Wayfinding

I am reading "Wayfinding" by Michael Bond, a fascinating account of "the art and science of how we find and lose our way."  In discussing how the brain deals with spatial challenges in restrictive environments, Bond includes a quote by Lisa Guenther:

"There are many ways to destroy a person but one of the simplest and most devastating is through prolonged solitary confinement."

I am not suggesting, for one minute that we are suffering the sort of privations of prison but it looks as though there will be no imminent relaxation of the lock down for my age group soon. Whilst, day to day, life is quite bearable and through local deliveries, we lack for little the thought of extended social isolation, perhaps for several months more, is beginning to take hold. Allison Pearson, in her diary piece in the Spectator today writes, plaintively, about the possibility of never seeing her 84-year-old mother again. At home here, despite a daily Zoom connection, we fret about when we shall ever be able to physically interact with our grandson again. Even if he resumes nursery school and we old folks are allowed to travel for recreation, would it be sensible to play with him and give him a cuddle? The sporting future looks bleak and the possibility of enjoying any cricket at Headingley and Scarborough this season looks remote, oddly because a Specsavers County Championship cricket fixture, these days, is the ideal environment to observe extreme social distancing.  More imminently, the possibility of completing the current football season before July 1^st when a lot of players contracts expire, seems to be receding. Talk of completing matches behind closed doors appears wishful thinking, at least until there is a surplus of national virus testing capability. Nevertheless, I read that footballers in Germany may be allowed to resume training in the next couple of weeks and that some live sporting entertainment could be available on TV before very long. Despite two attempts to suspend my tv sports subscription, my provider apologises for the error and carries on billing – I hope they know something.

The lock down will have to end sometime and the Government will have to juggle risks of further outbreaks of infection, the capacity to deal with it, and the social and economic impacts of whatever course is chosen.  Unenviable political choices and I wish the Prime Minister, hopefully fully restored to the bridge, well in navigating us out of this crisis.  Even so, for us older folks, the path to normality looks distant and uncertain.  As the younger elements of society get our economy moving again what will be the benefit of allowing the elderly to mingle – we would be a danger both to ourselves and the rest of the community, not least the NHS, for quite some time to come.

As for next football season, the prospects look grim.  In any case, even if allowed out, I am not sure I relish a crowded train journey to Newcastle for the football, lunch in a busy restaurant, the proximity to 52,000 potential carriers of Covid-19 and the usual disappointment of the Newcastle United performance.  Notwithstanding that there is 25% of this season already paid for and St Fraser of Ashley, whose business practices, incidentally, appear positively angelic compared to the human rights record of the consortium, it is rumoured, to whom he is about to sell the club, has already debited my account for next season, I’ll probably give it a miss until we are all vaccinated.

One thing that could help and seems painfully slow in getting off the ground, is the social distancing app for our smartphones.  Bluetooth data sharing permitting warnings of proximity to potential carriers seems eminently sensible. Of course it all depends on us carrying our smartphones but it would be better than nothing and psychologically rather comforting, perhaps?  Fears of data breaches should of course be acknowledged but the risks should be considered in the context of the amount of data we freely give away all the time (ever wonder why Facebook is free to use)?

Meantime, the lock down is a good time for IT housekeeping and I am grateful for a bunch of tips from LastPass which arrived by email this morning.  My IT health seemed pretty good but I did take their advice to clear all the cookies and junk from my browser.  In Chrome, tap “history,” “clear browsing data,” the select “all time” from the drop down followed by ticking the three boxes below.  Then hit “clear data” – you may have to sign in again to a few sites but it makes sense to clear your device of all that potentially harmful and intrusive junk that you have accumulated over the years?