Walker2

 I've redone the code on our Walker image, on the model

offered in the tutorial below. It's clear where the parameters are

in the code...

                        

                                                      *     *     *

NY2021

 

Timer

 This timer thing...

Would like to wait three seconds and add a green box net to the read!

                                *     *     *

Turns out there is a useful increment function for Love2d:

Below, the second function will kick off after 7 seconds:

FirstL

 Found a straightforward tutorial on using Lua/Love 2d.

A Simple Animation in LÖVE (lua) : 8 Steps - Instructables

Breaktout

Started work on the Breakout game assignment. Been changing

the colors on the background, which I expect to be seeing a lot

of in the next few days...🙇‍♀️

For the Win

 Amberlynn Reid's Christmas vlog ends in a very striking

manner: she breaks down in tears and sobs she just wants 

to  be normal. I have a story for her, actually an anecdote:

just happened to me today.

I was grocery shopping - we are in Shutdown - in a convenience 

store, where the aisles are narrow. In front of me, a woman with 

a full cart and two school-aged children. Her daughter was parked 

in the middle of the aisle, staring at a wall of various brands of potato 

chips, essentially blocking the aisle. 'Come along, the mother turns to 

say. 'Why are you not moving.''I'm sad you won't let me buy any chips.' 

the girl answers. The  mother retorts: 'Skip-hop towards us. This is the 

advantage of not eating chips; you will never be weighed down and fat.' 

So the girl did...

Yes, Amberlynn is right when she says, on the heels of many vloggers, 

"There are no bad foods", 'Moderation is the key' and so forth. But is 

the cacophony of wisdom bites about food, no nutritionis would advise 

potato chips. Stuff happens, and everyone will taste the chippers eventually 

but they are not essential food. Are they a bad food? They are not actual 

poison, but they are fattening and addictive. Eaten in conjunction with sugar, 

like a glass of pop, they will lead to bloat of the worst kind.

So the mother just explained to the daughter they are not a food for 

her. And the latter is young enough to remember and put in practice this 

guideline for many years to come. That child will have an easier time being, 

looking, NORMAL.

The Young

 Listened to the Queen's Christmas message; it was

really very moving. She did mention something that struck me

very much this year, in thanking the young.  Here in Quebec,

- with high schools closed - young boys were working away in

a local supermarket, packing groceries and recycling sanitized

baskets at the entrance. And showing competence and good humour 

doing so. It was an act of bravery, and it made me think to be 

careful about buying just what my household really needed.

And I do think of them in reading about how the virus is mutating to

become more infectious, with changes occuring at multiple points on

the protein envelope. I do not know that this variant is more dangerous

for young people, as they have more streamlined immune systems, but

it is in the logic of the situation that there could, over time, emerge a 

variant targeted to them. Because the versions of the virus that

thrive are also those that do not kill their hosts but merely infect them.

Young people is where this pandemic is heading, unless we stop it!!👩‍🔬

X_Mas 2020

 

Pong cont'd

Not letting go of this problem!

My pong game, this morning - if not of pro quality -

has gotten less unnerving:

DEAL💖

source: Le Nouvel Observateur/ AFP

Posted on December 23, 2020 at 4:50 p.m. 

translation: GoogleTranslate/doxa-louise

Brexit: a trade agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom soon validated

Effective from January 1, the agreement should be concluded this evening.

A post-Brexit trade deal is believed to be imminent between the UK and the EU.  (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP)

After ten months of tense and laborious negotiations , the European Union and the United Kingdom seemed, this Wednesday, December 23, close to an agreement on their future trade relationship, which would allow them to avoid in extremis a "no deal"  only eight days from the final break.

"We are in the final phase , " said a European source. A second source evoked "great chances" of concluding an agreement this evening.

The negotiations have since Monday been in the hands of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson , who have been increasing exchanges in the hope of wresting an agreement, according to European sources.

