Saturday, March 21, 2020

Rosie the Riveter, Part Deux


Like many of you, I wish there were more I could do to help in this unprecedented situation we find ourselves in.

You know, apart from voluntarily pumping out humorous Trump/coronavirus memes, like Andy Borowitz, but without the pay.

Then I got around to thinking about one small aspect that needs addressing -- the lack of N95 masks.

While cleaning out the garage last week, I actually came upon one that I had purchased from Home Depot years ago. I'm holding onto it, in case my neighbors go all zombie on me and we find ourselves plunged into a social abyss.

Then I heard about a hospital that had their staff sewing covers, to be placed over the mask, to extend its life and usefulness.

Then I started thinking about Apple, YouTube and Amazon. Then I started thinking about their deep pockets. And then I started thinking about their deep pervasive presence in our life and how that can be leveraged into something good.

At the risk of sounding incredibly naive, here's how my idea could work.

Apple could purchase sheaths and sheaths of raw material. Material that can be used for mask covers.

Amazon, with their unique distribution ability, could get that material into the hands of stay at home Americans, within days. Or even hours.

YouTube, working with Apple (who has quite a bit of experience with tutorials), could put together a series of videos that lay out the assembly instructions.

And roughly 150 million people, or 300 million idle hands, could put down the remote control for their TVs, and start putting these N95 mask covers together and returning them via Amazon Prime.

I don't know if this is feasible. It's just one idea.

But the fact is we have the best technology in the world, the most creative minds on the planet, and a bored labor force that is ready, willing and able to do what our clueless cockwomble president and his staff of fishbrained fucknuckles have failed to do -- come up with a plan and some answers.





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