Week Notes: August 16, 2020

Impending disasters over the next 6-12 months

• Coronavirus pandemic
• Food insecurity
• School shutdowns & education disruption
• Mail-in election (November 2020)
• Probable disputed/delayed election results
• Reassertion of CCP control over Hong Kong (already happening)
• Anarchist/local police/federal violence in Portland & Seattle
• Possible general strike (November 2020)
• End of increased unemployment benefits (can kicked down the road, for a bit)
• Widespread protests & violence after Derek Chauvin’s trial (March 2021)
• Professionals fleeing big cities, due to violence & remote work
• Actual defunding of police departments leading to crime waves (next year?)
• Three Gorges Dam failure (is this still on-radar?)

Things can always be worse, right?

Links

• “The 3D Printed Gun Isn’t Coming. It’s Already Here.", by Kim Kelly. This is the piece I wish I’d written in June when I presented about printed arms to INTERFACE!
• I had the best burger of my life at The Blue Door Pub in Minneapolis. It’s called the Mount Blusuvious: ghost pepper cheese melted between two patties, with fried avocado, spicy bacon, and cilantro-lime sauce. It is a burger that demands respect and a slower pace. I love it.
• Professional cycling is crazy right now. The Criterium du Dauphine, the last major stage race before the Tour de France, showcased this. Five days of brutal climbing and summit finishes, multiple Tour contenders crashing out, and the end of Team Ineos (formerly Team Sky) dominance. Article probably coming on the Dauphine. All this to say: it’s going to be one hell of a Tour.