An alternative view for BFE

Dear Funkers,

Since we will stay in all kinds of lookdowns for some time. Except for AstraZeneca-zombies, who will visit concerts, exhibitions, and travels soon, with their green zombie-passport.

So, you need to shake your booty to get an alternative view, and I suggest that BFE embrace NTF (non-fungible token)?

The art world has a steadily growing presence on NFT networks, which extends over to the more adventurous sides of the music industry. That’s thanks in large part to Grimes that the currency has entered mainstream discussion in recent days: The musician made $389,000 off a 50-second music video earlier this week. So far, she’s amassed around $6 million from sales of digital art in the format. In the meantime, Kings of Leon became the first band ever to release an album in the form of an NFT.

In case you're wondering, an NFT is a digital representation of a unique asset that cannot be exchanged for another NFT of the same type. Each NFT is a unit of data on a blockchain, and it can represent a distinct digital item, making them non-interchangeable. NFTs can represent various digital files, including art, audio, video, and other creative works. While the digital files themselves can be duplicated infinitely, the NFTs that represent them are tracked on the blockchain and provide proof of ownership to the buyers.

If you're interested in exploring this digital world, you can visit the popular NFT marketplace OpenSea. There, you'll find a wide range of listings, from Kings of Leon imagery to video game accessories to domain names. Rest assured, you won't encounter any fakes.

Yes, Funk Ain't Ova, so now it’s time to get unique and digital. Because, l like to see you all, with stash on stash of novo cash. With cryptocurrency in fuck you quantities, and you can't tell whether or not I'm joking, can you.

You like this, call your devoted Evileye.

The Future Of Burning Man Emerges At Fly Ranch

EVOLVING COMMUNITY IN OASIS uses low temperature pyrolysis to reduce waste streams while providing ... [+]

Tatiana Prevezentseva, Pelikh Anna Vitalievna, Shkarupa Anastasia Aleksandrovna, Ryseva Tatiana Sergeevna, Murashko Tatiana Andreevna, and Starostin Nikita Dmitrievich

Deep in the dry, windy desert of Northern Nevada is a great basin filled with playas, hot springs, and lava beds, surrounded by numerous volcanic and geothermal features.

Every year since 1986, right before Labor Day, almost 80,000 people gather to celebrate Burning Man, the legendary assembly of spirited people guided by the founders ten principles: “radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy.”

RIPPLE integrates electrochromic glass, a bioceramic dome (Geoship SPC), seed bank, solar ... [+]

Matthew Lagomarsino, William Jacob Mast, Pierre-Yves Bertholet, Xiaojin Ren, Scherwyn Udwadia, Bas Kools, Israel Orellana, and Melika Tabrizi

With the pandemic eliminating the annual bohemian gathering in 2020 and possibly in 2021, a new frontier has started. Without the enormous experimental structures and mutant vehicles reminiscent of “Mad Max,” the now-aging devoted followers of Burning Man are focused on creating something even more dramatic, revolutionary, and above all sustainable. Welcome to Fly Ranch!

Burning Man Project and the Land Art Generator Initiative collaborated to create the LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch design challenge, inviting innovators and creatives to propose regenerative projects for Fly Ranch, an off-grid 3,800-acre ranch in the Great Basin.

According to LAGI, “Teams were asked to integrate sustainable systems for energy, water, food, shelter, and waste management into works of art in the landscape. The objective is to build the foundational infrastructure for Fly Ranch, support Burning Man Project’s 2030 sustainability goals, and engage a global audience to work together towards systemic transformation, and serve as an inspiration for the developing field of regenerative design.”

SEED symbiotic coevolution incorporates solar, geothermal, passive cooling, composting, greenhouses, ... [+]

Samantha Katz , Woody Nitibhon, Henry O'Donnell, Lola Lafia, Eric Baczuk, John Hilmes, Max Schwitalla, and Colin O'Donnell

Proposals for the area include; human habitation spaces, venues for learning and discovery, permaculture systems for food infrastructure for water harvesting and blackwater recycling, zero-emissions construction, and energy infrastructure to generate power from solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass. Who knew living on MARS would become a reality in Nevada?

The LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch design challenge considered hundreds of applicants and narrowed its focus to the top 10 designs and a portfolio of other ambitious projects. Selected teams will be provided an honorarium grant to test on-site installations of functional prototypes.

