Just heard a report on NPR (yes, I listened to NPR for once) about Sesame Street. Interesting tidbit; they said they learned that children liked a narrative versus the lesson broken up into snippets. I think Elmo killed the fun that was Sesame Street and 15 min. of that baby-talking rag is too much. My kids feel the same.
If I put today's Sesame Street on, they'll whine and call it a baby show. If I put on episodes of the Sesame Street I grew up with, they'll become engaged in the show shouting back answers to the TV. Also noted by my daughter is that the old Sesame Street taught a lot more Spanish (very true) and everything looked "more real".
- Anika
The early episodes were more for adults. In fact the DVD release has a warning: "These early Sesame Street episodes are intended for grownups and may not suit the needs of today's preschool child," the warning reads. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories...
- Andrew Leyden
Well my kids like them. They get a kick out of the 70s graphics, the Chef, the typewriter (which I learned they thought was a phone, go figure) and my son LOVES the news flash with Kermit D. Frog.
- Anika
I don't miss those time-lapse videos of flowers sloooooooowly opening, though. Remember those? That was always my cue to take a bathroom break.
- Sarah is Novembery
LOL I don't remember those, Sarah. Maybe that was my bathroom break cue too.
- Anika
I loved me some Sesame Street when I was a kid (and yes, that's where I first learned Spanish). Those early 80s episodes more than met my preschool needs...
- FFing Enigma (aka Tina)
I remember being in kindergarten and every day we watched Sesame Street and then Electric Company. Then we'd have a snack of nilla wafers and orange Koolaid. Then we'd take a nap. Definitely a firm part of my childhood memories.
- Her Lindsay-ness
Her Lindsay ness to you remember Zoom?...........
- VAL D.
LOL @ 'baby talking rag.' I am still laughing.
- Trish R
Hey! Elmo loves his goldfish, his crayons too. >:(
- Danny Minick
And when Grover was a waiter. I loved those stupidly predictable skits.
- Anika
@Val - I don't remember Zoom :S. My favorite Sesame Street thing was the aliens who rang like the phone. "Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Nope, Nope, Nope Nope, BRRRRRRRIIIIING!"
- Her Lindsay-ness
Was I the only one who stuck around after Electric Company to watch "3...2...1...Contact!" ?
- Bren, Photophobe
I couldn't hang with 3-2-1 Contact. It was too "big kid" for me at the time.
- Anika
I loved Sesame Street back in the day, though...
- Bren, Photophobe
One other thing that annoys me about today's Sesame Street is that Bert & Ernie are now Claymation. It was annoying enough that Bert was sidelined so that they'd do that silly Adventures with Ernie (or whatever it was called) sketch. But this is too much bad change. As I mentioned in another post, the Tweedledums are now CGI and so is Abby Cadabby. Boo!
- Anika
Nooooooooooooo. Ernie and Bert are Claymation? RIP Jim Henson.
- Trish R
We have 2 collections of "old school" sesame street and my daughter loves it. She could care less about the new show and we both are ready to turn it off once Elmo's bit comes on.
- Jen (SquirrelGirl)
The Ernie & Bert claymation thing really annoys me as well. Maya loves Elmo (unfortunately) and she also likes the "Murry has a little lamb" segments. She's just recently gotten into Abbie Cadabby. It is a much different show than when I was a kid. I was never into Electric Company but I was a big fan of Mr Rogers, especially the land of make believe.
- Carl Haynes
:O Bert and Ernie are claymation now?! WHY?!?!?!
- Soup
Bren, I adored 3-2-1 contact! I think Sesame Street/Henson were on some serious drugs, in a good way.
- anna sauce
I lived on Sesame Street and Vegetable Soup. Two amazing shows. "Come on along and join us..." EDIT: OH! and Electric Company! Spider-Man FTW!
- Carlos Ayala
I really do worry about the future. I've been reading Paul Offit's book 'Vaccinated' (which is quite interesting to a layman like me) and ordered the Autism one. Been on a bit of a tear lately trying to knock down and put pseudo-science in it's place wherever I see it. Uphill battle.
- Andrew Leyden
My car is old. It eats these shiny rainbow discs and music comes out of it. It's quite amazing. It's like if you could hold your mp3's in your hand...
- Rahsheen ™, Coach of FF
Even though we're Jewish, we still set up a "holiday tree" because I love the look of Christmas tree. I'm not sure how to do it this year and keep Audrey from pulling the ornaments off. I don't want to buy a baby fence (we have no use for it otherwise). Our tree is 6' tall so putting it on top of a table won't work. Ideas?
put a bunch of presents underneath so she's distracted by those?
