Board games can keep you sane during quarantine. Here’s how to find games you’ll like

by Jon Stokes 5 Comments on Board games can keep you sane during quarantine. Here’s how to find games you’ll like

I love to fondle the big, heavy board game boxes at my local game shop, and to look over the shoulders of the gamers as they play on those tables in the back. I like miniatures and maps, rules and stats, and all the role-playing and board-gaming things… but I’m not a board gamer. It’s

How to disinfect packages from COVID-19

by Josh Centers 31 Comments on How to disinfect packages from COVID-19

If you’re one of the tens of millions of Americans under home quarantine, then you’ve probably turned to online retail for making purchases of everything from basic food staples to home-school supplies. But evidence is increasingly pointing toward the possibility that coronavirus spreads more via contact with contaminated surfaces than it does through the air,

Springtime and COVID-19: heat may help, but there’s no April Miracle

by Ari Allyn-Feuer 1 Comment on Springtime and COVID-19: heat may help, but there’s no April Miracle

About the author: Ari Allyn-Feuer has a PhD in bioinformatics and is a principal data scientist at a major pharmaceutical company. He develops lifesaving drugs for a living. There’s been some discussion in scientific circles, and a lot of wishful thinking by a certain President of the United States, about the effect warmer temperatures may

Cold or COVID-19? How to use a pulse oximeter to tell if your lungs are in trouble

by Stephanie Arnold 2 Comments on Cold or COVID-19? How to use a pulse oximeter to tell if your lungs are in trouble

Disclaimer: Use your head, listen to your doctor, call 911 if you need help, etc. Medical disclaimer. About the author: Stephanie Arnold is an advanced practice nurse and educator working in the Los Angeles metro area. We’ve gotten many questions from worried readers about how to tell the difference between a cold, allergies, flu, and

Lessons from Lockdown: It was a very good year, until it wasn’t

by Stacey Reiman 1 Comment on Lessons from Lockdown: It was a very good year, until it wasn’t

“Lessons from Lockdown” is an op-ed series where contributors write about their personal experiences with self-isolation for COVID-19. We’re committed to publishing a variety of voices and perspectives in this series, and we generally leave contributors’ thoughts and ideas as-is even in places where we as a site might have a different take. For The

Thinking ahead: three possible long-term scenarios for COVID-19

by Ari Allyn-Feuer 8 Comments on Thinking ahead: three possible long-term scenarios for COVID-19

About the author: Ari Allyn-Feuer has a PhD in bioinformatics and is a principal data scientist at a major pharmaceutical company. He develops lifesaving drugs for a living. Recently we published a framework for thinking about the COVID-19 pandemic, including the six levels of the pandemic from 0 to 5, the three forces that can

Lessons from Lockdown: I just bugged out of a major city, because the unthinkable is now real

by Francis Dolan Leave a comment on Lessons from Lockdown: I just bugged out of a major city, because the unthinkable is now real

“Lessons from Lockdown” is an op-ed series where contributors write about their personal experiences with self-isolation for COVID-19. We’re committed to publishing a variety of voices and perspectives in this series, and we generally leave contributors’ thoughts and ideas as-is even in places where we as a site might have a different take. For The

A gracious “welcome to the community!” is better than “I told you so!”

by John Adama 6 Comments on A gracious “welcome to the community!” is better than “I told you so!”

It’s tempting to be smug in moments like this. While COVID is horrible and we wish it hadn’t happened, since it is here, let’s be smart ambassadors and embrace this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help more people like us “see the light.” Because every rational person that joins the modern preparedness community makes us all stronger.

Six degrees of coronavirus: the math behind why COVID-19 is hitting elites so hard

by Ari Allyn-Feuer 3 Comments on Six degrees of coronavirus: the math behind why COVID-19 is hitting elites so hard

Of the relatively small number of cases of COVID-19 so far, a striking number have hit elites. In government, members of parliament from the UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Romania, and Australia, plus a whopping 24 Iranian MPs, as well as the British health minister, several Iranian cabinet ministers, the Mayor of Miami, the communications