ambient

On a much lighter note, here’s my cat seeing snow for the first time - she’s only 7 months old. She hated it, she howled until I picked her up and took her back inside.

They are thinking about banning non-Dutch nationals from the coffee shops. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/11/foreigners-face-ban-from-amsterdams-cannabis-cafes

I had flu in January 2018 - in fact according to my Facebook memories, today is the second anniversary of me returning to uni after recovering from it. I don’t ever remember feeling so ill. I’m fairly young, very fit and extremely healthy, it was weeks later though until I felt anything like normal. I should imagine if you had flu, then contracted Covid at the same time, or immediately after, then even for a young heathy person, it would be extremely serious.

Yes, they also need to be sensible, and stick to the advice regarding hand washing, face coverings and social distancing if they go out - but really they should stay in as much as possible.

Flu doesn’t kill nearly 100,000 people in ten months in the UK. The 2017/18 flu season deaths were 1,700. Flu also doesn’t tie up virtually the entire NHS acute care beds - bear in mind that most elective and regular treatment has stopped.

It’s neither misleading nor scaremongering. They’re telling people the facts - I had to tell a relative of mine that just because he’s had the vaccination, that doesn’t mean he’s immune. I’m aware of other people having the same conversation with their relatives. This is mainly I suspect due to some of the newspaper headlines. If you look at everything the health minister said in my quote, he mentioned that protection might only be in the low to mid 30% range, which is far lower than the low to mid 50% range, originally reported. I don’t see how stating researched figures can be construed as misleading?

The Israelis are reporting that the vaccine doesn’t appear to be as effective as claimed, certainly not with just one dose. They’re also reporting people catching it despite having been vaccinated - not surprising given that it only offers between 30 and 50% protection. This is from their health minister on the Andrew Marr show earlier: ‘First dose of Pfizer shot does not immediately prevent Covid infection, confirms Israeli health minister.’ ‘We’re just in the beginning of the campaign, we unfortunately do see cases that after getting the first dose, people do get sick, get the coronavirus.’ This is the important bit, and the part I hope our government takes note of - hopefully they have learned their lesson from last summer - I believe they might have done, and realised that trying to open everything up, encouraging people to visit pubs and restaurants seeded a lot of the problems we currently have. This adds to my belief that allowing live music - certainly live music indoors - will be one of the last things they’ll allow. ‘Vaccination is not a panacea, Coronavirus is still with us, and we’ll have to live with this reality for a long time.’ Personally, as much as I’d love to be performing and playing with other people - it’s been a huge part of my life, it really is the only thing I’m any good at - but there’s absolutely no way I’m going to, until I know that it’s safe and that I’m not risking my health, and more importantly the health of my parents.

I haven’t unfortunately no. They tend to be evening things, when you add in the time difference they’re quite late.https://instagram.com/shapeshifterlab?igshid=jx9s9iu6348e

Have you seen how Matt Garrison has been doing his streamed shows Thomas? They’re ticketed, you pay in advance, and then they email you a link.

I always use ‘render’ - ‘custom time selection’ - ‘enter from and to times’. I’m not sure what the difference is between that and just time selection. Just use the solo button if you’ve got more than one track on a project screen, and only want to render a certain item or items. It’s good advice that Dad3353 gave above if you’ve got a multitrack project - use Command/click to select more than one item. Reaper is an incredibly deep DAW. I’m using it for up to ten hours a day at the moment, but I’m constantly learning new things about it. I always used Logic Pro before, and swore by it, but it seems like a toy somehow now compared to Reaper.

You are aware who’s head of the jockey club?

I didn’t know ‘voice notes’ were a thing. I have my phone permanently set to ‘do not disturb’. If someone phones I get a little message on my screen, if I want to speak to them then I’ll phone them. It doesn’t give the called the option of voice mail. I don’t use WhatsApp either. It’s text, email or iMessage me.

Meanwhile they’re discussing tightening the travel restrictions, and possibly banning foreign holidays this year. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/23/summer-holidays-cancelled-uk-faces-big-decision-on-border

Plucked from someone’s nether regions.

The BMC are requesting they think again about increasing the gap between the two vaccinations. Apparently there is no research into how effective giving the second jab after three months rather than three weeks will be. It might just be a complete waste of time, and ultimately end up setting us back. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/23/doctors-call-shorter-gap-pfizer-covid-vaccine-doses-uk

They do reckon that you’ll need at least one vaccination per year. So you’re probably right.

This also mentions they’re using some rather controversial calculations to stretch the period between the two jabs. Chris Whitty mentioned last night, immunity from the vaccination isn’t permanent, and probably only last four or five months. That suggests a slope in immunity, so stretching the gap between the two to three months might mean that the second will have less affect at three months, rather than at three months as the makers and everyone else recommend. They mentioned on News at Ten last night, that - I think it was the BMA - were writing to the government asking them to think again about the current strategy, whereby it seems to be a competition between us and the rest of the world, over the number of injections given - a one sided competition, I’m not sure anyone else is playing.

This is an interesting analysis of the vaccination programme. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210114-covid-19-how-effective-is-a-single-vaccine-dose?fbclid=IwAR25Oh3925dgTmqBJLfEvlutz7BrwZsoMRBlb-edKYaDMu9cU8yaLxVJLKM

I think it’s incredibly sad personally.

How many will have been vaccinated by then, more to the point though, how many will have received the second vaccination then? My parents don't get their second injection until April. The first dose only gives a maximum protection of 52%, which lasts - according to Chris Whitty just four or five months - that’s according to his comments at today’s press conference. I seriously cannot see them allowing live music to take place in pubs in May.

I think you’re right - I try and remain positive, hoping we’ll get a semblance of normality later in the year - but the more rational part of me believes that what we had has gone. There will be live music, but not I think as we once knew it. There’s a French classical guitarist that I follow, I’ve seen him doing concerts recently - though a classical concert is obviously a far more restrained affair than your typical pub gig.

Pardon?

Who knows. The experts don’t know with any degree of certainty. One thing I do know, is I’m going to keep the promise I made to myself - I’m going to take full advantage of every musical opportunity that I’m offered when it is over.

An interesting article in the Guardian this evening. Apparently they lost £5 million as a result of last year’s cancellation. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/jan/22/emily-eavis-tells-of-hopes-for-livestreamed-glastonbury-show