D-I-WHY
It鈥檚 heartening to see so many calm responses to the coronavirus outbreak. For example, ever-resourceful citizens of the US have been making their own hand sanitiser from budget spirits. After numerous customers tweeted about this bright idea, vodka brand Tito鈥檚 patiently responded to each of them, advising that hand sanitiser should contain at least 60 per cent alcohol, so its 40 per cent proof product doesn鈥檛 meet the standard.
In Australia, people have been calmly preparing for the absolute worst-case scenario: finding themselves out of toilet paper. Most of the country鈥檚 supplies are made locally, but a rumour of decreased production in China seemed to send panic through some communities, resulting in shops with empty shelves.
Rolls were reportedly being sold for hundreds of dollars online. Luckily, the Australian press can be relied on to help in a crisis. The NT News came to the rescue by printing an eight-page pull-out 鈥渃omplete with handy cut lines, for you to use in an emergency鈥�. Eager to match this example, Feedback willingly proffered itself for this purpose, but sadly our editor insisted that we should still print some words on the page, even if it is to be used for personal hygiene. Please don鈥檛 hesitate to tear out this page if you find yourself in need.
Advertisement
Take a bow
In the UK, of great concern to the public is how to make formal greetings once shaking hands has been deemed too dangerous. The England cricket team has opted for fist bumps, but as this still involves hand-to-hand contact, it doesn鈥檛 seem like a vast improvement.
Elbow bumps are another popular option, but one whose wisdom seems questionable when you remember that we are also being advised to cough and sneeze into a bent elbow. Some are tapping feet, but having tried this out, we are slightly concerned that this could lead to a risk of losing one鈥檚 balance and falling over.
You don鈥檛 need to look far back in history to find some truly non-contact modes of formal greeting, such as the bow or curtsey, which might be more sensible.
Feedback recommends the 鈥渘er-ner鈥� handshake, popular in school playgrounds, in which you extend an arm as if offering a handshake, but withdraw it at the last minute and wiggle your fingers in front of your face. Traditionally this is done with the thumb touching the nose, but touching one鈥檚 nose is now a complete no-no, so a 2 centimetre gap is advisable.
Sum tweet
If we had a penny for every time a media pundit showed a shockingly poor grasp of numeracy, Feedback would have enough money to launch an expensive but highly ineffective run for president. Well, maybe not if you did the actual maths, but why let that stand in the way of a good point?
The latest example appeared in a segment on news channel MSNBC that drew attention to a tweet decrying the $500 million spent by Michael Bloomberg on his short-lived election campaign. 鈥淭he US population is 327 million. He could have given each American $1 million and still have money left over,鈥� journalist Mekita Rivas tweeted. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an incredible way of putting it,鈥� said presenter Brian Williams, and on this point we agree wholeheartedly.
Mixed up advice
Thankfully, the media are being careful to get their facts straight on coronavirus advice. Having initially made an error in an article titled 鈥淐oronavirus: Nine reasons to be reassured鈥�, The Guardian quickly made a correction. 鈥淎n earlier version wrongly stated that 鈥榓 solution of ethanol, hydrogen peroxide and bleach will disinfect surfaces鈥�,鈥� it said. 鈥淚t is dangerous to combine such substances. It now states correctly that 鈥榓 solution of ethanol, a solution of hydrogen peroxide *or* a solution of bleach鈥� will disinfect surfaces.鈥� (Emphasis added.)
Chemistry lessons might also be required at the BBC, which stated that the E10 fuel being considered to help the UK reduce CO2 emissions 鈥渃ontains less carbon and more ethanol than fuels currently on sale鈥�. It might be more eco-friendly still if boffins could work out a way to produce carbon-free ethanol. Thanks to James Olver for bringing this to our attention.
Sty phone
Surreal news from North Yorkshire, UK, where a fire broke out on a farm after a pig swallowed a pedometer that was being worn by another pig. 鈥淎fter nature had taken its course, it鈥檚 believed that the copper from the batteries reacted with the pigpens contents and in conjunction with dry bedding, ignited burning approx. 75sqm of hay,鈥� the
We thought 快猫短视频 was on top of the trend for wearable electronics, but this fad is more pervasive than we realised if even livestock are keeping track of their step count.
According to the fire service, the pedometer was being worn to prove that the pigs were free range. Feedback is a firm believer in animal welfare, but we are unsure whether instilling them with our exercise-tracking obsession is entirely helpful in this regard. We shouldn鈥檛 scoff though 鈥� pigs have long been associated with apple products, and perhaps this individual is a twirly adopter.
Got a story for Feedback?
Send it to 快猫短视频, 25 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ES or you can email us at feedback@newscientist.com