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Businesses Technology

No Handshakes at Global Wireless Conference as Virus Spreads (bloomberg.com) 34

Two smartphone makers canceled events at the world's biggest mobile technology showcase in response to the coronavirus outbreak, and organizers reinforced hygiene protocol for people still planning to attend. From a report: Delegates were warned to avoid handshakes and microphones will be changed for different conference speakers in an effort to avoid infections at MWC Barcelona, an annual event that's set to draw around 100,000 people from around the world to the Spanish city from Feb. 24 to 27. This year's conference is supposed to be a launch pad for a renewed push on 5G devices. However, South Korea's LG Electronics said it's withdrawing from exhibiting at the conference because most health experts advised against "needlessly" exposing hundreds of employees to international travel. Shenzhen, China-based ZTE, which makes smartphones and wireless networking equipment, cited difficulties in traveling out of China while virus-containment restrictions are in place, and so it's canceling its MWC press conference, though it will still send a delegation.
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No Handshakes at Global Wireless Conference as Virus Spreads

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  • by Joe_Dragon ( 2206452 ) on Thursday February 06, 2020 @01:45PM (#59698622)

    Curb Your Enthusiasm previewed this!

  • Influenza is far more dangerous. Why don't we do this for influenza?

    • by eRacer1 ( 762024 )

      Influenza is far more dangerous.

      Thanks for the talking point. Next time a liberal talks about gun control after a mass shooting I will simply say "Influenza is far more dangerous".

      • by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

        You'd be right some years and wrong others. They're typically in the same ballpark.

        • by eRacer1 ( 762024 )

          You'd be right some years and wrong others. They're typically in the same ballpark.

          Deaths due to mass shootings in the US is typically in the hundreds. The estimated number of annual US flu deaths is in the tens of thousands.

          • In the U.S., deaths by flu, according to the CDC, this year are "10,000 – 25,000".
            Deaths by gunshot, according to 538, are "33,000",

            So, grandparent post was right,

            They're typically in the same ballpark.

            And the post before that was wrong, it's not true that

            "Influenza is far more dangerous".

            Unless you're in Europe. Then the deaths by firearms are much lower, and influenza in fact is much more dangerous.

            References: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/... [cdc.gov] https://fivethirtyeight.com/fe... [fivethirtyeight.com]

            • Unless you're in Europe. Then the deaths by firearms are much lower, and influenza in fact is much more dangerous.

              Even in America, gun deaths are easy to opt-out of. Just follow this checklist:

              1. Don't keep a gun in your home.

              2. Don't intentionally kill yourself (60% of gun deaths are suicides).

              3. Don't join a gang.

              If you follow these simple rules, the flu is a far bigger threat.

              • by rtb61 ( 674572 )

                Still, idiots with guns who managed to shoot themselves and their neighbours by accident are a real worry. A gun licence should be much more like a car licence, you should prove yourself capable of handling a gun and storing it securely, fail and no neighbour killed for you. Catch you with a gun and an immediate breath test should be administered anything about levels that cost a fine when using a motor vehicle should produce a similar fine. Only touch a gun when you are sober.

                A major sales tax should be ap

            • In the U.S., deaths by flu, according to the CDC, this year are "10,000 – 25,000". Deaths by gunshot, according to 538, are "33,000",

              So, grandparent post was right,

              If you could inject yourself with the flu and die painlessly within minutes, you would see those numbers flip completely. Adding suicide into gun death statistics is always weird to me... it would require an entirely different set of issues to address compared to gang violence, accidental shootings, and mass shootings.

              • by XXongo ( 3986865 )
                Basically, keeping a gun in your home allows you to turn a momentary impulse into a permanent death.
            • by eRacer1 ( 762024 )

              In the U.S., deaths by flu, according to the CDC, this year are "10,000 – 25,000". Deaths by gunshot, according to 538, are "33,000",

              So, grandparent post was right,

              I specifically said "mass shootings"...referring to school shootings and the like with multiple victims which get almost all of the attention from the press and leftist gun grabbers. If it is a drug or gang related single homicide involving minorities...that's just a statistic rather than a rallying cry.

          • by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

            Deaths by firearm in the US are around 30k per year. You need to make your comparison at least somewhat relevant.

            If you want to compare to mass shootings you should compare to a similar crime. Maybe the number of assault or homicide cases involving premeditated infection of multiple people with influenza with the intent to do harm. People walking into nursing homes and purposely sneezing on as many of the residents as they can or something.

      • Next time a liberal talks about gun control after a mass shooting I will simply say "Influenza is far more dangerous".

        Well, then you'd be wrong. Guns kill more people than flu, at least in the US.

        According to the CDC, the rates are 2 deaths per 100,000 for influenza [cdc.gov], 12 per 100,000 for firearms. [cdc.gov]

      • Influenza is far more dangerous.

        Thanks for the talking point. Next time a liberal talks about gun control after a mass shooting I will simply say "Influenza is far more dangerous".

        Because some white guy going out and deliberately shooting people is the same as a virus infecting people.

        In your haste to make yourself seem smart and smug, it probably never occurred to you to think first.

    • I think you mean that influenza is far more prevalent. We don't yet know exactly how dangerous the coronavirus is, but from the data we have the mortality rate is believe to be somewhere near 2%, which already makes if far more dangerous than influenza. It could be higher than that, but I'm distrustful of all these supposed leaks from China that paint a far more dismal picture.

      And people already do routinely take these kinds of actions in response to influenza. It isn't necessarily typical, but it's not
      • by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

        You have to be careful about estimating a mortality rate for a virus where the only observations are people who are hospitalized for it.

        The mortality rate for "serious influenza", which would tend to put you in hospital, is about 7%.

    • It spreads like the flu and kills about 2% of the infected. The difference between a normal flu and outstandingly deadly flu epidemics is the mortality, not the infectiousness. The difference between a normal corona virus infection and this one is the infectiousness, not the mortality. High infectiousness unlike other corona viruses (because it's infectious before symptoms appear) combined with high mortality unlike a normal flu are likely going to cause millions of people to die from this epidemic.
    • I'd say you were wrong, but your statement is so close to meaningless even that might not be right.

      Influenza is a vast taxonomic family of viruses which includes seven distinct genera, four of which are known to infect humans. Each of those four genera contain countless known and no doubt many as-yet-unknown strains. Some strains of flu are no doubt more dangerous than 2019-nCoV.... Pandemic H1N1/09 virus (Spanish Flu) for example.

      It's early days yet on this thing, which only emerged two months ago. Don't

  • Licking the other person's fingers before having unprotected anal sex. A pretty common greeting in the post-plague apocalypse world. Oh wait, sorry, wrong article. I was still on the porn girls surprised her video didn't stay in Australia's therefore she was raped article. So confusing!
  • They are going to phone this one in...

    Yes, hard to believe, I'm here all week, please tip your server!

  • by Volatile_Memory ( 140227 ) on Thursday February 06, 2020 @02:25PM (#59698792)

    I thought wireless connections were established via a handshake...

    • by waveclaw ( 43274 )

      I thought wireless connections were established via a handshake...

      With 5G all network connections will be established with a credit card number and a credit check.

    • Considering how secure that hanshake is, you're really better off without it.

  • Well, obviously they should wave at each other, or use FireChat.

  • why nobody can connect to the wifi.

  • They call it a kiss but same difference.

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