Process launched

The access of European fishermen to British waters remained on Wednesday morning the ultimate sticking point of the discussions, otherwise almost complete, including on previously problematic subjects, such as how to settle disputes and measures to protect against any unfair competition

An agreement on Wednesday 23 or Thursday 24 December would in theory leave enough time for it to enter into force on 1 January, when the United Kingdom, which officially left the EU on 31 January, will have definitively abandoned the single market. 

Member states also began Wednesday afternoon to launch the process in "informal discussions" , said European sources.

Without an agreement, trade between the EU and London would be carried out according to the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), synonymous with customs duties, quotas, as well as administrative formalities that could lead to massive traffic jams and  delays in delivery.

A particularly delicate scenario for the United Kingdom, already battered by a more virulent variant of the coronavirus which isolated it from the rest of the world.

Despite its low economic weight, fishing is of political and social importance for several Member States, including France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland. But the United Kingdom made it the symbol of its regained sovereignty after the divorce.

Disagreements over fishing

Negotiations focus on sharing the  650 million euros of products caught each year by the EU in British waters and the length of the adjustment period for European fishermen.

The EU this week rejected an offer it deemed unacceptable from London, asking it to give up 35% of non-pelagic zone species (caught on the high seas), but 60% of its catch including pelagic zone species, all on a 3-year transition period.

Brussels had proposed a few days earlier to give up about 25% of these 650 million after a period of six years.

"The ball is in Boris Johnson's court , " said a European diplomat, for whom the EU's proposal can only be a "final offer" given the concerns  already raised by some member states , especially Denmark.

"Either a breakthrough is made on Wednesday with a British movement, or the negotiations get shifted to next week, after the holidays,"he added.

A feat

Eu negotiator Michel Barnier told member states on Tuesday (December 22nd) that the EU was ready to negotiate "until the end of the year and beyond" if the blockade on fisheries persisted. The aim is to guard against being pressured by the calendar, even if it means accepting the shock of a "no deal" on 1 January.

The conclusion of a text in just ten months would be an achievement for negotiators,especially for an agreement of this magnitude, since such trade talks usually take years.

The task was further complicated by the Covid-19, which forced negotiators to confer for several weeks via videoconference and sometimes even to suspend discussions because of positive cases in the negotiating teams.

If an agreement is confirmed, the EU would offer its former member state unprecedented tariff-free and quota-free access to its huge market of 450 million consumers, a first.

HoHoSplash!

 

source: US National Weather Service

Everyone should be at home, anyway...🌇

BBC for Xmas

 It's picture postcard snow for southern Quebec, this morning.

But all to naught: it is going to rain Christmas eve and day...🧶

                                          *     *     *

Thought I would share two recent pieces from the BBC site I

found informative.

Milk makes all the difference in the height of a population.

http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200823-why-are-the-dutch-so-tall

Taking meds changes us more than we realize.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200108-the-medications-that-change-who-we-are

DisneyW

 Been playing around with the Pong game, trying to give

it a Christmas feel. Found a (rather sad) image of Disneyworld

all decked out but empty. Even jolly London is going down

this Christmas...

Need to get back to the automating the game problem!!

                                                        *     *     *

So I automated player2 (in the update function) so that the paddle y-coordinate is always the same

as that of the ball:

The result is pretty sweet for player2; he never misses. (The qualiry

of gameplay is jagged, because using the camera 'on top' lowers

the framerate on the game. It is supposed to be 60). Whatever!

I now need to make this a bit more interesting for player 1; no

doubt with a random variation on the y alignment so that P2 misses

sometimes.

The following code does that (P2 misses 60% of the time) but the paddle

wiggles and it is annoying...😒

Bad Boys

 Not really fully conversant with what hacking govrrnment systems might be.

Some interesting reads:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/15/politics/what-matters-december-15-russia-hack-explained/index.html

                                                         *     *     *

https://blog.reversinglabs.com/blog/sunburst-the-next-level-of-stealth

                                                          *     *     *

https://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/solarwinds-que-sait-on-de-la-cyberattaque-massive-sunburst-20201217

Sweet!

