Amid a controversial year for Facebook concerning the infamous data breach of over 50 million users privacy, Facebook have boldly unveiled 2 new smart screens. In what seemed to be a relatively low-key announcement, we were introduced to the new Portal and Portal+.
Just another tablet?
The Portal and Portal+ seem like another tablet that you keep permanently in your home. The combination of tablet and smart speaker connects to your Facebook Messenger and sports a 12mp camera which allows you to video chat your friends, even if they don’t have their own Portal. The camera uses AI to pan and zoom automatically in order to keep everyone in the frame during video calls or recording. A pretty cool feature.
The Portal has a 10” 720p display and Portal+ has a 15” 1080p display. The standard Portal will have a built in camera with a speaker below the screen. While the Portal+ will have a more prominent camera that sits on top of the tablet. There are 4 mics in both models so that it can pick up your voice anywhere in the room for when you’re talking or giving commands.
It looks like Facebook have teamed up with Amazon and will be powered by Alexa. However, to give it commands you must say “Hey Portal.” Which doesn’t have the same ring as “Alexa” in our own opinion. As you know by now, us at Goosed are massive advocates of the Amazon Alexa series.
And as with most smart speakers, you can play music, audiobooks and essentially everything you can do on the Alexa.
How private is your privacy?
One thing that Facebook emphasised when unveiling the product is that your privacy will be safe. Due to their track record, most people will take that with a pinch of salt. They have even gone as far as providing you with a physical lens cover to place over the camera lens. So they shouldn’t be able to snoop on you from the privacy of your own home. Although of course with all tech these days, that’s not really a guarantee. Due to the whole privacy breach this year, the Portals were actually pushed back 6 months. How this will affect sales is yet to be seen since most of their users have probably lost confidence in the social media platform.
The prices in the US for pre-order are currently $199 for the Portal and $349 for the Portal+. Although you got to ask yourself too, is your privacy worth that much?
There’s not word as of yet for a release date in the UK and Ireland but when it does we will be sure to keep you up to date, but don’t say we didn’t warn you before you splash out on one!
GIFs are amazing, aren’t they? Pronounced GIF, with a hard “g”, like golf unless you’re a weirdo who pronounces it JIF, GIFs have changed how we communicate with each other rather dramatically. I’d say they’re actually second only to emojis. Just recently, Revolut added the functionality to send money to friends along with a GIF. Why? Well, why not? There’s a team of app developers who realised people want more from GIFs and these guys created Morphin – a GIF meme generator that lets you star in some of the best-known GIFs from modern popular culture.
How Does Morphin Work?
It’s mad simple. The team behind Morphin has taken some of the best-known GIFs on the planet and created computer-generated versions of them. I’m talking Ross from Friends’ offensive hand gesture, Iron Man donning his JARVIS powered suit and, my own personal favourite, John Travolta as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction looking around completely lost.
The app loads by bringing you through the process of picking a GIF meme you’d like to star in before helping you take a selfie. Just like that, you’re done. You need to wait a moment as the app works its magic and you can read a fun pop-culture fact about your meme while you wait before you’re GIF is delivered, all nice and ready to share.
The backgrounds are generally photo-realistic while the CGI-based actors sometimes look like PS2 graphics. Still, don’t let that take from how gas this is. I can only imagine the Morphin team will be expanding their catalogue and improving imagery.
Examples of Morphin’s GIF Meme Generator
Here are some I made earlier:
Ross from Friends giving the hand gesture
Iron Man suit up GIF
Raise a glass to Morphin
Make your own Pulp Fiction Gif
Morphin: The Verdict
Are the resulting GIFs perfect? No, but the app is in a very early BETA at the minute so I expect it to improve. With that said, Morphin is absolutely worth a download right now to have a play with. I, for one, will be adding all of these GIFs to my arsenal.
We all know someone who is an absolute disaster artist when it comes to breaking their phone. Seriously we all know of at least one person who will give us a shout through Facebook on a Monday morning to let us know their phone is out of action while they get it fixed…again! And let’s face it these repairs (normally screens) don’t come cheap. Well phone breakers throughout Ireland can rejoice as this Friday, Vodafone stores in Cork and Dublin will be offering free one day phone repairs to celebrate the launch of their new “Fix & Go” repair service!!!!
Where’s this going down?
Ok, so this Friday in Vodafone Grafton Street, Dublin & Patrick Street, Cork will be hosting the free repair day to announce this new repair service. So if you or a mate are one of them accident prone people, get in between 12-3pm this Friday and let us know how you get on through Twitter.
