4 ms·

Bill Gates had this book on his reading list one year and I found it helpful to provide a different perspective (data based) on how things are improving in the

Bill Gates had this book on his reading list one year and I found it helpful to provide a different perspective (data based) on how things are improving in the world. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RGR16DL/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RGR16DL/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?... Remember that most media is built on the idea of capturing attention and it is easier to capture attention with stories of fear and disaster than it is with positive stories. 3 local acts of violence will get headlines while 300 acts of kindness will go without promotion.

toyg 5y ago
I don't disagree with that view, but it's really hard to find positives from the rise of Covid. Everyday life was effectively mutilated for more than a year, we might have to coexist forever with an infectious disease that can debilitate us even after getting "vaccinated", and most of the Western ruling classes were revealed as incompetent buffoons just "winging it" from day to day. On the other hand, we can now mitigate deadly diseases in less than 12 months, as a species, although we'll be fleeced by pharma companies for the trouble.
- deregulateMed 5y ago
  This new mRNA tech might completely change some degenerative diseases. My kid may benefit, although given the rarity of the condition and time to approval I'm less hopeful. Hopefully we stop trusting politicians, physicians, and scientists and start trusting Science and statistics.
  - minikites 5y ago
    >This new mRNA tech might completely change some degenerative diseases. For those who can afford it. Just another example of the rapidly growing chasm between the wealthy and the poor.
    - deregulateMed 5y ago
      In the United States the poor get Medicaid, so it's really just the Middle Class who need to afford the $8000 to hit the max out of pocket.
      - minikites 5y ago
        >In the United States the poor get Medicaid If they're lucky, Medicaid is in no way universal. Why shouldn't everyone have access to this technology via universal health care?
        deregulateMed 5y ago
        If you can't afford $8,000, you can always declare bankruptcy. I'm both mocking the healthcare cartels and giving you a genuine solution. Universal healthcare doesn't solve the supply issue.
    - zpeti 5y ago
      It’s funny how we came up with this amazing new tech, where the owner can access basically all the information in the world in his hands, can listen to music, watch films, basically do anything. I mean Elon basically says it turns humans into cyborgs. And this tech was obviously very expensive, and the rich had huge advantages in keeping it to themselves, I mean why give the poor access to all information in the world right? So the rich just kept smartphones to themselves to get richer and more powerful. Oh wait… what did I get wrong in this story?
- trackerme 5y ago
  Sars-cov-2 is an easy virus. We still can't create a vaccine against HIV (but we have some ideas).
  - Cthulhu_ 5y ago
    Oxford University has started a first stage trial for a HIV vaccine based on the same research as their Covid 19 vaccine (mRNA), it's looking very promising. The mRNA vaccines didn't spring up out of nowhere, they are the culmination of ~20 years of research into mRNA vaccines.
  - samatman 5y ago
    A better (by which I mean more accurate) framing is that HIV is a very difficult virus. It hides inside the immune system itself! It writes itself into your DNA! Diabolical stuff when you think about it.
    - sjwalter 5y ago
      It's also really, really easy to avoid getting HIV.

toyg 5y ago

I don't disagree with that view, but it's really hard to find positives from the rise of Covid. Everyday life was effectively mutilated for more than a year, we might have to coexist forever with an infectious disease that can debilitate us even after getting "vaccinated", and most of the Western ruling classes were revealed as incompetent buffoons just "winging it" from day to day. On the other hand, we can now mitigate deadly diseases in less than 12 months, as a species, although we'll be fleeced by pharma companies for the trouble.

deregulateMed 5y ago
This new mRNA tech might completely change some degenerative diseases. My kid may benefit, although given the rarity of the condition and time to approval I'm less hopeful. Hopefully we stop trusting politicians, physicians, and scientists and start trusting Science and statistics.
- minikites 5y ago
  >This new mRNA tech might completely change some degenerative diseases. For those who can afford it. Just another example of the rapidly growing chasm between the wealthy and the poor.
  - deregulateMed 5y ago
    In the United States the poor get Medicaid, so it's really just the Middle Class who need to afford the $8000 to hit the max out of pocket.
    - minikites 5y ago
      >In the United States the poor get Medicaid If they're lucky, Medicaid is in no way universal. Why shouldn't everyone have access to this technology via universal health care?
      - deregulateMed 5y ago
        If you can't afford $8,000, you can always declare bankruptcy. I'm both mocking the healthcare cartels and giving you a genuine solution. Universal healthcare doesn't solve the supply issue.
  - zpeti 5y ago
    It’s funny how we came up with this amazing new tech, where the owner can access basically all the information in the world in his hands, can listen to music, watch films, basically do anything. I mean Elon basically says it turns humans into cyborgs. And this tech was obviously very expensive, and the rich had huge advantages in keeping it to themselves, I mean why give the poor access to all information in the world right? So the rich just kept smartphones to themselves to get richer and more powerful. Oh wait… what did I get wrong in this story?
trackerme 5y ago
Sars-cov-2 is an easy virus. We still can't create a vaccine against HIV (but we have some ideas).
- Cthulhu_ 5y ago
  Oxford University has started a first stage trial for a HIV vaccine based on the same research as their Covid 19 vaccine (mRNA), it's looking very promising. The mRNA vaccines didn't spring up out of nowhere, they are the culmination of ~20 years of research into mRNA vaccines.
- samatman 5y ago
  A better (by which I mean more accurate) framing is that HIV is a very difficult virus. It hides inside the immune system itself! It writes itself into your DNA! Diabolical stuff when you think about it.
  - sjwalter 5y ago
    It's also really, really easy to avoid getting HIV.