STARSHIP incorporates repurposed shipping containers, solar photovoltaic, water harvesting, ... [+]

Alexander Dzurec, Ivan Spratte, and Tim Schwartz

Among the top ten projects are; Nexus, which explores the design capabilities of Ferrock, a sustainable alternative to concrete that absorbs CO2 through the curing process of building components; SEED symbiotic coevolution, which incorporates a solar chimney, solar PV, geothermal, passive cooling, composting, greenhouses, aquaponics, biodigesters, and greywater recycling.  Solar Mountain, uses solar photovoltaic and recycled materials to contribute 300 MWh of electricity per year and interactive spaces for play and exercise; and Ripple integrates electrochromic glass, a bioceramic dome (Geoship SPC), seed bank, solar photovoltaic, cisterns, drip irrigation, composting toilets, and native restoration plants to provide shelter, food, medicinal herbs and teas, habitat enhancement, water harvesting, 36 MWh/year of electricity, and 40,000 liters/year of harvested water. 

NEXUS explores the design capabilities of Ferrock, a sustainable alternative to concrete that ... [+]

Antoniya Stoitsova, Nicolo Bencini, Ben Naudet, Avi Greene, Alex Ogata, and Tom Kendrew

In 2016, the Burning Man Organization acquired the Fly Ranch property, just north of the event site. The goal was to create a year-round rural incubator for Burning Man culture and a catalyst for innovation and creativity in the world. Burning Man Project mobilized the Burning Man community through the Land Art Generator to design and build scalable and sustainable solutions for one of the harshest climates in the world. The goal is to prototype off-grid solutions for a post-carbon world.

THE ORIGIN POD: FROM WATER THERE IS LIFE uses atmospheric water generation technology from Source ... [+]

Clara Nagy McBane, Jason Hooper, Richard Haynie, Amy Erickson, and Neil Grimmer

I spoke with Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry, LAGI’s founding co-directors, and they explained the project further. “As we implement climate solutions, we should recognize that technology does not live in a vacuum. It is born from human culture, and it thrives when we care for it. There is an inherent beauty in natural systems that reflects the steady-state of their balance, where the life cycles of living things are in harmony with the energy and resources that naturally flow through them—where nothing is wasted, and all that is required to thrive comes from the sun, the wind, and the weather. Could it be that when we are capable of designing such systems, we will find inherent beauty emerging from them as well?

Fly Ranch provides the perfect context in which to begin to answer this question by experimenting with new systems for human thriving—to tackle the hard problem of net-zero sustainable infrastructure with circular design thinking. The outcomes of LAGI 2020 Fly Ranch offer the world a portfolio of solutions for energy, water, food, shelter, and regeneration of waste streams that incorporate the latest technologies available as media for awe-inspiring works of infrastructure art set within the sublime landscape of Northern Nevada.”

SOLAR MOUNTAIN uses solar photovoltaic, and recycled materials to contribute 300 MWh of electricity ... [+]

Nuru Karim and Anuj Modi

Written by Jim Dobson for Forbs

Have you seen yourself lately?

What makes a great portrait? I hesitate to use the word ‘great’ when discussing portrait photography. Like other over-used superlatives, “great” is another one flourishing in today’s social media. A good portrait is the art of telling a story, to bring out the beauty, intensity, and energy of someone. Especially in today’s age of smartphone cameras, not everyone understands the value of what a professional photographer brings to your image.

The Value of a Professional? I certainly believe there is a need of talent at both ends of the camera, a need for complicity or even a little bit of admiration. How can you love and see others, if you do not have heart and sight for yourself?

Most people understand and taste the difference between a fast-food BigMac by McDonald's and a “Saint-Pierre au four avec un sac éphémère de coquillages” by the 3-Star Michelin restaurant, Guy Savoy.

As with your saucepan, a camera means nothing until a professional sees through it and captures that single moment when all the elements converge and you look fabulous. This is the difference between an iPhone selfie and a professional headshot.

Now what? Please don’t ask your neighbor who usually trims your dog, to cut your hair! Get a Pro, and together we will capture the amazing person you are, particularly for today’s virtual working world.

Happy New Year, yea well…

2020 was particularly difficult and a very different year for most of us, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But some are walking away from 2020 more bankable than ever. The wealth of the world’s billionaires grew by $1.9 Trillion in 2020. The top 10 billionaires could pay for all the 3rd world COVID vaccines, and still generate incredible growth in 2020, and probably more in 2021, securing a bigger market by saving future consumers…

So, 10 citizens can pay for 7.8 billion vaccines!