And don’t worry, if you’re not a Vodafone customer, the service is available to smartphones on all networks, so don’t worry if you are with Three, Eir, Virgin or whatever…get in and get that smashed phone sorted. Happy days.
Got a broken phone and no time to send it away to get fixed?
With this new Fix&Go Repair Centre in Grafton Street by accredited repairs company Fónfix, Vodafone are saying that repairs will generally take maximum 3 hours. While this Friday is a free event, this will not always be the case. Right now if you bust the screen on your phone you are looking at up to a week without and a charge of over €100. This new service will be offering screen repairs from €69 plus a 1 year Vodafone guarantee.
They will also repair a number of other issues including software issues, audio, charging, battery & button issues.
Anyway here’s the stores opening hours if you do want to use this nifty little service…serious lack of Limerick/Galway here, but I’m sure that will change in the near future.
You might have noticed this already but Instagram hasn’t been working this morning. It’s not just you, the platform is not working this morning with the popular photo social network facing an outage for thousands of users across the UK and Europe. The app and website both appear to have been hit by the issues.
What’s actually going on?
To be honest with you, right now we aren’t 100% sure but Instagram users are facing a morning without access as both the app and website appear to be down and not working. These problems began at roughly 8.20am with thousands of reports across the UK and many parts of Europe. In Ireland we have seen Facebook and Twitter light up with people reporting the problems. Ah modern times, social media not working? let people know on social media…
When trying to access the website users are faced with the error “5XX Server error” and the app displays the message “could not refresh feed.” Do not try to delete the app and reinstall it with this causing even bigger issues. If you do this the app will not let you log back in until whatever issue is going on gets sorted.
Bad Timing or interesting co-inkydink?
These problems are coming in the midst of a rather difficult time for Facebook & Instagram. Over the last couple of days the company founders left the business over a rumored disagreement regarding the future of the platform.
Couple this with the Facebook hack over the weekend, where its since emerged the Instagram accounts might have also been caught up in the scandal if you had used your Facebook logins to create your Instagram.
Look to be honest this isn’t the first time a social media platform will go down and it won’t be the last. In May and July, Instagram also went down but this time with everything else going on surrounding Facebook this time it just looks that bit more suspect.
Right now there is no word on what’s causing the issue but we will bring you the updates as we get it.
***Update – Instagram should be back up and running now, although there are still no answers as to what went on. We are hearing that we are expected to see further issues throughout the day as they get to grips with the problem. Might be worth changing those passwords just in case it’s connected to the Facebook hack issue….
Recently we wrote a short article about the upcoming Women In Tech Awards that are due to be held in the RDS this November! We are very excited as the event is powered by the Dublin Tech Summit, the biggest tech showcase in Ireland. As we said in our previous article these awards are dedicated to recognizing the innovation, leadership and achievements of women in Ireland’s tech landscape. To pick the best and brightest women in the industry you need the best judges. So who are the people charged with making the tough calls?
Anne Ravanona, founder & CEO of Global Invest Her
Our first judge up is Anna Ravanona, the Founder & CEO of Global Invest Her a platform and online community for early-stage women entrepreneurs that breaks down the funding process & helps them get investor-ready, to get funded faster. An incredible platform which has already been a proven success helping many female entrepreneurs to get up and running. She is a passionate women’s advocate with over 22 years experience in global business, she spoke at TEDx to inspire everyone to ’Spread Your Talent To The World’. She also advises Fortune 500 companies on Gender Diversity.
Katia Lang, founder & CEO of the Fintech Times
Katie is the co-founder of Disrupts Media Limited, publishers of The Fintech Times newspaper and Disrupts.com.
Blockchain, Crypto, and startup enthusiast, Katia is one of the Top 100 Women in Fintech 2018 and having someone like this on the judges panel is a huge win for the Women In Tech Awards.
Since launching back in 2016, The Fintech times has grown exponentially. Bringing Fintech to the world, the brand is experiencing steady growth in headcount, readership, and revenue.
Philip Konopik, Ireland Country Manager of Visa
As the Visa Ireland Country Manager, Philip Konopik is leading Visa’s market and business development activities in the market, working with clients and partners to drive innovation and evolution of the payments ecosystem with the aim of making Ireland the benchmark for digital payments in Europe. Prior to joining Visa he was part of the leadership team at the London-based growth and innovation consultancy Market Gravity. Over five years, he helped grow the business from a team of 10 to over 70 employees across London, Scotland and New York, and in the process working with leading challenger and high-street banks, as well as the payment industry across the UK and Ireland.
Jules Coleman, Co-founder of Hassle
Jules Coleman is the co-founder and CTO of Resi, a London based startup changing the face of residential architecture.
