The coronavirus pandemic has changed life as we know it - for now. For the majority of us, it has meant spending our time indoors in a bid to halt the spread of the virus, and now help is at hand to help us keep busy and entertained while social distancing.
The nonprofit organization Internet Archive has just made a whopping 1.4 million books available to read completely free through its National Emergency Library on Tuesday, March 24.
Oh, and if you're looking to keep your body in shape as well as your mind, you have options too.
The free books available include titles from the Open Library, another of the nonprofit's projects, and waiting lists have been removed, meaning that they can be read by multiple people at the same time.
The announcement comes as multiple universities and schools have adopted remote, online learning so that people can continue their education safely from home.
Internet Archive explained on an FAQ page: "Internet Archive's mission is to provide 'Universal Access to All Knowledge.' We believe this is an extraordinary moment in time that requires assistance at a scale that we are able to provide.
"Suspending waitlists will put books in the hands of people who need them, supporting emergency remote teaching, research activities, independent scholarship, and intellectual stimulation while universities, schools, training centers, and libraries are closed."
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Per Vice, Chris Freeland, Internet Archive Director of Open Libraries, explained in a press release that the books have been made available to help students and readers who are unable to access physical libraries.
As it stands, there will be no waiting lists until June 30, 2020, or until the US's declaration of a national emergency ends.
If you'd like to sign up for a free Internet Archive account, you can do so here.
However, this is far from the only completely free educational activity that has been made available during the coronavirus pandemic. Ivy League schools are now offering 450 free online classes.
Now that the coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, millions of people have now gone into quarantine and stay indoors to prevent the spread of disease.
There are no two ways about it: being stuck inside for weeks at a time (or months if necessary) is a boring prospect. However, just because you're self-isolated doesn't mean that you have to be bored. In fact, one of the best ways to keep cabin fever at bay is by enriching your mind, and what better way to do that than by working on your personal development and education.
Here's how you can stay aware of the symptoms of the coronavirus:
If that's something that interests you, then you might be happy to know that a number of Ivy League schools are now offering the public the chance to take online classes, including Brown, Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, and Columbia universities, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Scroll down to take a look at some examples of the online courses available:
It has now been more than 20 years since the world was first introduced to the boy wizard, Harry Potter.
Since then, Harry Potter has become a part of our collective cultural lexicon to a quite remarkable extent. Seven books, eight movies, a spinoff movie franchise and countless other activations later, the magic of Harry Potter shows no signs of waning.
Check out this adorable interview with Rupert Grint and Emma Watson from way back in 2001:
The first chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone describe Harry's journey from a mundane, harsh reality with his pugnacious cousin Dudley, overbearing Uncle Vernon and haughty Aunt Petunia, to a life of magic and opportunity at Hogwarts.
And now, Potter author JK Rowling has unveiled a brand new Harry Potter platform aimed at keeping us all entertained during the coronavirus pandemic.
Rowling took to Twitter to announce the new platform, writing:
"Parents, teachers and carers working to keep children amused and interested while we’re on lockdown might need a bit of magic, so I’m delighted to launch http://harrypotterathome.com"
The website's landing page, which is live now, greets visitors thus;
"Welcome to the Harry Potter At Home hub where you’ll find all the latest magical treats to keep you occupied - including special contributions from Bloomsbury and Scholastic, nifty magical craft videos (teach your friends how to draw a Niffler!), fun articles, quizzes, puzzles and plenty more for first-time readers, as well as those already familiar with the wizarding world. We’re casting a Banishing Charm on boredom!"
The website is intended to provide fun and stimulation for both longtime Potter fans and first-time readers of the books, including, for example, a reading guide for kids who might be diving into the books for the very first time.
Elsewhere, there is a glossary for the Harry Potter franchise, a guide that teaches you how to draw a Nifler, word search games, quizzes and much more.
The platform also includes a link to a format designed to sort people into their true Hogwarts house, a feature first launched on Pottermore.
You can visit the Harry Potter at Home website here.
The coronavirus pandemic means that we must stay indoors to save lives.
However, that doesn't mean we can't be productive while we're inside - whether that's by catching up on a boxset that you've been meaning to binge for months, finally sorting out your closet, or learning a new skill.
These Spanish neighbors decided to combine their skills to form an impromptu band:
Now, Nikon is offering a helping hand to anyone who wants to learn something new with free online photography classes.
The freebie is available from now until the end of April. Simply head on over to the Nikon School Online and enjoy 10 classes for free. These classes cover a range of subjects from content creation, "exploring dynamic landscape photography," and pet photography.
To put how good of a freebie this is into context, Nikon's online classes typically cost between $15 to $50 dollars each.
"Nikon’s mission has always been to empower creators," the camera company wrote on its website. "In these uncertain times, we can do that by helping creators stay inspired, engaged and growing."
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Streaming the courses is easy. Simply click on the video at the top of Nikon's website, enter your name, email address, and country, and begin your journey into the world of photography.
The classes range in length from 15 minutes to just over an hour. They also include "Hands-on with SB-5000 Speedlight," "Environmental Portraiture," and "The Art of Making Music Videos."
The last is perfect if you're one of the many people out there trying out new dance routines for TikTok. Why not give yours the professional edge to really entertain your friends?!
