The incredible Lupin was split in half so we’ve only been drip fed the first half of the show so far. The second half was recently teased but has now been confirmed for release on 11 June. So there’s something worth pencilling into your diary as Assane’s quest for revenge against Hubert Pelligrini continues.
I’ve had a select number of encounters with the Resident Evil franchise. I despised Resident Evil 2 and the insistence on saving ammo and legging it past the enemy. I loved Slipknot’s My Plague theme song to the blockbuster movie from the, ultimately awful, first movie of the franchise. I started playing Resident Evil 7 but for some reason put the controller down and left it. I was torn when Resident Evil Village landed in to review. I knew I’d be spending a couple of hours in fear reviewing the game. But I have to say, I absolutely love it. Here’s why.
Resident Evil Village: What’s It About?
Resident Evil is one of those games that has a mega deep canon to follow. I’ve jumped into playing Resident Evil Village without any prior knowledge beyond what I mentioned in the opening paragraph and I still loved the game. Though I have to admit, there are some blank spots. You can watch this video safe in the knowledge that it will only improve playing Village. It’ll take thirty minutes but I recommend it.
Now that you’re up to speed, it’s time for Village. From here on in, there are some mild spoilers but hopefully nothing worse than what would be spoiled from watching the average game trailer.
Three years after the events of Resident Evil 7, you return as Ethan Winters. In the opening scene, Ethan and his wife Mia, are making dinner after their daughter Rose is put to bed. All hell breaks lose as long time Resident Evil character Chris Redfield bursts in all guns blazing. Mia Winters is left dead, Rose is taken and Ethan is chucked in the pack of an evacuation van with them all.
You take over control when that van crashes and Ethan hikes into the Romanian titular Village in search of his daughter.
The Village: Explained
In the village itself, there’s old shacks, grave galore and plenty of exploring to do. You learn that the village is run by four lords. If the story being based in Romania wasn’t enough, the characters of the lords lean heavily on the classics of the horror genre. Lady Alcina Dimitrescu is the mandatory vampire-type character required for any horror based in Romania. You’ve most likely already heard of her from her massive meme-worth when the game was announced. Who knew that a near ten-foot tall vampire would trigger online fandom.
It’s impossible to deny the classic horror-movie nods made in Village
Karl Heisenberg, another of the lords, plays a Dr. Frankenstein type character with telekinetic powers. Donna Beneviento is somewhat Chucky-like and I’ll be honest when I say, I’m not entirely sure how Salvatore Moreau fits into my logic of the hour classics, but I’ll be damned if I’m letting it ruin my point.
Resident Evil Village: Completed Opinion
Plenty of reviews online will talk about the game as part of the overall Resident Evil canon but I’m afraid I’m useless here. I’m picking this game up as almost a newbie, so all of the game play is new to me.
Story
Coming in somewhat cold to Village, I still thoroughly enjoyed the story-telling of the game. I didn’t feel overwhelmed or lost at all. Just a few minutes after completing the game, I popped onto YouTube to find that video I’ve shared above. I’m a bit peeved at myself for not watching this first as I feel being up to speed would have vastly improved an already brilliant game.
Resi Village: Launch Trailer
If you want more trailers and open yourself to more spoilers, go looking for them. You’ll not find them here.
That said, I really have to admit the story is compelling to the point where I played and completed the game in three sittings between Friday and Sunday. So gripping was the story that I found myself at 2AM, slightly shaken, but deciding to stop at a save point instead of ploughing on. I was never stuck or left feeling like I couldn’t somewhat easily work out a problem or find a boss’s weakness.
How Long Does Resident Evil Take To Beat?
I’m a totally average gamer and Resident Evil Village took me just over ten hours to beat. Most above average gamers will probably do it in just under ten hours.
The world of the game is fairly explorable and I would even say somewhat replayable to find all the nooks and crannies where something could be hidden.