- chrisofspades
If you are just worried about the ornaments, you could just decorate the top half of the tree.
- Steve is older than ever
Make paper ornaments or other safe decorations for the bottom half.
- Bruce Lewis
We have always done our tree regardless of the age of our kid and just did our best to keep the little one out. All you really need is to be a diligent watcher and have quick reflexes. ;)
- JA Castillo
I think I'm more concerned with her pulling down the whole tree than pulling individual ornaments off. She's learned to pull up on the couch, coffee table, etc. lately. If she grabs onto a branch of the tree and tries the pull up, the whole thing will tip over on top of her.
- Rochelle
My roommates in college had a Chanukah Shrubbery as they called it (was some box shrub I think they dug up from a garden on campus) because they always wanted a tree but their parents would never buy one.
- Andrew Leyden
Andrew, I've called ours a "Hanukkah hedge" before. :)
- Rochelle
In the past we've attached a string from near the top of the tree to an inconspicuous anchor to reduce the risk of the tree being pulled down.
- Bruce Lewis
Can you weigh down the base so that the tree is more stable?
- Katy S
We did what Bruce did, at the recommendation of our pediatrician. Though we used fishing line, so you couldn't even see it. We tied it at the middle of the trunk and anchored it to our curtain rods. Worked like a charm. And then only put safe ornaments at the bottom of the tree.
- Jen (SquirrelGirl)
3rding Bruce's suggestion. My kids were all in the really grabby toddler stage for Christmas 15 - 18 months. I just gave up on the idea of glass ornaments and went for wooden / metal.
- Heather Solos
About 75 percent of the country's 17- to 24-year-olds are ineligible for military service, largely because they are poorly educated, overweight and have physical ailments that make them unfit for the armed forces, according to a report to be issued Thursday.
- Andrew Leyden
http://twitter.com/chrispi... - This is where I'm staying for [re]Think Hawaii, courtesy of @AlohaBruce and his crew. The room is spacious, the amenities are aplenty, and the bed gave me a very peaceful night's rest.
- l0ckergn0me
The Hau Tree Lanai at the New Otani hotel, just nearby to where you are staying. Great view and worth visiting for breakfast one day.
- Andrew Leyden
Their Serious Business PR is still rock solid Especially because they are slow to open up for privacy invasions running amok among other more "popular"social sites.
- Bill Whetstone
I know many people who segregate LinkedIn off from Facebook or Friendfeed--different groups of friends for different social networks. Is there still a place for pure business connections who don't want to know what you had for breakfast or your score in Scrabble? I think so.
- Andrew Leyden
That's pretty interesting. I use the Wordpress app on LinkedIn, but was wondering what others are available. Om links to a page where you can see all 10 (count 'em) apps. I can understand their worry about apps allowing mining of their data - with limited possibilities for interaction, the data is about all they've got.
- Michael Slattery
monthly visit numbers have nearly doubled in the last 12 months...hard to think the platform would be dead...maybe just not the hellbent for leather place that we've grown to expect? http://siteanalytics.compete.com/linkedi...
- jeff hammond
After a week of not leaving the house because my daughter has the flu (probably H1N1 - she had a seasonal flu shot and all signs lead to this, though she wasn't tested), she finally woke up fever-free and is feeling good! Hurray!
And although we've missed a lot of fall/Halloween activities, it looks like Trick-or-Treating is still on.
- Jen (SquirrelGirl)
Some tests on Air Force cadets (who had an outbreak last Summer) indicated that the H1N1 virus can survive about 24 hours after a fever/symptoms end. I'd give it a good day of no fever & no medication before sounding the all clear.
- Andrew Leyden
Oh, I am. The week is a wash... I'm keeping her home. She still has a pretty bad cough, regardless. Just happy she's better.
- Jen (SquirrelGirl)
It's great for short hops, but when you get nickled and dimed for every little thing from a baggage charge to a pillow it gets annoying. Just wait until you take a redeye when they jack the temperature very low to sell more blankets.
- Andrew Leyden
Just saw this on the news. That was a big chunk of steel that fell on a car! I'm beginning to think they should put those machines at each approach to the bridge, like the ones that sell flight insurance for air travel. These would have special extra coverages for each trip across the Bay Bridge.
- Mark Jepsen
I heard about this on the radio. Traffic must be horrendous
- Rodfather
Actually, there's no traffic at all on the bridge.
- Glen Campbell
from iPhone
I LOVE having clean clothes and linens but I hate doing laundry with the fire of 10,000 suns. I'd hate it a lot less if my apartment had a w/d hookup in it and I didn't have to share a laundry room.
- vicster
I was on a two month overseas assignment with a major expense account and no time for laundry. The hotel laundry was more expensive then buying new underwear so I ended up with about 60 pairs thanks to Amazon. Never had a problem since then.
