"The race for a vaccine to combat the new coronavirus is moving faster than researchers and drugmakers expected," reported Dow Jones News Services this week, "with Pfizer Inc. joining several other groups saying that they had accelerated the timetable for testing and that a vaccine could be ready for emergency use in the fall." Pfizer said Tuesday it will begin testing of its experimental vaccine in the U.S. as early as next week. On Monday, Oxford University researchers said their vaccine candidate could be available for emergency use as early as September if it passes muster in studies, while biotech Moderna Inc. said it was preparing to enter its vaccine into the second phase of human testing... If the vaccine shows signs of working safely in the study, Moderna said the third and final phase of testing could start in the fall. The company said it could seek FDA approval to sell the vaccine by year's end, if it succeeds in testing... Merck & Co., a longtime maker of vaccines, said it is talking to potential partners about three different technologies to manufacture coronavirus vaccines... Johnson & Johnson said earlier this month it shaved months off the usual timelines for developing a vaccine, and expects to start human testing of a coronavirus candidate as soon as September, with possible availability on an emergency-use basis in early 2021. SFGate also reports that GlaxoSmithKline and the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi "expect their vaccine will be ready for human testing in the second half of 2020." And the Associated Press notes that America's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "is tracking at least 86 active different approaches among pharmaceutical companies, academic researchers and scientists around the globe." Dr. Peter Marks, director of the agency's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, adds "We expect about two dozen more to enter clinical trials by this summer and early fall."

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"Data from connected scale users suggests Americans, on average, are not gaining weight during lockdowns," writes long-time Slashdot reader pfhlick. The Washington Post reports: Withings, the maker of popular Internet-connected scales and other body-measurement devices, studied what happened to the weight of some 450,000 of its American users between March 22 — when New York ordered people home — and April 18. Despite concerns about gaining a "quarantine 15," the average user gained 0.21 pounds during that month... Over the same March-April period in 2019, Withings said its American users gained slightly less weight — 0.19 pounds on average — though fewer people had the scales last year... Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of the School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University — who wasn't involved with the Withings analysis — said he found the results a bit disappointing. "With the shutdown of the restaurants, I thought the numbers would have gotten better," he said. Home-cooked meals tend to be healthier than dining out. Withings' numbers varied slightly for other countires. But citing a professor of medicine at Stanford, the article notes that average weight gains may be misleading, since some people "may be hitting their groove during stay-at-home orders by embracing cooking and taking up jogging. But others could be using food to cope with stress and gaining large amounts of weight." In fact, 37% of the scale owners gained more than a pound. (Which, if my math is correct, suggests that the other 63% had to lose at least .13 pounds.) The article also notes that for buyers of Withings' scales, "contributing aggregate data is a condition included in its terms of service; its customers don't get the option to opt out if they want to use Withings products."

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Isolating is like plowing a fire line in the middle of a city being inundated by fire. It slows the spread. But you don't get to resume life, a very altered life, until there are no new cases, until the fire is out. Until you've shut down transmission of the disease. This is not a punishment, it's how we save ourselves.

On March 12, I pointed to the day's Daily podcast with Donald McNeil from the NYT re "the tragedy of America's non-response to the virus." I just listened to an episode of Fresh Air from this week, in late April, with McNeil telling exactly the same story about how we're not fighting the virus, the same story he told in March. I could finish his sentences. The interviewer asks the same dumb questions they all do, when will the lockdown end, what will it be like when we resume life. The frustration McNeil feels, and I feel, having heard the same story at least four times, the questions assume that all we have to do is penance, stay home for a while, and we will be able to go back to normal, having done our time. This is what Trump seems to think too, and the other Repubs. Maybe some Dems. That's not it.

It's time to do whatever you were sent here to do.

Camel Pilot (Slashdot reader #78,781) writes: Leannart Poettering is proposing homed to alter the way Linux systems handle user management. All user information will be placed in a cryptographically signed JSON record, such as username, group membership, and password hashes. The venerable /etc/passwd and /etc/shadow will be a thing of the past. One of the claimed advantages will be home directory portability. "Because the /home directory will no longer depend on the trifecta of systemd, /etc/passwd, and /etc/shadow, users and admins will then be able to easily migrate directories within /home," writes Jack Wallen at TechRepublic. "Imagine being able to move your /home/USER (where USER is your username) directory to a portable flash drive and use it on any system that works with systemd-homed. You could easily transport your /home/USER directory between home and work, or between systems within your company." What is not clear is that for portability, systems would have to have identical user_id, group names, group_id, etc. And what mechanism is going to provide user authorization to login to a system? "At the moment, systemd 245 is still in RC2 status," the article notes, adding "The good news, however, is that systemd 245 should be released sometime this year (2020). "When that happens, prepare to change the way you manage users and their home directories."