Fortunately, there are some generous people like my friends in South Africa, financing an orphanage. Or my cousin who flies school materials to Asia. Or a business partner of mine, running a sewing school for free, in Bangladesh. Or, my daughter who gathered 10’000 sek for WWF.

I challenge you, my friends, to do something, not just give money to a large organization and if you have no clue where to start call me, or try the following:

-Throw a fundraising party by combining cocktails and pole dancing

-Feed 2200 kids in Malawi, for 365 days with $ 10’000

-Organize a fashion dog show, at your local animal shelter or in some abandoned Hilton Hotel

-A ticket auction for skydiving, at your parent’s retirement home

-And plenty of other serious ideas

So, this horrible year did come to its end. Again, my friends, what this new year brings you, will depend on what you bring to this new year, beside plenty of new drugs and stupid government decision. Let’s be more awesome and generous in 2021

Here you can really see the inequalities

Maybe our time as a Facebook Product is over?

People need to understand that they are the product of Facebook and not the customer! But it's this notion that Facebook has been selling and marketing our data that has elevated the term, “WE are the product” into the spotlight. Many are incredulous that Facebook has been slicing and dicing our data, making it easy to sell our personal information to a growing number of advertisers – including nefarious data collection companies like Cambridge Analytica.

Companies realized it was hard to make money out of people who communicated with each other through interfaces that they made themselves. So they created more of a distance between the programmer and the user, building packages of software that were easy-to-use but removed the end user from being able to appreciate the biases embedded within them.

WTO, UN, WHO & protectionism

After World War II, the United States and Great Britain supported the World Trade Organization's precursor framework in the hope of moving the world away from the harmful effects of protectionism of the 1920s and 1930s. They believed that the geopolitical gains would be as great as the economic ones, hence the creation of the UN and WHO...

Today, these two architects have taken a sharp turn from global agreements and gone back to protectionism with cautious methods of negotiating, if any. Donald Trump promised to quit most global treaties. The UK has spent the last years dismantling its participation in the European Union and is now approaching a Brexit.

“The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”
― Plato

Solastalgia

Solastalgia describes a form of emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change. It is best described as the lived experience of negatively perceived environmental change. When someone experiences solastalgia, their sense of place, home, security, value, and self are undermined.

The term for this condition, solastalgia, was created by Australian environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht in the early 2000s to describe the unique mental anguish caused by living with the experience of negative environmental change.

“Solastalgia is when your endemic sense of place is being violated”

— Glenn Albrecht, philosopher

Beginners Guide to Growing Magic Mushrooms

Mason jars are good for just about anything.

Life on Earth, as you know it, would be impossible without the humble fungi. In the beginning, fungi played an essential role in the development of our oxygen-rich atmosphere by mining phosphorous from the rocks and transferring it to plants to power photosynthesis. So, without fungi, your life as a human wouldn’t be possible.

Also, fungi decompose practically everything that dies or decays. Without fungi, death would engulf the Earth, and make it virtually uninhabitable for you and every other living organism.

And Fungi impact your life significantly in ways you’re likely unaware of, and you probably barely notice.

Fungi and Your Food

You may not know it, but fungi figure prominently in your diet. Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-producing, fruiting body of fungi. Typically, mushrooms grow above ground and are but a minute portion of the larger organism that grows below ground, weaving its way through the soil and among the roots of plants.

No doubt you already know you can eat mushrooms and you should since they have a plethora of health benefits.

Morels, shiitake, chanterelles, and truffles are considered delicacies. But mushrooms aren’t the only way fungi appear in your diet. Molds of the genus Penicillium ripen many kinds of cheese.

Fungi also ferment the grains and fruit to produce the beer and wine you drink, and they provide the wild yeast for bread.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as baker’s yeast, is an essential ingredient in natural sourdough bread making, a food that’s been a staple of human life for thousands of years.

Fungi and Your Health

Mushrooms fight cancer

A study in the Journal of Experimental Biology and Medicine found that all the common mushroom varieties reduced breast cancer cells by a whopping 33 percent. But breast cancer isn’t the only type of cancer mushrooms help. Studies on prostate and stomach cancer show similar results.

They’re immune-boosting and high in vitamins

Beta-glucan and lentinan are two properties found in mushrooms that give your immune system a much-needed boost. Plus, they’re high in crucial vitamins — many mushroom varieties contain high levels of vitamin D, and crimini mushrooms carry lots of B12, which makes them an excellent choice for vegetarians since B12 is most common in animal products.