Gameplay
The vast majority of the game is played out in the first-person view of Ethan Winters.
Unlike Resi games of old, I didn’t find myself struggling with ammunition management. I will admit to playing through most of my review on “Standard” difficulty before having to drop to “Casual” towards the end. This may have influenced the ammo load-outs. One thing to note though. If like me, you do turn your game difficulty down a notch to pass a boss or something, there’s no going back up.
Regardless, my only prior experience of the franchise was having to survive without ammo and that just doesn’t suit my style. The first few kills are tense as you load round upon round into the attacking Lycans, but after a few upgrades, you take them in your stride. After a while, killing becomes second nature. While there are a few jumps I thoroughly enjoyed where the game landed between shoot ’em up and adventure game.
If that still sounds like your cup of tea, Village is still on the purchase list. Let’s keep digging.
Mechanics
As I’ve alluded to, throughout the game, you do get to upgrade your weapons and even acquire new ones. A special, and rather rotund, character in the game known as the Duke, will sell you items. He’ll sell you anything from weapons to health kits as long as you have the cash. You get gather items in the game and sell them to Duke in order to raise funds.
Pro-tip: The game will stores “key items” separately so you can’t sell something important to continue with the game. If the Duke will buy it and you don’t want it, sell it.
One other fear I had from my original, and very short, Resi days, was saving. I feared I’d be limited to saving only when I had an ink ribbon but thankfully that’s gone. Any time you find a typewriter in the game, save to your heart’s content.
Overall, the gameplay lends itself to Resident Evil Village striking an amazing balance between storytelling and being fun to play while remaining challenging. There is also a special Mercenaries Mode which I’ve yet to test out.
Puzzles
Another of the features I do recall from Resident Evil games of old is the odd puzzle. Village is littered with some of these and I have to say they did leave me feeling a little more intelligent than I am. Between solving music boxes to beating bosses, some of the puzzles are arguably a little too simplistic. I wasn’t stumped for too long, but I guess if that sounds off putting to you, ramp up the difficulty levels and you’ll get your fill of gameplay challenges.
Verdict: Is Resident Evil Village Worth Buying?
My excited for Village was muted purely based on the knowledge that the game was about to scare the life out of me for a few days. Still, as scary as the game is in parts it’s extremely playable and enjoyable even if you have mediocre gaming abilities like I do. There are very few titles available on the PlayStation 5 at the minute that cam truly claim the title of “PS5 Game”. While I enjoyed Returnal and couldn’t help but noticed the draw to come back into the game for more, Village just left me craving more hours in the day.
With ten hours of gameplay clocked up, I’ve completed and thoroughly enjoyed Resident Evil Village to the point where I might go back and try a new difficulty. I’ll definitely go and give Mercenaries Mode a lash.
For €69.99, Village is money well spent. The story is great and the gameplay enjoyable and challenging yet not off-putting. It’s an all-round winner.
Resident Evil Village is available now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S and Steam.
We’ve scoured the internet for the most asked questions about the game to help you weigh up your purchase.
Is Resident Evil Village coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Yes. Resident Evil Village is not a next-gen exclusive and is available for last-gen consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One.
Is Resident Evil Village multiplayer?
Not really. The game itself is a single player campaign. Capcom is, however, releasing Re:Verse for online multiplayer. This was originally planned to launch with Village but has been delayed.
Is Village an open-world game?
Kind of, yes. You are free to explore the Romanian Village but certain parts are only unlocked as you progress through the game. There’s limited value in wandering outside of the game’s story.
Will Village be on Game Pass?
Nope. Afraid not. Don’t expect to see Village on Game Pass until 2022 at the earliest.
I’ve been following the whole U-Mask saga for the past couple of months. A popular Italian face mask, designed to protect the wearer and others, being banned because of doubts over claims the product made, particularly about being a medical-grade device. The U-Mask website confirms that a new U-Mask Model 2.2 is about to go back on sale. It looks the very same as the controversial U-Mask 2.1, costs the same as the Model 2.1 but is no longer considered a medical device.
