Category: Slice of Life

COVID-19 Data for Texas?

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I’ve been checking the COVID-19 Dashboard for the county I live in daily, and I’ve noticed that there have been changes to the way the data is presented. Any of the more alarming charts showing unfavorable trends have been removed, and replaced with more favorable-looking charts. For instance, today’s chart shows an increasing number of tests given (that’s good), and also shows the percentage of positive cases as a result of the testing, which is somewhat flat at 7%. (screenshot below from 2020-05-22)

However, they don’t show a chart that combines that data, which would show an upward trend.

Just 10 days ago, “Cases Over Time” was one of the charts being shown (screenshot from 2020-05-12), but has since been removed:

This chart, which shows no downward trend, is not supportive of the Texas government’s efforts to re-open the state. And my guess is that there was some kind of government communication to the owners of state dashboards to only show certain charts that support (or not damage) their cause. I don’t think this is an unreasonable suspicion given the fact that data suppression/manipulation was going on in Florida. I’m not saying the data for Texas is being manipulated, but the presentation of that data is – and in a way that supports the argument that Texas should open sooner rather than later.

I’ve found another resource for data here, and with a little digging, you can find data presented in ways that you can pick and choose to support different viewpoints. For instance, here’s a screenshot of today’s trend (2020-05-22), which is not very encouraging:

We’re not out of the woods yet, folks. We might still be lost in the middle of the woods. 😟 Please keep practicing social distancing, wash your hands, and stay home if you can!

A Cure for Cold Mouse-Hand

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.8, 1/50 sec, ISO3200
 “Comfy Glove” Cedar Park, 2020

こんばんは。How’s it going?

Last year, I bought a pair of wool gloves for camping, after seeing them wear something similar in Yurukan, and have recently started using one while I am on my computer. My right wrist and hand tends to get cold on the desk when using the mouse, and for a while I was using a folded-up scarf as a makeshift wrist-rest and barrier between the cold desk and my wrist, but it always a bit in-the-way and would often slide off the desk and onto the floor.

Then I thought, “Why not use the glove?” Not only does it keep my hand warm, but it makes moving the mouse around a lot easier! And if my hand gets too warm, I can simply take it off and use it as a small wrist-rest that slides on the desk along with the mouse. It’s truly a game-changer for me.

I’m not sure why it took so long for me to figure this out, since I sometimes use a thin micro-fiber half-glove to use when drawing on a tablet or iPad. But I guess that is just for getting smoother lines when drawing, and not for warmth or comfort.

Anyways, if you also suffer from cold mouse-hand, maybe this will help. 😀

I hope you had a great day!

またね～

Home and Work Desk

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/2.8, 1/100 sec, ISO2000
 “Desk Setup” Cedar Park, 2020

One of my “stay-at-home” routines is converting between my home desk and work desk. It’s actually the same table, but at then end of every work day, I shut down my work laptop, put it in the cabinet, as well as the keyboard, mouse, and headset. It would be easy to just keep everything out, but I really enjoy going through the ritual of switching from work mode to home mode.

The photo above is my home mode (with margarita, even!), and the photo below is my work mode, with laptop, keyboard, and wired mouse. During work hours, I have both my home computer and work laptop hooked up to the monitor, and can toggle between the two, but I find it easier to use Chrome Remote Desktop to access the home computer from the laptop. It’s a nice setup!

Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.6, 1/80 sec, ISO3200
 “Ready for Work” Cedar Park, 2020

I’d really like to get the cables behind the monitor hidden away, but I’m going to wait a week because… I ordered a new monitor! It’s larger, with higher resolution, and better color rendition. I’m super excited because I haven’t had a new monitor in a long time, and the higher-quality is warranted since I am a graphic designer and also an amateur photographer. But I’m also kind of a cheapskate, which is why I have held onto my inexpensive 1080p monitor for so long. 😄

I hope you had a good day!

Salmon Pasta and Life Updates

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 19mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO250
 “Salmon Pasta’ Cedar Park, 2020

Once again, Koa wanted to cook dinner for us, and the suggestion was to dig into our large supply of frozen salmon. So, a creamy pasta with salmon and asparagus was made by Koa and Mariko. It’s a dish that we’ve had several times and always enjoy. We also had yummy homemade bread and white wine (adults only!) while breathing in the fresh air out in the backyard. Not a bad way to spend another stay-at-home evening. 😀

In other news, Bay has finished up his first year of architecture school and can now relax a bit until classes start up again in August. The plan at the moment is for the university to re-open with restrictions on class gatherings… we’ll see how it all pans out, but regardless, Bay will be moving back down to Houston to room with three other architecture students in a couple of months. I hope the environment is safer by then…

Koa is almost done with his sophomore year, with just one more test to take. Of course, band is a still a big part of his life and the band program is continuing on as best as possible with remote activities. In addition, he’s a part of Inception Orchestra, where he is learning about music composition and getting mentored by musicians who work in the movie and television scoring industry. It’s pretty cool! He’s all set up with Bay’s old electric piano (to use as a midi-controller), and music composition software. Staying busy!

Wide-Angle

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Photo info: OLYMPUS E-PL9, 9mm, f/8, 1/1000 sec, ISO200
 “Wide-Angle Sky” Cedar Park, 2020

Today’s photo was taken with my wife’s Olympus E-PL9 camera, using an 18mm (equivalent) lens. It’s nice for getting a wide view of the skies! The Olympus has a few interesting features that I want to try out, including a star-trails mode (not the real name). I just need a clear sky to try it out, and with summer approaching, it’ll be a good time to get some star trails and Milky Way shots. I hope!