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How To Play An Online Poker Game With Friends In Isolation

Marty
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How To Play An Online Poker Game With Friends In Isolation

Not to long ago, we made a commitment to not promoting gambling. However, during the week a lost a few bob while playing poker with some friends. It absolutely wasn’t about the gambling. We had all played poker together before, though we hadn’t played in a few months. With everyone in isolation, we realised everyone wanted a bit of a break with the lads. Organising an online poker game together would tick that box.

What You Need To Organise An Online Poker Party

To play a game of poker online with your friends really doesn’t need a whole lot. You will need:

  • A laptop
  • Pokerstars
  • Video calling software/apps
  • Smartphone optional
  • Revolut optional
  • Cans

I’m sure there are countless variants on the way we played our game, but I’m just going to discuss that one because it worked well. It worked so well that I lost money in not one, but two games. More importantly, I can’t blame the software. It was all my terrible poker skills, but still, the craic was had.

Anyway, here’s how you get your game of poker going with friends.

Laptop

For the setup we had, I’m afraid this one is unavoidable. I’ll chat about Pokerstars in a second, but long story short, the Pokerstars platform a laptop. There is a mobile app, but it won’t allow for private parties.

Pokerstars

As I said, I’m sure other platforms offer the same things we were looking for but Pokerstars was where we ended up. The essential things for us were:

  1. Private table
  2. Free

Actually I think that’s it. Event the free bit was optional really but why pay for something when you don’t have to. Keep all your cash for the pot!

You will need to download and install Pokerstars either for PC or Mac depending on what laptop you have. Sign up for a Pokerstars account online and then, once you’ve downloaded and installed the software, log into your account.

Once the Pokerstars program opens, look for the “Home Game” option on the right-hand-side menu. If you’re the organiser, you’ll need to create a club to click that option. Give your club a name and a unique code which you’ll then send to your friends.

Once you’ve done this you’ll now be able to manage your poker club. Click “Manage Games” and “Create a Tournament”. Next, you’ll need to create the usual rules of your game. Give this some thought because unlike a game of poker in your mate’s gaff, things here are going to be military precision. There’s no forgetting blind increases or starting at 8.30 pm even though you all agreed 8 pm. The most important thing you need to change here is currency. This should be “play money”. Leave it at the lowest amount. Players don’t have infinite amounts of play money so keeping this low meant we could play a second game.

With that done, it was time to work on the more social side of the game.

Best Video Calling App For Poker

We opted to use Zoom for our game. I’ve bought a month’s subscription to Zoom Premium for €17 given how much I expect to be using it. It worked perfectly for us given we could switch to gallery mode and see every player. That’s great if you’re looking for some online tells!

playing online poker with video conferencing
Our first game of poker just after I got knocked out.

Now, of course you could play without video but the whole idea here is to hang out with your friends and get some social time in isolation.

You don’t have to use Zoom Premium either. Zoom has a free option which works brilliantly. The only catch is that you’ll need to restart the call after 40 minutes. I’d recommend getting everyone to chip in for Premium but really, you don’t have to. Also, there are alternatives. You can also use Skype, Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts to get the same effect.

Smartphone Optional

I say smartphone optional because it really depends. I’m lucky enough to be using a 15-inch MacBook so I have a lot of screen. Having poker on one half and the video conference on the other half. If you have a smaller screen or just prefer to focus on the poker, I’d recommend using your video conferencing app on your phone. Regardless of which platform you and your friends choose it’ll likely work on mobile or a tablet too.

Revolut Optional

Again this is optional, but Revolut makes all of this so much easier. Once you have your winner, you transfer your buy in to their account. It just makes for easier transfers and faster confirmation that everyone has paid up. Naturally, this wasn’t a problem for our group, but if everyone is using Revolut you can even transfer to the organisers account before everyone plays and they can divvy the cash our afterwards.

Cans

Like, it’s poker. You’ll need a few cans, right?

What I Learned From My First Game Of Isolation Poker

What stood out to me was just how much like a regular game it was. As always, the poker didn’t take centre stage at all. As always, the focus of the evening was chatting, ripping the piss out of each other and finding out how everyone is getting along in isolation.

While it doesn’t match the face-to-face game, there are some big benefits too. You don’t need to worry about counting your chips, shuffling cards or being the dealer. However, as I mentioned earlier, you play by the rules to a tee. We struggled to get everyone into the first game on time. For example, I was still making dinner and there was no option to pause. So get people to join early.

At the outset, I reminded you that Goosed.ie took at the stance not to support gambling websites any more and we’re still standing by that. However, this was such a social thing it’s impossible to see it as gambling. I’ve been asked by a few people since “how to set up a game of poker in isolation” so I felt compelled to write this.

Planning your own game? Give us a shout on Instagram and tag us along with your mates. Enjoy! Any don’t lose the house. Only play for fun and amounts you can afford to lose.

How To Get Snapchat Filters In Zoom And Microsoft Teams

Marty
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0
How To Get Snapchat Filters In Zoom And Microsoft Teams

Working from home. We’ve heard a lot of this in the past few weeks. There have been articles galore online including some bits from us too. Working from home means a seemingly endless stream of video calls with colleagues. Video calls aren’t all that bad. Personally, I’ve been astonished by how far video calling technology has come in recent years, even if webcams themselves have left people working out how to use an iPhone as a webcam. However, it’s not always the most creative or fun way of interacting with your workmates. Do you know what is fun and creative? Snapchat. And you can marry the filters of Snapchat with boring video conference software.

Having Fun With Video Conferencing Software

If your company is using Zoom, you can already have a little bit of fun. Zoom lets you have a virtual background. Now, while these things are great craic, they’re also great if you don’t have time to clean your kitchen before you have a video call. You don’t need a green screen or anything either. Basically, the software uses AI to determine what you are and then lets you replace your background with videos or beaches, still images from around the world or an image you upload yourself.

Once you have the necessary hardware, here’s how you do it.

When you’re in your meeting select the video options in the bottom left corner. When that menu pops up, select Virtual Background.

This will open a new menu where you simply pick the background you want. Some are videos. You’ll also have the option of adding your own picture by hitting the plus in the top right corner.