 It's a thinking of you Christmas. Parisians can order this fancy

log dessert with maple syrup and a Quebecois look. 

https://www.nouvelobs.com/food/20201218.OBS37731/les-plus-belles-buches-de-noel-2020.html

Meanwhile, I'll be attempting to make the Châtelaine log, with

a chestnut cream filling and dark chocolate exterior, quintessentially

Parisian in orientation.

https://fr.chatelaine.com/recettes/desserts/buche-roulee-a-la-creme-de-marrons-et-au-chocolat/

Lebanon

 Lebanon is currently under a caretaker government: in effect,

the government looking after day to day business is one that

has already resigned, because it is proving impossible to form

a new one.

It will be recalled that at the last election, Hezbollah had made 

considerable gains. The explosions in the port of Beyrouth last 

August have yet to be elucidated.

Emmanuel Macron has been acting as Big Brother in the situation, 

trying to put together a workable government that could administer 

much needed international aid...

https://www.lesoleil.com/actualite/monde/crise-au-liban-macron-fustige-la-trahison-des-autorites-a6b48a1dce4e5bfc21f2ec9c541da060

Vlogmas

Maybe I'm freaking out because it is -17 °C in Montreal today, 

but you curvy ladies doing vlogmas never show us any coats.

source: Torrid Clothing

The Party

Found this account of the Roman Saturnalia thorougly enjoyable. One aspect does need to be remembered: in earlier times, Roman women did not eat with men but dined separately. If wives were present, they would be taking care of their hard-partying husbands. Which might explain how the infamous Roman party repas got so... out of hand. This might be misrepresented by painters of say, the 18th century, who appreciated a good party in different terms.

Saint Laurent

Someone made a complaint about this image being

shown on the bus billboards in Paris, on the grounds that it was 

degrading to women.  And it was judged 'somewhat' offensive 

by the relevant authorities. 

In MHO, the whole thing shows the silliness of censorship.

That image is cute, funny and cheerful in an otherwise bleak

Christmas. it is also self-mocking - which for a Luxe brand - is a

joy.

I actually bought a pair of faux leather jeggings earlier in the season,

mine in a nice tasteful dark red for the holidays 😉. Couldn't try them on -

pandémie oblige - but it was in a trusted brand, in my size and I own

some of their products. Long story short, it is actually impossible to move

in these pants: one might stand drink in hand in an event, but forget sitting

down: lying prostrate on the couch is about the best one can do. 

Ended up taking them back; I could hurt myself on a snowy day. And I do

sit at the computer a lot.

That image tells the whole story: wanting a fun Christmas, but cocooned

in a banal reality.

And it does show the posterieur of the model. Those leggings showed that

as well, perhpas a tad rounder and with shorter legs. Oh hum! Merry X!

P_2021

 

#Alone_for_XMas

 As December marches on, one is tempted to look up the precise date 

for the Winter Solciste. This year, Dec 21 at 5 am. So this great darkness

will end...

Discovered, at the same time, the recipe section of the Farmer's Almanach.

Not for the timid; this little pie contains an entire tin of cranberry sauce, to

which cream cheese and cream are added on a chocolate crumb pie. No, thank you!

https://www.almanac.com/content/christmas-dessert-recipes

Not_Amused

 ANY DAY NOW, the vaccine will be approved. For

those following this little drama, Libé spilled yesterday

that neither PfizerBioNTech nor Moderna had sent their

vaccination trial data for peer review before seeking approval;

only Oxford/AstraZeneca did. Soooo...

Aparently, the US authorities just okayed Pfizer. The

review is yet to come.

Does it really matter!? I did read there was some issue about

no one controlling for study subjects havig already had the Covid-19

and recovered from it. A rough estimate of 10% is being thrown around,

on a purely statistical basis (whereas those having recovered might just

be more likely to volunteer. Who knows!!).

One of these days, all this might be amusing in a university theater 

somewhere where there is a lecture on mathematical stats. For the moment,

we are most definetely not amused...

BD

 

Turned 71, today.

Heating Up

 

November was a warm month...

BDay Blues

My birthday is coming up on Tuesday and there is

absolutely nowhere to go.

