Pandemic Check-In
Added 2020-04-29 21:04:23 +0000 UTCGuys,
I hope you are all coping well with the pandemic lock down. Iike I've been saying on the show, I'm going a little stir crazy at home with two kids. I have been doing a lot of yard work to get me into a different "location"..it does help. How are you doing? What have you guys been doing to keep yourself motivated? What TV shows do you recommend?
As an SGU patron keep in mind that you are part of a community. If you need to talk there is always someone on the SGU Discord. If you haven't tried it out I highly reccomend it.
I know everyone has a story about the pandemic lock down. If you have a particularly good story send it to me in an email and maybe I will share it on the show.
Thanks for your continued support here on Patreon. Every one of us truly appreciates it.
-Jay
Comments
Glad you liked it. 😊
Angharad
2020-05-10 18:53:06 +0000 UTCI checked out the three first episodes of You’re wrong about podcast. Great show. Have hours of awesomeness in front of me. Thanks for the tip. Best wishes from Norway.
Kjartan Bærem
2020-05-10 16:55:55 +0000 UTCWe're doing pretty well over here. I was underemployed prior to the pandemic shutdown, and am now unemployed, but I'm still attending classes for my Masters program while also administrating the final semester of an interfaith training program. My wife is still working; she works from home during the week, and goes to the office on Saturdays (when few to none of her co-workers are present). Her company is essential because they make medical gasses. We're both bummed that our upcoming schedule of travel is all but canceled, but we would prefer to be able to see those folks next year as opposed to possibly never again (if they got ill or died from this virus or its complications). The one other downside to this sheltering at home is that I am behind on podcasts and audiobooks, which I listened to during my commutes. No driving = no listening time. :-/ But, again, I feel pretty fortunate that we are doing well. My father passed away seven years ago around this time, and I kept wondering what it would be like to go through that NOW, that is ... not being able to be with him and visit him while in the ICU, etc. And then my cousin had to go through just that as her father was tested for COVID-19 and had to be put in a medically induced coma and placed on a respirator -- while she was half a country away from him. I'll end on good news because her father, who is my uncle as well as my godfather, is recovering at his home now. Take care of yourselves and your loved ones, Skeptics!
brainwise
2020-05-07 17:12:02 +0000 UTCI'm still working. I'm working for one of the social services organizations (Domestic Violence), and basically now mostly providing food to the local residents who are unable to get enough food... I'm not trying to be a party pooper, but I would love to shelter at home. No matter how satisfying is to help the community, there is still danger, and the current relaxing of the shelter at home orders is freaking me out. Basically, I'm waiting to get the virus.
Alex Villepique
2020-05-04 22:05:19 +0000 UTCHey there Jay. Well, I've actually been working every damn day since the 3rd of March. I'm a Fly in, Fly out (FIFO) worker. I live in Queensland and work in Western Australia. I drive a Road Train (Truck with 4 trailers, 60m long, 195 Tonnes) and am basically stuck at the mining camp I'm based at. I do travel up the highway etc, but only from a mine to the port. If I leave Western Australia to head home I won't be able to get back to work due to the boarders being closed and having to self isolate for 14 days if I return at my cost. So, to stay employed I'm in WA. It's good that I'm working, but tough being away from my partner for so long. Normally I work 4 weeks on and have 2 weeks off. This is ending up to be a long swing. It's looking likely that I'll be here until the end of June at this stage. Anyway, that's my story. The mining sector in Australia seems to be business as usual with a few extra physical distancing things and some extra sanitation. PS, very stoaked to have won "who's that noisy" in episode #771
James Joyce
2020-05-03 05:10:35 +0000 UTCI have it pretty good, but I'm worried for people who live alone. And for those of us with kids, what the heck are we going to do with them when summer comes?! That will be difficult. On the bright side, I'm more in touch with my family and old friends than I have ever been, because we need to reach out to each other. We love playing Jackbox games over BlueJeans (I have an account for research, so I've been happy to put it to better work playing games and hosting our Brownie troop meetings.
