Coronavirus Updates : NPR

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Moderna Finds COVID-19 Vaccine Still Protects Against Emerging Strains : Coronavirus Updates : NPR

Moderna says tests show its COVI-19 vaccine offers protection against new variants of the coronavirus, but that the vaccine is more effective against the variant first identified in the U.K. than one found in South Africa. As a result, Moderna will test booster doses of its vaccine – including one that would be tailored to fight strains that have recently emerged.

The newly identified strains have caused alarm, as health officials in the U.K. and South Africa say the strains appear to spread more easily than older versions of the coronavirus. They emerged in recent months, even as vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech raised hopes in the fight against the COVI-19 pandemic.

January 25, 2021 4 PM Update

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Yesterday marked the five o’clock sunset. The days are getting noticeably longer, and we have much to look forward to the evenings in coming weeks.

5:15 pm sunset – Friday, February 5
5:30 pm sunset – Tuesday, February 16
5:45 pm sunset – Sunday, February 28
6:00 pm sunset – Saturday, March 13
Daylight Savings Time Begins – Sunset on Sunday, March 14 is at 7:00 pm
7:15 pm sunset – Friday, March 26
7:30 pm sunset – Thursday, April 8
7:45 pm sunset – Wednesday, April 21
8:00 pm sunset – Tuesday, May 4
8:15 pm sunset – Tuesday, May 18
8:30 pm sunset – Saturday, June 5

Downed Tree

I figured out why the SSH and RSYNC wasn’t working

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I figured out why the SSH and RSYNC wasn’t working.  Corrupted keys on my laptop. Something didn’t go well when I updated things but I just renamed the .ssh folder and created new keys and all is good on that front.

Plumber came by and looked at the water heater, and says they are going to have to figure out something as they should be able to warranty the old heater, but the new heaters are larger due to energy efficiency standards and won’t fit in the current location. At least it’s not leaking water everywhere, but it seems like I might be taking cold showers and heating water on the stove for the next few days. That said, usually my landlord is really good at fixing things if I ask — which is good as the old building needs a lot of fixing regularly.

It is a nice day, even if things are kind of frustrating and cold outside. But I definitely will bundle up and do my evening walk. It’s nice that things are a bit more orderly in my bedroom. And work has been pretty quiet so far today.

Opinion | America Has a GPS Problem – The New York Times

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Opinion | America Has a GPS Problem – The New York Times

Time was when nobody knew, or even cared, exactly what time it was. The movement of the sun, phases of the moon and changing seasons were sufficient indicators. But since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve become increasingly dependent on knowing the time, and with increasing accuracy. Not only does the time tell us when to sleep, wake, eat, work and play; it tells automated systems when to execute financial transactions, bounce data between cellular towers and throttle power on the electrical grid.