- Andrew Leyden
from iPhone
but nothing STILL beats new socks...
- Liana Shanes
I dunno... Clean underwear > clean socks > just about everything else.
- Internet's Tad
from fftogo
How did you decide that your baby was ready for solids (beyond purees -- actual solids)? I bought some of those baby snack puff cracker things yesterday and tried to give them to Audrey but she just chokes and gags on them.
Those are pretty hard. Takes a bit of moisture to make them softer. Cheerios are actually a bit easier we found. We broke them into pieces to start.
- Andrew Leyden
I know this is arbitrary, but thought has always been "when they get teeth, they're ready for solids" (i.e. when the first 2 tiny white specs appear on the bottom) In the mean time, you can try "Stage 1" baby foods, I suspect.
- Steve "Daddy do it!" Lacy
Steve, we may have awhile yet. No teeth yet and when her doctor checked her last week, she said there was no sign of any teeth anytime soon.
- Rochelle
I didn't bother with foods until they were actively trying to get my food and had the pincer grasp.
- Heather Solos
Then I started with avocado & bananas (one at a time).
- Heather Solos
Heather, she does both of those but just doesn't quite get the whole swallowing part yet.
- Rochelle
K was eating solid food entirely too early. We didn't really decide, his g'parents just started slipping him table food. As soon as he was able, he was snatching food off our plates and hasn't stopped since.
- Rahsheen ™, Coach of FF
The Great Google Wave invite thread. Anyone who wants an invite post your Gmail address here and anyone who has invites available please use to invite the people on this list. There are also a bunch of requests in the Invites group here: http://friendfeed.com/invites
I have a few but holding them for a few people who have already asked me. I'm at kolint [at] googlewave [dot] com btw. A pain I know but if you can, could you update your comment when you have an account or just delete your comment. Ta! :-) EDIT: Try this site for invites: http://googlewaveinvites.com/
- Kol Tregaskes
Are people on this list getting invites or at least been told they have an invite on the way? You might have to be patient, it could take a long time for one to come through.
- Kol Tregaskes
Adam, yep agree. Maybe because I did that (month ago though) helped me get mine through from Vijay so quickly!
- Kol Tregaskes
@Kol, the invitation process seems to be based on nominations. For example, everytime someone nominates/invites you, you get bumped up the queue for an account until you're at the top and you get sent an invite by the team
- Ysabel Legaspi
Ysabel, ah I see, So lots of people must have nominated me. Darn, so a few users I have nominated could be waiting a looooong time. :-(
- Kol Tregaskes
if that voting system is right I'm very annoyed. I asked for an invite months ago, now all the numpties are all over it I'm not going to get a look in. It's like I've been sat at the front of a shop queue and everyone's just walking right past me into the shop. I am British but I detest both queuing and waiting, so this is pretty tough going
- Toby Graham
Like most other people, yesterday I wasn't aware of that I «needed» a Google Wave invitation this badly...but now I am!!! quackofdawn at gmail dot com
- Quackofdawn
Please I want a invite :( jesi.nieves at gmail
- Jesi
from iPod
neternity@gmail.com and i promise to send a wave of 100,901 twitter followers to your doorstep each of whom will have averaged 1 tweet in their existence - this might not get me an invite but surely it will get some notice - must have that something special - my google wave invite special sauce ingredient is twitter juice PS Not to be construed as an offer, not valid in any of the 53 US states, do not try this at home, caution: contents are hot.
- Ross Button
Anyone have already a wave invite?. I'm a developers anxious to take a look at wave. jmiguel.rodriguez at gmail.com . Thank you very much in advanced!
- jmiguel rodriguez
trentono gmail com...thanks in advance, mysterious stranger...
- Trent Olson
lol at this point i gotta think that by the time an invite makes it this far down the list i may already be at the top of the official invite list but doesn't hurt to try right? marco [dot] nunez @ gmail - thanks!
- Marco(aureliusmaximus)
I'm also trying. As Marco said, it doesn't hurt :) iamclem at gmail. thanks!
- Clément Simon
Hello, I would love to have a google wave invite too. ilteris@gmail.com thanks!
- ilteris
Oops! You said gmail address: marybaumcreative (at) gmail. Although I run marybaum@marybaum.com through gmail servers too.
