[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 34 points 1 day ago

To properly answer, we need to define what we mean as “airborne” which has gotten a bunch of people very upset recently. Prior to the COVID pandemic, the transmission model for respiratory viruses focussed on 3 distinct models of transmission:

  • Fomites are collections of excretions on surfaces containing live virus. An infectious person cough into their hand, pick their nose, or similar, then touch the doorknob. The next person touches the doorknob, then their mucus membrane (nose, eye, mouth) and they get infected.
  • Droplets are large collections of excretions that are transmitted during talking, shouting, singing, coughing, or sneezing. They are ballistically expelled, but don’t remain in the air. An infected person expels these droplets, and must be in range of another person who is struck by these droplets in their mucus membranes to be infected.
  • Finally, airborne transmission occurs when micro droplets small enough to ride on air currents are expelled from infected people, and non infected people inhale them into their airways.

COVID was presumed to only be transmitted through the first 2 methods. But weird things were observed, where transmission occurred when people (or ferret model experiments) were separated by barriers through which ballistic droplets couldn’t pass, like air ducts with multiple 90° bends. People also got sick after being in rooms many minutes after infected people had been present, long after ballistic droplets would have harmlessly fallen to the ground.

In reality, droplet models were just close range transmission, and airborne long range transmission of bio-aerosols, or micro droplets created from breathing, shouting, singing, coughing, or sneezing. The range was more a function of the transmissibility of the virus. Highly infective things can infect at low doses at long range. Less infective things occur with much higher doses, when people are quite close to one another. This folded in the prior models quite nicely. It was, however, not well accepted.

If a disease is to be transmitted by bio-aerosols, the disease vector needs to be able to enter the body through the surfaces with which it will interact upon being “breathed in”. This doesn’t work well for the STI viruses or bacteria, nor the malarial parasite, as they aren’t actively expelled in the respiratory system, so don’t generate bio-aerosols, and require access to highly specific host cells not easily accessed through the respiratory system at the necessary volumes to create an infection.

So, no, not really possible for non-respiratory viruses to become “airborne” in that sense.there would need to be a LOT of intermediate steps.

But diseases that we used to consider to be transmitted by the now defunct ballistic droplet model can become “airborne” (instead of “droplet”) if their ability to infect a subject becomes more successful at lower doses of pathogen such that it can occur at longer range, and over longer times.

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 21 points 3 weeks ago

Like all maps, this one needs a date. For example, Canada and Denmark now share a land border (Hans island)

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 14 points 3 weeks ago

generate some minor descriptions for generic stuff in my TTRPG campaigns.

Need a quick 200 word description of the interior of an apothecary? Or a band of marauding orcs? It’s been a huge time saver for me.

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 67 points 4 weeks ago

It’s funny. Literally every astronaut I’ve met is exactly like this - quietly competent, affable, team player. As is the astronaut candidate I’ve met.

And yet…

Every person I’ve met who has been keen on becoming an astronaut or astronaut candidate has been an insufferable self-aggrandizing jerk face. Like, just awful people who suck all the air out of any room they’re in, expounding on how they (or the idea they’re selling) are the most amazing thing ever.

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 53 points 2 months ago

Okay, so this isn’t actually about hydration, it’s about the fact that SSRIs commonly cause dry mouth as a side effect due to anticholinergic effects which reduce saliva release Some SSRIs are worse than others, and older TCAs are worse still. But OP is not dehydrated.

Water is great for hydration, but it is unfortunately not very effective at managing dry mouth due to these side effects. Flavoured beverages typically work better because they promote saliva release.

I would suggest OP add something with a sour note to their water, like lemon or lime juice which are unsweetened and have effectively no caloric component. Alternatively even just a splash of carbonated water will also work as the bubbles are irritants and will similarly stimulate saliva release.

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 122 points 5 months ago

This response was 💯

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 14 points 7 months ago

I've never used the atv

We can tell, because…

Why doesn't the remote have T9-like keys, or voice input?

It absolutely has voice input.

For passwords, copying and pasting my long, unique, complex passwords from my phone is way easier than any T9 input would ever be.

I have used numerous smart TVs native systems, Google TV boxes, and the NVIDIA Shield. I could not tolerate the UI paradigms or THE FUCKING ADVERTISEMENTS on literally every other system. It is repulsive.

Bonus points to the NVIDIA Shield for being alone it it’s ability to do Atmos from my own media files, though...

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 14 points 9 months ago

Me too. It’s a sick fact. Sharks are still older than trees tho…

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 45 points 9 months ago

It is partly true. Polaris is in fact a triple star system. The youngest of the three stars (Polaris Aa) is indeed younger than sharks at between 45 and 67My old. It is in tight orbit with Polaris Ab which is 500My old, and Polaris B which is 1.5By old and a little bit farther away. Here’s a pic from Hubble:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Polaris_alpha_ursae_minoris.jpg

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 18 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

In addition to being able to take AAs, my FM radio has a solar panel and a hand crank to recharge the included rechargeable battery, which can charge a phone in a pinch. Win all around!

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 126 points 11 months ago

This works both for bullets and measles

[-] DrinkMonkey@lemmy.ca 13 points 11 months ago

Long COVID includes mitochondrial and endothelial dysfunction, postural tachycardia (can’t stand up in the shower), and many other features which are not typically part of depression. Long COVID (may be better to use the term myalgic myeloencephaletis) can certainly precipitate mood disorders, but they are typically reactive, or adjustment related.

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DrinkMonkey

joined 1 year ago