And there you have it. You can now swap out your backgrounds, hide the mess and have a bit of craic. Unfortunately, similar features haven’t found their way into Microsoft Teams which just lets you blur the background.

So, now for the real fun.

Use Snapchat Filters With Zoom And Teams

Snapchat’s popularity has been up and down over the past few years. But they’ve been working hard to branch out into many different businesses and models to try and secure a future. One of these is Snap Camera. The people behind Snapchat hit gold when it came to using AR in their filters and “lenses”. Content became more enjoyable and incredibly shareable. Snap Camera brings the best of Snapchat’s filters and AR lenses to video streams hosted through PC and Mac. Here’s how you get up and running.

What You’ll Need To Get Snapchat Filters On Zoom And Teams

First thing’s first. You’ll need a laptop. This won’t work on iPhone, iPad or on Android phones or tablets. Next, you’ll need to download Snap Camera. Finally, you need to be able to install the software on your laptop. This may be a problem.

If you work in a company who takes security in any way seriously, you won’t be allowed to install software on your laptop. But, you can easily install Zoom or Teams on a personal laptop and dial into a call for the craic. And more and more Teams and Zoom are being used for pints given the current scenario in Ireland and indeed the wider world.

Once installed, you can open Snap Camera and pick from a load of Snapchat filters and lenses and whatnot.

Marty as a potato using Snap Camera.

My go-to favourite filter is the potato. However, Snap Camera lets you do so much more and even lets you make your own. But that’s for you to explore. Next, I’m going to show you how to make all of this work with Zoom and Teams.

Getting Snapchat Filters Into Teams and Zoom

Once you understand what’s happening here, it makes things much easier. Normally, Zoom and Teams connect to your webcam. But when you start Snap Camera, it creates a virtual webcam. Basically, your laptop webcam still works but Snap Camera acts as a middle man between your webcam and your video conferencing software. All you need to do now to get things working is select Snap Camera as your webcam within Teams or Zoom.

Setting Webcam In Zoom

In Zoom, you need to hit the arrow beside the video camera icon in the bottom left corner. Once you click this, you’ll see a menu popup with your laptops default webcam and Snap Camera.

Boom. You’re a potato.

Setting Webcam In Teams

It’s the same logic for teams. With teams open on your laptop, click your profile picture in the top right corner. From the menu that appears, select “Settings”. Once settings opens up, you’ll see an option for devices on the left-hand side.

Finally, look towards the bottom for Camera and the dropdown menu. Here, you’ll be able to pick Snap Camera.

Once you have that done, you can start your video conference. If something serious comes up or the CEO jumps into the call, just repeat these steps and select your default camera. Don’t forget you can also open the Snap Camera program on your laptop and cycle through filters and lenses while on the video call too!

Have you done this and had a laugh? Tag Goosed.ie in your Instagram stories and we’ll share the love. We can all do with the little lifts, however silly, that tech can give us.

Has Houseparty Been Hacked?

Marty
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0
Has Houseparty Been Hacked?

My phone beeped quite a few times yesterday. Text messages with people asking me if Houseparty, the popular isolation communication app, has been hacked. My response was simple. Maybe. The app was fairly rushed to market and there may have been some corners cut. My advice was to uninstall it and I’d look into it. Little did I know that the furore online far surpassed the somewhat calm text messages I was getting. This thing should be a documentary that beats the madness of Tiger King.

Age Of Misinformation

I don’t know why this happens. Maybe it’s the Illuminati or something like that. But every time something winds up as part of a trend it seems to follow a consistent pattern. It goes something like:

  • Early adopters try it out
  • Burst in popularity (virality)
  • Widespread adoption
  • Sudden distrust
  • Meh usage

Now, there’s not a whole lot of science in my findings. Some might say they’re a touch on the side of anecdotal. However, Houseparty certain fits this path. First of all, let’s look at the accusations.

Houseparty Users Claim They’ve Been Hacked

Users are finding a correlation between their downloading of the Houseparty app and the consequent hacking of their Spotify accounts.

This user is not alone with many others claiming they’ve had logins from Russia appearing on the account. The Houseparty creators deny that any data has been compromised.

Now, I don’t have the technical know-how to tell you if this app has been hacked or not, but my gut reaction would be to say it’s unlikely. Here’s my logic.

Who Is Behind Houseparty?

My initial thoughts on Houseparty were that it was developed by some developer in their bedroom. While it’s not obvious from the Houseparty website, this app is actually owned by Epic Games. Epic Games are no hacks (pun not really intended).

Founded in 1991, Epic Games is today perhaps best known as being the creator of Fortnite and Gears of War. I do know that this isn’t a free pass out of “we fucked up ville”, but it’s important we know who’s being accused of creating an app which is being hacked, leading to users’ Spotify being taken over. It’s not just a wee company somewhere. It’s one of the biggest gaming and development companies in the world.

What Have The Houseparty App Creators Said?

The app creators have absolutely come out swinging. They believe this is all part of a smear campaign to encourage people to delete the app and the stop installing it. This makes sense to me. Not only did people report of “hacks as a result of having Houseparty installed” but they also reported difficulty uninstalling the app. This second point could be a clear indicator that a potential smear campaign is targeting the reduction in new users to the platform.

When I say they came out swinging, I mean they really came out swinging. On Twitter the app creators confirmed they are offering a $1 million reward for anyone bringing them proof of a smear campaign.

What The Experts Say About The Houseparty Hack

Sophos is a British security software and hardware company specialising in products for communication, encryption and network security. John Shier, the senior security advisor at Sophos, believes the “hack” is “puzzling” because “there’s no evidence to suggest that Houseparty has been hacked and credentials stolen”.

The Houseparty app has naturally seen a massive increase because people are stuck at home. I don’t have official numbers but I can estimate a gazillion people have downloaded the app to beat isolation blues. Shier believes this has compounded the fear of a hack has spread so quickly stating “one likely scenario is that the Houseparty app is the last app many users may have installed and registered using the same credentials as other apps, such as Netflix, Spotify and countless others. Criminals are constantly using old, compromised credentials to access online services in credential stuffing attacks. Correlating these two events seems to be what’s causing all the fuss”.