- MaryB, BrandingBroadOfFF
from email
louisrbourque@gmail.com - an invite would be greatly appreciated, and I'll pass it on! Thanks
- Louis Bourque
from iPod
can you send me invite for google wave to i.igors (at) gmail (dot) com
- Igor Krstev
If any kind soul has an invite to spare, it would be gratefully received and shared on once GOOG get around to inviting me in. :-) The key piece of information belatedly being andy.bold@gmail.com kthxbai
- Andy Bold
Looking for one myself at alexscrivener (at) gmail (dot) com
- Alex Scrivener
I'd love an invite. I was sort of expecting to get one from Google, as I have been in all of their other betas, but to no avail :( carlton.prest@gmail.com
- Carlton Prest
Plesae send an invite! jwatson820@gmail.com
- Jonna Watson
damn, the pretty please guy will get one for sure, that steve guy @hotmail.com is likely last on the list - but we all will get one if that scobilizer guy notices that we are all here and asking and so cul cuz we are all on friendfeed - maybe if we twitter too it might help - hello google !!!!
- Ross Button
how do we know which ones are sent? I'm just doing my own thread.
- Vezquex: God of FF
I've been too busy to get on FF the last few days....figures something important happening and I missed it! I knew about Google Wave but didn't know there would be a thread to post a request. In any case, better late than never, I'd love an invite at madeliene2007 at gmail.com. :)
- Bonnie Foster
I've been on Twitter all day trying to get one, I'd love it if my day can end by me finally getting an invitation :) I'll be sure to send some invites to other people in this thread! andryou@gmail.com
- andryou
re.renus@gmail.com somebody please send me a invitation... ^_^ : )
- Emad
wimmulder@gmail.com. Am really excited to try this out for a collaborative research project I'm working on. Hoping someone has an invite to spare!
- Wim Mulder
giuliocc@gmail.com . Keen to see if we can shake M$'s cage about messaging and collaboration.
- Giulio Campobassi
Would love an invite - jonathonc at gmail.com
- Jonathon
VitaArdiyana (at) gmail (dot) com, Thanks before Kol. I will delete my comment when i have my google wave account.
- Vimala Vita
Just digging into the comments now but let me begin by saying that you did an incredible job with this thread Kol, 473 (474 after I post) comments!
- Nicholas Kreidberg
Google Wave : Could anyone invite me ? : jean.charles.blondeau[at]gmail.com Thanks
- Jean-Charles
System Messages Invite Status: 17559 invite requests in the system. 7 invites confirmed as received by requester. 199 invites claimed as sent from giver.
- oliv21
How does anyone know if someone has already been invited? You could go back and edit your comment when you receive an invitation, but since that takes days, it could be ages before you know.
- marziah
I've not even had a nomination, RK. At google dot com I'm suezanne , in the event anyone wants to make a nomination. I've asked before on friendfeed. It's kind of humiliating to beg.
- SuezanneC Baskerville
i have decided that if i do indeed get an invite, i will decline, forward my gmail account to windows live and put ie back as my default browser and i will bing it
- Ross Button
@Ross: why punish yourself for something you didn't do? :)
- François Dongier
I just want some google love; just like the rest of us do; but n,o they wave at us as they have their private, invite only party; thumb to nose, fingers a waving - that's the google wave; we need a tshirt
- Ross Button
al86shaw@gmail.com :) Not expecting anything, but thanks anyway!
- Giraffes Up In The AIr
Send to me plz ,,, mxina.com {a} gmail {dot} com
- Mohammad Sharifi
Has anyone received their invite? I haven't yet.
- Rodrigo
from email
I'd love an invite to Google Wave pls. non-geeky bf got one before me! that's just not cricket.. hehe :) icetigerza (at) gmail
- Kim
Hello, if there's any invite left, you'll make me more than happy ;-) matthieu.beauval [at] gmail [dot] com, thank you !
- matthieu beauval
If there are still invites left daryl@learnscape.com.au
- Daryl Hunt on FF
Of all the people posting here the chances of me getting an invite are slim but I'm still willing to try. If someone wants to shoot an invite over to jcallahan126@gmail.com I'd REALLY appreciate it.
- John
from iPhone
Aww Did I miss the Wave of invites? Come on Kol... Hook me up! :)
- Walt Ruppar
It looks like it, although you might be able to use the hyperlink on the front of the Wave homepage to request an invitation, if it's still available.
- Tyson Key
Google Wave Anybody? I needz one plz... walt {dot} ruppar {at} gmail [dot] com
- Walt Ruppar
from iPhone
I'll give this a try: j.linkola at gmail - anyone have invites left?
- Jussi Linkola
Anyone can provide a Google Wave invite? bmtrocks@gmail.com
- Brian
Hi guys I realy Waiting impatiently, but still have no invite... can anybody sent me invite please please simplisityzehra@gmail.com thanks in advance
- Zehra
firatdemirel at gmail.com just needs an invite for Gwave. Thanks.