Jacqueline Lapacek
2020-05-03 00:41:58 +0000 UTCHi Jay, the positive side of COVID. I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with my 1 year old. I’ve been there for his first steps. I’ve played with him during the day. Hopefully building a strong bond between us which will last both our lifetimes. My wife is pregnant with number 2 and morning sickness has been tough. So I’ve been able to help out a lot at home with cooking, cleaning, and general activities. It’s not all bad, although I cherish the days when I do get called into work. :)
Michael Kalonikos
2020-05-01 23:24:52 +0000 UTCIronically, I usually work from home and this is my natural lifestyle. But now, everything is backwards. I'm a volunteer with the local Medical Reserve Corps, and we got called up to deliver food and medication to seniors and other vulnerable people. And if I think people should stay home (and they should), I'll do what I can to make that possible.
Mary Mangan
2020-05-01 21:50:44 +0000 UTCHi, Jay and Co. We have an 18 month old and the cabin fever is starting to set in. Luckily, last fall we moved from an apartment to a house with a small back yard, so we at least have some outdoor space to play. I'm a post-doc at one of the national labs and doing battery research remotely it...tricky. Though it's also a good opportunity to get some papers out and a back-log of data analyzed. Setting aside my thoughts about the leadership (or lack thereof) coming from the top of the federal government, at the level of the lab they're really doing a great job of managing these hardships. The campus is closed except for "minimum safe operations", basically enough people on site to keep things from breaking or leading to hazardous situations. They're also heavily prioritizing research on the COVID-19 virus. Since no users are coming to the synchrotron or nanoscale research center, it means there's a lot of time available for virus research. Anyway, best wishes to everyone. Hope you make it by okay.
Mark Wolfman
2020-05-01 15:32:18 +0000 UTCHi Jay! I feel your pain, as I have a 2 years old. She does not really play by herself much. Me and my wife are splitting the days so that we can both work and the other person stays with the child. In the midst of having to move a whole masters programme online on a short notice, I feel quite tired. On the other hand, I am having a lot of fun with my daughter, although she really misses her friends in daycare. Fortunately job is secure and our Taoiseach (the prime minister of Ireland) has been doing a really good job. All in all, I am really one of the lucky ones. Thanks for caring and for giving us a small space to share!
Enrico Secchi
2020-05-01 11:29:12 +0000 UTCHey Jay! We've got a full house here in New Delhi, India. Since my wife and I live with my parents (hey, it's totally normal in India) loneliness is not an issue. My wife's sister, cousin and friend have also been stranded with us as they had come into town just before the lockdown started and got stuck. So we all take turns in cooking and cleaning up. I've got a huge backlog of SGU episodes waiting since I usually listened to it when I was driving, but now it's a toss-up between Science Vs, you guys and Paul Offit's Bad Advice on Audible when I'm showering (TMI?) and putting the dishes in the dishwasher.
Abhijit Chanda
2020-05-01 07:50:05 +0000 UTCHi Jay! Thanks for reaching out. I've been helping my wife do livestreams and video meetings for her fitness center clients. Crash course in camerawork and lighting and set control and OBS. I've got a better appreciation for what you and the SGU go through to produce your podcasts and live shows. By the way, the last thing I got to do "in the Before times" was to come to the Extravaganza in Philly, where I utterly failed to guess the name of Rocky's dog (-: In some of my spare time I have been playing 1-player puzzle PC games on Steam. Filament is the new line-drawing puzzle game I'm in love with. And I've got Baba Is You and Murder By Numbers going on the side. Stay well everyone
Josh S
2020-04-30 18:09:44 +0000 UTCNot doing so well. Lots of streaming. But I had cervical procedure in early March and have to delay PT so I’ve been dealing with lots of pain and little physical movement. At 70, I’m not going anywhere out of our home. I’ve been having food delivered. We have a good pantry quarantine setup and a second quarantine refrigerator and freezer. My hands, of course, are raw from washing. I had a social distancing nightmare last night, I was stuck moving down an endless narrow hallway with dozens of kids and adults jogging by breathing heavily and coughing as they passed me by. Doomed. 🤣😂
Deino
2020-04-30 17:39:47 +0000 UTCOn the plus side, instead of listening to podcasts on my commute, I'm fortunate enough now get to listen to them while biking around a local nature preserve. On the down side, work time and spare time are bleeding together.
Daniel Forssten
2020-04-30 17:10:20 +0000 UTCI am doing all right, but I have been having dreams about physical distancing! This morning I dreamt that I accidentally stuck my hand in someone's mouth while walking down the street!