A Naked Security article, Houseparty – is it really trying to hack into your digital life? also offers some additional advice. You should “visit the Houseparty settings and decide how open you want to be. Do you want your rooms to be “locked” so you meet new people by invitation only? If not, or if you are scared of the app because trolls have been wandering into your online life, consider dialling back your openness rather than deleting the app, but not changing your (user) behaviour. Go through the same exercise for all your social media accounts.”

What Do I Think?

There’s been a lot of this craic lately. My initial reaction would be the fact you found this article means you could be doing more to protect your online privacy. How many websites have you reused the same password over and over again for? A while back, I adopted password managers because through no fault of my own my data had been leaked in a few breaches.

How much news like this real or fake hack impacts you is really down to you. Own your own online security because no one cares about your privacy more than you.

Use a password manager. Previously I used Lastpass and I’m not using 1Password. Both are brilliant and can generate strong passwords for every website and app you use. You don’t need to remember them, the app does it all for you.

For me, I think this is likely a smear campaign. I was on the fence until I read that news was also spreading about the app is difficult to delete. This sounded like it was a step too far in terms of realism and definitely ticked the box of reducing new users.

Who’s Behind The Houseparty Smear Campaign?

I’ve seen a lot of shady stuff on Twitter these days. Take Simon Harris’s Twitter posts. There are compliments and criticisms coming from obvious bot accounts. Do I think Harris is behind this? No. It’s likely someone else trying to make it look like Harris has deployed bots to his comment section. Yup. I’ve gone full tinfoil hat on this one.

For Houseparty, it could be any number of companies involved in the video streaming space. Or, perhaps, it’s another competitor trying to make a company look like they would engage in nefarious activity. It’s a mess and the big loser here is the public who are having their trust in technology rattled. At least, to me, that’s what it looks like.

Agree or disagree? Drop a comment below and let me know.

 

 

Huawei P40 Pro Scores Top Marks With DXOMARK Testing

Marty
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0
Huawei P40 Pro Scores Top Marks With DXOMARK Testing

With smartphone cameras, I love taking a quality picture. But I know I lack a certain eye for a great shot. It’s just not my forte. I consider myself to be a bit of a nerd. I love tech specs as much as the next guy. But again, I’ll hold my hands up and say there are people who can run the specs of a phone better than I can. This specific duty falls to DXOMARK and they’ve just released their DXOMARK score for the new Huawei P40 Pro.

Who Is DXO? What is DXOMARK?

DXO is a French company dedicated to photography. The company was founded in 2006 and originally focused on image quality ratings for standalone cameras and lenses. In 2008 they founded DXOMARK. This is an independent benchmark that scientifically assesses smartphones, lenses and cameras. In recent years, there’s been growing interest in the DXOMARK awarded to smartphones.

The old saying is that the best camera for a photo is simply the one you have on you. By focusing on DXOMARK when buying a smartphone, you can ensure that you always have a quality camera on you.

DXO carries out rigorous testing before they grant a DXOMARK and the P40 Pro has already been through the testing process. I’m not ashamed to be leaning on DXO for their opinion on the camera. While I’m currently putting the P40 Pro through its paces, DXO are next-level camera testers.

P40 Pro Primary Camera

Camera arrays on smartphones have started to get quite big. They’re packing more punch than ever. The P40 Pro is certainly following suit. Remember, the P stands for photography.

P40 Pro Camera Hardware

In terms of hardware, the P40 Pro’s quad-camera setup is mighty. Onboard you have:

  • 50 MP, f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/1.28″, 2.44µm, omnidirectional PDAF, OIS
    Periscope
  • 8 MP, f/4.4, 240mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom
  • 8 MP, f/2.4, 80mm (telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
  • 40 MP, f/1.8, 18mm (ultrawide), 1/1.54″, PDAF
  • TOF 3D, (depth)

Between high-resolution shots, the clever periscope lens and AI-assisted shooting, the P40 Pro is all about the camera from the ground up.

DXO picks up on some of the elements that caught my eye already. One of my favourites is the image stabilisation which makes the 50x zoom much more usable.

P40 Pro Camera Software

To those of you who are into your nerdy specs, you might be looking at the hardware and be feeling there’s no real rafts of change from last year’s P30 Pro. I agree with you. However, the big changes come with Huawei’s software improvements.

DXO focus on the P40 Pro’s tele-camera set up to demonstrate this fact. While the P40 Pro uses similar tech to last year’s tele-camera, Huwaei has vastly improved the processing and software. According to DXO, Huawei is now “blowing the rest of the competition pretty much out of the water” when it comes to smartphone zooming. Check out these comparisons.

p40 pro zoom test

Another area DXO highlights as a massive area of improvement driven by software is the P40 Pro’s ability to create great Boken shots. Sometimes referred to as Portrait shots, Bokeh photos leave the subject of your photo clear and then blurs the background.

I remember seeing Huawei’s ability to draw on the power of the Kirin 990 chip to differentiate between subject and background of shots down to the pixel. Here’s DXO’s own testing which demonstrates the P40 Pro’s Bokeh effect compared to Huawei’s big competitors.

I’m not going to rattle on about every single feature of the DXO grading system, but video is a worthwhile call out.

P40 Pro Video Ability

The team at DXO was also impressed by the P40 Pro’s video ability. For me, the highlights are the incredible super slo-mo, but that’s just because I have a soft spot for slo-mo. For DXO, stabilisation again was a massive winner. This is something I’m very interested in testing out given the roads iPhone made last year with their stabilisation.

Also featuring on the pros list for the video camera of the Huwaei P40 Pro are vivid colours, fast and accurate autofocus with great tracking.

Here’s a like for like comparison with the P40 Pro and its biggest competitors.

So with all this positivity, what’s the craic with the P40 Pro’s DXOMARK?

P40 Pro DXOMARK

Last year,  the P30 Pro scored a 116 DXOMARK. The Mate 30 Pro surprisingly scored a 123 DXOMARK. I say surprisingly because I personally preferred the P30 Pro showing the benefit of independent testing!

Topping the polls until now is the Oppo Find X2 Pro (which I’ve not got to test I’m afraid), the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (also untested I’m afraid) and the Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G (I’ve played with the non-5G version).