Fungi as Medicine

Red yeast rice is the earliest medicinal use of fungi on record. China developed it around 800 AD. Cultivating Monascus purpura (yeast) in rice produces a pharmaceutically active mixture of compounds.

Now, millions of patients with life-threatening diseases are treated each year with medicines made from fungi. The medicinal value of fungal metabolites is a knowledge that’s centuries old.

Perhaps the most potent yet controversial fungal medicine is psilocybin mushrooms, medicinal properties have also been used for centuries.

In his book, “How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence,” Michael Pollan delves deep into the history of these drugs.

Pollan explains that psychedelics were once legal and used successfully in the US to treat mental disorders, including anxiety, depression, and addiction. According to Pollan, “For most of the 1950s and early 1960s, many in the psychiatric establishment regarded LSD and psilocybin as miracle drugs.”

How Magic Mushrooms Change Your Brain

Hallucinogens, like psilocybin (magic) mushrooms alter your perception, mood, and a slew of other mental processes by working their magic on your brain’s cortex. The drugs activate specific receptors called 5-HT2A receptors (2ARs) that are typically triggered by serotonin.

This cascade of neurobiological changes to your brain helps you to experience a renewed wonder at everyday things. You’ll have greater self-awareness. Your senses will be more acute so that colors appear more vibrant and sound, taste, and smell more intense. And you’ll remain focused on the present.

The positive effects remain long after the drugs have left the building. Participants reported a significant reduction in anxiety and depression after just one use.

They also mentioned experiencing a “spiritual awakening,” which was responsible for a permanent shift in their consciousness. Afterward, participants said it was easier to stay focused on the present, and they had a greater awareness of the interconnectedness of all things.

So, if you suffer from any of the aforementioned mental diseases, or you want to experience spiritual enlightenment and quiet the constant chatter in your mind, psilocybin mushrooms may be for you. And you may be wondering how to cultivate them.

Grow Em

So, now that you know the extensive benefits of fungi and their mushrooms, are you ready to grow some? The following technique works for most types of mushroom strains, but the focus of this article is on psilocybin (magic mushroom) cultivation.

Currently, it’s illegal to cultivate psilocybin mushrooms in most countries. But, right now, medical researchers are working diligently to prove the therapeutic and medical efficacy of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, and they’ll likely be legal soon. So, you can learn the process for when they become legal. Because you wouldn’t dream of breaking the law, right?

At this point, you’re probably wondering how long this process takes. That’s a terrific question. Here’s an approximate timeline:

• Spore inoculation to spore germination — within a week

• Spore germination to complete colonization of the cake — about 2 to 4 weeks.

• Start of fruiting cycle — approx two weeks.

After two or so, the cakes will begin to turn blue, and no more mushrooms will form.

All in all, the process takes from 4–6 weeks from spore inoculation to fruiting.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Phase one —

• 10 Sterilized inoculation jars with a substrate. Or one jar for each cc in your syringe. You can also make inoculation jars with wide-mouth mason jars and brown rice flour or another substrate. But, you’ll need to follow an intense sterilization process.

• Latex gloves

• Paper towels

• A face mask (and thanks to COVID 19, you probably already have one of these)

• Rubbing alcohol

• A syringe of mushroom spores (spore syringes are available on the internet. There are some states like California, Oregon, and Georgia to which most places won’t ship. However, I did find one reliable source for those as well.

• Hypodermic needles that are the correct size for your syringe. (if your syringe didn’t come with them.

• A lighter

• A can of disinfectant spray (like Lysol)

Phase two —

• A spray bottle

• A fruiting chamber — i.e., clear plastic tub with a lid

• Drill four or five 1/2 inch holes on either side of your growing box so air can circulate.

• A spot that receives plenty of indirect sunlight

• Temperature and humidity gauge

• Vermiculite (Some growers suggest Perlite. There is a difference between the two.)

• 3-percent hydrogen peroxide

There are four crucial aspects you’ll need to get right to reap a reward for your efforts, and they are:

1. Hygiene

2. Humidity

3. Light

4. Temperature

You’ll learn about each of these as we go through the steps. So, here goes:

Phase One

Phase one of your cultivation is where you’ll create what’s known as a birthing cake. A birthing cake is when mycelium has fully colonized your jar and wound around the substrate. When you turn it out of the mason jar, it will hold together like a cake and sprout mushrooms.

Step One: Sterilize

Enemy number one in mushroom cultivation is harmful bacteria hijacking your inoculation jars. That’s why you’re going to take the following steps to sterilize the jars and the surrounding environment. You’re trying to keep minuscule microbes from creating murderous mayhem on your spores and multiplying in your jars.