- Fırat DEMİREL
Does anyone have an invite to share? Can you send it to v9y.rec at gmail.com please? Thanks.
- Vinay | विनय
Can somebody send an ivitation to terror@gmail.com . Thanks in advance.
- Yiğit
Please send an invitation to me at trivedi.knz@gmail.com. I got tired waiting.
- Kandarp Trivedi
I'll be glad to invite others on this thread once I get mine. Thanks in advance.. Keep the thread alive.
- Kandarp Trivedi
rodgerdb@gmail.com ha oh man am I late to this thread =( Here's to hoping!
- Rodger Ballard
really need one, would be so grateful thacker90184@gmail.com
- brandon
I want Google Wave invite too, please sent it to: ric4p5 {at} gmail [dot] com Thanks
- jose manuel
If anyone has invites, could I have one please? tekked - gmail.com
- TechKid
In case there is still someone with spare invitations: piotr.byzia at gmail.com
- Piotr Byzia
teeeya@gmail.com - Anyone with a sparee invite and feeling generous! (thank you thank you thank you in advance!!!) :D
- Simply Teeeya
Anyone with a spare would be my hero! Someone bought out my buddy who was going to give me one. robert@idealfusion.com
- Robert Coombs
antonyat AT gmail DOT com If anyone sends me an invite, I thank you greatly - if I receive an invite, I'll make sure to return to this thread :).
- Antony Jepson
ps i would never do a flu shot, doesnt seem nature.
- sean percival
Sean, I've done the normal Flu shot, but it's just a bit too scary to do the H1N1 due to how new it is. If I were higher risk it wouldn't be a question though. Even with normal Flu there still isn't much data to define whether it affects things like alzheimers, etc.
- Jesse Stay
I admit I thought this was a hoax when I first saw it though
- Jesse Stay
@jesse oh ya a h1n1 shot is way out of the question for me, far too early! I just showed my wife the video and she had to make sure I wasn't showing her an onion video. Just about crying at the end though, really heartbreaking.
- sean percival
Uhm...What....the EFF. I don't do flu shots. I don't see the point. It doesn't make sense. H1N1 is no more exciting to me than the regular flu.
- Rahsheen ™, Coach of FF
I don't know if her condition was really caused by a flu shot. Maybe she had it all this time and it was triggered by the flu shot?
- Rodfather
Either way, I don't see the point of getting the flu shot. It's not as if my body can't fight the flu on it's own. The shot is an unnecessary variable.
- Rahsheen ™, Coach of FF
Rodfather, hard to say - some neurologists say that conditions like this could be caused by vaccines like this. We simply don't have enough data yet to know for sure. IMO take it if you're in a high risk category. I'm not fully against it - I'll only take it if I can't afford the downtime though. (or if I were high risk)
- Jesse Stay
The H1N1 shot is in a sense not really for you -- it is to limit the chance you will get it and spread it to others.
- Brian Sullivan
Be wise - that's all I can say. As my Aunt who's a doctor said, it's up to you to make a wise decision. Only you can decide what's best for you.
- Jesse Stay
holy crap..I had no idea, thanks for sharing!
- Chris Myles
Here's the story of a healthy kid who didn't get the shot. He died from complications arising out of a suspected H1N1 case a mere seven days after his first visit to the hospital, despite doctors amputating his legs in an attempt to stave off further complications. If you want to go without a shot, at the very least look at the warning signs of a "severe" infection. http://www.abc2news.com/news...
- Andrew Leyden
Let's clarify, according to Snopes, for one thing, this was from a regular flu shot, not H1N1. And ++Andrew. People need to keep in mind the very real risks of skipping out on vaccinations. There's too much fixation on these isolated adverse effects that may not have even been caused by the shots.
- Kamilah Gill
I ignored this story at first, and now you are telling me it's a true story?
- Frederick Bvalani
Wow, that's shocking. Never heard of this condition before until I saw the video.
- imabonehead
It actually sounds like conversion disorder. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article... The symptoms demonstrated don't seem to fit with an anatomical lesion of the brain. At least, it doesn't seem typical of dystonia. Of course, I should probably know better than to try and diagnose something with nothing but video.
- Victor Ganata
Kevin, you know my kids, and they've both had it.
- Stephen Mack
I did not know that! Ahh, well I suppose that's the most thorough vaccination. :-)
- Kevin Fox
Don't know anyone personally, but a friend of a friend just died from complications related to a suspected H1N1 infection. From initial hospital visit to his death (following the futile amputation of his legs to stem the infection) was all of 7 days. http://www.wbaltv.com/news...
