201

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

Not a doctor, Howie, but I read a lot. 94% of the deaths in Oregon are people over 60 with underlying co-morbidities. The bulk of cases resulting in hospitalization is for elderly people (like me) with underlying health problems (not like me), so the shutdowns are adversely affecting people who are NOT at risk, and causing more harm to them than benefit. I have spoken to folks with relatives in the health care field, and they tell tales of people with cancer, diabetes, other problems etc. that are NOT being treated because "elective" or non-covid related problems are not considered "essential" at this time (trying to avoid "overwhelming" hospitals). Well, the only hospitals that are being overwhelmed are in New York, and that's because of incompetent leadership. The hospital ship Mercy was hardly used, and then sent home. ANY death is a tragedy, and I'm not saying that people aren't getting sick, but we are finding out now that between 50-80% of cases of COVID-19 appear to be asymptomatic. That means that potentially MILLIONS of Americans have already been infected with NO adverse effects, and that the disease is far less lethal and dangerous than first feared. Keeping the economy stagnant is harming MORE people (30+ MILLION out of work) than will ever be hurt by the disease. It's time to get back to work.

Yes, the shutdowns are "for a reason," but not for protecting health.

202

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

Okay folks, I for one am ready to race again. We are on the downslope of the disease, most who were going to catch it caught it. We can be extra careful (maybe race red and blue lanes only to keep "socially distant," cover our faces with masks [I have a really cute plaid one], and generally ensure that things are clean) and go back to having fun. Oregon and Washington are beginning to make noises about "opening up" so maybe it's time...?

I'm in the "at-risk" demographic (over 70) so I should be really worried, right? But I'm not. This shutdown was unnecessary and dumb, and made the "cure" worse than the disease.

I'd be building some, but my track is under wraps pending construction of our remodeled shop/game room. Our original contractor bailed on the day we were supposed to sign the contract. Fortunately, our next-door neighbor (also a contractor) who has done marvelous work for us before (shop deck and a study in the main house) had someone cancel on him so he was free to take over! We look forward to having a fine place to race in about 3-4 months, but as of now, I've got nowhere to work on or test cars.

I'd be interested, but have no cars for the races.

205

(3 replies, posted in Cars)

Nice!

206

(1 replies, posted in NASTE)

His was a name I knew even before I knew about motor racing. One of the three greatest drivers ever. RIP.

207

(38 replies, posted in Cars)

The unintended consequences of "sheltering in place."

208

(38 replies, posted in Cars)

Sorry to hear that...I feel your pain!

209

(38 replies, posted in Cars)

I have the worst possible situation. My track is all buttoned up because we had prepared for the renovation of the shop into a game room/Airbnb 2nd unit, so I can't run anything, and I have no workshop space in the house. So NO SLOT ACTION AT ALL! For the foreseeable future; at least a couple of months.

Watching all you guys having fun working on stuff is really depressing!

210

(221 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

Mitch, I've been curious about those drill attachments. How well do they work, and can they cut tight curves?

211

(221 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

Have you got a nibbler for cutting brass sheet?

212

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

Some interesting things I've found out while researching stuff. Apparently, people are only being tested for the virus if they show symptoms or have been in contact with those who have been tested positive. So far, Oregon has tested 11,426 people, with 548 testing positive for the virus, a positive rate of 4.7%. That means that of the tested people (those with symptoms or who have had contact), only 5% are testing positive; 95% of the people tested DO NOT HAVE the virus. This might mean a couple of things: the virus is less contagious than previously believed, or that "social distancing" is helping to slow the spread, which is the whole idea behind all of this quarantine stuff. Another possibility is that a LOT of people have the virus, but either have symptoms too mild to warrant testing, or are asymptomatic themselves. Either way, that is encouraging.

Another encouraging note is that a clinical study in France of 80 infected people, in which they were treated with the combination of hydroxychloroquine (the anti-malaria drug) and azithromycin (antibiotic), 78 of those in the trial recovered, 1 passed away (was too far gone at the beginning of the trial) and one remains in intensive care. This is a small sample, but the results are very promising, as it builds on another trial in which similar results were obtained. They're also experimenting with this same drug combo in New York.

We will beat this, and probably sooner than later.

213

(221 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

She Who Must Be Obeyed. The Better Half. The Ball & Chain. My Beautiful, Loving Wife, the Light Of My Life.

