#1: mRNA vaccines, Impact of Adblockers, DIY Mission Control
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.
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.
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)
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 ;)
That was my first newsletter. Let me know what you thought by replying to this email. And remember: keep learning!