The U-Mask Model 2.2
The new U-Mask Model 2.2 looks just like the U-Mask Model 2.1 that I reviewed a while back. It still uses non-sensical jargon to wow potential buyers. Maybe this non-sense won me over a bit when I originally bought my first mask. Language like this product being an “innovative, biotech, reusable face mask that bidirectionally counteracts the passage of external microorganisms and neutralises them for up to 200 hours of respiratory use, thanks to its Biolayer” is enough to make me thing these people know what they’re doing.
After all, the mask is still incredibly comfortable and meets the requirement of being a face covering.
But, what about the medical grading?
U-Mask: No Longer Medical Grade
In answering questions posed by Goosed.ie, U-Mask stated, “on March 26, 2021, the Italian Ministry of Health prohibited the placing on the market of U-Mask 2.1 and ordered the withdrawal of the product within Italy. We consider this provision illegal and, therefore, we have acted immediately to protect our rights and interests in the relevant offices. The U-Mask fully complies with International laws and regulations. Following independent, international laboratory testing, we can confirm that all our masks are safe and effective”.
Previously, U-Mask had claimed their Model 2.1 to be medical grade equipment. Now, their certifications section has been updated to say the U-Mask Model 2.2 “is not classified as PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)”, nor is it “certified as a MD (Medical Device)”.
It’s a big of a cop out from the mask maker. Yes, this was always the easiest answer given that anyone can make a mask and sell it. Making medical grade equipment is a different story. The claims the company had made in the past were the reason I bought these masks. In releasing the U-Mask Model 2.2 without medical grade or PPE certifications, U-Mask has fallen dramatically short of their more recent statements of belief in their product.
And here’s the best bit.
A Lesser Mask For The Same Price
You can now pre-order the new U-Mask Model 2.2 which even come in colours named “Pretender” and “Amnesia” which seem to be ill-timed jokes by the company. I say that because you’d want to have a short memory to not realise you’re paying the same price for masks promising a lot less.
The original masks I purchased which claimed to be medical grade PPE cost €39. The same price as this new face coverings which are not classed as medical grade devices.
Will I still buy one? Possibly. I need new filters for my U-Mask and they do remain comfortable face coverings to wear. However, I’m shocked that the company has not reduced the price of their product to align with the fact they are no longer medical-grade devices.
The term “Smart Speaker” is one that went out of use almost as quickly as it came in. From day one people ignored the real title and started calling them Google Homes or Alexas (which isn’t even the name of the device!) regardless of whether they were even made by Google or Amazon in the first place. However, in our ever-more connected world, these devices are more and more being referred to as Speakers. The Smart label isn’t necessary anymore as increasing numbers of audio devices have some kind of Smart function built-in. My girlfriend and I recently had a conversation as to whether we’d be an Echo household or a Google Home household and, in the end, we settled on Google. That discussion was helped along by the lovely JBL Link Music that I received from our friends at The Sound Dome. It’s the best smart speaker experience I’ve ever had and I’m here to tell you why.
Out of the Box
Setting this speaker up isn’t unique to the device itself. It runs on Google’s Home platform and they are the ones to thank for the seamless, near-automatic process. I literally plugged the speaker in, saw a notification pop up on my phone (I’m using Android, Apple users may get different mileage) and I was away. The only thing I had to do was change the name and assign the speaker to a particular room in my house. In contrast, trying to set up an Amazon Echo device is an involved process that takes quite a bit of time to get to grips with. Even a side-by-side comparison of the home screen for the two ecosystems shows a clear winner in terms of useability. With Google, everything you need is right there, whereas Alexa hides all your devices and commands in sub-menus.