- Andrew Leyden
I don't know about other places, but in Seattle, they are not testing for H1N1 unless you're hospitalized so people who come out of clinics saying they have it all are just "suspected cases" - not confirmed.
- Rochelle
My niece/god daughter has it and so may my nephew
- RAPatton
from iPhone
Rochelle, right, in the Bay Area, my pediatrician told me she believes that right now they're only testing post-mortem or in very serious cases. But she also said she believes that CDC's assertion that 99% of flu cases in the U.S. right now are probably H1N1.
- Stephen Mack
I imagine it's the same for most metropolitan areas. The L.A. County Dept of Health Services pretty much recommended that we stop testing non-emergent outpatient cases back in May.
- Victor Ganata
I lost a friend in the Sacramento Area to hamthrax earlier this year.
- Neal Krummell
Stephen, yeah. I'm just irked by people who are saying "OMG I HAVE H1N1" when in actuality, they don't know that for sure. My mom works at an elementary school and the parents are in near-riot there over it.
- Rochelle
It's the not-to-distant future. They've turned off the Internet. After the riots have settled down and the withdrawal symptoms have faded, how would you cope? We asked you to Photoshop what life would be like in an Internet-addicted society learning to cope without it, and offered $50 to the winner. That winner is below, but first, the runners-up:
- Eric Logan
from Bookmarklet
If we had a massive breakdown of society and lost the net for years or something, I would probably run to my library and steal all the encyclopedias.
- Andrew Leyden
Can the flu kill you? Yes. But then why haven't you been freaking out every September? I think it's the inconsistency of the panic that's really getting to me.
Isn't the real issue is that there is potential for a lot more people getting infected than normal (thus the term pandemic) -- even if the risk of dying is the same once you get it? So the net effect could be that a lot more people will die.
- Brian Sullivan
Alex, define 'same'? You mean dead=dead? Because fron what I understood the mortality rate of H1N1 is higher than the average flu for every age group except the elderly who already have an immunity (if even them).
- Kevin Fox
Is it actually higher because of the mechanisms of the flu or because of the populations that have been infected? Isn't it difficult to compare the statistics of a large population (flu flu stats) vs a much smaller one (swine flu stats)?
- Alex Scoble
If you want to see a really nasty varient of H1N1 then look at the death rates of the spanish flu that hit after WW1, then compare to the rates of this mexican varient of H1N1 (swine flu)... The numbers are too low to derive any meaningful prognosis over how lethal to the general populace it is as the figures can be too easily skewed
- alphaxion
Well, from recent figures for Minnesota, there's a notably higher incidence of H1N1 related hospitalizations of people under 25 years of age, as compared with the typical seasonal flu. Otherwise healthy children, teenagers and young adults (i.e. those without other contributing factors such as a chronic illness or debilitating condition) are becoming seriously ill from the H1N1 flu...
more...
- Mark Jepsen
Alex: I don't know about rates of infection, but I do have hard data on pediatric flu-related deaths, and I can tell you that H1N1 has already killed more children than the normal flu does in a typical year, and it's still ramping up: http://www.cdc.gov/flu...
- Kevin Fox
"Between April 15 and July 24, 2009, there were 43,771 confirmed and probable cases of H1N1 influenza (“swine flu”) in the U.S. There were 5,011 hospitalizations and 302 deaths, 39 percent among those aged 25 to 49, in contrast to the usual flu where 90 percent of the deaths are in people over age 65. For comparison, the more common strains of flu have been killing around 36,000 people...
more...
- Christopher A Carr
I wonder if there's a way to tease out how much of these numbers are due to increased surveillance alone.
- Victor Ganata
Color me wrong, but Kevin also wrong? *scratches head*
- Alex Scoble
Gee, I wash my hands all the time, not just in September... =)
- Andrew C
Victor: Do you think there's possibly *that* much more surveillance as compared to the last 10 or so flu seasons?
- Christopher A Carr
The cases of death in this, so I hear, are only in those with complications. So if you already have a pre-existing condition, etc. be sure you have the vaccine. (again, don't be stupid)
- Jesse Stay
Jesse, that isn't correct. It was just announced last week that a six-year old died in Minnesota of H1N1, and he was perfectly healthy prior to the flu infection. His two siblings became ill at the same time, then recovered normally. The six year old mirrored their symptoms for a few days, then abruptly became critically ill. He died in an ambulance before outside the family's house...
more...
- Mark Jepsen
Christopher: certainly people are more panicked about flu-like symptoms this season. I imagine that's going to translate into more testing. The numbers are still in the same magnitude of order as regular flu hospitalizations and fatalities--it's not like the numbers have doubled or tripled.