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Appearing on CNN Thursday, Bill Gates called America's coronavirus testing data "bogus," in part because "the United States does not make sure you get results in 24 hours." Business Insider reports: Testing in the U.S. remains a long and complicated task, and it can take several days before people are told whether they have tested positive or negative for COVID-19. "If you get your test results within 24 hours so you can act on it, then let's count it," Gates said, adding that people were most infectious within the first three to four days after infection and might continue to interact with others and spread the virus until they have definitive results. "What's the point of the test?" he said. "That's your period of greatest infectiousness." Gates added that residents of low-income neighborhoods had lesser access to testing facilities and were not prioritized, despite indications that the virus has taken a disproportionate toll on marginalized communities. "Our system fails to have the prioritization that would give us an accurate picture of what's going on," he said. While America is now testing about 200,000 people a day, the article cites experts from Harvard University who believe 20 million tests a day are what's needed to fully "remobilize the economy."

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Before it rolled back net neutrality protections in 2017, America's Federal Communications Commission requested public comments online. But they're still facing criticism over how they handled them, Gizmodo reports: A Manhattan federal judge has ruled the Federal Communications Commission must provide two reporters access to server logs that may provide new insight into the allegations of fraud stemming from agency's 2017 net neutrality rollback.... The logs will show, among other details, the originating IP addresses behind the millions of public comments sent to the agency ahead of the December 2017 net neutrality vote. The FCC attempted to quash the paper's request but failed to persuade District Judge Lorna Schofield, who wrote that, despite the privacy concerns raised by the agency, releasing the logs may help clarify whether fraudulent activity interfered with the comment period, as well as whether the agency's decision-making process is "vulnerable to corruption... In this case, the public interest in disclosure is great because the importance of the comment process to agency rulemaking is great," she said, adding: "If genuine public comment is drowned out by a fraudulent facsimile, then the notice-and-comment process has failed."

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I keep hearing peripherally how well Vietnam has been doing with the virus, but they're rarely listed among the examples of countries that have it more or less under control.

My best source has been my old friend Steve Goodman, who I know from Silicon Valley in the 80s and 90s, who now lives in Ho Chi Minh City. He's teaching English to Vietnamese kids. It sounds like a great life, low cost of living, great food, good work, friendly people -- until Coronavirus happens -- now it's practically paradise, relatively speaking.

I wanted to write about it even if few others in America were, so I asked Steve a few questions on Facebook:

• I listen to a lot of podcasts, and when they talk about countries that do it right, Coronavirus-wise, they almost always leave out Vietnam.
• But based on your stories, it sounds to me that Vietnam is tops, or close to the top. I'd like to write about this, briefly, on my blog.
• I was wondering what your status is now? Are you able to go out to eat in a restaurant? Food shopping? Go to the park on a nice day? Go to a bar or listen to music?
• Is school back in session?

Steve's answers were so thorough, I'll just include them here:

• Schools reopen on Monday and I am in a restaurant right now having breakfast.
• The government here started easing restrictions last week. There are still many things prohibited though. Here is a chart.
• As you can see, bars and other places where many people gather are still not allowed to be open. Grocery stores and food markets have always been open, but they check people's temperature before allowing them to enter, and of course provide a face mask if you don't have one. Everybody has one though!
• Our schools have been closed since mid-January, they open again on Monday, May 4th. They were closed in January for the Tet holiday, but it was only supposed to be for two weeks.
• Domestic flights are just starting up again, but they still won't allow any international flights and all borders remain closed.
• There are many articles in the press about what a great job Vietnam has done, and they have been often commended by WHO and other such organizations for their rapid, decisive, no-nonsense approach.
• I typically go for an early morning walk through a nearby park. Today it was almost completely back to normal with joggers, exercisers, aerobics classes, people playing badminton, etc.
• It will be interesting and challenging to teach with a face mask on, but that is the law for now, so of course I will obey it.
• Today in the US known infections per million stand at 3,416. In Vietnam the number is 3. The difference is like night and day.
• And we have a border with China. People are generally extremely health-conscious here. A large percentage of the population wear face masks anyway, at least in the big cities, mainly due to concerns about air-pollution. Still, it's fair to say that there was already a face mask wearing culture in place long before the coronavirus.
• I am so proud of Vietnam, and very happy to be a vital member of a community here.

I asked why he thought Vietnam has done so well.

• I think the government here feels accountable to the people and is especially sensitive to widespread public concerns about health and safety. The problem was taken seriously very early, and it was handled with respect for science. They deferred to scientists and health professionals and placed health and safety ahead of short-term economic setbacks. Vietnam is an up-and-comer and has experienced very consistent and seemingly unstoppable economic growth. While the coronavirus' economic impact is a massive setback, it does not change the fundamental long-term outlook for growth and prosperity.

I've heard it said of other countries that they had a bad experience with H1N1 or swine flu, and didn't want to repeat it. Basically that the population was experienced, and therefore motivated to believe there was a problem before there were massive infections. This is why imho it's been so bad in the US, this is our first experience with such a bad virus since 1918. No one alive remembers it.