Prior to Resi, Jules co-founded hassle.com, a domestic cleaning marketplace. Jules and the team grew Hassle.com to 100 employees across 4 countries before selling the company to Helpling in July 2015 for €32m. She is someone who knows how to grow a business from the ground up, successfully. Her eye for the market, knowledge and expertise will be invaluable to the team when picking the winners.
Gen Ashley, Director of Women Who Code, London
Gen is the Founder of TECH(K)NOW Day – a conference focused on Women in Technology. She is also a Director of Women Who Code London and is a very active leader in the Tech community in London.
Gen is also a Lead for Google Women Techmakers London, NASA Space Apps Challenge London, Twitter Developer Community London and Google Developer Groups London. She is also part of the leadership committee for Ada’s List (a network for women in technology). She is co-organiser of COED:CODE, OpenTechSchool London and London Game Developers.
Joe Healy, Manager of High-Potential Startup Division, Enterprise Ireland
Joe was awarded a PhD in Materials Science from the University of Birmingham and holds a Masters Degree in Technology Management from the National Institute of Technology Management, UCD. More recently, in 2015 he was awarded a Diploma in Company Direction by the Institute of Directors.
Joe joined Enterprise Ireland in 1997. During his time with Enterprise Ireland he has worked in a number of senior roles.
DR. Binja Dasani, International Award Winning Strategy, Innovation & FS Exec
And last but certainly not least, the final judge is Dr. Binja Dasani. She has a robust track record of delivering strategic, innovation and complex transformation successes for global Financial Services firms, across products, asset classes and markets. Bijna influences to deliver and builds high performing teams. Bijna serves the Boards of CIO Net, the IPQC CDO Exchange Series, and the Inclusive Companies Network. She is a FinTech Mentor and films videos on Mentorship, Leadership & Technology; she’s a co-presenter for the Women in Business TV series.
Goosed are fully behind the Women In Tech Awards and we hope that in the near future we can also do our bit and have more female contributors. If you want to write for Goosed.ie literally just get in touch via info@goosed.ie and get started straightaway. Even if you don’t think you are much of a writer now, Martin, Jon, Dean, Gary and Neal are ready to help.
Poor old Facebook. Just when we all started to forget about Cambridge Analytica and all that craic, they’ve gone and done it again. Guy Rosen, VP of Product Management at the social media giant just released a blog post over on the Facebook Newsroom, outlining what the latest Facebook “hack” is all about. I’m here to let you know what it means for you as a Facebook user.
Was Facebook Hacked?
Yes. There’s no denying this is a hack. My first reaction was to categorise these headlines as scaremongering. Rosen’s post doesn’t mention the term hack once; I checked:
Maybe it wasn’t a hack at all, I thought to myself, but then I looked up the definition of hack:
gain unauthorized access to data in a system or computer
Ah yeah, this was a hack alright.
Ironically, as part of Facebook’s privacy features, you can view your Facebook profile as other people on the platform. This means you can review what your boss sees (why did you add them in the first place) or what your mother sees (yeah, she added you, fair enough). The irony kicks in here as hackers used this “View As” feature to simulate actually being other people.
The technical language here is hackers stole “Facebook access tokens”. Let me simplify this to a point where I understand it better!
Imagine Facebook is a massive building where we all go on a regular basis. There are two options when you get to the front desk. The first is that you sign into a guest book every single time before you are allowed to enter the building. This is the equivalent of entering your password every time you want to use Facebook. The second way in is scanning a card which verifies you are who you say you are before entering the building. This is much easier and faster, right? Well, having a card to scan is the same as having an access token. It’s faster, but if someone else has it, they can pose as you, enter the building and reek havoc.
This is what happened with Facebook. Hackers were able to take people’s access tokens, pose as these people and change their passwords. As a result, people have had their Facebook accounts hijacked. This has also possibly spread to Instagram too.
So, What Did the Hackers Do?
It’s down to some really shitty coding from Facebook. By the sounds of what Facebook has done to fix the vulnerability, hackers were able to lookup accounts using the “View As” privacy option and steal access tokens from here. It’s so simple and stupid a mistake for Facebook to make, seriously.
How Many People Are Affected by the Hack?
This is a big one. The vulnerability was discovered last Tuesday and dates back to a video update the company made to their platform in July 2017. That’s bloody ages ago and Facebook estimates this cock up affects almost 50 million Facebook users.
Have Irish Accounts Been Hacked?
No official breakdown of nationalities affected has be provided, but it’s clear Irish accounts have indeed been affected. I’ve seen social lighting up with people saying they were randomly signed out of their accounts meaning they are within the pool of 90 million logged out either as a direct involvement or from precautionary steps being taken by Facebook.
