[OT]Going to OOPSLA...

David Farber dfarber at numenor.com
Wed Oct 10 16:18:09 UTC 2001


Göran - its hard to know exactly how to feel. on the one hand, the threat
of weaponized biological agents is very real. [more real than our media/gov
seems to take it. ironicly, part of reason it isn't taken more seriously
appears to be that we took the Biological Weapons and Toxins Convention
seriously and did no biowarfare research--and thus are underinformed. the
Soviets, however, signed the convention and then went ahead with their
research--and produced some frightening "advances" as a result. discussions
of anthrax in the media here are all based on natural forms of anthrax, not
the weaponized form.]

on the other hand, there is no reason to worry that whatever happened in
Del Ray, Fla might get to you in Tampa. although what happen in Del Ray was
*certainly* not "natural"--there hasn't been a case of inhalational anthrax
in the US since 1978--it was also not a sophisticated attack: it does not
appear to have been a large-scale, aerosol release of weaponized anthrax.
(a *LOT* of people would be dead now if it had.)

i, personally, am very concerned about our risk exposure to biowarfare.
nonetheless, i'll be getting on a plane (i live in Colorado) to go to OOPSLA.

(if you are the super-paranoid type, you might want to think about getting
some oral, 500mg ciprofloxacin tablets. cipro is the prefered treatment for
suspected *exposure* to weaponized anthrax. for more details, see:
  http://www.bt.cdc.gov/Agent/Anthrax/Anthrax.asp
especially the JAMA Concensus article under the "Medical Information" link.)

see you at OOPSLA!

david


At 02:07 PM 10/10/01 +0100, you wrote:
>Hi guys!
>
>Hmmm. I, my girlfriend and my mother are a bit worried about what is
>possibly happening in Florida (anthrax etc) which I was intending to
>visit - OOPSLA in Tampa Bay.
>
>Am I the only one getting a bit "jumpy"? What is the "feeling" over
>there right now?
>Seeking advice...
>
>regards, Göran
>
>
>
--
David Farber
dfarber at numenor.com




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