19. How Do You Make a Pencil?

Have you seen what’s going on in Australia? If not, let me paint the picture for you: this country has some of the strictest lockdown rules in the world right now. For starters, two of Australia’s largest states are testing out an app that would force citizens to check in by sending location data and facial photos to local police, proving adherence to quarantine requirements. To make matters even more terrifying, the state of Queensland is rolling out quarantine facilities called “WellCamps,” where those who test positive for Covid must stay until they’re deemed safe to return to their normal lives… or what’s left of them. Police are even monitoring TikTok to bust people who dare to defy their lockdown orders. The scariest part? We’re not talking about these horrific abuses of civil liberties where you might typically expect them: say, Venezuela, Cuba, Soviet Russia, or China. You know, authoritarian