What is Facebook Doing About the Hack?
First of all, indulge me in some tinfoil hat conspiracy. The timing of this announcement seems to be very convenient. This news broke in Europe on a Friday evening. Considering we just introduced my beloved GDPR and that Facebook knew about this since Tuesday, I can’t help but feel they sat on this until some European media had gone home for the weekend. It feels like damage limitation from Facebook, but anyway…
As the time of writing this article, Facebook has reset the access tokens for over 50 million users known to have been affected and a further 40 million accounts who have been looked up through this “View As” functionality, as an additional precaution. They’ve also disabled the “View As” option altogether for the time being.
Most importantly, Facebook has apologised. Frankly, they can shove that up their arse.
What Should You Do Next?
It’s time for precaution. At least 50 million Facebook users have been affected, but their numbers swelled in the weeks after the Cambridge Analytics scandal so I wouldn’t be surprised to see that number go north too.
Go to the “security and login” section of Facebook settings and log out of all devices. I would strongly recommend doing this for Instagram too. The true horror of these kinds of events means technically you should track down any website you use “Log in with Facebook” and reset that password too. You can find these in the app section of your security and privacy settings.
I’d also recommend you stop using “Log in with Facebook” and either use Google, who do seem to have their privacy in order or just using your email and create a unique password for every website. The best thing you could ever do is move to LastPass which is something I’ll be writing about very soon. I don’t know any of my passwords, except for LastPass itself and I just let them manage everything for me. Seriously, look into it, it’s great.
You should also use two-step verification. This means logging in requires more than just a password. You’ll either need an app to verify it’s you trying to get in or you can receive a code to your phone.
I’ll be following this story over the weekend so keep an eye here and on my Twitter for the latest as it breaks.
Update
Update 12.55am – 2 October 2018
We reached out to the Data Protection Commission, but have yet to hear back directly from them. However, they have been updating their Twitter with their take on the Facebook hack as information becomes available.
Much like my thinking about how unusual the length of time to report the issue was, the DPC seem less than impressed that it broke late on Friday after being discovered on Tuesday:
Facebook data breach. The DPC is concerned that this breach was discovered on Tuesday & affects millions of users. At present Facebook is unable to clarify the nature of the breach & risk to users. We are pressing Facebook to urgently clarify these matters. #dataprotection
Why is the Irish Data Protection Commission So Important for Facebook?
We all know Ireland is a tax haven right? Well, because of that the company is partially based in Ireland and naturally within the European Union. As a result, it’s the Irish Data Protection Commission which will be investigating this on behalf of Europe. This is why there have been calls from the Commissioner for EU Justice for Facebook to cooperate and disclose how many EU citizens have been involved in the hack:
At least 50mln #Facebook users were compromised in the huge security breach. I urge Facebook to fully cooperate with @DPCIreland. We need to know if EU users were affected and what had happened to their data. Here a reminder about the obligations of biz https://t.co/1bZ6IJdJ4B
How Many EU Citizens Have Been Affected by the Facebook Hack?
According to some digging done by the Irish Data Protection Commission, in or around 10% of those accounts involved belong to European citizens. Given the figures we’ve seen so far, that would suggest five million EU citizens are involved; no small figure. That’s more than the entire population of Ireland!
UPDATE Facebook data breach – @DPCIreland understands that the number of potentially affected EU accounts is less than 10% of the 50 million accounts in total potentially affected by the security breach. DPC Ireland statement beneath. #dataprotection#GDPR#EUdataPpic.twitter.com/oSfGy6DP2S
— Data Protection Commission Ireland (@DPCIreland) October 1, 2018
Here’s hoping there’s more clarity soon.
Update 8.05am – 4 October 2018
The DPC has commenced their official investigation into the Facebook hack:
Recently the first HouseTalks event held in the House Bar in Limerick went down. We’re very lucky to be a part of the amazing team organizing these events where interesting speakers are given the opportunity to speak in a TedTalks style evening in a great location. The first event was based around the theme of sports and one speaker, Phalem from LimerickSportsPartnership said something that really resonated with us. Sitting is the new smoking! Yup, spending 8,10,12 hours a day sitting in front of the laptop at work isn’t good for you. Who would have guessed…
Is sitting the new smoking??? @Limericksports believe that all of us that spend so much of our days in front of laptops need to do more exercise . Let's set a challenge! We want all our followers to do something that will make you more active at work. Let us know what you do 😎 pic.twitter.com/FBr8Nkl3JQ
As a smoker and a sitter I can honestly say that neither activity is doing me much good. Modern working life has made many of us adapt to a sedentary lifestyle. If you are desk-bound at work and sit on your journey to and from it, you likely fall into this category. Think about it, how much of your day from the moment you get up to the moment you go to sleep are you actually on your feet?