Google on the left; Amazon on the right
They say the room that adds the most value to a house is the kitchen and a similar principle can be applied to Smart Speakers. That’s where you’ll get the most value from them. They were made for the kitchen counter. Whether you want to set timers for cooking, play music or podcasts while doing the dishes, or use the kitchen as the central nervous system of your lights and appliances, you’d be hard-pressed to finds a room where they are more appreciated. That’s where I set up the JBL Link Music and it works a treat.
Everything Just Works
Something the JBL Link Music offers over our old Echo is its sensitivity to voice commands. Even while playing music, all you need to say is “Hey Google” and it responds without any issues. The timers are simple to name and set up, and the alarms are always clear and easy to recognise. In comparison, if an Echo is playing music at any volume above a whisper you have to practically shout at it to get it to respond. It’s funny the first time you jokingly get angry at Alexa for ignoring you, not so funny the 20th time. There have even been times when our Echo will acknowledge our request but refuse to carry out a command. “Alexa, turn off the lamp” “Ok”, the lamp remains on. I’ve never had that problem with any Google device.
While not a deal-breaker for many, it’s always nice when your devices look well and fit with the rest of your home’s aesthetic. Gone are the days when a guest would see your sound system and assume your speakers are good because they’re big. The JBL Link Music has a beautiful, modern design that screams “Premium”. Even the experience of taking it out of the box is a joy. Soft padding and individual compartments let you know straight away that this is a top-of-the-line gadget. If you feel it’s a little too grown up for you, check out our latest review of the JBL Pulse 4.
How does it Sound?
Of course, the most important aspect of any speaker is the sound. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how Smart or good-looking a device is if it can’t produce high-quality audio. I’m happy to report that the JBL Link Music is one of the best speakers I’ve had the pleasure to use. Its size really lends itself to deep earthy basses without crackling and the highs are crystal clear. The Google Home app also lets you set your own EQ balance as well so you can fully optimise the speaker to its environment.
This thing is loud too. Living in an apartment complex we’re always conscious of our noise levels so the JBL Link Music has rarely been over 50% volume. Even then it’s more than enough to hear throughout our home and even when we’re outside on the balcony. Again, even at high volumes, the sound performs wonderfully with no breaking of the signal and no overload on the internals at all. In comparison, if an Echo Dot is above 50% volume, it will noticeably struggle to get the sound out of its speakers. It will crackle and vibrate until there’s a not-insignificant amount of loss in quality.
The Goosed Verdict
This speaker will blow you away. If not with sound, then with just how much better it is over its non-Smart counterparts. The audio range is phenomenal for a speaker of its size and it never struggles whether you’re listening to podcasts, lo-fi hip hop, or the latest Royal Blood album. The Google Home integration makes it the ultimate “plug and play” smart speaker. You can find it online from our friends at The Sound Dome right now.
I’m hooked. I can’t quite explain why the whole Clubhouse phenomenon passed me by without much interest, but Twitter Spaces has me hooked. This week, the social media giant Twitter announced that they were opening up their Spaces feature to anyone with over 600 followers. I’ve been floating between rooms for a couple of days now and have had one complaint. It’s really hard to actually find conversations to join.
I’ve just discovered on little trick that helps you search for and find all current active Twitter Spaces.
Finding Active Twitter Spaces
Spaces is still a little buggy and does have a bit of a rushed feel to it. For this reason, Twitter ironically doesn’t have a dedicated space in their app for Spaces. Writing is hard sometimes.
There is, however, a work around. So far, I’ve been finding rooms by searching for “spaces”, “#TwitterSpaces” or something along those lines. The search results bring a lot more people complaining about not being able to host than actually conversations to join. However, with some tweaks, the search results will return nothing but Twitter Spaces to join.
How To Search For Twitter Spaces
Open the Twitter app
Click on the search bar
Copy this and paste:
twitter.com/i/spaces
Hit enter
Switch from “Top” to “Latest”
Now, you’ll see the latest active Twitter Spaces in chronological order. Look at how pretty it is:
For me, this is a game changer. With this, it’s much easier to find conversations and jump in for chats.