This year, the P40 Pro once again tops the polls with a DXOMARK of 128. That’s 4 points ahead of the previous poll topper in the Oppo Find X2 Pro. The P40 Pro scores a 140 for photography and 105 for video.

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the DXOMARK scoring:

P40 Pro DXOMARK score

That’s the experts view on the P40 Pro. Keep an eye out for my full review in the coming days which looks at living without Google and reviewing all the other features of the Huawei P40 Pro.

The Best Pandemic Movies You Should Watch Right Now

Marty
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0
The Best Pandemic Movies You Should Watch Right Now

Most people who know me know I’m a bit odd. You know, like that kid in school whose favourite colour is black and his lucky number is 13. Well, as soon as this Covid-19 outbreak started hitting the headlines, I’ve had an urge to watch movies about outbreaks and pandemics. What surprised me is how some of these went beyond entertainment and helped me grasp what’s going on out there behind the scenes.

Contagion

I really believe RTÉ should air this movie right now. Released in 2011, this movie about a lethal fictional virus spreading around the world is strangely prophetic. Fortunately, I’m not talking about the lethality of the virus which is far worse than Covid-19 and more akin to the 1918 flu.

On the surface, you could see watching a movie like this as being an unnecessary way to raise your own anxiety levels. However, Contagion, which is nine years old, also predicted a lot of what’s happening right now. The movie did lean on specialists and scientists. Since the movie came out professionals also credit the movie for its accuracy. The devil is in the details with Contagion with specialists noting the inclusion of things like R0, pronounced “R nought” showing the movie involved experts.

In terms of being true to life, especially with regard to Covid-19, some of the things I spotted were people online suggesting random medicines help with no evidence, panic buying in supermarkets and contact tracing once someone is diagnosed as sick. The scientists in the movie also advise people to stop touching their faces and that no level of care in washing and cleaning is over the top.

There’s a lot of science behind the movie and I’ll admit that can add to it’s scariness. But if you find yourself looking for a great movie to look beneath the skin of reality today, this isn’t going to leave you wanting for much more. Personally, I found it really helpful and insightful.

Contagion is available to rent on YouTube for €3.99

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMYrk20BnFk

The Train To Busan

South Korean cinema is having a bit of a moment right now. Many will know of and likely have seen the Oscar-winning Parasite. However, The Train to Busan is a 2016 movie and it’s brilliant. As is the case with a lot of these virus movies, there’s a zombie angle.

I loved this movie because it was telling a fantastic story throughout and let nothing get in the way of it. There are some political elements and metaphors too which reminded me a lot of Parasite. So, this isn’t a brain-dead zombie movie like so many that have gone before it.

I rented The Train to Busan on YouTube for €2.99

Outbreak

Now, this is a classic. Outbreak is about a small town that is entirely quarantined when it becomes ground zero for an Ebola-like outbreak. It defined the medical-emergency movie genre (that’s a thing) and for me was the start of quite a few catastrophe movies to emerge in the mid-nineties.

You can rent Outbreak on YouTube for €2.99

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FclnFj_EXTw

World War Z

I didn’t like World War Z at all when I watched it first. I was going through a zombie phase having read the original book the movie was based on. It took too much license for me. However, I recently re-watched it and actually enjoyed it a bit more. Maybe it’s because of the reality we all live in now.

For me, the biggest problem is that World War Z isn’t a zombie movie at all. I have this bone to pick with lots of “zombie movies”. Instead, this is a pandemic movie. It’s the classic race against time movie and it’s packed full of action. It all gets a little silly in parts but this might be a better movie to ease into these kinds of movies because there’s enough of a gap between you and reality.

World War Z is available to rent on YouTube for €2.99

I Am Legend

It’s not a zombie movie. This is much more of a pandemic movie again. Will Smith is brilliant is this film as for the majority it’s just him and his dog Sam. Smith plays the last healthy man in New York desperately trying to find a cure for the aggressive beings that now roam the city during the night. The movie shows how authorities shut down Manhattan completely with a huge show of force.

You can rent I Am Legend on YouTube for €3.99

28 Days Later

Not sure how many times I have to say this but 28 Days Later is not a zombie movie. The first sign of a non-zombie movie is how fast the “zombies” move. If they’re running, it’s unlikely they’re zombies at all. Just a rule of thumb.

28 Days Later is absolutely a pandemic movie. It’s all about the Rage Virus spreading from animals in a testing facility to humans. Right now, our cities resemble those of 28 Days Later as guidance from many countries is to stay indoors. I myself live in Dublin City centre and the view from my gaff is that of eerie silence.

28 Days Later is a goto classic movie. I’d watch it at least once a year regardless of what’s going on.

You can rent 28 Days Later on YouTube for €3.49.

Renting Movies On YouTube

This article absolutely did not start out with the intention of recommending you rent videos on YouTube. With that said, my own movie collection and streaming services have been left with a bit of a gap. Looks like no one wants to be seen to be streaming pandemic movies. YouTube offers a fairly decently priced rental offering for nearly every movie imaginable.

Spreading Covid-19 Facts

While the likes of Contagion are full of facts, the movies themselves are fiction. If you’re looking for facts on Covid-19 take them only from trusted sources. You can check out the WHO WhatsApp information service or check out the HSE website.

 

 

Homeschooling: Apps And Offers To Classes Started At Home

Marty
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0
Homeschooling: Apps And Offers To Classes Started At Home

Look, some things are funny even in a crisis. I’ve seen a man cursing and blinding about 6th class maths and also Foil, Arms and Hog poignantly summing up the life of a remote teacher.

In reality, teaching your kids from home can be a challenge. I know myself, if I had kids, I’d be struggling to remember something I wasn’t 100% sure about back when I was in school. However, there are plenty of online resources to help.

The Lowdown On Home Schooling

Homeschooling is an official thing. You actually have a constitutional right to teach your kids from home. Most just opt for the traditional school method. However, because of Covid-19, there have been a few updates. Oral and practical performance tests which were scheduled to take place from Monday, 23 March, to Friday, 3 April 2020, are cancelled. If there was project work due from Friday, 20 March, to Friday, 24 April 2020, depending on the subject, will now be given until Friday, 15 May 2020, to complete this work.