If you’re a desk monkey like me, sitting for 8-10 hours a day can create it’s own problems.
It increases load on the spine and discs resulting in slouching or pain and over time this can cause changes in muscle length and affect the strength and performance of the postural muscles. In turn, this can result in pain and predisposition to injury. When it comes to muscle, the body operates on a use it or loose it basis. Being more mobile at your desk gig could make a huge difference.
This many hours sitting down at a time can also increase risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and depression but the fix is simple. Get moving. It’s simple and while we love technology and love what we do it’s very easy to get caught up in your work and forget that so many hours sitting down is not a good thing. So without further adieu here are the Goosed.ie Top 10 Tips for being a bit healthier when at the office.
Goosed.ie Top 10 Tips for being healthier in the workplace
Nutrition is key – as any personal trainer worth their salt will tell you, diet is 90% of the fitness battle. Swap the Snickers for an apple or if you are in the Dublin area you can use Bamboo to order delicious and nutrition food from local establishments and skip the queue. They have also expanded to Cork so it shouldn’t be long until we see them nationwide.
Get a Fitbit – any smart watch, fitbit or other wearable that tracks your steps can let you know that you aren’t getting in enough steps throughout the day. Just having that reminder can help you decide to take the stairs instead of the lift. Remember every step counts.
Move your phone away from the desk – realistically how many phone calls do you get on your office phone per day? Where possible, why not move the phone slightly out of reach so when it rings you have to actually get up.
Start an office fitness challenge – many offices do free cake Fridays and other things like this so how about starting a little challenge so you earn that cream cake. Get everyone to commit to hitting a certain amount of steps per day to earn your Friday treat. It might incentivize you all to go for a lunchtime walk.
Drink plenty of water – staying hydrated is a challenge for most people but in an office environment with the coffee flowing, this can be more difficult. Download an app like Aqualert and get regular notifications to keep on top of your water intake.
Standing meetings – we all know many meetings are hours of just sitting around the table talking cobble. Before your meeting pull all chairs out of the room, stand up and see how it can help you be healthier and help improve meeting engagement at the same time. Double win.
Get a hobby outside of work – fine this isn’t something you can do inside the office, but get the lads inside the office to play 6-a side once a week, group book a yoga class or talk to a gym about group rates. Doing something like this will not only help you be fitter and healthier but team moral gets a boost – those chats in the changing room after a game of kickball are always craic. If the people from work don’t want to get involved, download Meetup and find activities in your local area.
Try a toilet workout – this isn’t as mad as it sounds, seriously – everyone has to answer natures call sometime so make the most of the time. Take the scenic route to the jacks and once you get there drop in 10 squats and 10 basin press ups. Do that every time you go and see those booty and biceps gaaaaiiiinz! Note – between bathroom lighting and that little extra pump, those Insta toilet selfies are going to be as the kids say these days “on fleek”.
Be weird and stretch – if you are like me and your body is essentially a creaking mess do some stretches at the desk and help yourself. If you have a dodgy back, knee, neck, shoulder you name it, sitting at a desk all day can cause serious strain. That 2 minutes you spend checking SkySports could be well used giving yourself a little stretch to loosen out those sore joints.
Rest your brain – although we are saying less sitting is good, sometimes you need to do something for your mental well being. Fitness and health is as much about mind as it is about body. By taking the 9 steps above you will automatically be more mobile in work. Instead of listening to some tunes during your walk/drive to work, throw on a motivational talk or guided meditation on YouTube. Not only will you be more pumped for the day but your brain will be more focused helping you be more productive throughout the day. I’ve been listening to Gary Vee’s Crushin it audio book on Audible of late so just pick something that gets you going and see the difference.
Make the change
We all know smoking kills, but it turns out the hours we are spending sitting down on laptops, PlayStations or whatever is an equally big problem. Instead of using technology as an excuse for laziness, make it work for you. Whether that’s tracking calories, counting your steps or helping you make better food choices, the apps exist to help you be more active, healthy and fit while at work. So let’s set a little challenge, October is on our doorstep and many people take this time to complete “Sober October”. Instead why not bring “Healthy Halloween” to your workplace and commit to doing our 10 step plan for the month and let us know how you get on.
By the way the next HouseTalk event will be held in the House Bar in Limerick on the last Tuesday of the month. The next event is going to be on the topic of education with our good mates at CyberSmarties taking the stage. If you want to come down, see what it’s all about and learn something new please get in touch, we will fix you up with a ticket.
