Feb 5, 2021

#1: mRNA vaccines, Impact of Adblockers, DIY Mission Control

By Simply Explained • Issue #1 • View online

Hi!

You’re probably wondering: “when did I sign up for this?”. The answer is: a long time ago.

I started collecting e-mail addresses in 2018, but it took me until today to send my first newsletter. I hope you don’t mind!

I won’t spam you. This newsletter will be sent at most once a month. It’ll highlight the latest Simply Explained video, blog posts, and some random stuff I get excited about.

Latest video

mRNA vaccines are currently being rolled out to combat COVID19. In this video, I explain how they work.

They have the potential of deeply impacting our world, even beyond COVID19.

This video sparked a lot of questions. So I made a follow-up video where I answer 10 frequently asked questions. Is it safe? What are the side-effects? What are adjuvants? …

Featured blog posts

Impact of Adblockers on Google Analytics (vs. Plausible)

Adblocker usage is rising, with some estimates saying that almost 25% of internet users have one installed.

In this blog post, I look at how adblockers affect web analytics. Conclusion: up to 20% of visits aren’t tracked because of them.

www.savjee.be • Share

Cool stuff I found on the internet

The Day You Became A Better Writer

A short blog post about the importance of learning how to write. Basically: keep things short and to the point. And assume your readers aren’t very bright.

dilbertblog.typepad.com • Share

How the placenta evolved from an ancient virus

While researching for my mRNA vaccine video, I discovered retroviruses. These can integrate their DNA into ours. They become a part of us. In the case of HIV, that’s very harmful. But certain retroviruses have been essential for us. This post talks about how the placenta is a result of such a virus. (The placenta is what allows mammals to reproduce without killing their offspring)

whyy.org • Share

OpenMCT: Your own Mission Control

NASA open-sourced a version of their Mission Control software. I’m giving this a spin and pretend I’m a flight director ;)

nasa.github.io • Share