This updates by no means suggest State exams won’t go ahead so you’re left with a few options. Hopefully, your kid’s school had already come up with some solutions. In the past week, I’ve seen teachers using Zoom, Google Hangouts and even Instagram to keep classes going online.

But when classes end and you’re the only one left to help teach your kids, you might need some help too!

YouTube Is Your Friend

I’ve accomplished some mad tasks at home because of YouTube. There’s a chance that you’ll be able to explain something better to your kids than your teacher can because you’re kind of learning yourself too. The best way to learn is to teach so really you just need to focus on being confident!

Take Paddy’s Theorem, or as others call it, Pythagoras Theorem. You’ll find endless numbers of videos online explaining how this works and even experiments to bring it to life.

The classic question of “when will I use this in real life” will undoubtedly come up when you experience the smartness your kids usually keep for teachers appears. So why not search for a video showing maths being used in the real world. You could inspire the next generation of engineers out there.

Just be conscious of screen time too. You’re the teacher here, not YouTube. Use this sparingly and don’t be afraid to put the screen away again.

RTÉ School Hours

Ok, I know I said don’t rely on the screens too much. At the same time, don’t put yourself under too much pressure either. Take the support where you can.

RTÉ will be broadcasting over an hour of “school on TV” to support primary school children and their parents at home. This has been spun together pretty quickly by RTÉ and the Department of Education and starts this Monday.

The hour-long show will run from 11-12 Monday to Friday on RTÉ 2 and also feature a shorter “catch-up” segment later in the afternoon. It will be aimed particularly at children in 1st to 6th class. Naturally, the show will also be available on RTÉ Player too.

The School Days Website

Your kids needing a bit of help at home might not be all that new to you. In fact, Schooldays.ie was created out of the need to support kids in school on a regular basis. The website was founded by a working mum in 2006 who was struggling to find simple things. These include resources to help the kids with their homework and things to keep them busy after school was a chore.

Schooldays.ie is full of information and support for parents throughout the school years, from pre-school all the way through to primary school and secondary school.

Whether your are looking for information on schools, afterschool activities, milestone events like communions, birthdays or debs or some parenting advice, you’ll find it all on Schooldays.ie.

Over on the website, you’ll find a wide range of homeschooling resources they’ve curated for the Covid-19 crisis.

Free Home Schooling Apps And Services

Hopefully, that’s enough to get you started in setting up your home school. You’ll also need some resources to go with that.

Gathered by Shane Hastings under the Give Back Project, here are some of the best educational freebies available online during the Covid-19 crisis.

Access To Folens Content

Folens is a name that brings back a lot of memories for people. I’d imagine I was supposed to be another few years away from seeing this name again. Folens are a leading publisher of both primary and secondary school content. Over the past few years, they’ve moved into a log of digital content too. Their focus is helping for teachers and students by creating high-quality content which is effective but also fun.

Right now, Folens are offering open access to all digital resources in an effort to help teachers, parents and students. This includes eBooks, printable worksheets, interactive posters, videos, audio exercises, games and more.

Visit the Folens website

Access To CJ Fallon Books

Like Folens, I remember having quite a few CJ Fallon books too. Right now, CJ Fallon is offering open access to all of their books online. This open-access will remain in place until the end of the term for teachers, students and parents.

Visit the CJ Fallon website

Edco Logins

Another major producer of educational content is Edco. I remember them best for having exam papers. Shudder.

Anyway, they’ve also opened up their platform to provide free access to Primary Level, Junior Cert & Leaving Cert ebooks for the duration of the pandemic. To access these details you’ll need to use some of the following login details.

Primary School Materials

  • Username: primaryedcobooks
  • Password: edco2020

Junior Cert Materials

  • Username: jcedcobooks
  • Password: edco2020

Leaving Cert Materials

  • Username: lcedcobooks
  • Password: edco2020

Visit the Edco website

Look After Yourself

What do they say on the plane? Attend to your own mask first. If you’re stressed and tired, you’ll be no use to your kids. Take time to charge your own batteries. Headspace is offering free meditation, while DownDog is offering free online yoga classes. Eat well, rest well and try to have some fun with homeschooling. Your kids will appreciate it.

Big shout out again to Shane Hastings for his project the Give Back Project. He’s going to be keeping that list updated so it’s worth bookmarking it.

Found a resource yourself? Drop it in the comments below. Let’s help each other out!

Spreading Covid-19 Facts

While the likes of Contagion are full of facts, the movies themselves are fiction. If you’re looking for facts on Covid-19 take them only from trusted sources. You can check out the WHO WhatsApp information service or check out the HSE website.

 

Myhixel: Where Science, Innovation and “Self-Love” Combine

Jon
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0
Myhixel: Where Science, Innovation and “Self-Love” Combine

Sextech – it’s a thing and it’s not going anywhere! While at Goosed.ie we are lucky to get our hands on a rake of different tech to review for the good people of Ireland, every so often something lands on that is a little off the beaten track. Take that joke as you will. Anyway recently we were sent the Myhixel, a product that is made to help those who suffer from premature ejaculation and as the only single male of the Goosed.ie team I guess you could say I drew the ahm short straw and being left in isolation with the newly granted PornHub premium for all, this could be a great toy to save some of that valuable toilet paper of the coming weeks. Anyway I know we are all Irish and we’re about as comfortable with these topics as a Graeme Souness is at complimenting Paul Pogba, so here’s the fact, we’ve all been home for weeks so let’s not kid ourselves we’ve all had a little self diddle at some stage recently so can we just get on with the article….cool thanks.

Stacking Up

The reason for a product like the Myhixel is obvious once you see the numbers. Approximately 31% of all men between 18 and 56 years of age suffer from premature ejaculation, and 85% of these men prefer to keep quiet about their problems. This is typical dude logic, and especially when it comes to their little buddy, they don’t want friends or partners to know about problems under the hood so as per the usual they keep it quiet. Personally I don’t get it, men we love our mickeys and if our lungs were having problems and there was a product to help we would use it, so how is this any different really?