Technology isn’t always about 5G and wireless charging. 5G may have been a poor choice to start this article with, but let’s keep going. Today, Lidl announced that they would start selling rapid COVID-19 antigen tests across the country. One of the more welcome items in the “weird aisle”, these “peace of mind” tests are a great addition to Ireland’s new reopening plan. The tests are not recognised for travel or as reliable as PCR tests used by the HSE, but they can offer a quick test to check for COVID-19. I actually used one of these over the Christmas period so here’s everything you need to know.
Are The Government Providing Free COVID-19 Testing?
Right now, you can indeed get referred by your GP for free COVID-19 PCR testing should you display any symptoms. If you do not have any symptoms, you can attend a walk-in test centre if you have one nearby. If you can’t do either of these, your options are private testing or antigen testing.
What Is Antigen Testing?
Unlike PCR testing, antigen tests do not need to go to a lab and can be administered at home. These are also referred to as “rapid diagnostic tests” or RADTs.
Where Can I Buy A COVID-19 Antigen Test?
From May 7th, Lidl will be selling COVID-19 antigen tests in their 168 stores nationwide. A pack of five tests will set you back €24.99 and due to an expected large demand, each customer will be limited to purchasing five packs of test each. That means you can purchase a total of 25 tests for €125.
I gave a quick look online for other websites selling similar antigen tests where packs of ten would cost you €130, so Lidl is offering these at a very reasonable price.
From 7th May we will be selling antigen tests across all 168 stores in Ireland. With a max limit of 5 packs per customer, they will go on sale for €24.99 per pack. Each pack contains 5 test kits.
No test for COVID-19 is 100% accurate. All we have is a range of tests capable of indicating some additional insights into our health. Antigen testing is not as accurate as the PCR test, which is a requirement for international travel and arrival in Ireland. Antigen testing can struggle to identify cases of COVID-19 where symptoms are not present.
Antigen testing can also have benefits over the most sensitive PCR testing. Check out these great video Alex shared.
The idea behind antigen tests is that testing more regularly, even with the lower accuracy of antigen tests, can help us all better understand when we should isolate and/or get a PCR test. Antigen tests are often referred to as “peace of mind” tests because they are more accessible than PCR tests and provide a quick confirmation that you’re unlikely to have COVID-19.
I have to stress, antigen tests are not as accurate in detecting COVID-19 and are not a substitute for social distancing, wearing a mask and washing your hands along with following all government guidelines.
The Lidl COVID-19 Antigen Test
The test Lidl will be stocking has to be considered one of the coolest pieces of technology we’ve seen in a while. Manufactured by Boson Biotech, the test lets you live the life of a full-on scientist in your own home! While that’s very cool, there are some important steps you need to take to look after your test but also to ensure you give it the best chance of detecting COVID-19 if you are sick.
How To Store A COVID-19 Antigen Test
First of all, as soon as you buy your test and bring it home, it’s important you store it right. Every test is good for about 18-months once stored correctly at room temperature.
What Is In The Lidl Test Kit
A Boson Biotech Kit 1N40C5 – Similar to the one in Lidl
When you open the Boson Biotech kit, you’ll find a few bits and pieces inside. Included is:
Sealed long medical swab
Extraction tube
Extraction liquid
Sealed test strip
Instructions
Along with these items, you’ll also need some tissues and cleaning products for your work surface and hands. Also, one item missing from these kits is a stand for the extraction tube. Be sure to find something to hold the tube before you start.
Once you’ve identified all of these items, it’s time to get testing.
How To Use A Lidl COVID-19 Antigen Test
You can carry out the test on your own, but I personally found it easier to have someone help me. One of the reasons being that they really need to “get in there” with the swab and someone else will likely do a better job with the angles than you will!
Once your ready to start here’s what you need to do.
Starting The Swab Process
Clear a space on your table and give it a good clean.
