Like it or not we are in for more self isolation and staying home but over the last few weeks we perhaps have got bored or have enough to do but people are taking up hobbies or just expanding on what they already do..
Picodi.com Analysis Team investigated Google search queries and created a ranking of the activities which gained the biggest popularity in the times of pandemic.
After evaluating statistics, it turned out that all activities that require leaving home have become less popular: theatre dropped by 81 per cent, cinema — 78 per cent, concerts — 71 per cent. Irish people also lost interest in foreign languages (decrease of 10 per cent). Probably it’s no longer such a sought-after ability in the world of closed borders.
The biggest increase of interest was noted in board games (338 per cent), workout (150 per cent), and online courses, such as Udemy (150 per cent).. There is a possibility that the uncertain situation in the labour market has made Internet users seek opportunities to gain additional qualifications. Various creative activities and crafts, like origami (79 per cent) or drawing (60 per cent) have also gained popularity. See the full report https://www.picodi.com/ie/bargain-hunting/how-have-the-hobbies-of-irish-people-changed-due-to-isolation
Videogames Mental Health Charity, Safe In Our World (www.safeinourworld.org), today announces the launch of a dedicated hub for Covid-19 resources, information, and advice.
With the advent of lockdowns across Europe and the US, Safe in our World, the videogames mental health charity has launched a new hub for those in need of support, advice and information in these unprecedented times. The Covid-19 hub is available online, and will be updated regularly: https://safeinourworld.org/covid-19/
Launching today, the hub offers advice on managing stress, coping with isolation, relaxation and excise techniques, as well as highlighting videogames that may aid those suffering, or finding it hard to cope with the changes in daily life.
Leo Zullo, Chairman of Safe in our World said, “As a charity, we’re doing our best to support those around us, and the wider industry. Whether working from home within the industry, or our players, everyone will be adjusting to a new normal. This dedicated hub is designed to signpost techniques to help deal with the challenge of isolation. We’ll continue to do everything we can to help.”
Officially unveiled in 2019 on World Mental Health Day, Safe in Our World is an accredited charity supported by industry luminaries, veterans and ambassadors across the world, and its mission is to create an online destination where people can seek help, gain access to resources and information, and discover stories from real people within and surrounding the games industry. Safe in Our World aims to enable conversations by destigmatizing the mental health conditions; helping a generation of creators, professionals and players come together in support of each other.
In 2020, Safe In Our World will continue to make more announcements and share updates on its efforts and impact to the global gaming community.
Safe In Our World is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 1183344 but its objectives and mission is global.
Together With Non-profit Partner, To Write Love On Her Arms, Skullcandy Looks To Bring More Awareness To Mental Health Issues By Celebrating A Feel-good Mood Every Month
PARK CITY, Utah, April 7th, 2020 – Skullcandy announced today the launch of MOOD BOOST, a vibrant and uplifting program, combining colourful new designs with inspiring content from musicians, athletes and artists.
Every month, MOOD BOOST will spotlight a positive mood and collectively lift spirits through:
Exclusive music artist content Four fast-rising music stars have joined the campaign to represent a diverse range of music genres and world views: Rapper Rico Nasty; Latinx singer-songwriter, Cuco; Indie-pop singer-songwriter Gus Dapperton and London-based pop sensation, Rina Sawayama.
Insightful athlete content As a brand founded at the intersection of music and board sports, Skullcandy will also profile its rich roster of surf, skate and snow athletes through interviews designed to offer uplifting stories. Followers will hear from iconic professional athletes like surfer Coco Ho, snowboarder Mark McMorris and skateboarder Jenn Soto, among others.
Limited-edition product/art bundle drops The hottest Skullcandy true wireless products will be released in small-batch, custom colorways and bundled with free limited-edition art prints by renowned graphic designers and pop-culture artists, including London-based Tina Touli and design duo Rude, as well as New York City artist Queen Andrea and France/Asia-based Paiheme Studio.