Because of these outstanding numbers surrounding premature ejaculation MYHIXEL have launched a first of its kind, proven scientific solution – Myhixel device I and Myhixel play app. By combining the two and not just landing your piece into the device you can use the anonymized Myhixel Play app with a gamified and personalized scientific program with the advanced Myhixel pleasure device, designed specifically to achieve climax control.  The team of sexologists, urologists and scientists have combined a gamified program of activities that users can play like a game, with this aid-device that simulates real penetration. Essentially and excuse my language here but the app is essentially a bunch of levels and you have to out wank the clock, or beat the clock by beating off if you will.

Following clinical trials, they have found that this product can help men control their climax up to 7x longer in an easy, comfortable and fun environment, without resorting to drugs, anaesthetic creams or numbing treatments. Honestly, I have definitive data myself as I’m very single so have no base to work from in terms of duration and the isolation means having no opportunity to test the results, but heck it’s a great time training.

What is Myhixel?

The company is a Spanish Startup founded in 2017, who we were hoping to catch up with at the recently cancelled WMC2020 to discuss their mission of improving male sexual well-being. With almost 5 years of medical research under their belts, led by a team of internationally renowned sexologists (didn’t even know this was a job) the Myhixel offers the only solution on the market that allows men to control their ejaculations naturally.
It’s a revolutionary method that combines the cutting-edge pleasure device, MYHIXEL I, together with a game-oriented methodology using the MYHIXEL Play app, which allows men and their partners to reach a new sexual level.

Female-Driven Leadership

Unlike most industries and tech, in particular, sex-tech is heavily female-led, and damn right in my opinion when sexuality has been oppressed for so long I’m delighted to see the industry which 90% of products are aimed at a female market being led by women.
Patricia López Trabajo leads the Myhixel, born in Seville, she has extensive experience in several very diverse sectors, among them tourism and the eroticism industry. In fact, after working for several years for leading brands in this field, she became aware of the lack of products available for improving male sexual well-being. This is one of the main reasons why she embarked on the adventure of founding the company.
“Currently there are many companies with products for female sexual wellbeing; however, it is difficult to find specialized brands for men. In MYHIXEL we want to respond to this need, and, for this reason, we have developed a scientifically-proven method, the
result of pioneering research in its field, which aims to improve the quality of sexual relationships by controlling a man’s climax, in a natural way and with no side effects”

Science, Innovation and “Self-Love” Combine

As we mentioned earlier 31% of men between 18 and 56 years of age suffer from premature ejaculation, and 85% of these men prefer to keep quiet about this worrying problem. This is according to a study carried out by the National Health and Social Life Survey (LNHES). This is a substantial percentage of the male population granted I’d like to at this point mention it’s not a problem I have but any extra enjoyment I and someone can get from a product like this then why the hell not right. Most men are very interested in achieving ejaculatory control and improving their performance in bed!
After about 5 years of research with more than 500 patients, they have proven Myhixel to be the only natural treatment that allows men to control ejaculation, tripling the endurance of men during intercourse. The renowned international publication The Journal of Sexual Medicine has published the results of the latest clinical study carried out with the MYHIXEL I device showcasing the true value of the product. And for what it’s worth if you’re looking for pleasure over performance or just a change of pace from Pamela or The Stranger, then this is a wonderful wee treat for the boys.

A Different Plan For A Different Man

Thanks to two customized solutions and with an understanding that every man is different with different needs, naturally they have a two-pronged approach to pulling the plonker:

Myhixel Med:

This is a cognitive-behavioural treatment protocol for ejaculatory control that combines the MYHIXEL Play MED application, designed specifically for men who ejaculate in less than 3 minutes during penetrative sexual intercourse, with MYHIXEL I, a unique device that offers you the most realistic sensation of penetration. This combination has proven to triple men’s sexual stamina and performance in a totally natural way.

Myhixel Pr:

This is the answer for men who want to take things further during sexual intercourse through ejaculatory control. MYHIXEL TR combines the MYHIXEL Play TR program of game-based activities, designed for men to learn specific motor skills that will improve the quality of their sexual performance, together with MYHIXEL I, a state-of-the-art pleasure devise. You really can reach new levels of sexual pleasure for you and your partner. See it’s not just for early shooters, and who knows your significant other might just enjoy your newly found control.
Once the most suitable option has been acquired, the user will have access to his own specific program through the app and will be able to reach new levels of pleasure in his sex life and via the website, you’ll be able to have a consultation with professionals specialized in the field of sexology. They will help you to maximize your results and will be able to answer any questions that may arise (hehehe) throughout the process.

Myhixel Play

While you can use the device on its ownsome for some happy alone time, ideally you are meant to combine the product with it’s app.
Myhixel is a pioneer in transforming the latest medical advances into unique sexual experiences and the app that is available on both iOS and Android. They offer a series of games that aim to improve a mans well being as they play (both with the app and themselves) to try and overcome the different challenges of premature ejaculation.
The specific methodologies available with Myhixel Play, TR, and MED have been created by specialists in sexology and game-design, with the purpose of helping men to improve their performance in bed in a simple and fun way, always taking into account their individual needs. Meaning before you start you fill out a question sheet which sets up your personalised play plan to suit your needs, so mine and Martins plan will differ according to our current levels of prowess….and no we didn’t compare.
Quite understandably, these guys are secure about data, so working with cybersecurity experts the app is designed in such a way that it doesn’t need to collect personal user information, allowing gameplay to be completely anonymous. Not that you would want to see anyone’s data but it’s good to know it’s under control.

Thanking the sexologists

MYHIXEL TR // MYHIXEL I Device + Play TR Program - MYHIXEL - Touch ...

Thanks to the work of the sexologists and engineers, they have developed a unique device that uses the latest state-of-the-art technology to offer men the best possible sexual experience.
The device itself is anatomically realistic by which they mean its rather soft and “vaginal” albeit very rubbery, and its self-heating system which is meant to replicate body temperature, as well as its therapeutic vibration, allow the user to experience a sensation that simulated penetration. All these features will help men to achieve their ultimate objective to be able to take more control over their ejaculation while enjoying his progress.
It’s a revolutionary masturbation aid which combines science and technology. Its cutting-edge design was inspired by the lifestyle of 21st-century man and was created with top of the range materials to enable optimum performance and the most intense experience. Starting at €189, you can buy online with free delivery in 32 countries and they have been so kind to give us a 10% Off Voucher so use the code Goosed.ie at checkout for a few quid off.

