Die Zukunft beginnt

Gewissermaßen als Nachlese zu unserem Thema der letzten Woche ist mein heutiges Bild zu sehen. Naturgemäß bestimmt zur Zeit Corona unseren Alltag, aber sehr viel mehr werden in Zukunft Ladesäulen und Elektromobilität ihn prägen. Überall werden neue Ladesäulen aufgebaut. Noch ist es ein ungewohnter Anblick, aber das waren die ersten Tankstellen im letzten Jahrhundert auch.
Today’s picture is a sort of gleanings from last week’s topic. Naturally, Corona currently dominates our everyday life, but charging stations and electromobility will shape it much more in the future. New charging stations are being built everywhere. It is still an unfamiliar sight, but so were the first gas stations in the last century.

Nächtliche Spuren

Als ich vor ein paar Tagen nachts um halb eins, wie üblich vor dem Schlafengehen, aus dem Fenster schaute, fielen mir diese Spuren im Schnee auf. Zugegeben: viel Schnee ist es nicht, aber genug, um ein Auto davon befreien zu müssen. Und für einen winzigen Schneemann hat es auch noch gereicht. Ich bin gespannt, wer ihn findet.
When I looked out of the window a few days ago at half past midnight, as usual before going to bed, I noticed these tracks in the snow. Granted, it’s not much snow, but enough to have to clear a car of it. And it was enough for a tiny snowman, too. I’m curious to see who finds him.

Normal vs Covid19

Our challenge this quarter was to record normal life in our town or city. Life is anything but normal in our town right now with the number of covid cases growing daily. The only thing I could find semi-normal was the need for food. Whether it is just staples or weekly shopping, we all need to eat. But now there is also a need to comply with safety measures to just step into the store. To maintain life requires food. That will always be normal. But the way we have to get that food now……..not so much.

Chowchilla Rocks

While this is far from artistic, it does say a lot about my community of Chowchilla. This started out as a memorial to a tragic event in the city. It has turned into a area of positive feelings and hope. This small area began much smaller and has grown even though it isn’t in a prominent place with a lot of traffic. It is simply known as ‘Rock Chowchilla’. As memorials and such go this is pretty small but of great significance. Most rocks have a saying of hope, encouragement and yes, even love. Something we need more of right now.

Dies ist zwar alles andere als künstlerisch, sagt aber viel über meine Gemeinde Chowchilla aus. Dies begann als Denkmal für ein tragisches Ereignis in der Stadt. Es hat sich zu einem Bereich positiver Gefühle und Hoffnungen entwickelt. Dieses kleine Gebiet begann viel kleiner und ist gewachsen, obwohl es nicht an einem prominenten Ort mit viel Verkehr ist. Es ist einfach als “Rock Chowchilla” bekannt. Als Denkmäler und dergleichen ist dies ziemlich klein, aber von großer Bedeutung. Die meisten Felsen sagen Hoffnung, Ermutigung und sogar Liebe. Etwas, von dem wir jetzt mehr brauchen.

Corona Times in California

Over thirty years ago, I wrote my doctoral dissertation about tiny airborne particles. Since then, I have taught at the university level many courses about atmospheric chemistry, including aerosol formation and the fate of such tiny invisible particles.

We know that face masks work best for larger droplets. While we speak or cough, we spit out many droplets, mostly between 10 – 1000 micrometer. For comparison, a hair has a diameter of about 50 micrometer. Droplets when expelled from our mouth start vaporizing very quickly, within just a few seconds they shrink to sub-micron dimensions. At those small droplet sizes or naked corona virus size, face masks have a very low capture efficiency, in part due to the fact that those tiny droplets are highly mobile and travel by the least way of resistance, around your mask and through the gap between mask and face where tightness is limited.

Hence, it is important for EVERYBODY to wear a mask, even in public. This is especially important in winter, when droplets stay around longer, cold weather enhances survival rate of the COVID virus and UV radiation from the sun is limited. What’s the difference between accidentally flying bullets or airborne deadly viruses? Potentially, both kill.

I was recently in San Luis Obispo, a city where every 200 yards or so a poster indicates that mask wearing in public is required, yet not enforced!

What does it help when glorified individualism is valued above common sense and regard for others? A person can unknowingly be COVID positive and infecting other people. Just saying: “wear a mask if you want to protect yourself, but don’t tell me what to do” is unfortunately not very effective. Just yesterday, the COVID related death rate was over 4000 in the “Ununited States of America”. By the way, the lady in the picture is holding her mask safely in her hand.

Fortunately, there are others who care! When will mask wearing be enforced…?

Waiting for 2021

With a ‘Hi’ from Hamburg!

Yesterday I should have posted my first photo on this blog – instead I sat paralyzed in front of my TV…. another photo seemed more appropriate to me today, a view out of my window into a hopefully more positive year 2021.
And don’t forget: “Never trust a leader who cannot dance” (Mr. Miyagi/Karate Kid).