Duckbill Masks Are Great

February 6th, 2023
bio, covid-19, masks
With covid I've tried a lot of different n95 masks, and I like the "pouch"-style masks best. By a lot! They're much easier to breathe through then anything else I've tried, probably because they have so much surface area. Because your mouth is in a large pocket, there's plenty of room for talking, and even singing. And they also get a good seal without being too squeezy on my face or head.

While I see more people wearing them over time, they are still relatively unusual. I expect some of this is different masks, being a good fit for people with different shaped heads and different preferences, but I think the main problem is that they make you look a bit like a duck:

Anna had covid but I didn't know it yet. I didn't get it, which I credit in part to this mask.

If I'm going to look anatine, however, I want to be intentional about it. No one seems to make these in yellow but I wish they would: I'd pay an extra $0.10/mask for some color:

Referenced in:

Comment via: facebook, lesswrong, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

Shoshannah Tekofsky on how AI agents suck at personality tests, don't express surprise, and lie to themselves

Can you introduce yourself for people who don’t know who you are?

via Thing of Things February 11, 2026

2025-26 New Year review

This is an annual post reviewing the last year and setting intentions for next year. I look over different life areas (work, health, parenting, effectiveness, etc) and analyze my life tracking data. Highlights include a minimal group house, the usefulness…

via Victoria Krakovna January 19, 2026

Why I Don't Think My Braces Were Worth It

A couple weeks ago, I got my braces off. I kind of wish I had never had them, though. When I was younger, two of my teeth were sticking out, and they looked kind of funny. I thought that my teeth were just fine, and I didn't want to get braces. But s…

via Anna Wise's Blog Posts January 3, 2026

more     (via openring)