Wash and sanitise your hands
Stand the extraction tube somewhere
Open the sealed test strip
Open the extraction fluid
Pour the extraction fluid into the extraction tube
Take a tissue and blow your nose
Wash and dry your hands again. You can also use hand sanitiser
Open the long swab package ensuring you don’t touch the soft tip
Next is the highlight of the show. Taking the sample, so let’s break.
How To Take An Antigen Swab Sample
This is the bit some people might not like. I’ve had a wide variety of people shove swabs up my nose and down my throat, from my better half to big burly soldiers. None of them has done me any harm. At worst, it feels a little uncomfortable but it’s really important to do this bit right.
For these tests available from Lidl, you need to swap the back of your throat and you need to take a nasal swab too It’s important the tip does not touch your teeth, tongue or gums.Look for the tonsils or where they would have been.
Open your mouth wide
Swab your tonsils or where your tonsils should have been
Swab the area 4 times
Using the same swab, you now need to swab the inside of your nose
Insert the swab into your nose until you feel resistance
This will be about an inch but less for kids
Give it a ten swivels in place and then remove
Testing Your Swab
Now that you’ve done all of that it’s time to finalise the test.
Open the extraction tube
Place the swab into the tube
Swivel it in the fluid for 15-seconds
Pinch the tube to “grab” the swab
Pull the swab through the pinched tube
This ensures all fluid is removed from the swab
Close the extraction tube again
The extraction tube will let you apply droplets of your test sample to the test strip
Apply two drops to the section marked “S” on the test strip
Set a timer for 20-minutes
Interpreting Your Antigen Result
How to understand the antigen test results
Now that you’ve done all that and waited for the full 20-minutes, it’s time to take a look at your test result. If you see just the one line beside the “C”, your result is negative. Two lines, one on “C” and one on “T”, means your result is positive for COVID-19.
What To Do When Antigen Test Is Negative
If your result is negative, its important to remember that these tests are not 100% accurate and not as accurate as PCR tests. A negative result isn’t a guarantee you are free COVID-19. It’s crucial that even with a negative test you adhere to all government guidelines, practice social distancing, wear a mask and try to stay in well ventilated areas, preferably outdoors.
Me with my negative antigen test, similar to the one Lidl is selling
What To Do When Antigen Test Is Positive
Antigen testing can produce false positives. However, you should assume the test is accurate in the event your result is positive. This means the test has identified COVID-19 in your test. The HSE suggests that should someone have a positive antigen test, they should self-isolate. But this isn’t really for a test scenario where you’ve bought a kit to do at home yourself. In the UK, guidance is that your whole home should isolate together, which makes sense. After seeking clarity from the HSE we were told the following:
In the event of someone having a positive antigen test at home, “they should immediately self isolate and contact their GP for a confirmatory PCR test. They should take the PCR result as the confirmed result”.
Regarding a scenario where an antigen test is positive in the a multi-person home, “they would be considered close contacts and should follow that guidance (which is to restrict movements) until the PCR result returns and then act in accordance with that result”.
What To Do When Antigen Test Is Something Else
These tests can also just fail. If you get a single line on “T” or no lines at all, the test has failed.
Watch: How To Do A COVID-19 Antigen Test
In this video from the UK Department of Health and Social Care, you get to see a similar kit being used to administer a home antigen test. It’s not quite the same kit you can buy from Lidl, but it’s similar. Well worth a look before you do your test.
Update: Holohan Concerned With Lidl Selling Antigen Tests
At today’s Department of Health briefing, Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan, when questioned about Lidl selling antigen tests, said he was “very concerned” about people purchasing antigen tests and believing they are completely free from COVID-19. Holohan said he wouldn’t comment on supermarkets selling the tests as they were free to do so, but said it’s important we understand what people do with the tests.
While Holohan believed there is a place for antigen tests, their use should only be in a controlled environment according to the CMO. The risk these tests bring are false reassurances and Holohan went so far as to say they are “strongly advising people – don’t buy these and don’t use them”.