Kristin Ferguson
2020-04-30 16:42:48 +0000 UTCI am personally not enjoying WFH, though grateful that I am still working. New enjoyable escapist TV for me is Tales from the Loop, wonderful sci-fi with a heart. Podcasts are always a go-to, really enjoying Swindled, Darknet Diaries, Malicious Life and Behind the Bastards....when not listening to the SGU that is. ;) Glad to have you in my ear each Saturday. Podca
Tyler Brown
2020-04-30 16:18:18 +0000 UTCHi, I would recommend the You're Wrong About podcast. Aside from the SGU it has been keeping me sane. Apart from that I exercise my self into a coma most evenings.
Angharad
2020-04-30 12:07:54 +0000 UTCI am ok. Income vs. safety vs mental health is on my mind a lot. My current job is the best I have ever had. I don't know if I can replace it. My life is also the best I ever had and can't replace that. I know I will not feel safe until there is a safe widely accepted vaccine. Which is a year or two out. The futurist Amy Webb said, right now, life is an icy road. This pandemic is our car skidding on that road. People who live in the northern US know that just stopping is highly unlikely. Instead, the better thing to do is turn into the skid in an attempt to regain control of the car. When performing this maneuver It is best to remain alert yet calm. Look for obstacles ahead. Also, look for safe places to put your car. Living where I live this related to me. I don't know if it relates to this situation very well. Because this is more of a marathon than a short event. During these times I have been playing games, eating better foods, and talking with my girlfriend. Westworld every week is good. But, isn't enough. When I get sick of sitting in front of my computer I will kick an exercise ball next to my PC against the wall. I have been doing my best to check in with the people I care about. Can the discord open up some voice channels? Maybe some go live channels?
Scott Kahler
2020-04-30 11:21:13 +0000 UTCHi Jay, I am in the UK and managing reasonably well. I live on my own and am just going out for excercise. My only complaint is that I don't get to see my 3 year old grandson who lives only 3 miles away, except on Zoom which is a poor second best. I am doing my humble bit, or my computer is, to fight the corona virus by running Folding@home 24 hours per day. Google Folding@home to learn more.
Alan Roynon Tear
2020-04-30 11:03:34 +0000 UTCDress rehearsal for the apocalypse. Jay!!! Have you guys watched DEVS??? Very fertile ground for SGU/AQ6 discussion. It's about quantum computing, determinism/free will, many worlds theory etc etc
Ruperthrax
2020-04-30 10:09:37 +0000 UTCGreat shout, completely agree
Paolo Ciarrocca
2020-04-30 08:40:32 +0000 UTCLovely message Jay. It's really nice to be part of this community. I find lockdown is an irregular series peaks and troughs. The last few days have been troughs, but I try to maximise the peaks so I can be kind to myself and just sorta be when I'm low. I figure the next however many months will be a marathon and one in which getting to the finish line is way healthier than trying for a personal best
Paolo Ciarrocca
2020-04-30 08:39:52 +0000 UTCI've got two episodes of "The Almighty Johnson" left to see, looking forward to seeing them, but also not looking forward to finishing!
Simon Høgh
2020-04-30 03:49:23 +0000 UTCOoo, The Almighty Johnsons! That's a good one, wish there were more episodes! Can't hurt to hit up some Viva la dirt league on the web too.
Will Strege
2020-04-30 03:36:06 +0000 UTCI just attended my first virtual conference yesterday and today. The RedHat Summit 2020 was all online. It was pretty great! Jay, you only have to wait a very short time before you can do the same!
Matt Schulte
2020-04-30 02:54:46 +0000 UTCSo i listen to this show called the SGU. i was about three months behind when the Covid 19 thing started. Wanting to hear some real science on the matter I have been listening to many episodes per week, and have just caught up to the point where the SGU people said "Well there is one case in America" and "it looks like it may be more lethal than sars or mers" and "we don't know where this is going" and now i am like yep. its been a slice. looking forward to more catching up.
Abraham Cottrill
2020-04-30 00:18:43 +0000 UTCThanks Jay! Living alone and having to work from home is getting a little loopy. I’m finding it much harder to disconnect from work as we can’t put our industry on hold and being constantly near my ‘office’ is a struggle. I’m finding that I need shows that aren’t too realistic and not too serious. Finally watched Agent Carter and I’m rewatching some old favourites: Battestar Gallactica, Fringe and Doctor Who, even some ridiculous Farscape and Stargate... just silly fun! And for those not on Discord, join us!! We’re pretty awesome!