We should pay more attention to Iceland.

destinyland writes: For the first time in many years, the first Saturday in May won't mark Free Comic Book Day, as the worldwide comic celebration at comic-book stores has been postponed amid coronavirus concerns," reports Oklahoma's largest newspaper — saying it's been postponed to an unspecified new date in the future. But they're suggesting fans can support their local shops anyways, with some still offering limited services, while others "may still be closed but offer gift cards or other online shopping options." I think those of us who have money should observe "Not-Free Comic Book Day" — where we seek out a local comic book retailer, and ask them to mail us a bunch of comic books and graphic novels. (It also means more money going to the postal service.) Or maybe order some comic books to be sent to a younger reader who's sheltering at home. The Associated Press reports that the pandemic "poses a particular threat to comic book shops, a pop-culture institution that has, through pluck and passion, held out through digital upheaval while remaining stubbornly resistant to corporate ownership..." They write that the whole industry "is at a standstill that some believe jeopardizes its future, casting doubt on how many shops will make it through and what might befall the gathering places of proud nerds, geeks and readers everywhere." But it also quotes Joe Field, the owner of Flying Color Comics in Concord, California, who came up with Free Comic Book Day. "Comic book retailers are the cockroaches of pop culture.We have been through all kinds of things that were meant to put us out of business, whether it's the new digital world or distribution upheaval or Disney buying Marvel. We have adapted and pivoted and remade our businesses in ways that are unique and survivable." Individual shops seem to be announcing their own individual celebrations using the #FCBD tag on Twitter. And at least one publisher is using the occasion to stream an alternative event online, reports CBR. "Alt FCD, taking place over the course of May 1 and 2, will feature virtual panels with comic book creators and free digital downloads of books. The event will be streamed on Facebook, Twitch and YouTube."

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Friday Techcrunch reported Elon Musk tweeted to his 33.4 million followers that Tesla's stock price "was 'too high' in his opinion, immediately sending shares into a free fall and in possible violation of an agreement reached with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last year." Tesla's shares plummetted nearly 12% over the next 30 minutes, which reduced Tesla's valuation by over $14 billion, the BBC reports, while reducing Musk's own stake by $3 billion, according to an article shared by long-time Slashdot reader UnresolvedExternal. "In other tweets, he said his girlfriend was mad at him, while another simply read: 'Rage, rage against the dying of the light of consciousness.'" Even at the end of the day Tesla's shares were still down 7.17%. But Techcrunch called Musk's stock-price tweet "just one of many sent out in rapid fire that covered everything from demands to 'give people back their freedom' and lines from the U.S. National Anthem to quotes from poet Dylan Thomas and a claim that he will sell all of his possessions." Rolling Stone has more on what they're calling Musk's "quarantine tantrum," noting that in a Wednesday earnings call, Musk had also complained about restrictions on non-essential businesses and ordinary people. "To say that they cannot leave their house, and they will be arrested if they do, this is fascist... give people back their goddamn freedom." The magazine notes this drew a scathing rebuttal on nationwide TV from The Daily Show's Trevor Noah: "Finally, someone has decided to call out this fascist American government that's asking people to please stay in their houses to try and save their own lives," Noah said sarcastically. "I mean, you're not even allowed to go to the grocery store anymore! Well, actually, you can go to the grocery store, but you can't even go for a walk! I mean, you can do that too, but what about the beach? You're not allowed to go to the beach, except for all the states where you're allowed to go to the beach. But you definitely can't go to H&M, and that is the definition of fascism." CNN Business writes that Musk, "heralded for years as a pioneer in space travel and transportation, has recently veered into disseminating coronavirus misinformation," adding that Musk's comments "also come in stark contrast to those made by some of his peers in Silicon Valley, who have urged caution on reopening." "I worry that reopening certain places too quickly, before infection rates have been reduced to very minimal levels, will almost guarantee future outbreaks and worsen longer-term health and economic outcomes," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during an earnings call Wednesday.

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I have a great birthday. I admit it. I know people who were born in the summer, so school was out when they celebrated. Or people who were born in the days after Christmas, when everyone is all finished celebrating. I was born on a day where it's beautiful weather pretty much everywhere I've lived. And school was in session and every year my mom would send me in with a box of frosted cupcakes for all the kids. So everyone had a party. And today is a special birthday, the big 65. I'm now officially old in every way. Also, now, for the first time, I get real health care. It took a couple of months of research to figure it out, but I now have a Medicare card. I also bought a Medicare Advantage plan, so pretty much everything is covered. And where my health insurance, when I've been able to get it, has been outrageously expensive, I now pay less than $100 a month for excellent coverage. Thank you LBJ and the Democratic congress of the 1960s. I haven't usually written about this day on my blog, but this year has a big WTF element to it. Who cares. I'm still here, so that's something. And as they say -- still diggin! At least for now.

Good morning fans of great weather in the NY area.