Seven Ways To Survive Lockdown Using Technology – Pickr

Lockdown is back for parts of Australia, but if you’re looking to do something grab your phone or computer and survive on these ideas.

Try it, we want to move on, the pandemic keeps coming back with a vengeance. We’ll get through this at some point, but if you are unfortunate enough to be banned, you may be in part of Australia by the time of publication.

But we’re all together, and that means we’re all looking for ways to spend the time doing something at home. There are things that we are naturally drawn to, but there is a lot you can do to give you a locked-down home life.

Here are some ways you can weather the lockdown with technology by your side.

Books and comics

Reading the days is a great way to deal with lockdown and immerse that kind of you in worlds created by other people. That means books and comics and any other written work that you think you might want to read.

Now, maybe it is time to cross off your bucket list books and maybe add a few others, and you can do that digitally.

Switching to a Kindle is possibly the easiest way to do this, thanks in part to the ease of buying books from Amazon’s Kindle bookstore, not to mention the library of books in the Kindle Unlimited subscription that you can purchase for a month . Hopefully the lockdown doesn’t last all so long.

You don’t necessarily need a Kindle for Amazon books either, as Kindle books work on other devices through the app as well, including your phone.

Kindle isn’t the only eBook maker in town, mind you. Rakuten’s Kobo offers eBooks in the standard ePub format, as does Apple’s bookstore, and even some of the local bookstore brands you might want to endorse too.

However, there are other places you can find books as well.

Australia launched Scribd this year, which has thousands of titles, mostly in magazines but also in comics, as well as Humble Bundle, a service that lets you purchase packs of content for an amount you donate to charity can . You can find books and comics in various quantities on Humble Bundle, and you can keep them forever.

But even if you don’t want to pay for a title, Australian libraries may be able to help as they offer digital books that you can borrow.

If you have a membership with your local library, you may be able to borrow books from Overdrive, BorrowBox, Gale, IndyReads, CSIRO, and others. Check your local library, which may still be accepting membership applications, as well as your state’s national library.

And if all else fails, check out Project Gutenberg, which has thousands of free books and titles to read, many of which are classics.

fitness

Next up is the increasingly important task of staying fit, as a lockdown can damage your health. While you can usually go outside to exercise, you may feel less inclined to do so as there aren’t that many places to go.

Part of all of this hassle of keeping you home unless you need to go out is to keep you from having a reason to go out unnecessarily. This keeps the number of people slim, but it also means you may not be encouraged to exercise as often.

Fortunately, there are ways to exercise at home in front of the phone, tablet, or TV with plenty of exercise platforms, including Chris Hemsworths center, as well as Apple’s own Apple Fitness, although the latter requires an Apple Watch to function.

Alternatively, check out local gyms, boxing, yoga classes, F45, and Crossfit, to name a few. While gyms require face masks and can operate in limited numbers until the lockdown ends, fitness services can also offer their services digitally. So if you are a member of a gym and want to continue to participate, you may still be able to get online from your bedroom or living room.

“A big opinion we have with our members right now is that people weren’t as proud of how they handled the last ban and they want it to be different,” said Andrew Handosa, owner of the F45 Gyms on Sydney’s Broadway in Glebe.

“Because of the last lockdown, we prepared for it to take a little longer. [so] People went out and bought equipment, ”he said. “I think this time around, less of it is going to happen and more just dealing with it or doing all the bodyweight stuff at home.”

It means that some of what you would normally do at the gym can still be done from home instead of simply giving up, as the lockdown will limit gym attendance.

But much like a regular gym, staying in touch with people who want to stay as active as you can also be an idea. Ideally, it’s someone who can hold you accountable for your goal of staying fit through this time, Handosa told Pickr, lovingly calling it an “accountable partner.”

“I suppose we’re more likely to fail,” said Handosa. “So if we have anyone else who wants to get through the lockdown in the best possible way, find a buddy to help you be accountable. And also set yourself a goal for each week, whether it’s four workouts or 70,000 steps; Set yourself a goal that you and your accountable partner will try and meet. “

Play and fun

Fitness can help you loosen up, but if you feel like you are having some fun with some entertainment or maybe even want to solve a problem digitally, games could be the answer. If you have a Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet, Apple TV, or console, there is an opportunity to play some games and relax during the lockdown.

