A Refresh – and Time Travel

January 1st, 2022

I sat down on Christmas Eve to refresh my site (again), anticipating using it for planned content in ’22. After all, it had been 650 days (!) since the last refresh except for occasional Twitter updates. Then, thinking about that time gap, my mind couldn’t help but go to the elephant in the room: SARS-CoV-2:COVID-19. (Wish I had something more clever and positive to call out).

So much data collection and “analysis” has been applied to this topic that I won’t pretend to extend that here, other than to acknowledge a significant human event – and all its direct and collateral impact – since February 15th, 2020. And regardless of what we knew then and whether COVID-19 was a black swan event (Taleb criteria suggests not), who would’ve predicted this visual? Just a macro snapshot of an evolving trove of public data, but telling. Mortality rates compound this view but also may be trending positively with Omicron?

Time-traveling forward, here’s to soon-better positive trends and a move to post-pandemic (endemic?) status, including a better, data-based understanding of “long COVID.”

And seriously, wishing all a happy, healthier, prosperous – and more normal – ’22!

Something New

February 15th, 2020

Welcome to the new(er) DaveFriesen.com!

DaveFriesen.com has informally morphed a number of times since first registration in 2002. This “morph” is more formal – part style but also in expected use as a more active space for professional (and some personal) interests. I’ll call it 2.0.

Simple highlights:

1. The site is WordPress-based – using a responsive theme I hand-created with a minimalist content-focus in mind.
2. Comments are now integrated with Twitter – through a cool WordPress/Twitter plugin supported by a second one. I was a first mil. on Twitter and, while I haven’t been active there for a good while, I’d like to use it more while minimizing comment complexity here.
3. The site is evolving – as I see simple features to add or tweaks to make. Feedback is welcome!

I hope you like the site and see value from it over time!