#I'mNoExpert

 Don't want to be an alarmist here, but the two vaccines

getting great results and early approval are a different

technology. Both Pfizer and Moderna force the body to

reproduce the virus protein itself, and then the immune system

responds. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine will be more conventional.

While still focusing on the capsule protein, the vector itself is a modified

chimpanzee virus. This might be why they can control the dose given

better. 

RNA-messenger vaccines have only been used on animals to date, out of

fear that the genetic material would be incorporated into that of the

host. This does not seem to have happened so far.

As for me...

  A short book with an enigmatic title - Moi, les hommes,

je les deteste' - recently came out in Paris. The current wave

of feminisme in France, written by a 25 year old Communications

graduate, it should be available in English before too long.

'As for me, I hate them"...

Essai | Pourquoi Pauline Harmange déteste les hommes | La Presse

                                   *     *     *

When the fellows fight back:

Back

 A few unknowns, but feeling good about it!

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/02/pfizer-biontech-covid-vaccine-wins-licence-for-use-in-the-uk

User

 Still thinking about what was assignment 1 in the 

Games course: adding code so that the user is playing

against the computer.

The clever code below takes us to randomized code

that gives the user a chance. But the user qua player

wants to be rewarded for his efforts. An actual player expects 

to score on an opponent he has tired out. A virtual game

player wants to win if he has been quick, or enduring.

What would that code look like...

Safe Vaccines

 A rather unreal problem seems to be looming on the

vaccination question. People currently enrolled in phase 3 trials for

the Johnson and Johnson candidate are starting to say they too

would like to get vaccinated with a safe vaccine when these

become available. For recall, those in a study do not know if they

have received an actual dose or just a placebo, and the tesearchers

themselves don't know. Is the argument specious!?  Once people

opt out, we will never know the true effectiveness of that vaccine.

Here's the thing to my mind: whatever happens, the study context

will have changed with vaccination. Even if the placebo group does

not break rank, they will become less likely to develop covid-19 because

those around them won't have it. Effectively, there will be a lot less

going on not because the virus is less virulent, but because it is less present.

One can see where this is going; each national context will be different although

I would urge not to loose sight of the question of how different age groups

are protected, or how the elderly and vulnerable might spring back or not...

One moves on to the information one get get!!

Obvious

 Obvious, from outside Canada: it is Thanksgiving celebrations

in October which have spurred the spread of covid west of Quebec!!

https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2020/11/26/covid-19-l-amere-experience-du-thanksgiving-canadien_6061247_3210.html

Silly outcome

I was saddened to read that Suzanne Moore will no longer

be writing for the Guardian UK, someone I always jumped to read 

when her striking gingermop picture appeared on the site. She was a 

victim of cancel culture, encouraged to resign because of a lack of care

in defending a woman's group on the trans cancel list. Guilty

by association, as it where. Not cool, in mho!

The Guardian has a strong Web presence, and I can see the admin would

be sensitive to bad feelings. This, in fact, is one of the differences between

conventional media, and Web media. Once word gets around one is on the 

grey list, readership - and adds - can suffer. But I am also sure the admin did not 

seek this bad outcome, in part for the same reason. How strong or well-off is the 

Trans lobby anyway. 

The Biden administration is slowly being staffed in a 'representative and inclusive'

fashion. Creatives, on the other hand, keep their feathers. Let's not all get silly!!

Columnist says Guardian editor tried to fob her off with 'veggie burger' after colleagues' 'bullying' in transphobia row (thesun.co.uk)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I took inspiration from the recipe below to make a dessert

in step with American Thanksgiving. The recipe is for a very

thick pie; one for which I did not have a pie plate. Ended up

making it in a square dish, with Crescent Roll pastry for crust.

I also used one container of evaporated milk plus one cup

2% instead of three cups of milk. The mixture seemed sensible,

and filled the dish.

Cooked for an hour at 350°(with foil paper on the last 15 minutes).

The taste is fantastic!!

 https://spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com/custard-pie/

                                                  *     *     *

What does one make for the day after the feast!?  Little coffee cookies.

