Kathmandu

This blog post by Winnie Lim is really interesting to me: In mainland China, they've gone beyond 'home combo test for flu/covid/RSV'.
In China, you can ask to have a courier come to your door and swab you, take the swab to a lab for PCR testing, and they give results on 12 different germs!

It's accurate, fast, affordable, you get peace of mind, and if it needs treatment at least you know what to treat.

We could live in a better world.

https://winnielim.org/journal/the-experience-of-being-sick-in-shanghai/

#CovidIsNotOver

Here's a piece of #GoodNews - they're restoring wetlands and re-planting wild rice in Detroit and nearby marshes.

This is part of an effort to restore habitat for native species, and to honor indigenous heritage. It's a partnership between one of the local tribes, government agencies, and nonprofits.

https://planetdetroit.org/2026/04/wild-rice-detroit-river/

@cstross

Depends on whether the crops were already getting too much sun, vs. barely enough. The places where solar panels improve yield are places where it's dry and hot. *

Places that are plenty shady and humid already, can lose production due to panels. But if the extra shade doesn't cause your crops to develop fungal diseases, the lost harvest can be balanced out by the electricity as an alternate source of income.

• https://coloradosun.com/2024/10/02/agrivoltaics-denver-botanic-gardens-chatfield-solar-power-vegetables/