Choose a small room in your house, like a bathroom that you can use as your secret laboratory (prep space).

Gather all the items on the phase one portion of your list. Don your face mask, enter the room and close the door.

Spray the room down reasonably well with the disinfectant spray. Then put on your gloves.

Wipe your jars off with rubbing alcohol using paper towels. Pay special attention to the top of the jar.

Step Two — Inoculate

Use your lighter and heat the metal portion of your hypodermic needle until it glows red. Typically hypodermic needles come pre-sterilized, so this is merely a precaution.

After you sterilize the needle, don’t lay it down, continue to hold it until the needle cools down.

Shake your syringe to distribute the spores evenly. Insert the needle into the port and inject one cc into the jar.

Repeat with the remaining jars, sterilize your needle each time.

Step Three — Wait

A jar fully colonized by mycelium

After injection, place your jars in a cardboard box, close the lid, and put it in a dark, warm place. You’ll want a steady temp of 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. I know it’s exciting, but try not to check your jars for five days. They need the dark.

After five days or so, a fuzzy, white substance will start to form in your jars. When this happens, jump up and down and perform a joyful, happy dance because this is a good sign.

The white substance you see is mycelium. Mycelium is the vegetative part of the fungus, similar to the roots of a plant. And the mushroom is like the flower on the plant.

Let the mycelium grow for at least 15 days, and it can take much longer. Once your jars are 100-percent colonized by mycelium, wait a week then proceed to phase two.

Phase Two

Now it’s time to remove the birthing cakes from their jars. Over the next month, they’ll sprout mushrooms — hopefully, a whole plethora of them.

First, gather your jars and all the items on the list for phase two.

Step One — Birth and soak your mycelium cakes

Once your jars are fully colonized by mycelium, it’s time to birth them and place them in the fruiting chamber so they can sprout mushrooms. But, the mycelium have been in an airtight container and have used all the moisture in the jars. They’re going to be thirsty, so you’re going to give them a nice soak for 12 to 24 hours before you place them in their new home.

Birthing a cake — Image credit Everything Mushrooms

• Have large plastic baggies, or a sterilized plastic container with lid and some filtered water ready.

• Put on clean gloves or wash your hands — thoroughly.

• Loosen the lids of your jars. Discard the band, you’ll use the flat tops later on.

• Bang a jar against your hand to release the cake. (It may take a bit of banging and shaking to get the cake out of the jar. That’s ok. Just touch the cake as little as possible).

• Place the cake into the baggie or container and do the same with the remaining cakes. (Your cakes are pretty durable once they’re fully colonized with mycelium, so they’re not going to fall apart or break.)

• Fill the baggies or container as full as possible with filtered water and seal them up. The cakes are going to float, so if you’re using baggies you’ll need to remove as much air as possible.

• Put your cakes in your refrigerator and leave them for 12 to 24 hours. I soak for 12 hours, some growers soak for 24.

After your mycelium cakes have had their long, cold bath, it’s finally time for them to go in the chamber.

Step Two— Prepare the chamber

Sterilize your container with a solution of bleach and boiling water. The rinse it thoroughly with plain boiling water.

Fill your spray bottle with 10 parts boiled water to one part hydrogen peroxide or H202.

Sterilize your vermiculite or Pearlite by soaking another solution of 10 to 1 boiling water and hydrogen peroxide. The spread a layer on the bottom of your growing chamber.

The vermiculite is there to help your growing chamber maintain humidity, and you will need to mist it periodically.

Place your mason jar lids into the bed of vermiculite, then place a cake on each lid. Sprtiz each cake with your h20/h202 mixture, but not so much that puddles form. Make sure you leave enough room between each cake, so there’s plenty of room for mushrooms to sprout without crowding each other.

You may see little mushroom sprouts already forming, these are called pins. And that’s a good thing.

To check the health of your mycelium, give each cake a little sniff. They should smell faintly like the fresh mushrooms you buy from the store. If you smell foul odors, that a sign your mycelium may have harmful bacteria.

Step Three

Put the lid on your growing chamber and place it where it will receive indirect sunlight. The room should be well ventilated.

Maintenance

For the next month or so, mist your mushroom twice a day with the water and hydrogen peroxide mixture. Keep an eye on your humidity/temperature gauge. Ideally, you want to maintain a temperature in the mid to low 70’s and humidity of 85-percent. If your humidity level is low, you may have to spritz them more frequently.