Kathleen Frisch
2020-04-30 00:16:16 +0000 UTCDiscord is a free chat program (audio and text) for your computer or phone.
Cowbelle
2020-04-29 23:20:49 +0000 UTCNurse in Washington state. Things are calming down here, though it was kinda hairy for a while. Home/online school is driving the kids a bit nuts though.
Vince Reynolds
2020-04-29 23:17:25 +0000 UTCI have purchase a membership in the The Great Courses Plus. This is a streaming service where for a small monthly fee, you are given access to hundreds of the Great Courses. In the past, I have bought several of the courses, and sometimes they have been fabulous, but sometimes I have been disappointed. Now, I can watch any course I wish, any time I wish, and even choose some lectures to watch and skip others. And what does this have to do with the pandemic? Well. I love learning, and until now I have not the time to just spend hours in front of the computer studying a new topic. Very cool.
Gail Knapp
2020-04-29 23:09:41 +0000 UTCLight lumens? Where do you live?
Ted Apelt
2020-04-29 22:52:08 +0000 UTCHulu has been great (I highly recommend "Alone" if you feel isolated.), Netflix had severe buffering problems that just simply would not go away no matter what I did.
Ted Apelt
2020-04-29 22:49:12 +0000 UTCHey Jay! Podcasts. So many podcasts. And catching up on the Netflix and Hulu queue. I also joined 3 more D&D games hosted on roll20 and discord (with the avrae bot). My sleeping scheduled is awful and I'm trying to figure out a way to mimic the sunshine with light lumens but it's still rough.
Evelyn Lhea
2020-04-29 22:43:24 +0000 UTCHey Jay. We met in Melbourne. The short weird bald dude lol. It’s kinda been not much different as I work from home normally. Just me and the dogs. The hard part is I live alone and while good at being a hermit I’m actually an extrovert so I really miss seeing people. That’s by far the hardest part. So I’ve been running zoom calls, watching lots of science and interesting YouTube videos, and working way too much. Oh and getting in some hours on various aircraft in DCS World. Just wish I had VR.
Mark Penney
2020-04-29 22:36:17 +0000 UTCI consider myself very fortunate. I already work from home, and my company has (so far) been relatively unaffected. We just had a baby a month ago, and my wife has been staying at home. Also, we live out in the country and didn't make it out all that much anyway. So, besides the anxiety of a bi-weekly grocery trip, things are pretty normal here!
Gary Reckard
2020-04-29 22:32:37 +0000 UTCI'm a truck driver for a large chain of grocery stores so I've never been busier.
Bob Barcus
2020-04-29 21:59:07 +0000 UTCI've been binging Travelers on Netflix. Best sci-fi in a while for me.
Robert Mash
2020-04-29 21:53:15 +0000 UTCKid-safe watch that I found very charming: Over the Garden Wall. I tend to like everything Elija Wood does, and this series is sweet and weird and compelling and beautifully animated. And it's not too blue or violent or scary to watch with my 7-year-old, something a lot of quarantined parents can probably use. Streaming on hulu, I think it came from cartoon network.
Nikol Lohr
2020-04-29 21:50:36 +0000 UTCBeen doing? Handling the isolation? What are you talking about? I live in Sweden and it’s pretty much business as usual for our family. 3 boys in school, Mrs work about 60% from home and I can’t work from home as I can’t remote control the reactor. Working on that, Homer style. To cope I suggest roll20.com. Get some tabletop role-playing going it’s not not as fun as having friends over for a game, but it’s a good substitute.
Björn Jansson
2020-04-29 21:48:48 +0000 UTCWhat is SGU Discord, and how do I access it please?
Neil Irwin
2020-04-29 21:47:17 +0000 UTCI would post a Corona virus joke, but... you probably won't get it .
Kenelm McCormick
2020-04-29 21:40:48 +0000 UTCI've been meeting up with friends on Zoom for happy hour and playing cards against humanity using https://pyx-1.pretendyoure.xyz/zy/game.jsp
Kenny Puepke
2020-04-29 21:35:51 +0000 UTCI highly recommend the series "Dark" on Netflix. It's a german Netflix original that starts off as a missing person mystery, and then gets... more mysterious. It's super good, insanely convoluted, and you need to pay attention to every scene and every line if you want to understand it at all. Definitely the show that has made me think the most. I also recommend watching it in german with english subtitles, as the english dub doesn't always accurately portray the actors' emotions.