Technical specs

• An innovative and internationally-patented device created using the latest medical and technological advances.
• MYHIXEL I has a therapeutic vibration system which enables ejaculatory control.
• A self-heating system to achieve a temperature very similar to our body temperature.
• Clinically tested on men, with proven results.
• Offers an experience that emulates real penetration.
• MYHIXEL I has a rechargeable lithium battery.
• Manufactured with high quality and perfectly safe anti-allergic material.
• Waterproof.
• MYHIXEL I is in the process to be CE marked as a medical device.
• Certification by the FDA currently in progress.

Note to certain readers

Yes, this is a masturbatory aid, and yes it was used and if I was to give a thumbs-up review, I would give it one thumb up…because the other was busy. Anyway mother, family, and anyone has to look me in the eyes after reading this….I’m sorry you had to see this but hey we gotta do what we gotta do.

Disney + It’s Finally Here!

Jon
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0
Disney + It’s Finally Here!

Disney+ is finally here and by golly, they couldn’t have picked a better time! The platform offers fans of all ages a new way to experience the unparalleled content from the company’s iconic entertainment brands, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, as well as exclusive original programming including feature-length films, series, documentaries, and short-form content made exclusively for the service such as The Mandalorian, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series and The World According to Jeff Goldblum. The service which launched in the US back in November and gave us the Baby Yoda meme launched in Ireland on March 24, with Disney confirming that its streaming service will cost €6.99 per month for Irish subscribers or €69.99 upfront for the full year.

Image result for baby yoda meme

Content Galore

Originally the Disney + release date was supposed to be March 31st for the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Ireland but luckily this had been brought forward. Disney + features a pile of content from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic films and other tv shows, will also offer a €69.99 annual subscription if you’d rather than instead of the €6.99 monthly charge.

Aswe are gripped by the new coronavirus and containment measures are shuttering cinemas and forcing families to entertain themselves at home, Disney Plus is swerving from the status quo too.For one, Disney Plus delayed its launch in France until April 7 because European officials worried that internet traffic linked to the rollout could strain the country’s networks. Disney Plus launched elsewhere in Western Europe — the UK, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland — Tuesday. Disney Plus generated about 5 million downloads on the first day solely on mobile devices across its new European markets.

New Releases – Sooner than expected

Disney Plus has come out an admitted they are lowering overall bandwidth by 25% in the EU to minimize stress on networks. Disney will keep an eye on congestion and could further reduce bit rates if service providers are getting overwhelmed, the company said.

On what can be considered a massive win, Disney are going to drop some recently released big-screen movies much earlier than expected, namely animated hit Frozen 2 and Pixar’s Onward.

Onward will be added to Disney Plus on April 3. Disney released the Pixar movie for online purchase just two weeks after its premiere in theatres earlier this month.

“While we’re looking forward to audiences enjoying our films on the big screen again soon, given the current circumstances, we are pleased to release this fun, adventurous film to digital platforms early for audiences to enjoy from the comfort of their homes,” director Dan Scanlon and producer Kori Rae said in a statement.

They’re rare pleasant surprises, following the spread of the novel coronavirus and the respiratory disease it causes, COVID-19. Amid the pandemic, Disney has temporarily shut down its theme parks like Disneyland, delayed releasing big films like Mulan and Black Widow, and paused production on movies and shows. That includes Disney Plus’ first Marvel original series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, that was supposed to be released in August.

Anyway to ensure the whole family can enjoy all of the good stuff, including The Mighty Ducks 1,2 and 3, at any point in time Disney + will allow 4 users to stream at the same time and will include unlimited downloads on up to 10 devices. The app also comes with personalised recommendations as well as the ability to create seven different profiles, including kids profiles with access limited to age-appropriate content. Sounds very similar to Netflix right?

Better yet, Disney + is advertising-free regardless of whether you’re on mobile, TV, console or laptops….unlike the disaster that is our very own RTE player.

JustWatch

The good people of JustWatch shared the above graphic and it’s about as unsurprising as you would assume, as a nation we are streaming 36% more than we were pre the current situation. JustWatch is an international Streaming Guide with more than 20 million users. We show you where to watch movies & tv shows legally online and we also help you to find what to watch on streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video and so on, now including Disney+ of course. Easily browse through, use different filter options like release year, IMDb rating, genres. You can check it out here.

Alexa Integration

Thankfully now Amazon devices can stream Disney +! That means Fire Tv and Fire tablets at the ready as finding the Disney+ app and content is easy with Alexa. If you didn’t already know Disney+ content will be included in Fire TV’s universal search feature making it easy to find and discover content with your voice and say things like:

  • “Alexa, find Disney+”
  • “Alexa, open Disney+”
  • “Alexa, play [name of show]”
  • “Alexa, find Star Wars movies.”

Fire Tablet customers can download movies, TV series or shorts, and watch whenever they want. You can also pause a show on their Fire TV and resume watching on their Fire Tablet, so you can enjoy Disney+ on the go – which at the moment might be pause the telly to take the tablet to the jacks, but sure whatever you’re having you do you.

Fire TV and Fire Tablet customers can sign up for a seven-day free trial directly on their Amazon device starting March 24th, after which they will be charged £5.99/€6.99 a month or £59.99/€69.99 for an annual subscription. If a customer signed up for Disney+ on another device, they can simply log into their account.

Lenovo’s High Performance Laptops – Just the Trick for WFH!

Jon
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0
Lenovo’s High Performance Laptops – Just the Trick for WFH!

Over the last few weeks people have had to start working from home and we all know why so I’ll try my best to write this piece without mentioning that word. Are you new to working from home? we recently wrote an article with the top tips for working from home which might help.

