gods, ........, nationalism, jingoism, religion, economic models, rich, poor.... OMG,I cant further go on. I am tired. What a waste of knowledge. What a waste of brains capability, listening to all these things and arguments about all sides. The thing is some people are expendable. Now, who are expendable is situational and many other variables which is beyond the capability of my brain. Is any living being expendable. Really, a living being is expendable. The statements and statistics that this many will die. I have to agree that the statisticians are definitely doing their job. Who gave the right and power to allow the people making such statements by arranging press meets and spending money for such events.

All human feelings have become situational. Everybody is made to believe that the pandemic will not affect him. Whoever is affected is brought to the side and told that your are affected. Now, who is responsible for this. Human apathy towards fellow humans is the reason. Everybody is fighting the pandemic in their own way. There has never been a unified approach. There has never been all hands on the deck approach. If that approach had been there, we would be out of this scenario by now. Fake sanitizers, Fake masks....... Where is humanity going towards. Is/was there anything called humanity. Does humanity mean every human has equal rights for everything in this world. Humanity also means that we should be considerate to all other human beings. But, if the meaning of that word does not apply to fellow humans, then I think the word is just a catchphrase for a company. Whoever is affected by the pandemic is fighting a lone battle and who has not come into the contact of the virus is feeling that he will not be affected. This is being maintained by all the governments and corporations across the world.

This pandemic is not something which humanity can defeat. It requires all hands on the deck approach regarding human efforts and all the resources required for resolving this issue. Can Human race unite and join together in bringing health to the entire world. Was the world before the pandemic a better one. Will the world after the virus is defeated be a better one. We can make the world better by imbibing the real meaning of humanity into minds/hearts of all the humans on this planet. Isnt that why we are here. To survive and strive. Let us.............