Ryan Skiba
2020-04-29 21:33:38 +0000 UTCJust trying to stay sane. It's really difficult because I'm an essential worker so I have to keep working, and even working extra hours so high-risk people can stay home. No extra pay, and we have to wear hot uncomfortable masks and face shields all day. I was getting up at 3am to do someone else's job for the last month. It's very hard to have all my favorite shows talking about how "everyone" is working from home or staying from home, and putting out lots of extra content I don't have time to engage with. I feel very depressed and left out, and I feel like everyone has forgotten us in the food supply chain are still working and putting ourselves at risk with no option to do otherwise. I know the extra content is probably a lifeline for a lot of people cooped up at home, so I'm trying not to let it get to me too much. I'm looking for another job right now where I could at least work from home and get the time to work on my podcast. At least my farm is beautiful this time of year.
Cowbelle
2020-04-29 21:30:02 +0000 UTCI have been fortunate enough to still be employed, but working from home. During this time I have continued my quest to listen to every SGU episode, I am in the 530’s.
Nicholas Carlson
2020-04-29 21:29:41 +0000 UTCTheres been a pretty insane trifecta recently, between the latest seasons of Altered Carbon and Westworld, and the recently concluded Devs. All three tackle some of the same questions with some interesting overlap. It's a pretty great time in history for sci-fi!
G. Sean Gourlay
2020-04-29 21:28:18 +0000 UTC"Dispatches From Elsewhere" has been a fun little puzzle box of a show.
Bill Smith
2020-04-29 21:24:54 +0000 UTCI recommend watching (or as I would guess for most folks re-watching) the 2000s era Battlestar Galactica series. It is serialized in the style that Ronald D. Moore pioneered for later seasons of Deep Space nine and has fantastic CGI and only a few minor plot holes.
Magical Thinker
2020-04-29 21:24:23 +0000 UTCI'm doing fine, but bored and wanting to travel. A recommendation I have for the show/live stream is to do an 'after show' steam after the podcast goes out such as on a Sunday or Monday. Talk about the show and engage in feedback. Might help break things up.
Austen Walsworth
2020-04-29 21:22:36 +0000 UTCI'm trying to do some work out, I'm not as motivated for it as Bob seem to be though lol. My dance School is give my Jazz step classes on Facebook, so Im still doing that. And my brother suggested to use the time to repaint my bathroom. I've been complaining about the color for a while. So, I did that last weekend and plan to change the cabinet too, a small renovation not to expensive too. And now, outside for some yard works. Iiving alone is probably easier than with kids, but I do find myself feeling lonely at time. I'm doing some video chats with people, it helps. Thank for asking Jay
Frederick Cossette
2020-04-29 21:22:02 +0000 UTCWe have been watching Warehouse 13 which has been fun. Waiting for Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites to start up. If you like time travel, I suggest "El ministerio del tiempo" (the ministry of time) on Netflix. Contemplating rewatching Star Trek DS9 again.
Will Strege
2020-04-29 21:16:48 +0000 UTCThanks Jay! I've been working from home (IT Desktop Support) and catching up on TV - "The Good Place", "Killing Eve", and "The Almighty Johnsons". New Zealand is a great place to be in lockdown!
Simon Høgh
2020-04-29 21:14:05 +0000 UTCAh Jay, this is what happens to extroverts! As a introvert I have been preparing for this my whole life!! I’m currently reading The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson which I recommend to anyone who is a British history buff. I’m too busy at work to do any binge watching of television so my days are fairly normal until the weekend and that is when I bake!!
Skeptibrarian
2020-04-29 21:12:03 +0000 UTCThanks Jay! I'll tell you what shows I'm watching and recommend but I bet you've already heard of. Avenue 5, a space comedy. What we do in the shadows s02, a vampire comedy. True Detective s03, amazing cop drama. Devs, a crazy yet slow burning sci fi miniseries
XEN DAEMS
2020-04-29 21:11:41 +0000 UTCI have been listening to the works of David Hume as audiobooks
Darwin Hannon
2020-04-29 21:07:05 +0000 UTCCheers Jay 🖖
elMUDROCK
2020-04-29 21:06:18 +0000 UTC