“As we looked to create our new take on moods and music, we wanted to listen carefully to the voices of our core customers. It became very clear that mental health is a critical topic for them. Mood Boost is our way of shining a spotlight on this issue and ways to seek help,” says Skullcandy Chief Marketing Officer, Jessica Klodnicki.
Part of every bundle sale will benefit To Write Love on Her Arms to help directly fund treatment and recovery for youth suffering from depression and addiction.
“Music can play a big part in coping with depression and anxiety. Music reminds us that it’s okay to feel and it’s okay to be honest, and those truths relate directly to mental health,” says Jamie Tworkowski, Founder, To Write Love on Her Arms. “We couldn’t be more excited about this new partnership with Skullcandy. Our dedication to helping people find hope fits perfectly with their Mood Boost program”
The campaign kicks off April 7 by celebrating the mood ‘Blissful.’ For the next 12 months, Skullcandy will explore and spotlight additional moods such as ‘Original,’ ‘Strong,’ ‘Hopeful’ and ‘Determined’ — all designed to bring a daily dose of positivity to the social feeds of the brands’ many followers.
“Our younger customers believe that, if they buy from us, we should have a greater responsibility to the issues facing their generation,” added Klodnicki. “Mood Boost is an important answer to their request that businesses do good in the world.”
About To Write Love on Her Arms To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery. Since 2006, the organization has responded to more than 250,000 messages from individuals in 100 countries. TWLOHA has invested over $2.6 million directly into treatment and recovery. More about the story behind the movement can be found at https://www.twloha.com
About Skullcandy® Skullcandy is the original lifestyle audio brand with the mission “to unleash the visceral power of music for all.” Based in Park City, Utah, Skullcandy designs, markets, and distributes audio products around the globe. The company’s web site can be found at https://www.skullcandy.com.
The Open Doors Initiative has today released a podcast series to help workers and businesses deal with the new realities of employment during the Covid-19 crisis. The initiative is also today publishing a ‘Covid-19 Toolkit’ aimed at helping people with information on working from home, upskilling, financial supports and wellbeing.
The four-part podcast series features different experts all addressing different aspects of work / business during the Covid-19 crisis. Those featured in the podcast are:
David Joyce, Equality Officer from the Irish Congress of Trade Unions
Maureen Walsh, CEO of DeCare Dental
Tiernan Brady, Global Director of Inclusion, Clifford Chance
Dr Pat McKeon, founder of Aware and former Clinical Director of St. Patrick’s Hospital.
Among the topics they address are mental health supports at this time, the need for inclusion and diversity in the workplace – now more than ever, and what the future of work and working practices may bring.
Alongside the podcasts the online toolkit offers best practice and work planning with links to resources and aids for people affected by this change.
Jeanne McDonagh, CEO of the Open Doors Initiative said: “In recent weeks we have seen employment fall by over 17% in Ireland, mainly affecting those most in need such as employees on a low wage and marginalised people. There is a compelling need for social responsibility and leadership to be taken by the business community, where it can help.
“We have seen many businesses and their workers help where they can and Government, business and unions are working together to ensure that employment continues and the impact on the economy is temporary and recoverable. We are proud that so many businesses and organisations, including our members, are stepping up to help those who need it most”.
The Open Doors Initiative was established to help three marginalised groups in employment in Ireland – those with a disability, under 25s with educational disadvantage, and refugees and asylum seekers.
We know that during the current Covid-19 crisis the impact on these groups is greater:
For young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, this can lead to falling into negative behaviour, criminality and other anti-social ways, as supports such as mentoring and training are not available.
People in direct provision who have no way to move accommodation and protect themselves and their families through self-isolation while modes of travel are restricted too.
For people with many disabilities, who need work routine, or have difficulty working without carer support or have mental health difficulties, can all be very affected by the changes that have come about.
Nokia has today published its annual sustainability report, covering the company’s sustainability performance in 2019 and focusing on four priority areas: improving people’s lives with technology, climate, conducting business with integrity, and people.