From the comments, this recipe is from Morocco. One ends up with

crunchy bites that keep for three weeks. Haven't made it yet, but find it interesting

that the almonds are added to the wet ingredients. One also cooks them

in two instalments; once as a roll. and then cut like bread an on their side.

One can buy these ready-made as biscotti and I have seen them on a Starbucks

menu.

Experimental

 Like many others, I am totally stoked at the prospect

of being vaccinated and seeing life return to some

semblance of normalcy. Good work, vacc research.

I am, however, mystified by AstraZeneca whose vaccine

shows better results in the earlier group who only got

half a dose in the first shot, by misgake. A matter for

long-term research, they claim.

Here, I have a hypothesis. Won't be popular, I know.

Could it be that the first group, vaccinated earlier in the

pandemic, ended up both vaccinated and not wearing a

mask at the same time. Because the mask stops one from

infecting others, but not self. If one is actively ill, the mask

might force one to breather the virus back in!! Just an idea,

far from knowledge of the actual experimental set-up.

Don't judge me, as Internet talk would have it.

                                 *     *     *

More drama on the trials!?

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/astrazeneca-defends-oxford-coronavirus-vaccine-as-disquiet-mounts-over-the-results-mf6t57rnr

Lunar

 Bientôt une base chinoise sur la Lune ? (lapresse.ca)

Celeriac

 Went on a bit of a food adventure today and enjoyed

a new vegetable: celeriac. A bit rough looking, but it

is from the celery family. How weird can it be!?

Raw, the taste really is that of celery. Celery on steroids.

Cooked, it is rather pleasant, and mixes well with other root

vegetables...

Would go well in stuffing!

Breakout Story

 Finally understood that my problem with Breakout was

that I have no access to game memory. Love 2d handles that 

in the background. Whatever highscore registers in the game, 

it stays there!! The code for Love itself is available, but that's

something else. There are also system calls that can be made, but

I'm not sure where one would do this. For now, will just scratch on

with the assignment.

All very nice to want to give the player more balls, but what is the 

condition that will trigger this!?

                                   *     *     *

Read up in Wikipedia about the original Attari game, and the drama

with Steve Wozniak's coding tour de force. surrounding it. The game is called 

Breakout because it is about inmates wanting to escape from jail. Very nice story, 

and very elegant game.

To play the original:

https://elgoog.im/breakout/

Blender Day2

 I'm a coding Ninja! Working on Tutorial 2 in aim of drawing

that 3-D pink doughtnut.

One can call up the dimensions of the object by going to Objectr Mode

and pressing  'N'.

Made the Lumpy Doughnut:

Blender, Again

 Downoaded Blender to go with Unity and the games course. This is not the first

time. I'm a musician and not that visual. Maybe this time...

Blender Guru comes highly recommended. Did Tutorial no 1

https://youtu.be/TPrnSACiTJ4

                                        

Unity First Tuto

After many attempts, managed to get the Unity Game Engine

on my computer. Had to settle for the 2018 version, but it is free!!

Below, the first learn-the-interface tutorial. One gets the idea...

Sometimes

Sometimes one just has to come clean: I do it sometimes.

I tune in to Conservative commentators because they're rather

cool. Below, Michael Knowles (Yale graduate) on Trump didn't concede!!

About Diets

 One's day-to-day life can't really be about loosing weight

through diet because that is a NOT doing ie not eating.

So what does one end up thinking about all the time? The

food one is not eating. And where does that inevitably lead?

A massive EAT of precisely those foods.

Those who have BED Ibinge-eating-disorder) are in even worse

of a pickle. A binge in the therapeutic sense isn't even much

about food any more, but about control. One gains control

over what one is thinking about through loosing control about

gorging with it.

All  that talk about loosing weight being a lot of hard work is misleading.

It may be extra work to fix a salad for a parent with young children at home

eating macaroni. Do I have kalamata olives?? Probably not. That person

has to find time and invest energy to do the diet stuff And then exercise when

dead tired: unlikely. It is not hard work otherwise. 