214

(221 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

My wife has been saving her Barbies and Troll Dolls for our nonexistent "grandchildren" for 20 years. They are in boxes in the giant shipping container we've purchased to store all the stuff that was in the shop while we prepare for the renovation. My gut has always said that "if you haven't opened the box for more than 2 years you can throw it all away," but that somehow doesn't seem to make any difference to SWMBO.

215

(221 replies, posted in Slot Talk)

I came home from college one summer to find that my mother had given all of my Strombecker cars and track to a neighbor kid who promptly sold everything. In addition to that, Mom had given all of my comic collection (including an ORIGINAL Captain America 3D comic with the ORIGINAL glasses) away because "you had pinkeye one year and the comics were all contaminated." That Captain America issue sold for $15K at a comics trade show I dropped into while at another trade show I was working for my company. I was a little miffed with my Mom for a while...

Bill, I measured the "sections" on my track as to where the lane lengths were equal per section; i.e., where you placed your tape markers. Each section is the same length, so there's no advantage per lane, other than the imputed difficulty of the particular curve relative to each section. It's the same as the measured distance for a lane in a track meet; you know how a start is staggered to equalize the actual distance a runner travels per lane.

217

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

Good on you, Al and Donna! If we had a machine and fabric, we could do the same. People helping people is how we'll get through this mess.

218

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

Just watching my stock go down ($200+K) and wondering now how I'll pay for the renovation of my shop/Airbnb that we had planned for this year. Finally got the plans approved (after 2 years of fighting with the county) and now there's no money to build it. So the slot track is covered up, all the cars are packed away (except those for a couple of classes in my box) and I'm stuck at home with no way to test my new DiFalco controller.

But...nobody's sick, and we're all still pretty healthy. Daughters are "sheltering in place." My mother-in-law is confined to her room in her "senior living center" where 3 have tested positive; she's feeling fine. They deliver meals to her room and disinfect everything several times a day, so she's probably going to be okay, but at 88, is wondering what's going to happen...

And our lousy government can't agree on how to get things going again.

219

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

Well, after all my ranting on this subject, you might think this is strange, but... after consultation with my medical advisor (SWMBO), I have been cautioned to avoid tonight's race meeting. Since I'm in the aforementioned "at-risk" demographic, it's probably wisest to obey. Have fun tonight, and stay healthy!! See you next time.

220

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

We appreciate the general idea of "social distancing," but it's really only necessary for those in at-risk demographics. If you have family and friends that are susceptible, by all means avoid visiting them until this passes, perhaps for months. But the rest of the country, especially younger folks and those in southern (warmer) climates are in very little danger. And as I've said above, we risk having a repeat of all of this later after the lockdowns are lifted, because the virus isn't going away, it will always be around, and if we haven't got people developing immunities to it, BOOM—the same s**t happens all over again.

221

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

My youngest daughter just lost a month of her restaurant job. We have dog care clients whose restaurant is closed now for a month, with no notice that that was going to be done. All of their hourly workers are without jobs for a month, and food deliveries that they're going to receive (contracted for before the shutdown) will spoil. This is insane. We don't solve anything by shutting down completely, except for plunging the nation and the world into a global recession. And you know what happens in global recessions, often?

The militaries of the world are ALWAYS employed. Think about it.

222

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

Unless you are in the "at-risk" demographic (elderly, immuno-compromised, diabetes, etc.), you probably won't get anything worse than a case of what would look like the "regular" flu. The hysteria is loony. In fact, the more healthy people who interact with others (who are not compromised), the better for the more rapid end of the pandemic, as they will develop the necessary immunity. All we are doing with this craziness about keeping "socially distant" is creating the conditions for a massive later infection as those who are "healthy" (but infected) now venture out into the environment. It does not hurt to be cognizant of the effects on the at-risk folks, and to be extra careful with personal and business hygiene, but to avoid everything and destroy the economy in the process is worse than the disease itself. My $.02

223

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

On a serious note, here's a very good site for balanced, comprehensive info on the pandemic, updated daily:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/03 … ronavirus/

224

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

I mean, come on...we have 150 companies in America producing toilet paper. Do we REALLY think we're going to run out?

225

(84 replies, posted in NASTE)

I think if we treat this as a fairly more contagious version of the regular flu and act accordingly, we won't have a huge problem. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, wash hands thoroughly afterwards, keep surfaces clean, stand a few feet away from each other, and let me win. That will solve the problem.

:^)

Really, I think this has been blown way out of proportion. Yes, it's serious, but no more serious that SARS, MERs or H1N1. Many more deaths from each of those. Warm weather will cut down on the spread.