However, if you work in a job where you look after a lot of data, have to do graphics, video, large files or any number of other high-performance tasks, then chances are the crappy lappy the office found under the stairs ain’t going to hack it. Luckily there are options. In this article I’m namely looking at three high-performance products for three reasons:

  • Lenovo traditionally offer comparable products at lower prices
  • Great personal machines that have the power to be used for work
  • I like their stuff

So let’s take a look at my three high-performance laptops of choice:

Yoga S940

The ultraism Yoga S940 offers elevated design with no compromise, featuring premium entertainment and a range of intelligent features designed to make your life easier. Enjoy hands-free login, eye-tracking AI that anticipates your needs, and more. Measuring a sleek 1.2 kg and 12.2 mm thin, the Yoga S940 is the world’s first laptop featuring glass that wraps around the display for smoother edges that minimize the appearance of already minuscule bezels. When you step away from your Yoga S940, the display automatically darkens as the content is saved, to protect both your privacy and your work. And keep your messy home office to yourself, thanks to BackBlur, which un-focuses content behind you during video chats The 14” laptop also comes with Alexa built-in and far-field microphones, so all you have to do is ask from up to 4 meters away. Prices start as €1,199.99

ThinkPad T490s

The laptop for workdays, work nights, & weekends. This redesigned ThinkPad model with lightweight portability and heavyweight performance yields a sleek, larger display area of a 14-inch screen. With Cortana Premium, you can speak commands to your T490s from across the room. The integrated far-field microphones ensure your voice carries its weight. Quickly and easily find files on your PC. Or call up your calendar to determine your schedule for the day or week – Speak your mind and boost your productivity at the same time! It contains an amazing array of screen options includes WQHD with Dolby Vision®, as well as enhanced security and privacy features supported by up to 20 hours of battery life. And if you’re running low, Rapid Charge technology provides 80% capacity in just an hour. So a 60-minute lunch break or a layover can easily boost your battery up to almost 16 hours. What more could you need for working from home and being on the go? Prices start at €1,359.91

ThinkPad X1 Carbon 7th Generation

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon 7th Generation is styled for premium performance. A sleeker and lighter version, the Gen 7 laptop kicks up the style quotient with an optional carbon-fibre weave top cover. Protection is amped up with a built-in suite of ThinkShield security features to safeguard your data, while the X1 Carbon stores up to 16GB memory and delivers speedy performance sure to boost your productivity. Powered by Intel® Core™ technology, this device delivers high performance on the 14-inch screen —while the 18.3-hour battery life enables easy productivity on the fly. Keep your business data—and your privacy—safe with the X1 Carbon Gen 7 laptop’s comprehensive suite of ThinkShield security features. Its discrete Trusted Platform Module (dTPM) encrypts data and works in conjunction with Windows 10 Pro security, while ThinkShutter, a physical camera cover, blocks the lens to ensure that you’re only seen when you want to be. And the fingerprint reader uses biometrics to log you in with a simple touch – perfect for working from home! Prices start at €1,492.60

Houseparty – The Video App Bringing the Party Home

Jon
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0
Houseparty – The Video App Bringing the Party Home

As the majority of the world sits in isolation, people miss the outside, miss socialising and miss friends, if you fall into any of these categories, then Houseparty might just be the app for you! Right now video calling is becoming increasingly more popular as people try to find new ways to connect with loved ones. You’ve likely heard of Zoom already, which allows for a hundred people in a single call. It’s being used for virtual meetings and lectures, as people work and study from home, which explains why Zoom is currently the number one app in several countries, but Houseparty is different. Available for Android and iOS it essentially allows you to video chat, play games, and more — all without actually leaving your house. The app is actually owned by Fortnite developer Epic Games, who bought it in 2019.

Turning the Tide

You may have only heard about the HouseParty App recently but it’s been knocking around since 2016. Up until two weeks ago, it was roughly the 1,500th most popular app but now its ranked 4th on the App store and 1 on Google Play, even ahead of the better-known Zoom.

What is the Houseparty exactly and what does it do that Zoom doesn’t?

Well, it began by trying to change the group video call and instead of making a call and connecting your friends with Houseparty you just drop into a video chatroom. This idea is that this is a more casual approach as opposed to your work Hangouts meetings. In times of social distancing and self-isolation, when we’re seeing much less of our favourite people, Houseparty can make things feel less lonely.

While the app is available on  Android, iOS, and macOS if you plan on going for a long chat go for the Chrome version as when testing and reading other reports online users phones will heat up something fierce after about half an hour which might depend on the kind of phone or case you’re using but hey just go desktop and feel free to roam your gaff in peace.

Another neat feature, Houseparty will notify you when someone opens into the app, letting you know they are available to chill and chat, if that doesn’t work send your mate a virtual wave to get their attention. These notifications can be turned off and if you don’t want people just strolling into your video chatroom, you can also choose to “lock” it.

Groups

Houseparty: The Must-Have Quarantine App | LATV

In competitors like Zoom where a more intimate experience is prioritised with only 8 people allowed in a chat at a time, this is not the case with Houseparty. There’s nothing formal about Houseparty, during the call, you can easily add friends of friends as friends of your own, if you wish, with a single button tap.

The idea with Houseparty is that it’s a place for friends, not a business and the setup is done in a way that you wouldn’t want to use it for a work meeting. But that doesn’t mean it won’t offer the same features as other video conferencing apps. You can screen record, screen share, turn the app into a co-watching experience or just text the lads both in and out of calls.

Games

Houseparty tries to keep the party alive by offering more than just a platform to chat. You can also play a range of quick games (button with the 2 dice). These games include:

  • Trivia
  • Quick draw (like Pictionary)
  • Chips and Guac (word association)
  • Heads Up! (charades)

Within games then such as trivia, you can also choose from a range of topics so whether music, superheroes or sports are your thing, there are questions to suit. With HeadsUp you will have to pay to unlock the extra packs but sure there is already plenty to keep you and the crew entertained. These games used to be a pay extra service but then Epic Games, the gaming giant behind the uber-popular battle royale game Fortnite, bought Houseparty and because they make an absolute fortune elsewhere they could make the majority of the in-app game free.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, video chatting services, in general, have become increasingly popular over the past few weeks, both for professional use and for personal use. Houseparty differentiates itself from the other services with its games and quizzes.

You can download Houseparty for Android, iOS, and MacOS.

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