It’s one of those perennial classics. Without fail, I get my hands on the latest edition of FIFA every year and as someone who loves smartphones, they can often feel quite similar. Every year, a new version is released, it’s a bit pricey and you’re left wondering if it’s money well spent or not. Well, FIFA 19 is well worth you shelling out a few shillings for. I’ve been giving it a lash for the past week and I’m falling in love with the football sim all over again.
When Does FIFA 19 Come Out?
Let’s not beat around the bush here. I’ll talk about the game itself, but first up when can you play it? FIFA 19 will be available from 28 September. Now, you can either go buy it or read on to see what I thought about it.
FIFA 19 Gameplay
I’m a really average FIFA player and an awfully boring Twitch streamer. In fact, I think I’ve only streamed my games a handful of times. Still, if you’re into that kind of thing, you can watch my first fifty minutes playing FIFA 19 last weekend over on Twitch:
There’s a lot to digest this year in terms of gameplay. Some subtle in-game changes such as active first touch and timed finishing, not a million miles away from the Gears of War reload technique, add to FIFA 19 feeling like the most rounded game in the series to date. The cherry on top is the refreshed in-game tactics. Instead of being able to choose one tactical approach, you can mesh together several ideas to suit your gameplay style. Layered on top of this is improved pre-game strategy options too which means you can really get you team playing your style of football.
One thing which has been added to the gameplay that I love is the non-compete timeout. If you’re playing online and your opponent gives up and leaves down the controller hoping you’ll quit, they’ll be timed out in a matter of seconds. That’s a serious first world problem given the axe.
FIFA 19 Game Modes
Champions League
While FIFA 18 released an update to introduce the World Cup, FIFA 19 is packing more depth right from the get-go. Your pre-install preview game brings you through a Juventus versus PSG Champions League final. You can’t skip much of the cutscenes but to be honest, that’s part of the craic. The experience perfectly mimics proper Champions League coverage and, I should have mentioned this earlier, but the Premier League coverage is impeccable, all its missing is a gambling ad, just after Martin Tyler growls “and it’s live”.
Fifa Ultimate Team 2019
So we’ve got Champions League on top of the regular favourites like FIFA Ultimate Team, which itself deserves a quick mention. Some people dislike FUT because there are too many player performance variables left to the FUT Skill/Chemistry algorithm. But my inner child can’t resist opening packets of players to see who you’ve got. FUT 19 has also been given a lick of paint. Division Rivals pits you against other players of similar skill levels. The higher your division, the greater the rewards.
House Rules
This. Is. The. Craic.
House Rules. If you’re thinking of buying FIFA 19 for the college gaff, just do it. Seriously. House Rules adds a whole new layer of banter to FIFA 19 with new game modes including:
No Rules
Headers and Volleys
First To
Survival
Long Range
Some of these might be self-explanatory, but here goes nothing.
No Rules
I recorded myself playing a game of No Rules versus the computer and I’ll be honest, it was a little bit boring. Now, you change that to one of your mates and this becomes mayhem. This mode means the ref does little more than blow for kick off and when you should take a corner. I got a few sweet and creamy tackles in during that game but I’ll tell you this much; watch out for offsides. With offside disabled, it’s much, much easier to score off the long ball. Wait an extra second and give your attacker the yard. That’s my tip for winning a No Rules game.
Headers and Volleys
It’s a classic. You can score an absolute peach of a curler from the edge of the box, much like Salah’s surprise Puskás winner and it’ll count for nothing. In this game mode you’re back to the playground where goals only count if they come from a header or a volley. Penalties and free kicks also count and don’t forget you can also pop the ball up to yourself for the volley.
First To
It’s rare your local five-a-side game will end without this rule being enforced. The lads haven’t turned up for the 8pm slot after your group. One team is probably five up but someone shouts “first to three”. Your team is given a fresh chance to take something home from the night’s footy. Well now, you and your mates can play up to a predetermined number of goals. The games are also timed like usual so the leader at ninety minutes takes the glory.
Survival
This is probably my favourite mode. You start with eleven players but if you score, you lose one random lad off the team. Keepers are exempt and it’s the same rules for your opponent. It keeps the game balanced so if you do have a friend who’s fairly useless at FIFA, this might give them a fighting chance.
It’s worth noting that you can only get two red cards in Survival mode before you forfeit the game. Careful now.
Long Range
Piledrivers. Piledrivers everywhere. Your goals will only count if they are absolute screamers from outside the box.
