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.
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.
We have an abundance of smartphones to pick from today however when it comes to phones for the older generation there is not so much out there and we have a huge demographic here too with the older population and the market potential is huge here for manufacturers to tap and emporia have a range of mobiles to just do that.
Ok so we have Doro which we do not see much of anymore and Nokia who recently released some detox phones which keeps things simple but emporia have gone about it in a different way which makes like much easier for the older generation who now want access to smartphones but with the current offerings out there they are to complex or be it a sales person will try shove an iPhone down your neck. First look at the walkthrough below and see what we are dealing with.
To start you get everything in the box including really good user guides and you also have tutorials on the device, The phone has a light skin on top with a tiled effect which reminds you of Windows Phone plus you have access to the play store too and here is how it differs from your standard Android experience with no convoluted mess or sub menus or having someone look for a feature buried in a sub menu and simplicity is key here as well as the big tiled visual approach.
Build quality and looks are typical however it is a sturdy device and feels solid in my opinion it does have bezels all round which is a step away from the current trend but it is not a phone to make a statement with and is well balanced and in line with low to mid tier devices on the overall look.
The phone is not a powerhouse but mid tier with a decent camera and video function that will do fine for the target market but is no way near flagship but this is not a flagship device but a device to make life easy, I did try load some heavy apps on this to see if they would buckle the device and they did some would not even open but for the likes of social media,email general browsing and a few apps you will be fine with a full days battery too, Again this would depend on user.
The menu layout is really simple to follow and again you have a really good user guide included in the box should you have issues or check the video above for more, On the top you have a battery status indicator and a settings wheel with a notch effect and your signal bar then you have a big wallpaper box which can be changed and you four shortcuts and of course these can be changed to whatever suits you best.
Swiping to the right gives you four contact spaces again tiled and an option for your own number and to finish off that page you have a voicemail and emergency contact tile which is where you place what number suits you best and this is complemented by a button on the rear of the phone to call someone quickly in an emergency. Swiping to the left gives you a list of apps and again you can change these if needed to suit your personal needs.
Your “all apps tile” will give you access to the apps drawer and here is where you can pick if you need to make one into a shortcut on the previous screen. When it comes to performance I did find the device laggy sometimes but there is updates coming for it so hopefully that might iron that out. Performance overall was fine sometimes the camera was laggy too and I would advise buying an sd card for storage if you plan to take many photos or video. You can see the performance of the camera below and judge for yourself.
1 / 7
Whilst this phone is not flagship and can be laggy at times it does what it is meant to do for its target market and more with all the mods and cons you tend to find on your typical smartphone today but in a simpler format for a generation that is moving to smartphones to stay connected with family and friends around the world without the convoluted mess you find in your average smartphone today. It does the job really well makes life easy with big tiled icons and numbers and a simple menu structure and offers security with a one push button to call an emergency number on the back,decent battery life and camera to boot. It is a job well done and executed.
As people adjust to a new way of life, with social distancing making it difficult for people to connect, Desperados and elrow have come together to ignite the party spirit, virtually, for consumers around the world.
Through live stream DJ sessions and avod partygoers worldwide will be able to share a party together, while they are apart.
The elrow Home Sessions powered by Desperados, create an energetic distraction from the outside world by unleashing 1.5 hours of epic beats and high-tempo entertainment featuring a mix of international elrow DJs.
From elrow favourite and resident DJ Viviana Casanova, to the unique sounds of Technasia, Italian DJ and producer Marco Faraone, British native Yousef, Spanish DJ and producer Dennis Cruz and other talented artists on the line-up. People can expect an eclectic mix of electronic music, like deep house, tech house and techno, right from the DJs’ living rooms to theirs. Because in these uncertain times, together we keep the party going.
The sessions will be held live on elrow’s Facebook every Sunday at 4 p.m. CET, starting from Sunday 5th April until 26th April 2020. Partygoers will be able to re-live the sessions following the live stream on elrow’s and Desperados’ social channels.
Diederik Vos, Global Brand Director, Desperados, commented, “Parties provide an unrivalled sense of social connection that we are all craving during this time of social distancing. With partying in our DNA, Desperados wanted to create something that brings the party to people – to be enjoyed from the safety of their homes. Together with elrow, we are redefining how parties can be experienced virtually in living rooms around the world.”
Jo Vidler, Creative Director, elrow, said, “As everyone adjusts to this ‘new normal’, we want to bring the elrow magic directly into the homes of our fans around the world. We’ve been partying with Desperados since 2017, and from the beginning we’ve shared the same passion, which is to create the unexpected for partygoers around the world. By teaming up on these virtual sessions, we’re able to continue to deliver unforgettable experiences to keep the party going for fans as they adjust to their new way of life.”