The publication of Nokia’s People & Planet Report 2019 coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic. With entire countries in lockdown, and people asked to stop or minimize their physical interactions, network traffic has been spiking around the world, demonstrating the critical roles of networks and connectivity.
“Nokia’s People & Planet Report 2019 looks at how we can improve the lives of people – our employees, customers, and wider society – and better care for our environment at the same time. The context our report is being published in has changed because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the fundamental issues remain the same, and, if anything, now have greater urgency because of the challenge the world faces,” said Rajeev Suri, President and CEO of Nokia, in a blog post.
“Trends and technologies that were already happening will speed up. So more remote working and video conferencing will increase the need for better connectivity. The power of 5G and lower latency times won’t be abstract terms for the majority of people, but suddenly critical for everything from digital health to financial trading, to virtual classrooms, to government and international diplomacy,” he continued.
“We are playing our part to keep the world connected through the pandemic. And we want to play our part in building a better world for everyone when this crisis is over,” Suri said.
Nokia’s sustainability achievements in 2019 included:
In 2019, the networks Nokia supplied to its customers supported 6.4 billion subscriptions worldwide
In October 2019, Nokia completed its first external human rights assessment for the Global Network Initiative (GNI). The GNI board found Nokia had made good faith efforts over time to implement the GNI Principles on freedom of expression and privacy.
As part of Nokia’s inclusion and diversity work in 2019, Nokia closed the unexplained pay gap based on pay equity analysis we conducted with Mercer.
In May 2019, Nokia launched its Helping Hands volunteering and engagement program for employees. Through Nokia’s community investment programs, the company has cumulatively improved the lives of 1,633,500 people globally since 2016 – a strong performance against its 2025 target of 2,000,000 people.
At the United Nations 2019 climate summit, Nokia joined a group of 87 companies in committing to recalibrate its existing science-based climate targets in line with the 1.5°C warming scenario.
Nokia delivered zero-emission products to over 150 customers globally.
46% less energy was used on average in the customer base-station sites Nokia modernized in 2019 compared to those where its customers did not modernize.
The People and Planet Report 2019 is prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative GRI Standards and is compliant with the UN Global Compact. The selected key sustainability indicators have been assured by the independent auditor of Nokia, PricewaterhouseCoopers Oy.
Esri Ireland, the market leader in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), today announces that Donegal County Council has used its digital mapping platform to create a comprehensive COVID-19 dashboard with information on confirmed cases across the island of Ireland. The freely available online dashboard is updated daily and compiles data from the Department of Health and Public Health Northern Ireland.
The dashboard helps users to visualise data related to the outbreak of COVID-19 throughout the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Confirmed cases and data can be filtered for analysis by county and district. Charts and graphs on confirmed cases and deaths, as well as breakdowns of age groups, gender and transmission type can all be viewed clearly.
Percentage and actual increases in figures, including the number of healthcare workers infected and number of cases in ICU, can be tracked via the dashboard on a day-to-day basis. Links to official guidelines and information from the HSE, Department of Health, Public Health Northern Ireland and World Health Organisation are also available on the platform.
Additionally, Esri Ireland has made available COVID-19 Impact Planning infographics for every county in Ireland. The infographics detail the preparedness of each county for coronavirus, by outlining population breakdowns, work status of population and total numbers of healthcare facilities in the county, such as health centres, hospitals and GPs. Detailed infographics for every county in Ireland are available to view at: https://arcg.is/jmr1C.
You spent a good deal of money on your laptop and you most likely have some incredibly important information on it, so why would you run the risk of damaging it through sheer carelessness? We review quite many laptop bags here on techbuzz but how else can we protect our expensive laptops?? This infographic from foamfabricators.ie offers a comprehensive guide on how to protect your laptop from spillages and falls plus more.
Ireland’s leading e-hailing app FREE NOW has created a new “Medical” booking option which offers a 50% taxi-fare reduction to help the travel of healthcare heroes and support medical staff in the national fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new mechanism allows vital healthcare workers to select the new “Medical” fleet-type option on the app to book their taxi and to get 50% off their fare. These critical staff then just need to show their medical ID to drivers at the start of their trip, with FREE NOW taking no commission from drivers for these trips.