Updates: This article was updated 7/5/2021 to reflect guidance for home antigen tests and comments from CMO on antigen testing.
There’s something I’ve noticed more and more when ordering from restaurants on Just Eat or Deliveroo. In the delivery, there’s a little flyer often saying something like “order directly with us and save 20%”. With high commission rates to delivery services like Deliveroo, restaurants are setting up their own apps, powered by Flipdish. Today, Flipdish has shone some light on Ireland’s favourite foods during lockdown.
Ireland’s Favourite Takeaway Food
Flipdish have mined the data of nearly 1.4 million food orders to find we really love chipper. This isn’t just Flipdish’s data either. I can support it with a stack of receipts and a rather big belly.
Here’s the full breakdown.
1. Chipper – 26%
2. Chinese/ Thai – 11%
3. Pizza – 11%
4. Restaurant/Bar/Grill – 8%
5. Burgers – 4%
6. Indian – 3%
7. Sushi – 2%
8. Lunch/Deli – 2%
9. Butcher – 1%
10. Greek – 1%
11. Grocery – 1%
12. Bread – 1%
Popular Single Items
In terms of single item’s ordered, it’s no surprise that chips tops the list. I’m a demon for getting chips, fries, patatas bravas, pommel or what ever you want to call them delivered to my door. There’s always an excuse that can be made!
Sauce was next on the list. Considering most of us have the staples like ketchup at home, it was curry and garlic sauce to top this list.
1. Chips – 19%
2. Sauce – 15%
3. Burger – 15%
4. Pizza – 6%
5. Sausage – 6%
6. Coca Cola – 5%
7. Kebab – 4%
8. Curry – 4%
9. Fish – 3%
10. Milkshake – 3%
11. Snack Box – 2%
12. Onion rings – 2%
My only question is around battered sausages which don’t seem to have made the cut. I find this extremely unlikely and assume they’ve been rolled into regular sausages in this data set.
So, anything here look familiar? Thinking of grabbing a chipper later? You’re not alone.
More About Flipdish
There’s a chance you’ve used Flipdish without knowing. Instead of ordering through an aggregator site like Just Eat or Deliveroo, you download an app for your favourite chipper or take away.
Speaking today on the release of the survey results, Conor McCarthy, CEO and Co-Founder of Flipdish said “this survey demonstrates the great number of people using their favourite restaurants’ own website to order their preferred food and the benefits it has for restaurant owners during this unprecedented time. In total, over the third lockdown period, there have been just shy of 1.4 million orders placed in lockdown 3 using Flipdish technology”.
So the next time you see that leaflet in the bag, it might be time to get downloading.
This data was sourced from Flipdish, upon a study of orders conducted through its platform between December 20th, 2020 to April 28th, 2021.
I’ve just journeyed to the middle of Twitter Spaces to test it out and see how it can be used. Like anyone who needs to learn anything about anything, I jumped in with an expert to learn from the best. Samatha Kelly, also known as the Tweeting Goddess, hosted a fantastic Twitter Space this evening and with the help of Joselin Mane, gave a fantastic tour of what you can do with this new feature.
What Is Twitter Spaces?
Twitter Spaces is a shared social media area where people can listen to a panel of speakers. When you join a Space, you can request to become a speaker, joining the panel for discussion.
Podcasting has enjoyed a big couple of years. The audio-only format has a certain appeal to it. It has effectively challenged an entire industry; radio. Clubhouse, an iOS-only platform similar to Twitter Spaces flew to the top of the download charts earlier this year but has since had an interest collapse. This was perhaps owing to the platform’s slow adoption of Android which is only now in beta. There’s also the ever prevalent issue smaller platforms have with them really just being a a simple feature for a social media giant to develop.
This is what Twitter has done.
Why Should You Care About Twitter Spaces?
