train station
The Covid-19 vaccines were powerfully protective, preventing millions of deaths. But in a small number of people, the shots may have led to a constellation of side effects that includes fatigue, exercise intolerance, brain fog, tinnitus and dizziness, together referred to as “post-vaccination syndrome,” according to a small new study. Some people with this syndrome appear to show distinct biological changes, the research found — among them differences in immune cells, reawakening of a dormant virus called Epstein-Barr, and the persistence of a coronavirus protein in their blood. […] Dr. Iwasaki said that mRNA itself, used in vaccines, was unlikely to be the source of the protein so long after the shots were administered. […] it’s possible that some of the protein may result from undetected coronavirus infections. […] People with the syndrome were generally in poorer health than the average American, the researchers found. […] The study has not yet been published in a scientific journal […] Yet the results, from a scientific team known for rigorous work, suggest that post-vaccination syndrome deserves further scrutiny [NY Times]
“The closer to the train station, the worse the kebab” - A “Study”
Ingested Microplastic (MP) particles can harm the human body. Estimations of the total mass of ingested MP particles correspond to 50 plastic bags per year (Bai et al., 2022), one credit card per week (Gruber et al., 2022). The two estimations are based on an analysis (Senathirajah et al., 2021) that predicts a total ingested mass of MP particles mi,MP of 0.1–5 g/week. This work revisits and evaluates this calculation […] The calculation of 0.1 g – 5 g (one credit card) per week contains severe errors. [2022]
Within the White House complex, the WiFi permissions — meant to bolster security by prompting users to log in frequently — were recently changed to allow guests to remain logged in for a year, up from seven days, because so many personal devices are newly in use. […] Lutes said even the most experienced employees are given only segments of access to the IRS’s Integrated Data Retrieval System, or IDRS. DOGE sought access to that system last week, which would have provided the ability to see, and in some cases edit, detailed records — including bank accounts, payment balances, Social Security and other personal identification numbers and, in some instances, medical information — for virtually every individual, business and nonprofit in the country. [Washington Post]
“We’re going to be selling a gold card. You have a green card. This is a gold card. […] I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people. […] They’ll have to go through vetting, of course, to make sure they’re wonderful world-class global citizens.”
New Maps of the Bizarre, Chaotic Space-Time Inside Black Holes — At the beginning of time and the center of every black hole lies a point of infinite density called a singularity. To explore these enigmas, we take what we know about space, time, gravity and quantum mechanics and apply it to a place where all of those things simply break down. There is, perhaps, nothing in the universe that challenges the imagination more. Physicists still believe that if they can come up with a coherent explanation for what actually happens in and around singularities, something revelatory will emerge, perhaps a new understanding of what space and time are made of.
Today, most Mac users don’t even notice that using the “Duplicate” command in the Finder to make a copy of a file doesn’t actually copy the file’s contents. Instead, it makes a “clone” file that shares its data with the original file. That’s why duplicating a file in the Finder is nearly instant, no matter how large the file is. […] If I could find files that had the same content but were not clones of each other, I could convert them into clones that all shared a single instance of the data on disk.
What Happened to the N in Restaurateur? […] This puzzler has its derivation in the French language. Its roots are in the original word “restaurer,” a French verb meaning to restore, repair, or renew. A restaurateur in the Middle Ages was a medical assistant who would help ready patients for surgery. Soon these “restorers” became known for the special meat-based rich soup they would prepare to restore and fortify a person physically and spiritually. That restorative soup was called “restaurant.” It wasn’t until later that the place where those soups (and other healthy victuals) were served also became known as a restaurant. […] So, interestingly enough, the restaurateur came before the restaurant, and there was never an n to drop.
