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Locked down but not out in Italy

Singing from the balconies! One nice thing about this crisis ... solidarity! “Guess you’re not living like a tourist anymore,” was the funny, truthful and somewhat gut-wrenching message of a friend the day the lockdown in Italy began. Today is day 6. My beloved Italia has been hit hard with the COVID19 epidemic. With the second largest elderly population in the world, the epidemic has meant a disproportionate amount of deaths in the country. So though I haven’t been worried about contracting it myself, this isn’t about me or someone like me who, if contracted it would probably have a sucky couple of weeks and then recover. It is about if someone like me contracted it and then spread it to a person with a complicated health history or an elderly person with a weakened immune system. Eerily orderly: Lines for the grocery store, each person one meter apart In a country with no concept (and no physical room really) for personal space, and in a city with reproachable hygie
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How to become a Mayor



I actually got my idea for this new thing of the day by reading an article for work. I had never heard of Foursquare, but apparently it has made the list of influential social media sites.

Foursquare was intriguing to me because it seemed pertitent to my touristic lifestyle and to this pocket project in particular because it claims: "We're all about helping you find new ways to explore the city." Well, I can always use some suggestions.

Foursquare is based on the idea of cataloging all the new (and old) places you go. When you are at a new location, the foursquare application on your phone detects where you are and you can "check-in." You earn points for each check in, more points for each new place you go to, and even more points for going some place that has not yet been logged by other users. You can also earn badges (I have only earned the newbie badge so I don't know how you earn these.)

However, what is most amusing to me is that you can become the "Mayor" of some place if you go there more often than anyone else. When you check in somewhere, Foursquare will tell you who is the makeshift mayor of that place. Some establishments will even give you a free drink etc. if you can prove that you are its mayor.

This entertains me. I think I would enjoyed being crowned the imaginary mayor of some place ... of course, it goes without saying that this place would have to be Italian. Perhaps Gelatissimo!
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