Dear Readers,
It is still hard for to me think that disinfecting a computer now means cleaning the keyboard and touchscreen to remove virus contamination. Going viral means, well, we know that it means the increase in new COVID-19 cases exceeds the previous day's percentage. A mathematician friend marvels that "I've never seen so many people interested in a third derivative." Our distanced lives go on, in times of trouble Internet video comes to me. Let it Zoom.
I have found many creative videos and songs that commemorate this period of quarantine and isolation, and I'm struck by the inspiration that people derive from the odd situation. But it is challenging to get noticed and to sell creative works under these circumstances. The software/tech industry seems prescient in having converted to online collaboration decades ago. I seem to recall that X Windows was written with no in-person meetings of the development team.
Of course, the fragile security basis for online trust is taking a beating as everyone moves to using their home network for professional work. Twitter suffered the embarrassment of having many of its high profile accounts hacked. Though the damage was limited to scamming some cryptocurrency cash, the potential for deep damage is worrisome. If meeting in person remains an unhealthy act, and if online persona become untrustworthy and fakable, then where does that leave us?
"Infected be the air whereon they ride,Hilarie Orman
And damn'd all those that trust them."
(Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1) ,