When one is a child, days are endless, and meals just show up. If one is

passing time till dinner as an adult coloring, one is obsessed with food.

                                    *     *     *

Looked up the word 'binge' to get the precise meaning.

What came back was : to indulge in an excessive manner. 

That sounded suspicious to me, one of those webspeak thingies. 

Asked for a translation of 'indulge' to French and got back

'se livrer' ie to give oneself over to a moment of pleasure, like

stopping for ice cream at the Mall. Not a binge, but not an exercise

in healthy eating. Pleasure.

Which reminds me that, although a meal needs to be pleasant

enough, it need not be a bell-ringer. A decent feed!

                                           *     *     *

Hospitalizations

 From Liberation: the three waves of Covid-19 hospitalizations

in the US:

Jungle Time

Been working through the lecture on Breakout, as well

as checking out what the other games in the course are.

Got engrossed in this lovely match3 game. Easy and fun;

very rewarding experience:

https://www.match3games.com/game/Jungle+Match

                                         *     *     *

I don't really pronounce myself on the US system of government,

because I have never been taught it's history. I would say, however,

that terming it 'archaic' is an abuse of language. It is complex, and

steeped in the conditions of its elaboration.

https://www.history.com/news/electoral-college-founding-fathers-constitutional-convention

RussianD

source: L'Obs (Nouvel Observateur) with AFP; posted on November 12, 2020 

translation: GoogleTranslate/doxa-louise

Russia considers the US electoral system one of "the most archaic" in the world

For Moscow, the American system of indirect universal suffrage “considerably distorts the will of the people”.

If the Kremlin has been silent following Joe Biden's victory, it has been more vocal in criticizing American suffrage. The head of Russian diplomacy on Thursday, November 12, described the American electoral system as one of the most "archaic" in the world, after the victory of Joe Biden disputed by Donald Trump .

"They have arguably the most archaic electoral system existing among the few most important countries in the world," Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference.

A "tradition which distorts the will of the people"

The Russian Foreign Minister criticized in particular the indirect nature of the election of the president, who is elected by an elecoral College appointed by universal suffrage.

Developed in the XVIII th  century, this system requires that the winner be not necessarily the one collecting the most votes nationally, but the one who wins the key states with the most electoral votes.

"If  America is prepared to live with this tradition which considerably distorts the will of the people […] that we leave them to it" , blurted Sergey Lavrov.

Moscow did not congratulate Joe Biden

Like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sergei Lavrov has indicated that Moscow will congratulate the winner of the election only after the publication of the official results. "Congratulations are sent before publication of the results when there is no dispute," Sergey Lavrov stressed. Unlike most countries in the world, China and Russia did not congratulate Joe Biden.

Donald Trump refused to recognize the latter's victory, announced on Saturday, November 7, denouncing, without providing evidence, fraud in favor of the Democrat, and promising legal actions to come.

The head of the Russian electoral commission estimated Monday, November 9 that the postal vote in the United States left "huge spaces" for possible fraud, echoing the rhetoric of Donald Trump's team.

Decoupling

 Robert Nystrom might be the Gwyneth Paltrow of

programming, but what he says is marvellously true. The

brain pain involved in programming is very real.

Long term solutions might be a little less idiosyncratic

because machines should eventually program themselves.

Meanwhile, I'm still on this Games course and enjoying it

once I start to understand things...

from: Game Programming Patterns, 2014.

Cakes

 his YouTube site is a true treasure trove of easy dessert recipes.

I have been trying out yogurt cakes, below:

The first is a cake using corn starch instead of flour. The

flan-like texture was predictable. Very tasty.

(The 9% fat coconut yogurt didn't hurt).

The second tastes absolutely wonderful: I made it

with pecans on top, but I eat it with grapes. (The

yogurt I used was 2% plain Scandinavian yogurt).

Certified

  For those wondering how an American Presidential election 

is actually certified:

https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/09/15/who-formally-declares-the-winner-of-the-u-s-presidential-election/

PfizerV

 source: Der Spiegel November 9th, 2020, 12:59 p.m.