I want to say a massive well done to EA Sports for introducing these game modes. I remember a few years back, This is Football introduced diving and people loved it. It was a bit of craic and that’s what we shouldn’t forget. These games should be realistic for people who want a sim, but also be loads of fun for people who want a bit of craic. FIFA 19 has absolutely nailed this balance.
FIFA 19 Career Mode: The Journey
I’m an absolute sucker for The Journey. I feel like I’ve been following the career of a real young talent when I see Alex Hunter. Now in its third and final season, The Journey follows young Alex Hunter as he makes his dream switch to Real Madrid following his real world PR stunt transfer when the Galácticos launched their third strip made from plastic recovered from the sea. What a sentence:
That actually annoyed quite a few Real Madrid fans, peeved at their club being involved in a virtual transfer so soon after losing Ronaldo to Juventus. The real world and gaming are really in conflict lately. Just last weekend, FC Basel and Young Boys had a game paused because of fans protesting club investment in eSports.
Right, back in track.
The Journey is like leaving Coronation Street or Home and Away on. It’s cheesy goodness and really hard to turn off. This year you not only guide Alex on his journey but also his best mate, Danny Williams and half-sister, Kim Hunter. Dip in and out of each story but also enjoy being mentored by one of Real’s superstars when playing as Alex.
I’ve heard this is the last year we’ll have The Journey which is a real pity, unless they bring out a new player next year?
FIFA 19 Review: The Verdict
While streaming I said something I regret. While it’s more craic than ever before, FIFA 19 isn’t that much better graphically. The more I’ve played it the more I’ve regretted that statement. The graphics are slightly better, but I regret it because this game doesn’t deserve a black mark against it. FIFA 19 is the best FIFA to date, is easily the best football sim on the market is could arguably be the best sim full stop. It’s simply fantastic. I had been looking forward to this release quite a bit, but it’s far surpassed expectations.
FIFA Bonus Fact
Do you know David Meyler? The Irish international footballer who plays for Reading in the Championship. Well, he’s a big-time FIFA player. Seriously! Meyler even streams his games on Twitch and everything. David, if you wanna stream a game with Goosed.ie, come find us.
I was wandering around Dublin there today and found myself in Urban Outfitters in Temple Bar. Straight up, I love that shop. It feeds the senses as they really stock some amazing stuff. At the same time, if you don’t come to your senses quickly in there, you’re likely wasting money. It’s not because they sell crap, but they sell stuff that’s way overpriced. Sure, if you need to get something quick, you’ll probably be willing to pay the extra, but if you can wait for delivery, you could save a fortune, picking up items like Fujifilm Instax film on the cheap along with lots of stuff that Urban Outfitters stock. I rummaged around and found just a few items that you can save a packet on by shopping around.
Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Camera
Fujifilm released their Instax camera a few years ago and this thing is damn cool. We live in a world of unlimited photos thanks to our smartphones, but this also means our snaps men less. Like, how often do you look back through your pics? Fujifilm’s Instax camera means you do have limited shots, but they’re instantly printed out and you can pop them on the fridge or lob them into a frame to be enjoyed forever. Isn’t that better?
Well, it’s at least better in some circumstances so if you’re interested in getting one of these Instax Cameras, don’t pick it up in Urban Outfitters as the Instax Mini 9 will set you back €105 while you could pick it up for just €89 on Amazon.co.uk – delivery is free. Actually, you can quite possibly find it cheaper in other stores on the high street too. A quick Google and I found the very same camera going for €89 in Conns Cameras, just a six minute walk away. Of course, I know not everyone reading this will be shopping in Dublin, but I just want to show how valuable shopping around is. You can save money by either shopping online or taking a short walk, but don’t be afraid to look around before you hand over your money.
Now, you’re going to need some film for that camera; I know, film. Crazy, right?
Cheap Film for the Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 Camera
If you find yourself in Urban Outfitters thinking about buying film for your camera, again, please stop yourself. I’ve noticed that I’m, at least, part hipster, but I hate the thought of how many people willingly pay the hipster tax in this place. It reminds me of CEX and their scandalous prices for used gadgets. If the Instax Camera pricing didn’t convince you, surely the film will. If you think about it, there are probably people who only buy their film in Urban Outfitters and every time they do, they are losing money.
Let’s take this Fujifilm Instax Mini Rainbow film which gives you ten pictures:
This pack will cost you €20 in Urban Outfitters, or €2 per picture assuming you don’t make a mess of any shots! The same pack costs just shy of €11 on Amazon – delivery is free. The same on the high street in a shop like Conns, costs you just €11.50. That’s between €1.10 and €1.15 per picture instead of €2. That’s about a 42% saving just by shopping around but also a massive saving every single time you need to buy more film.