It follows a FREE NOW survey of its drivers across Ireland, that showed an overwhelming 87% expressing their desire to directly support healthcare staff in their vital work.
The new support will be available from mid-morning today to all front-line medical practitioners, supporting healthcare workers as well as those working in primary care services, including porters, cleaners and hospital receptionists.
In a recent survey, FREE NOW drivers have highlighted some of the precautions they are taking to ensure their cars remain clean. These include providing passengers with tissues and keeping the windows slightly open, cleaning their car after every trip, including wiping down door handles and seats as well as only accepting card or app payments to limit the use of cash.
Alan Fox, FREE NOW General Manager, Ireland, said: “The health and safety of passengers, driver partners and staff is our top priority and we are now looking at new ways to adapt the fleet of 14,000 taxis to meet the COVID-19 challenge across Ireland. This new initiative will support the movement of vital healthcare workers performing critical duties, as well as helping drivers to generate income in this incredibly challenging time. We are already working with the HSE as an approved transport supplier to aid its critical work and we are actively guiding drivers and partners on the transport-specific hygiene measures required in line with HSE, Department of Health and government guidance. It is a testament to FREE NOW drivers that they are willing to step up, even when their earnings are taking a hit in these uncertain times to keep Ireland moving.”
Joe Herron, president of the Irish Taxi Drivers’ Federation, said:“Taxi drivers are extremely glad to be able to play their part in the COVID-19 fight. Our services have been badly hit by the virus and our profession is particularly vulnerable, so this FREE NOW initiative is to be welcomed for multiple reasons. Taxi drivers have been deemed an essential service by the government, and this initiative will help vital healthcare workers to get to their critically important jobs as well as supporting struggling drivers in this, the most difficult of times.”
FREE NOW has recommended that drivers and passengers adhere to HSE, Department of Health and government guidance when travelling, with drivers advised to disinfect their cars regularly and to switch to card payment only. The company has temporarily turned off its Match taxi-sharing service.
FREE NOW is offering a similar service in Spain, Poland, Romania and the UK and is looking at how this can be rolled out to the 10 countries it operates in across Europe. The “Healthcare Heroes” booking option is available for all healthcare workers from today and will run in the FREE NOW app for the foreseeable future.
After providing communication support to medical staff on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus in the US and Japan, Pocketalk, a global leader in connecting conversations and removing language barriers, today announced it will be donating 500 units of its AI-powered translation device, Pocketalk W, to qualifying medical facilities, first aiders, testing sites and those in need of translation services. Pocketalk W devices, including those connected by the smart SIM card, V-Sim which will come with free connectivity donated by Vodafone, will be dispatched on a first come first-served basis, with a maximum of three units per organisation or NHS trust. Those interested can apply by filling out the form on the Pocketalk website.
Pocketalk has been used as an emergency communications tool to break down communication barriers between two people when it matters most. First responders recently aboard the Diamond Princess cruise line quarantined in Yokohama, Japan used Pocketalk as a quick and accurate support to speak with potentially ill passengers in more than 50 languages. What is more, it removed the need for a human translator, preventing even more people being exposed to the virus. Furthermore, in the US, Pocketalk has also been used in healthcare organisations that need translation support.
Medical professionals having to communicate with patients during this global pandemic will benefit from the following features:
74 languages addressing 90% of the world’s population
Handheld translator designed for instant and accurate two-way communication at the touch of a button
Elimination of the need for a human translator, reducing both waiting time and potential exposure of others
“The health and safety of all people, especially first responders putting themselves at risk for others, is our number one priority when connecting the world through conversation,” said Noriyuki Matsuda, Founder and CEO of Pocketalk. “We hope that, through our donation, we are able to provide accessible translation services to those communities who need it most during this global health crisis.”
To apply for a donation of Pocketalk units, applicants must be employed by a healthcare organisation in Europe. Requests will be selected based on a first-come, first served basis for those most in need.