Translation: GoogleTranslate/doxa-louise

Fight against the coronavirus

Mainz vaccine manufacturer gives hope for 90 percent protection

The company Biontech has presented the first results from its phase III study: These look very promising. Approval should be applied for next week.

For the first time, there are interim results from the study phase that is decisive for approval for a corona vaccine that is relevant for Europe. As the Mainz-based pharmaceutical company Biontech announced on Monday , according to this data, its vaccination offers more than 90 percent protection against the disease Covid-19. It also said that Biontech and the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer are expected to apply for approval from the US FDA from next week.

The vaccine BNT162b2 had been developed by Biontech in the "Lightspeed" project since mid-January. The phase III study, which is crucial for approval, began in various countries at the end of July. More than 43,500 people have now received at least one of the two vaccinations, which are given every three weeks. According to the manufacturer, vaccination protection is achieved one week after the second injection.

In the study, a total of 94 cases of the disease were confirmed by Sunday. According to the information, the preliminary results will only be finally evaluated when a total of 164 cases have been reached. In addition, it will be checked to what extent the vaccination not only protects against Covid-19, but also against severe courses of the disease. Overall, both the protective effect and any side effects should be observed over a period of two years.

Data should be discussed worldwide

The first interim analysis is preliminary effectiveness data, so the vaccination effectiveness can still change after a longer observation period of the test persons. The Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) also reported "no serious safety concerns" and recommended that the study continue as planned with the collection of additional safety and effectiveness data. In the meantime, the data will be discussed with other regulatory authorities around the world, including the US FDA and the European Ema. A scientific publication is apparently in preparation.

"These are great and promising data," said Gerd Fätkenheuer, head of infectious diseases, Clinic I for Internal Medicine at the University Clinic in Cologne. "It is unbelievable that in such a short period of time this progress with vaccine development and clinical testing could be achieved within a few months." The results so far on effectiveness and safety are excellent.

No primary data yet

The head of Infectious Diseases at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Marylyn Addo, who is herself leading a vaccine study, said: "These are interesting first signals, which are only given in the press release." Primary data are not yet available and a peer-reviewed publication is still pending. "We have to wait for the exact dates to make a final assessment. At the moment there are still few details about the exact dates, for example with regard to different age groups and in which groups the 94 cases occurred."

An accelerated approval process applies to the corona vaccine due to its particular urgency. Pharmaceutical manufacturers can submit individual parts on the quality, safety and effectiveness of a preparation to the European Medicines Agency Ema even before the complete application for approval. In addition to Biontech, the British-Swedish company Astrazeneca started such a rolling review process for its vaccine candidate some time ago. Astrazeneca has not yet released any Phase III data. Nothing can be said about the schedule, a spokeswoman said on Monday.

The Biontech preparation is a so-called RNA vaccine. It contains genetic information about the pathogen, from which the body produces a virus protein - in this case the surface protein that the virus uses to penetrate cells. The aim of vaccination is to stimulate the body to produce antibodies against this protein in order to intercept the viruses before they enter the cells and multiply.

Biontech and Pfizer expect to be able to provide up to 50 million vaccine doses worldwide this year, and next year they expect up to 1.3 billion doses.

Countries like Russia, China and recently Bahrain have released vaccines with restrictions and are already vaccinating parts of the population with them. But how well these vaccinations actually protect and what side effects they can have is currently largely open.

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Complete

 I've completed the Flappybird assignment.

The gap between the pairs is now random with this change

to the pipepair definition:

The spawn of new pipepairs is now random thanks to the

following change in the PlayState mode (line 39):

And the medal and Pause features were done previously. 

Now if I could just play this game with enough skill to illustrate

the changes...

Best I can do: the medal shows up as 0 and disappears when I eventually

score 1!! Thus, the code should read when score > 5, or whatever for the level.

Still, one can see the pause function, and that the gap varies, as does the schedule

of new pipe pairs.

Medal Moment

 Back with the Flappy Bird assignment. i am now xhowing

a medal at score == 0. Need to simplify the game for myself

so that I can actually score🙄