Tillett
tillett.info · Personal blog · on HN since 2014
Tillett writes about startups, idea execution, Covid-19 ideas such as a mild virus strain, and a Dyson sphere detectability paper.
What HN saysHN links it for his Covid-19 proposal to look for a naturally mild SARS-CoV-2 strain. The author also posts follow-ups in comments.
20HN people shared it
6linked it in comments
23stories submitted
1.1Kstory points
8 months agolast shared
2014people per year2026
Most-shared posts
- 1A (possible) solution to Covid-195 people · 731 points · first shared 2020 · 575 comments on HN
- 2A Good Idea Checklist5 people · 10 points · first shared 2016 · 1 comments on HN
- 3Carnot Efficient Dyson Spheres Are Undetectable by Infrared Surveys (2016)4 people · 47 points · first shared 2016 · 59 comments on HN
- 4Execution is just the multiplier of ideas (2015)3 people · 8 points · first shared 2016 · 2 comments on HN
- 5Ideas are not cheap2 people · 95 points · first shared 2015 · 105 comments on HN
- 6A possible solution to Covid-19, part 2: how would it work in practice2 people · 17 points · first shared 2020 · 14 comments on HN
- 7Daniel Tillett – Why I kept my startup in Australia and why it was crazy2 people · 4 points · first shared 2015 · 1 comments on HN
- 8Let’s kill the term “lifestyle business” for founder-focused startups2 people · 3 points · first shared 2015 · 1 comments on HN
- 9Ebola: What needs to be done right now2 people · 1 points · first shared 2014 · discussion on HN
- 10It is unethical to not search for an attenuated sars cov 2 strain2 people · first shared 2020
- 11There are many SARS-CoV-2 strains with gene deletions1 people · 183 points · first shared 2020 · 153 comments on HN
- 12A Quick and Dirty Analysis of Apply HN1 people · 18 points · first shared 2016 · 18 comments on HN
- 13Damnatio memoriae1 people · 3 points · first shared 2017 · 1 comments on HN
- 14Dead simple CentOS server monitoring with Monit and Pushover1 people · 3 points · first shared 2016 · discussion on HN
- 15Base32 implementation of the damn error detection algorithm in c1 people · first shared 2014
What HN people wrote when they linked it
danieltillett · 2020-04-28
This is a follow up post to a previous post on mine on how we might look for a natural attenuated (mild) strain of SARS-CoV-2 by genome sequencing [0]. While the COG-UK has not been looking directly for such a strain, their data does show that strains with the right type of mutations do exists.
While it might be possible to use a natural attenuated strain as a vaccine directly, the real value of having such a strain may be in using it as a safer test strain in a human challenge trial of a conventional vaccine. This could shave many months off us getting an effective vaccine for COVID-19 [1].
0. https://www.tillett.info/2020/04/05/a-solution-to-covid-19/
1. https://www.tillett.info/2020/04/24/it-is-unethical-to-not-search-for-…
irjustin · 2020-04-28
> I have to say, I cannot understand why the idea of doing a challenge trial is controversial. If you are using healthy, young, volunteers who are observed and have good access to medical care, how could it be unethical?
I think the most prelevant is COVID-19, at full strength, still kills seemingly healthy young people. The author mentions this in another article:
> The important question we have to consider is if it is ethical to deliberately expose even the young and healthy to the dangerous SARS-CoV-2 virus when we know it could seriously injure or kill them.[0]
In this article, we potentially have a weaker strains on our hands that could qualify as a fully ethical challenge trial that could accelerate the development.
At the end of the day, challenge trials are Phase trials with less restrictions in hopes of trading accuracy/rigor for speed.
Is it worth it? I don't know. I'm not knowledgeable enough to say one way or another.
[0] https://www.tillett.info/2020/04/24/it-is-unethical-to-not-search-for-…
dombesz · 2020-06-01
I wrote down the reason why the virus is “getting” weaker. There is no explanation of the phenomena in the article, the doctor just talks about what he experiences without an explanation. Social distancing alone wouldn’t help us, we also need the herd immunity, otherwise the virus would just flare up randomly the second we ease the restrictions. The mechanism I mentioned helps us to achieve herd immunity with time. I don’t understand why is that getting downvoted...
Meanwhile I found the article:
https://www.tillett.info/2020/04/05/a-solution-to-covid-19/
jmichelz · 2020-05-10
Here's a plan to wipe out covid 19 with a version that's proven to be safe.
https://www.tillett.info/2020/04/05/a-solution-to-covid-19/
GTP · 2020-04-28
He talks about this here: https://www.tillett.info/2020/04/05/a-solution-to-covid-19/
CryptoPunk · 2019-12-23
Apparently Dyson spheres can be undetectable with IR telescopes:
https://www.tillett.info/2016/08/03/carnot-efficient-dyson-spheres-are…