Harvesting

When your mushrooms are ready for harvest, snap them off the birthing cake at the base of their stems and place them in an airtight container in your refrigerator.

A harvest of mushrooms is called a flush. You can reuse the cakes for multiple flushes. Since this is an article for beginners, I’m going to save those instructions for part two.

Yield, Storage, and Dosage

Your Yield

The primary image in this article is one of a fully ripe birthing cake that’s ready for harvest. As you can see, one cake can yield plenty of mushrooms. I recommend ten jars because that’s how many jars most syringes will innoculate.

Ten jars yield ten birthing cakes, which will produce more than a lifetimes supply for most people. You can start with fewer jars, which means you’ll have leftover spores. Spores stay viable for eight months to one year, but dried mushrooms last far longer.

Storage

Mushrooms stay fresh for 3–15 days. Keep them in the fridge as you would any mushroom. After that, dry them and place them in an airtight container. Then place the container in a cool, dark place.

Dose

There is no set dosage for psilocybin mushrooms, so your dose depends on your size, sensitivity level, and the effect you desire. And it depends on the strength of the mushrooms. One mushroom can pack a punch, so start slow. You can’t un-eat them if you take too much, but you can take more during your psychedelic journey. Just remember it can take up to an hour before you feel the effects.

Your set and setting are just as crucial as the dose you take, and there are steps you can take to ensure a positive experience.

Data is the most valuable asset on earth, today

Here's how I protect myself from hackers and thieves in a simple yet effective way:

I employ three different web browsers for distinct purposes to minimize the risk of mixing data and potential cookies:

1. Firefox - My primary browser for daily browsing.

2. Microsoft Edge or Safari - Used exclusively for logging into social media.

3. Google Chrome - Reserved for all Google-related activities, such as Google Maps, Translate, Flights, Gmail, YouTube, and Google Alerts.

Firefox allows me to create "sandboxes" to isolate activities on different websites from each other, ensuring that one website cannot access information from another. To enhance security, I use the following Firefox plugins:

- Multi Account Container: Separates sensitive sites like banks from others using a sandbox.

- uBlock Origin: Blocks advertisements and many cookies.

- NoMiner: Prevents websites from using your processor for Bitcoin mining.

For online searches, I rely solely on DuckDuckGo.

To further protect my online presence:

- I use a dedicated browser for social media and close it after use.

- I've uninstalled all social media apps from my mobile phone.

- I use Signal for messaging instead of WhatsApp and Messenger.

- My email provider is ProtonMail, known for its encryption.

- I always use a VPN when surfing on public networks, especially in countries with oppressive regimes.

- I store data on external hard drives, which can be disconnected when not in use. Additionally, I encrypt and back up data on two different cloud services, avoiding Microsoft, Google, or Apple's cloud services.

- My passwords are all more than 12 characters long, with a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.

- I consider using StopService for added security (Danskebank offers this for a fee, although I have no personal experience with it).

- I securely store all my passwords and codes in PDF format on a physically encrypted USB stick, designed with the US military's standards. It is kept in a secret location, ensuring that this sensitive information remains offline and inaccessible to potential threats.

- Do not open emails from unknown people and check the URL if the originating website is the right one.

The new normal, hopefully a better one!

We are almost five months into the pandemic and probably one year from a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine.

The COVID-19 pandemic forces everyone to confront deep questions of human existence, medical capacity, political will, and how to embrace the new reality… This crisis is testing every society’s agility to react to a rapidly changing landscape. COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we dress, eat, and travel to work; how we relax, study, date, and run our businesses.

Several enduring shifts will remain post recovery, as many learnt behaviors born out of the crisis will become central to the new normal.

The western corona-virus response has hugely expanded state powers and limited individual rights with little debate, and so far, numerous societies agreed to be deprived themselves of a free society to a new one where we restrict physical and digital privacy.

For older people, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a shock. Many can’t visit their doctor, see their families, buying groceries. Their life savings are melting as the global economy shuts down and financial markets plummet.

And as the pandemic gets worse and brings the disease within fewer degrees of separation for everyone, we may well find that the notion of loving thy neighbor as thyself becomes far more powerful.

Much comes to the leadership and local teams and its ability to work coherently. Look at our leaders and government, do they have leadership qualities, the ability to work coherently, and to build a strong team?

Once we have emerged from this challenging and uncertain time, will we see enduring changes at the individual, organizational and governmental level? Yes, the new normal will bring a new order and hopefully a better one. I sincerely hope so for my children and yours.