- Victor Ganata
Mark, I'm curious if there are similar stories like that for normal flu
- Jesse Stay
Just being in the age range of 0-18 years old puts you at higher risk for the regular flu, let alone the H1N1 flu, though. Even more at risk is the 0-5 year old bracket.
- Victor Ganata
There have been a few non-complication deaths lately. One thing scaring doctors about h1n1 is the speed at which it moves from mild annoyance to hospital to death. In some cases it is just a few days, barely allowing time for treatment to take place.
- Andrew Leyden
from iPhone
I'm honestly not trying to sensationalize this. The point I'm trying to make is that (at least here) health officials are looking very carefully at all possible causes of illness and death before making a statement whether or not H1N1 was the primary cause, with no underlying factors. If you consider that fact, and the point in the perceived emergence timeline for the virus, simply...
more...
- Mark Jepsen
Yes, I agree that we need to be aware. We need to practice universal precautions. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, wash your hands frequently. Don't go to school or work if you have a fever. But I really think that panicking and flooding the ERs with mild cases is going to be counterproductive. Taking antiviral medication when you don't have the flu for sure and don't have comorbidities that put you at higher risk is going to be counterproductive and likely to make things much worse.
- Victor Ganata
If you get ARDS from the flu (H1N1 or otherwise), that's actually not an uncommon presentation: mild illness rapidly progressing to respiratory failure and possibly death. What's scary is that otherwise healthy people seem to be actually more likely to present this way. But this isn't 1918, when we didn't have mechanical ventilators or ICUs. I'm not convinced this is going to kill us all.
- Victor Ganata
Victor, that has been my education as well - most cases in 1918 we didn't have the technology to a) even know if it was H1N1, and b) know what other factors might have caused it. Also, factors such as smoking, drinking, caffeine intake, etc. weren't tracked back then either.
- Jesse Stay
According to the CDC, from April to August, the rate of hospitalization is about the same as you would expect from the seasonal flu during the flu season (although the summer is usually outside of the flu season.) The incidence of pneumonia (of all causes) has been on par with what usually happens in the summer. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr...
- Victor Ganata
This is a fascinating page: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/ Virtually all current cases of the flu in the USA are H1N1, and the younger you are the more likely you'll develop serious health issues from it. This is in no way the 'normal' flu, and it should be underscored that most young people who have contributing factors have undiagnosed contributing factors, so it's a fallacy to assume...
more...
- Kevin Fox
Victor: Through August? Bah. Look at this chart: http://www.cdc.gov/flu... The end of August is when the red line crosses the dotted line. Check out what's been happening over the last 7 weeks and you'll see a completely different story.
- Kevin Fox
Kevin, that graph shows the percentage of outpatient visits that are due to flu-like symptoms, not actual confirmed cases of H1N1 flu. I'm unsurprised by this, considering how much panic the media is inciting.
- Victor Ganata
It's also misleading to believe that because the numbers have gotten so high so early, that they're going to keep climbing and surpass the numbers from previous years. It could very well be that we'll just reach the peak earlier, too.
- Victor Ganata
Victor: Is this one more to your liking? http://www.cdc.gov/flu... Virtually all flu sent out for typing is H1N1, and the uptick velocity (integral of teh previous chart) is higher than previous years. Nobody knows whether it'll burn itself out before it becomes more pervasive, or what the level of natural resistance is. Only time will tell.
- Kevin Fox
*grabs popcorn* This is a very interesting back and forth...seriously.
- Alex Scoble
True. "Could" covers a wide range in both directions, doesn't it? Which begs caution, not panic nor dismissiveness. Simple, prudent caution. BTW, this link provides a fairly recent summary of the state of current findings in Minnesota, though it is lacking in case-by-case specifics: http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display...
- Mark Jepsen
Here's my two cents: the reason the younger folk are more apt to contract the flu is because paranoid helicopter parents have wiped them down with disinfectant every 12 seconds for their entire life. There has been no way for them to build an immunity to anything. Also, where is the discussion on the use of agivents (sp?) in the vaccine?
- MVB (Curmudgeon of FF)
from iPod
So, yeah, we've known that we've been at pandemic levels of H1N1 cases since June. But what we don't yet know is how severe things are going to get. So far it doesn't look terrible. Yes, it could be that it will get much worse during the Northern hemispheric winter months. Or things might level off, given the fact that so many people have already been exposed to the virus. I agree with Mark's sentiments. We just don't know. But even if it gets as bad as 1918, is panic really the best way to deal with it?
- Victor Ganata
"[T]he overwhelming majority of persons worldwide infected with the new H1N1 virus continue to experience uncomplicated influenza-like illness, with full recovery within a week, even without medical treatment. " -- WHO Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 13 http://www.who.int/csr...