Nikon, however, isn't the only place that's offering a freebie to see people through the pandemic.
The adult pornographic website Pornhub is allegedly offering free access to all countries on lockdown during the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the website's recently-publicizedinsights, daily traffic has steadily increased from Italian users from March 9, and has been up by 14% as of March 11th as the country has gone into lockdown. Not only that, but worldwide traffic has spiked by 11.7% as of March 17th.
This time-lapse footage showing the reduction of pollution in Italy proves how many people have opted to stay in:
As a result, the website issued a statement on its official Twitter account, which read: "Pornhub is donating its March proceeds from Modelhub to support Italy during this unfortunate time (model earnings will remain untouched). Italy will also have free access to Pornhub Premium throughout the month. Forza Italia, we love you!"
The pornographic website later issued a similar offer to French users, writing in another Twitter statement that: "In light of expanding quarantines, we are extending Free Pornhub Premium for the month to our friends in France! Pornhub will also donate this month's sales from Modelhub (model earnings will remain untouched). Courage France!"
The national lockdowns occurred after the World Health Organisation has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, prompting many people around the world to begin self-isolating to avoid putting a strain on hospitals.
In a statement, WHO wrote that they had been: "Assessing this outbreak around the clock, and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic."
At the time of writing, there have now been 247,400 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 114 countries worldwide, and a total of 10,067 deaths, according to John Hopkins University.
The ongoing pandemic has changed life as we know it, and with no end in sight, people are seeking answers from unconventional sources.
PsychicWorld reported in June that since the lockdown began, there were 669,000 Google searches for "psychic advice" and searches for "psychic predictions coronavirus" increased by 95% over a 90-day period.
The website surveyed the things people are seeking psychic help for during the pandemic, and they found that 80% were asking to see their future, 74% were seeking love advice, and 67% were seeking job advice.
However, this does not give an insight into how this differs from the experience of psychics before the pandemic.
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Working over video chat and phone, VT interviewed two psychics, Daniela Birch and Justine Ayling, both of whom experienced the reported surge in business, and we asked them how this compared to psychic work before COVID-19.
Justine Ayling said she received so many requests she turned down work.
Meanwhile, Daniela Birch said that those who had previously been closed off to her work became less frightened of it.
She said: "People are way more open to my advice. While in the past, I have felt people judged me and feared my gifts."
The two women noticed a difference in the type of requests they've received, with both noting a move towards mediumship - channeling communication between the dead and the living.
Birch said: "I am known as a relationship/soul mate specialist, but I would say the mediumship side has been stronger. My clients are wanting reassurance from their loved ones on the other side."
This was also the case for Ayling, who said: "I've seen a bit of an increase in people wanting to connect with spirit, partly for guidance but mainly for comfort.
"People realized that the cards were not going to tell them anything they didn't already know, lockdown/virus/social distancing wasn't going away anytime soon."
Clinical psychologist Dina Hassan said people are choosing mediumship because the pandemic has taught them that so many things are out of their hands.
She said: "Right now, it seems that every time you come to plan for the future, something bad happens, and this leaves you believing little in your ability to plan for what's to come."
The psychics said this has been a difficult time for them too, with Birch revealing that there have been days when her psychic channels have been blocked as she is "highly sensitive to energy."
She said: "Many psychics, including me, are empaths, and we feel the world's pain.
"I have had so many clients in pain, and fear of their future. Some have miscarried, lost loved ones, their business has dried up financially, and everyone is wanting reassurance from me."
One of the downsides of having so many people come to her for advice is that she has had days where she too has wanted comfort and has had to learn how to ask for it herself.
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Ayling said that while she hasn't necessarily had trouble while working with clients, she has also tapped into the negative feelings of others.
She said: "I've had to put a lot of white light protection around myself during lockdown. I meditated, used healing crystals, and used mindfulness to keep the darkness of the time at bay."
An increased number of male clients have contacted Birch during the pandemic, which is an interesting shift from Pew Research Center's finding that women are typically twice as likely to visit psychics.
She said: "I am receiving a lot more men lately who want advice I do also offer intuitive mentoring and working on business coaching and not only one-off readings and guidance."
Ayling said that one of the reasons people have sought out mediumship is because they have lost loved ones of the virus and wanted confirmation that they were still around.
"They also wanted the chance to say their goodbyes," she said.
Hassan said that seeking out psychics is a way of supplementing a need with hard evidence - evidence which, unfortunately, does not exist during this time.
She said: "It will be someone who really got hit hard by COVID. Who is in learned helpless mode, and that can be anyone because the isolation and distancing is affecting everyone, even therapists."
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If you want to seek out psychic advice, Birch and Ayling advise consulting psychics with good reputations and taking recommendations where possible.
Birch said: "See what they specialize in. Really be crystal clear as to what you want support with."
Ayling added: "Have a completely open mind and be clear at the start what you are looking for."
But while psychics may comfort some during the pandemic, Hassan said that a good alternative is mindfulness.
"It's not a good thing to be stuck in the future or the past," she said. "Being mindful is about being aware of the here and now and celebrating your small successes, which, ultimately, could help you feel better about the future."
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