Slightly irked by how expensive their gadgetry was, I went on the offensive and dug out some more rip offs on show in Urban Outfitters.
Grab a Much Cheaper Rose Gold iPhone Charging Cable
Yup, this place belongs in Temple Bar where the price of a pint will make a grown Irish man cry. Urban Outfitters is selling non-Apple branded rose gold iPhone charge cables for €14. You’ll get a very similar cable on Amazon for €8.
Where to Buy Cheap and Cool PopSockets
Straight up: Urban Outfitters has some really cool PopSockets. Perhaps nothing sums up the shop better than an avocado Popsocket which I actually really like.
I couldn’t find that on Amazon either, but if you want to grab a Popsocket on Amazon and pineapples are more your thing you could save €2. I’m actually gonna give this one to Urban Outfitters. They’re a good spot to visit for PopSockets. Unfortunately, this is a rare win for the shop.
Smartphone Fisheye Lens, Wide-Angle Lens and Macro Lens
First of all, be careful buying these things from anywhere. Depending on your phone, they simply might not work. For example, I’ve got the Huawei P20 Pro which uses a triple lens so a single add-on lens is of no use to me. Also be careful where you buy these things. Urban Outfitters will charge you a whopping €35 for a simple lens kit with a fisheye, wide-angle and macro lens:
Head on over to Amazon.co.uk and you’ll pick up a very similar lens kit for just €10. You can save €25 by just ordering online. I know a lot of people give out about how online is killing good old retail stores, but Urban Outfitters is praying on people unwilling to shop around. This gadget is one of the most incredible examples of that.
Is Urban Outfitters Good Value?
No. You seem to be paying some kind of tax in that shop for the privilege of shopping there. They stock some cool gear but you can buy nearly all of it online for a fraction of the cost. Be sensible, don’t impulse buy and check out online options along with other high street stores. Sorry, but some of the prices in their literally made me angry.
Anyone who has walked down the by the Docklands in Dublin would have noticed something a little odd. As part of the Dublin Smart Docklands initiative, Dublin City Council has a self-driving bus on the North Quays.
Looks mad doesn’t it? Sadly it isn’t here to stay just yet as the the EZ10 bus created by EasyMile is only here as part of the “Future of Mobility” being held in Dublin as part of European Mobility Week.
Why is this being tested?
The EZ10 driverless bus as we said is being showcased as part of the long-term “Smart Docklands” project that aims to give us a look at the future of smart travel in Dublin.
“Dublin City Council through its ‘Smart City’ programme and the ‘Smart Docklands’ testbed district is encouraging a debate on the future of transport and mobility in the city,” says Owen Keegan, Chief Executive, Dublin City Council.
The frankly odd looking EZ10 is the first driverless, electric shuttle bus, which can carry up to 15 people. The bus also comes equipped with some state of the art gadgetry including advanced cameras, processors and all the other bits and pieces needed to ensure a smooth and safe journey. The bus also comes fully equipped with a built-in access ramp for passengers with reduced mobility and there is no need for additional road infrastructure to operate the vehicle.
So it doesn’t take up any extra room, it’s environmentally friendly and it’s already in daily operation at locations in the US, Holland, China and Estonia! With Dublin, being the giant European tech hub that it is, surely it’s only a matter of time before we see these flooting down the streets of the city.
Can I have a go?
Well, probably not quite yet with the first test drives scheduled for today and tomorrow. The bus can only carry 15 people but rumour has it that there are still a few tickets available for the Saturday test spin. The shuttle route will run for nearly one kilometre with four stops in place from the Dublin Convention Centre to the 3Arena.
By the way if you are in the area for the weekend why not go and have a look for yourself as Dublin City Council and its partners will host the ‘Future Mobility Showcase’ on North Wall Quay on Saturday, September 22. There will be electric scooters, bikes and family friendly events going on throughout the day.
Would you trust a driverless bus on the streets of Dublin? Well someday soon you might not have a choice.
Iron Man suit up GIF
Ok, so this Friday in Vodafone Grafton Street, Dublin & Patrick Street, Cork will be hosting the free repair day to announce this new repair service. So if you or a mate are one of them accident prone people, get in between 12-3pm this Friday and let us know how you get on through 
With this new Fix&Go Repair Centre in Grafton Street by accredited repairs company Fónfix, Vodafone are saying that repairs will generally take maximum 3 hours. While this Friday is a free event, this will not always be the case. Right now if you bust the screen on your phone you are looking at up to a week without and a charge of over €100. This new service will be offering screen repairs from €69 plus a 1 year Vodafone guarantee.