Spaces have the potential to save Twitter. The social media giant has experienced some of the most turbulent years of its existence recently. The rise of right-wing propaganda and sock-puppet accounts have left many disillusioned with social media. This particular aspect has been a big issue on Twitter but Spaces removes the anonymity to a certain degree. Also, because only Twitter users with over 600 followers can participate, accounts need to have a bit of history and peer acceptance before they can be heard.
How To Use Twitter Spaces
To get cracking with Twitter Spaces there are a few must haves. You’ll need:
A Twitter account
A smartphone or tablet
Over 600 followers
From here you can either join or start a Twitter Space.
Get The Most From Twitter Spaces
The benefit of joining experts like Samantha and Joselin is that you immediately get the pro-tips who’ve been beta testing the platform for some time.
Speak Or Listen
When you join a Space, you will be listening (unless you’re the host). You can request to become a speaker but then it’s up to the host to decide if you can contribute. Samantha suggests keeping your Twitter bio fresh and compelling along with avoiding anything that might put people off. You’re going to be judged quickly as the host is busy so make it good.
Emojis
You can contribute something no matter what your status in the Space. Even if you’re listening, you have access to the emojis. You can react with any of these during your Space’s run time and even adjust skin tone to match your preference. Joselin points out, if you’re a host, you even have the right emojis here to play rock, paper scissors.
Sharing
When you’re in a Space, you can share the hell out of it! Invite others by DM, Tweet it to your followers and copy the link to share on other platforms. Discoverability seems to be the big weak point for Twitter in their battle with Clubhouse. It won’t be the Achilles heel for Twitter though as people are already finding ways to find the best Spaces. I’ve saved several searches with Spaces + gaming or Spaces + tech.
Closed Captions
Instead of being a nice feature to be added later, fair play to Twitter who’ve launched Spaces with a great accessibility feature in close captions. Hit the three-dot menu button and you’ll be able to activate this. If you’re the host, be sure to point this out to everyone in the Space.
Twitter Spaces isn’t widely available for absolutely everyone, but if you do have a following this is a great chance to get out and try something new. Personally, I’m looking forward to hosting some Spaces myself. I’m wasting no time either. Join me and Bob from the Dublin Smartphone Film Festival tomorrow at 6PM IST (May 5th) for The Tech Space. Follow Goosed on Twitter so you don’t miss out!
A glitch appeared in the TikTok app tonight. I’ve spotted it on iPhone 12, but it’s clear from Downdetector that mentions of app issues are widespread for the fledgling social media network.
The glitch is likely to alarm some creators, including popular Irish TikTokers who’ve grown sizeable followings, over the past year in particular. After opening the app, creators are seeing their follower count sitting at zero. As soon as they try and do anything, the app asks for you to confirm your date of birth and this loop goes on and on.
It’s unclear what has caused the issues within the app but it’s likely to be fixed shortly. Naturally, I’d predict that your follower counts are safe and that they’ll be returned to normal once TikTok sorts everything out. Probably.
For now, either kick back with a movie or keep frantically refreshing. Hell, if you really want to you could check our Reels on Instagram. Only kidding, we all know you won’t do that.
Today, Sony has announced that next year will see a new partnership of PlayStation and the community platform, Discord. In a blog post on their website today, Sony European boss Jim Ryan says he believed the partnership will pave the way to “enable players around the world to connect with one another”.
While it’ll be next year before this is something we can play with, Ryan said both Sony and Discord “are already hard at work connecting Discord with your social and gaming experience on PlayStation Network. Our goal is to bring the Discord and PlayStation experiences closer together on console and mobile starting early next year, allowing friends, groups, and communities to hang out, have fun, and communicate more easily while playing games together”.
With over 140 million active users every month, Discord integration will be a significant step for the console claiming to be “for the players”.
If you want to get up and running on Discord, we’ve just soft-launched our own Discord for all your tech chat needs. Come on in and say hi!
