The coronavirus situation intensifies, but don’t let that stop everything

Coronavirus continues to spread, but it shouldn't stop you from living life.

Welcome back to another weekly installment of From the Editor's Desk, brought to you by yours truly. Hopefully, you are doing well, and the whole novel coronavirus thing isn't freaking you out too much — keep on living your best life!

It seems that this week all I've been hearing in the news cycle every day is coronavirus this, coronavirus that. It's definitely intensifying all over the globe (San Francisco and Orange County, where I'm from, have declared state of emergencies due to the coronavirus, and now Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea are closed until March 15), but I also think that it's being blown a bit out of proportion by most of the media, sending everyone into a state of unnecessary hysteria and panic. It's quite evident in the stock market as Apple's stock plummets by 20 percent from their previous January high, while Tim Cook remains mostly mum on the topic of coronavirus at the latest shareholder meeting. Honestly, the fear and paranoia from the public in general (at least from what I'm reading about shortages of hand sanitizers and whatnot) is getting a little out of hand, and for most people, I don't think the coronavirus is a threat — it's more of a threat for those who are elderly and immunocompromised.

Just deploy good prevention methods, such as washing your hands with soap and water, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, avoid touching your face (especially around the eyes, nose, and mouth), use hand sanitizer when necessary, and disinfect surfaces. Don't let the coronavirus stop you from having a life, honestly. Just be more cautious and careful, but the world shouldn't have to come to a complete halt.

In other news, the Apple rumor mill keeps on spinning that wheel. There was a report this week about Apple's upcoming 802.11ay WiFi spec, and this could lead to some AR hardware from Apple. The thought of having some kind of Apple headgear is kind of exciting for me, personally, because I've worn glasses my entire life (I'm kind of super blind without them) and have always dreamed about having smart glasses. I was genuinely interested in the Focals by North smart glasses, but I remember I heard that they didn't integrate as smoothly with iOS as they did Android, so I avoided them. If Apple had smart glasses, I'd be all over that like white on rice! I would love to be able to see my notifications and messages right in my glasses, without having to look at my Apple Watch or pull out my iPhone. Hopefully one day this becomes a reality, but until then, a girl can dream!

If you're a fan of HomeKit and smart home accessibility, then you should be excited about the Casa Capace HomeKit powered housing project from disability housing provider DPN. This amazing home not only looks chic and modern, but it's packed with a ton of smart home accessories that make life so much better for those who have disabilities (and it is just plain cool tech for the rest of us). You have doors that can open themselves (the first for a residential space), surfaces that can be raised or lowered with a voice command, occupancy sensors for rooms like the bathroom or office, and so much more. For more information about DPN's Homes to Enable project, check out their website.

As far as entertainment goes, my husband and I finished watching the first season of the Harley Quinn animated series on DC Universe. The show is absolutely amazing, and highly recommended. It's not kid-friendly by any means, but if you can appreciate adult humor and societal commentary in the DC universe, then don't miss out. I can't wait for the second season to premiere on April 3, 2020. I'm also just starting the fourth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, so hopefully by the time I'm done catching up, the entire final season wraps up on Disney+ so I can binge-watch it all.

Anyways, stay safe and healthy, iMorians!

- Christine Romero-Chan