- Victor Ganata
"[T]he risk of severe or fatal illness is highest in three groups: pregnant women, especially during the third trimester of pregnancy, children younger than 2 years of age, and people with chronic lung disease, including asthma. Neurological disorders can increase the risk of severe disease in children." -- WHO Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 13 http://www.who.int/csr...
- Victor Ganata
"But even if it gets as bad as 1918, is panic really the best way to deal with it?" Have I managed to miss the widespread panic? Seems to me irrational, quick dismissing of the issue, and anti-vax nut-baggery, are bigger problems.
- Christopher A Carr
A lot of people I've seen are totally freaking out about the H1N1 flu. It's really not going to do us a lot of good if the ERs get packed by people who have mild flu-like symptoms who are going to get better on their own.
- Victor Ganata
Panic and hysteria is never productive. The best response is informed action best on best information available at the time (and, concomitantly, working to improve the quality and timeliness of that information.) responding as though the sky is falling is certainly foolish, responding as though everything is just fine is potentially foolish (for those who could have accessed the vaccine) and for those who are ultimately uninfected or recover quickly, it becomes a normal flu outbreak. --more--
- Mark Jepsen
So, figure out which group you're going to fall into (or more importantly, which your kids are likely to fall into.) But bear in mind that even if you don't get vaccinated, acquire the infection, and recover just fine, you may have infected several others, some of whom may not have the same outcome. (Ditto for your kids.)
- Mark Jepsen
Quick look local US trend data on hospital emergency department visits for flu-like illness http://www.isdsdistribute.org/ (via Aneesh Chopra in email)
I call it "Dorm Pizza"--you have to buy a pizza with many guys in the dorm to lower the cost but you end up getting something that no one really likes but no one really hates.
- Andrew Leyden
Seriously? Star Control 2 is one of the best games ever.
- Alex Scoble
Heh, sorry, I made the same mistake Alex Scrivener made earlier. I meant that Star Control 2 was genius. Star Control 3 was dumbed down and unplayable.
- Stephen Mack
That's pretty much true of anything - games, movies, television shows, books...almost anytime you want to appeal to everyone, you end up with an average-or-below product. Also, I miss Deus Ex. I want to play it again for the first time.
- Jandy, ConcertMaven of FF
I agree with Rochelle and Shevonne. My mum used to read that to me and she bought us kids all copies of it just a few years ago (when we were all grown up) as a holiday gift. Totally made us cry, even my brother.
- joey
Little Gorilla: http://www.amazon.com/Little-... We got this as a gift when our first son was born. It's a very simple book with a message that is sweet and comforting without being saccharine. It's also not extremely well-known so you aren't quite so likely to duplicate other gifts.
- Steve is older than ever
Goodnight Moon is the first book my oldest memorised from beginning to end. she used to recite it to me for fun at bedtime. :)
- Joe Silence is not dead
Goodnight Moon is definitely my favorite-been reading it to Nate since he was born and he still loves it at 4.
- Kelly W.
@Richard Scarry fans - love his books and we have MANY of them, but they're definitely best for the 2 and up crowd.
- Jen (SquirrelGirl)
Never read Love You Forever. Will have to check it out.
- Jen (SquirrelGirl)
+1 for Goodnight moon, Goodnight Gorillia, and I much prefer "Guess How Much I Love You" to "Love you forever", especially considering my great grandma just passed away. Love You Forever is just way too much of a tear jerker to make it on the nightly reading list.
- Steve "Daddy do it!" Lacy
Love Guess How Much I Love You... but it's definitely more for the parents than the kids. I've shed a tear reading that.
- Jen (SquirrelGirl)
The Big Red Barn (same author as Goodnight Moon)
- Stephen Mack
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel, if it is a boy. But more to the point--if it is an infant, I would recommend the first book be a 'board' book, i.e. the pages are made of hard cardboard, not just paper. Paper paged books rarely last beyond the first year given an infants desire to grab, hold, and whatever.
- Andrew Leyden
looks like north Texas and Oklahoma in the springtime, actually! ...only in miniature. :P
- Joe Silence is not dead
I was in the eastside when this front passed. HOLY BEJESUS that was a lot of rain followed by thunderstorms. YAY! I'm sorry I missed this view though, I bet it looked awesome from the penthaus!
- veo
I could so go for a nice thunderstorm. It was 92F today in LA. :(
- Derrick
Derrick, the crazy thing is that there was no thunder here. We very rarely, if ever, get thunder.
- Rochelle
Rochelle, there definitely was thunder in Redmond. We've had a few great thunderstorms this year, but it's highly unusual. And even our 'great' thunderstorms pale in comparison to even a mild midwest storm. :(
- veo