How busy is my ER? Website shows Georgia ER / ICU statuses.

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Amy Barnes
Graph showing statuses of various ER facilities across the state of Georgia

Atlanta, GA — It’s a few days before New Year’s and you definitely do not want to call an ambulance – ERs across the region are on diversion. See for yourself what your local ER status is, at the Georgia Coordinating Center‘s website (https://georgiarcc.org/).

Ambulance companies, health insurance call-in line personnel, doctors – and now the public – rely on this real-time reporting system to assist in making the important decision as to where to send patients for care, because of a tie-in between waiting times and status of traffic load.

It may seem odd for an ER to report “normal” traffic while going on diversion (sometimes this odd duck does show up on the statuses), but that could be the result of everything from a temporary drop in staff to the fact that it may be normal for the ER to have a high traffic load.

Either way – check out the Georgia Coordinating Center before heading to an ER if it’s only a minor emergency, because an ER that is on diversion may net you a long, long wait.

Source: Georgia Coordinating Center – https://georgiarcc.org/

December 29, 2020
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Why #BTC / #Crypto mining should pay out in DOGE

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Amy Barnes

I am conducting a test on cryptocurrency mining, the goal is to see if it is worth the effort, and I discovered something interesting: payout minimums tend to be .001 BTC, which is currently worth ~$26. One AntMiner s9 being run over the past day and a half generated 0.00001425 BTC on one pool, 0.00000298 BTC on another pool, and 89.63352796 DOGE on a third pool. This is just one machine, so the results would multiply by the number of machines. An attempt to solo mine DigiByte coin has resulted in nothing; I would have to be running several machines to raise the possibility, and the payout would be roughly $13 USD for one block.

Given the rate of earnings and the payout minimums (one pool requires .05 BTC / .01 BCH) it would make more sense to take earnings in DOGE to enable miners to reap rewards quickly.

DOGE has been trading for roughly .004-.0045 USD recently, so each one clearly adds up, especially when traded on exchanges. My personal gain this past year has been ~50%.

It’s just an opinion, but I hope that sowing this seed of thought produces a demand for change.

December 29, 2020
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Protests against gas station owner ends in Cancel Culture victory

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Amy Barnes

“66 days of non-stop demonstrations outside the Exxon gas station off Flat Shoals Rd” resulted in an agreement between the owner and a protest organizer to sell the station.

Source: https://www.cbs46.com/news/owner-of-atlanta-gas-station-at-center-of-months-long-demonstrations-plans-to-sell/article_df3d4a3c-4598-11eb-bbea-a3bfd112b6ac.html#utm_source=cbs46.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Flists%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1608829217

From the news report, it was revealed that community residents had suffered abuse from the gas station owner and his staff, and finally a video was released showing a clerk saying that he did not care about the Black community.

To his credit, the owner, Rahim Sivji, sacked the clerk and apologized. Members of the community, however, fed up with a lengthy history of abuse, continued to protest.

Sixty-six days of protests resulted in a severe drop in patronage of the station, forcing the owner to choose to sell his business in order to survive.

A bit about Cancel Culture overall: the public does not have many avenues to seek redress when owners or workers for any private enterprise grossly violates acceptable norms, leading to the use of boycotts and protest campaigns ranging from in-person protests to the broadcast of video messages. The idea is that people, collectively, can force powerful entities to act upon the demand of members of the public.

While the station is indeed up for sale, it remains to be seen whether or not the protest organizer will actually be able to raise the funds necessary to purchase the gas station.

To see the campaign status, or to donate, see the GoFundMe campaign page here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-buy-a-store

For business owners, the forced sale of this gas station should be a reminder that respecting customers is not only a key to success, it is a necessary part of running any business.

December 29, 2020
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Amy’s Answers: How to work with an engineer

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Amy Barnes

I originally posted this on the Udacity Peer Chat forum, but thought it was so relevant that I would release this on my blog: from the wife of an engineer, how to work with one.

  1. You need spec. This is engineering jargon for technical specifications – for software dev, that would be lists of existing and planned features, as well as requirements for resources such as what equipment / hardware / software components such as NginX, Apache, etc.
  2. You will need to be as precise as possible when discussing features and things needing to be done. This means addressing one concept in a block of text IF you are going to be using any pronoun. Use as few pronouns as possible (“it,” “they,” “that,” etc.)
  3. Attitude is key – if you end up frustrated, seek clarification and do not attempt to blame-game. Engineers can and will cut you down in a nanosecond.
  4. Providing a full roadmap will help engineers build current features for the future development AS PLANNED, and this will save a ton of money and time in the long-run.
  5. Tech development is a lot like remodeling versus building a residence house – remodeling (going back in to add features that were not planned-for) can cost ten times more – I write this from literal decades of experience!
  6. If your role is SALES – engineers are the worst clients and the best clients all at once – they focus on features, capacity to handle what the product is sold for, and are straight-shooters. They can detect puffery or lack of understanding from miles away. They are also extremely aware of ROI and can be time-conscious. To sell to an engineer, information and product knowledge – and awareness of market competitors’ products – are key.
  7. If you’re going to HIRE one – do not waste anyone’s time. Know your budget and be willing to give a number up front. Have a detailed list of expectations and be ready to discuss how performance will be measured.
  8. While it may seem like they’re not doing much – engineers’ job is to THINK more than they act. Do not be angry or surprised if a particular task seems to have stalled. Instead, ask what roadblocks have been found. Seek a better understanding.

Hopefully fellow coders, project managers, and business owners will benefit from my insight.

All the best into 2021,

– Amy Barnes
Software engineer
Paralegal, criminal defense

December 29, 2020
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YES, there is a valid reason for waiting time after a vaccination.

Posted on December 24, 2020 by Amy Barnes

In short: medical staff make you stick around after getting a vaccination to make sure that you do not die from untreated unanticipated allergic responses and to fulfill a duty to report any symptoms that arise after a vaccination (think of it as quality assurance).

Here’s a good story about several people suddenly coming down with reactions: https://www.cbs46.com/news/severe-allergic-reaction-to-covid-19-vaccine-reported/article_2c432b97-78ed-5e14-896f-8d01f2c85605.html

Any source of a vaccine is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the entire process is safe for everyone, which means that quality control and quality assurance (often abbreviated to QA and QC) measures are undertaken.

What happens is that each report of symptoms by patients immediately afterwards is sent to a central data store, and when a certain number of them are submitted, a short review process begins. If the reactions are severe, such as facial swelling or difficulty breathing, the response may change from “review” to “action” – such as warnings of reaction paired with requests for information from other patients receiving the vaccination.

Sometimes the flow of reports can result in a stop-sale order or restriction on further distribution of the vaccine under investigation. Sometimes, as in the case of medications (there is a similar reporting mechanism available for reporting adverse reactions and side effects of over-the-counter and prescribed medications), a black box warning is placed in effect and can escalate into a withdrawal of the item from the market (a recall).

Most reactions on record happened within a very short period of time, so fifteen to twenty minutes of waiting time should be factored in when planning for a vaccination.

So plan for a short time doom-scrolling through the Twitter, and enjoy your wait.

December 25, 2020
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