“Never Retreat! Never Surrender!” — Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) in Galaxy Quest Mark’s Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. 1. When I was young, I read a pile of science fiction. In fact, I still do. As a youngster, though, I watched Star Trek and was plastered to a small black and white television when Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon. I read Arthur C. Clark and Heinlein and Asimov and Ellison, and, assuming I knew way more than I did, imagined a day when humanity slipped the bonds of Gaia and traveled among the stars. It seemed like a certainty. In 1969, when I was eleven, it felt like it was going to happen during my lifetime. Now, though, I’m not so sure that it will happen at all.
Mark, I enjoy reading your commentaries. This one affected me personally, regarding N-95 masks. These masks do provide protection from many hazards, as I can attest from my career working in hazardous conditions. These masks must fit correctly. In fact, they are actually classified as respirators and the wearer must be fit-tested to ascertain that they are protecting the wearer from the particles that the respirator is certified to filter out. Of course, most of the general public does not understand the nuances of respirators or "masks", how to properly don them, what they can and cannot filter, etc. The immune-compromised population may get instructed to wear a "surgical" mask by their medical team to protect themselves from germs, but we all now know that only a respirator (e.g. N-95 or N-99) comes close to protecting them from a life-threatening inhalation. N-95/99 respirators vary by the environment that they are designed for; e.g. particulates, medical, hazardous chemicals, etc. I know. I worked for 30 years in hazardous chemical exposures and I now am severely immune compromised. Masks and respirators are forever in my life.
Mark, I enjoy reading your commentaries. This one affected me personally, regarding N-95 masks. These masks do provide protection from many hazards, as I can attest from my career working in hazardous conditions. These masks must fit correctly. In fact, they are actually classified as respirators and the wearer must be fit-tested to ascertain that they are protecting the wearer from the particles that the respirator is certified to filter out. Of course, most of the general public does not understand the nuances of respirators or "masks", how to properly don them, what they can and cannot filter, etc. The immune-compromised population may get instructed to wear a "surgical" mask by their medical team to protect themselves from germs, but we all now know that only a respirator (e.g. N-95 or N-99) comes close to protecting them from a life-threatening inhalation. N-95/99 respirators vary by the environment that they are designed for; e.g. particulates, medical, hazardous chemicals, etc. I know. I worked for 30 years in hazardous chemical exposures and I now am severely immune compromised. Masks and respirators are forever in my life.