Covid-19 data is a public good. The US government must start treating it like one.

The United Arab Emirates just launched its first ever mission to Mars 

The Download Your daily dose of what’s up in emerging technology 07.20.20 Good morning! Today: why the US government must treat covid-19 data as a public good, and the United Arab Emirates has just launched its first mission to Mars. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. Covid-19 data is a public good. The US government must start treating it like one.   What’s happened: US residents have been cut off from the only publicly available source of aggregated data on the nation’s intensive care and hospital bed capacity. When the Trump administration stripped the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of control over coronavirus data, it also took that information away from the public. Why that’s a problem: In a crisis, data informs good decision-making. That was the thinking behind the creation of covidexitstrategy.org, which tracks how well states are fighting coronavirus. The team is made up of public health and crisis experts with previous experience in the Trump and Obama administrations. It grades states on such critical measures as disease spread, hospital load, and the robustness of their testing. Unfortunately, it is now having to operate in the dark since the CDC lost control of publishing the data. And that’s unacceptable. What we need: The public is being told that a lot of effort is going into the new system. This is an opportunity for the US Department of Health and Human Services, which is now responsible for the data, to share it with federal and state agencies and make it available to the public. Sharing reliable data is one of the most economical and effective interventions the United States has to confront this pandemic. Read the full story.  Written by Ryan Panchadsaram, cofounder of covidexitstrategy.org and United States Digital Response. He currently works at Kleiner Perkins and was formerly the deputy chief technology officer for the United States. The United Arab Emirates just launched its first ever mission to Mars The UAE launched its Emirates Mars Mission on Monday, from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center at 6:58 am local time (Sunday evening US Eastern Time).  What’s the mission about: An orbital spacecraft named Hope will study Mars' atmosphere and weather. It will be able to assess the lower atmosphere’s temperature, chemical composition, water content, the amount of airborne dust, and the amount of hydrogen and oxygen being lost into space. Intel for human missions: There is a particular interest around what Hope can tell us about dust storms that form on Mars. These can blanket the entire planet, and cut off communication with anything that’s on the surface. We'll need to understand them better if we want to put astronauts on the surface. What’s next: The spacecraft will arrive at Mars in February, and spend at least two years in orbit. It’s mission could be extended another two years, into 2025. Read the full story. —Neel V. Patel We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + Mark Zuckerberg wore a lot of white sunscreen while out surfing and the internet immediately got to work.   + A group of elite ballet dancers performed Swan Lake from their baths at home.   + If birds had arms…   + Some advice on how to get your lockdown beard under control.   + A Swedish island is fighting covid-19 with medieval knights.   + An app lets you de-stress by screaming at the Icelandic wilderness from afar.   + One of the New Yorker’s writers got drunk on Saturday then went on Twitter, but it was kind of great. The top ten must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 How the White House got it so wrong on covid-19  The roots can be traced to the administration’s efforts to shift responsibility for fighting the pandemic to the states. (NYT $)   + The US reported more than 70,000 new infections for the second day in a row. (CNBC)   + Young people are too relaxed about catching coronavirus, says Fauci. (Slate) 2 A concept in psychology is helping AI to better navigate our world The technique looks not just at objects, but at their possibilities. (TR) 3 What is the purpose of distance learning? 👨‍🏫 It’s a hard time to be a kid. Or, for that matter, a parent. (New Yorker $)   + Schools beat previous disease outbreaks with outdoor classes. We should do the same. (NYT $) 4 Lyft is selling masks to drivers  Giving them away for free could mean conceding they are employees, not contractors. (OneZero) 5 The US is putting its ability to innovate at risk The pandemic and the government’s response to it are causing potentially irrevocable damage. (The Atlantic)   + Hospitals are suddenly short of young doctors due to Trump’s visa ban. (ProPublica)   + Why tech didn’t save us from covid-19. (TR) 6 TikTok has paused plans for a UK headquarters amid UK-China tensions It’s all part of the fallout over Huawei. (The Guardian)   + Young women say TikTok has been a disaster for their body image. (NBC)   + Does TikTok really pose a risk to the US? (Wired $) 7 The inside story of the Twitter hack It seems to have been a bunch of kids who got way out of their depth, basically. (NYT $) 8 It’s been a bumper year for the gaming industry 🎮 We spent more on games in June than any other month for over a decade. (CNET)   + The pandemic will change how we watch sport. (TR) 9 Disney’s decision to reopen parks has split the Disney influencer community  This is a fascinating microcosm of a whole lot of issues going on in the US at large right now. (Business Insider) 10 KFC is working on lab-grown chicken nuggets 🐔 It’s developing technology to “print” meat. (The Verge) Can innovation save us? Join us virtually at EmTech MIT, as our carefully curated lineup of experts and leaders explore whether 2020 will be the year that introduces new policies, models, and strategies that diversify and strengthen the workforce. Register now. Quote of the Day “The coronavirus is leaving so many of us with no choice but to neglect our health. It’s terrifying and it’s not going to end well.” —Emma Shearer, who has endometriosis, tells the New York Times what it’s like to be one of the four million people in England on the National Health Service waiting list for hospital treatments. Top image credit: Ms Tech Please send sunscreen to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up for free Don't settle for half the story. Subscribe to MIT Technology Review today. *View this in a browser You received this newsletter because you subscribed with your email address. *Edit email preferences   |   *Unsubscribe from all emails Follow us: MIT Technology Review One Main Street Cambridge, MA 02142

*the blog owner has deleted the hyperlink intentionally For a treasure box of Spurgeon  here for audio and here for books or audio      Bible Study Material Free Shipping On Orders of $30 Or More (continental U.S., excludes digital products) SHOP THE SALE SHOP THE SALE SHOP THE SALE Bible Study Material from alibris Free shipping info here Take $2 off $30+ Coupon code:JULY Take $3 off $45+ Coupon code:ROAD Take $4 off $55+ Coupon code:TRIP Offer Expires 11:59pm on 07/31/2020 Take $2 off $30+ Coupon code:JULY Take $3 off $45+ Coupon code:ROAD Take $4 off $55+ Coupon code:TRIP Affiliate marketer links: Affiliate marketer Rick Livermore with Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog will earn a commission on the Bible Study Material you buy from faith gateway store  and alibris.  Brought to you by Rick Livermore and Webmaster220 Bible Study Blog    If you would like to offset my expenses of producing all this free content, but you want to pass on buying  materials from faith gateway store and alibris, feel free to give a little something-------Give through PayPal-----Rick Livermore-Webmaster220 I live in San Juan Capistrano California now  a fan of tubitv.com/category/faith_and_spirituality also  tubitv.com/channels/dovechannel also Greek and Hebrew Tools on the Internet also a fan of   94 FM The Fish Nashville also a fan of various The Fish stations all over the country The most important link on this blog is this one about cures to the coronavirus.  Landmark info about the treatment of severe cases of the COVID-19 virus Also this one about vaccines that immunize people from catching the coronavirus.  Then there is this one about copper as a weapon to combat this virus. This one could save some lives about the Red Cross. This one is a plasma cure link.