For computers, there’s a ton, if not all, to choose from, with free games every week on the Epic Games Store to add to your library, as well as regular discounts on this platform, and the same goes for the Steam Store. Games on these platforms are wide and varied, and will run on Windows and Mac (mostly the former), but it’s not the only place to turn.

The aforementioned Humble Bundle for Books and Comics is a great place to find cheap game packs that actually started it off, while Fanatical Games has discounted title packs too.

Over in the console world, there are the subscription services, and each one offers games made easy. Microsoft offers its Xbox Game Pass with EA games that work on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs to provide a hodgepodge of games, which is basically a feast of fun, while Sony’s PlayStation Plus comes with some free titles monthly plus Range discounts.

And there is also a lot in the world of phones and tablets, as well as on Apple TV.

We probably don’t need to tell you about the different app stores you have available on your devices, let alone the size of the gaming area, but you may be less familiar with subscription services.

With iPhones, iPads, the iPod Touch, Macs and the Apple TV, there is the Apple Arcade service, which offers many games for a monthly fee.

Android has its own version with the Google Play Pass, which is basically the Android equivalent, and charges a monthly fee for apps and games that you don’t charge extra for.

Education and skills

While games are for fun, you may want to take the time to study at home during the lockdown, and there are many ways you can do it.

Learning new skills is something that you can easily do in isolation, be it for work or something you’ve always wanted to do.

On the working side, you might want to check out the large number of courses available on Udemy or EdX, or you might want to ask an employer to assist with courses on PluralSight or the LinkedIn equivalent.

There are a lot of technology courses out there, and we highlighted a few free courses when skill learning was an idea for last year’s isolation phase, but you can also choose skills to study for fun.

For example, if you’re keen to learn music, search for instructional videos on YouTube or play around with Fender Play. As another option, Kadenze offers music production classes that will show you a side of life that you haven’t looked at before.

And there are so many other places to learn, some of which are from experts from all over the world. The masterclass could give you lessons in the lives of people you love, with actors, writers, chefs and more coming together to explain their craft on the paid platform while Duolingo teaches you a new language with an app on your phone leaves.

By the end of the lockdown, you may be able to speak a different language, which is handy in case you get on a flight that will take you where they speak it.

Hearing material

We probably don’t need to tell you that there is a lot of music out there, with the many millions of tracks to listen to, something to enjoy in peace.

Additionally, you might want to snap up a podcast or two and listen to someone. During our five-minute podcast The wrap probably won’t take up much of your blackout time, there are dozens of podcasts for you to check out online. All you have to do is search for a topic that interests you, download it and listen.

Concerts

Beyond just music and podcasts, there are also virtual concerts that you might want to try out if the feeling of a live show is missing in your life after lockdown returns.

There are ways to experience concerts from home, however, with plenty of venues for live music, some of which may be free, although many ask for a ticket price to stream.

Aside from the obvious place on YouTube to find past concerts, there are other services geared towards live gigs for the home, including Songkick, Live Now, StageIt, World Concert Hall, Berliner Philharmoniker, and Nugs. net, to name a few. You might even find a venue you like that offers live international streaming, like Lincoln Center in New York and Tipitina’s in New Orleans.

There’s even a place to watch live streams of Broadway performances, aptly named Broadway HD.

Additionally, you may want to use a streaming music platform that you may be using as there is a good chance that live performances have been recorded e.g. B. via the music video section of Apple Music or via the previous appearances of Tidal.

Movies and television

Finally, there is the obvious: movies and TV shows.

You probably have a seemingly endless wish list of material to watch on either Netflix, Stan, Disney +, Binge, Apple TV +, Amazon Prime Video, etc., which makes the lock an ideal time to get stuck on the list.

Even if you don’t choose one of the many paid media services, Australia’s free to air channels can have something to watch as well. Between ABC, SBS, Seven, Nine, and Ten, there is a good variety of ways to put your watch on without necessarily reaching for your wallet.