Just ask yourself, why do they put entire cities under quarantine in China and now in countries like Italy? That alone should give you a hint that this virus is not like a mere flue outbreak. Who cares whether it's man-made or not? It's already affecting many millions of people worldwide, not to mention it's wrecking havoc on the world economy, and it's only getting started. Even if this virus never reaches your country, the world's economy will very likely tank in the near future, if only due to the Chinese economy grinding to a standstill. And they are the world's biggest manufacturer of all the basic components required for all the things we use in our daily lives. Just look at the big companies like Apple and others, they are already warning of supply disruptions which will have a major affect on their profits this year.
And then there's this: some experts are now proposing 27-day quarantine instead of 14 days. Now ask yourself, when they declare a lockdown in your area, are you going to be prepared to spend a month in isolation at home? Imagine what will happen on the day they announce the lockdown, how many people will rush to the stores to get a month-worth of food and other supplies? How much time will it take until the shelves are empty? This is already a regular occurrence during major hurricanes and such, so you don't even need to imagine. Simply look up the actual accounts of what happens in such situations and you will have a rough idea of what to expect when this virus reaches your city.
average incubation time 5-6 days
And these low estimates are the reason why they've been quarantining people for only 14 days so far, like on the Diamond Princess cruise ship for example. Unfortunately they have now found cases of this virus with the incubation period of 20+ days. And that is what they should be preparing for, even if the average incubation time is usually shorter. There is a reason why some experts are now proposing 27-day quarantine, because 14 days is likely not long enough.
I've known 3 people that accidentally discharged their firearms. One in their home, one shot their truck, and the other shot themselves in the leg. Oh, and all 3 were Army veterans. Even law abiding citizens are still dangerous with guns. And I say that as someone who owns guns and has a concealed carry permit.
And I've known people who stumbled and fell while walking. Clearly walking is dangerous and must be banned!
A device that puts out 95% of the power run into it as heat instead of the job it was intended for? Sounds great to me.... not. The world's moved on, grandpa, go have a nap.
Putting out heat is actually perfectly fine in certain cases, such as for a light bulb inside an oven.
a negotiation process that involves determining the lowest common version supported between the two endpoints
Is that a typo? I am pretty sure they want the highest common version between the endpoints.
A formal parsing algorithm should not always be used. -- D. Gries