It’s one thing to have your credit card stolen, but your identity is a whole other ball game. The worst thing is, it’s a lot more common than you’d think. Identity fraud affects around one in 15 people in the US and has never been higher in the UK. The fraudsters have built their own subculture as new tools and channels lower the bar for entry. It’s time to strap in, because the challenge will only grow in the next few years.
When a customer calls to say their account has been hijacked, their confidence in you and your security measures is shot. How you respond is vital, but it would’ve been far better if it had never happened in the first place.
While it seems surprising, there is a way to turn identity fraud into a positive customer experience. However, it all depends on your ability to detect and prevent the fraud before it can do any damage. For this, you need an intelligent screening process and the right joined-up systems in place.
Culture shock
Fraud is nearly as old as money itself. The reason we haven’t managed to put a stop to it is because fraudsters have been able to adapt. When we clamp down on one form, the fraudsters have moved to another. In the US, while we were busy tackling cheque fraud, the fraudsters were starting to create synthetic IDs.
To combat fraud effectively, financial companies need to know what they’re up against. Fraud has changed in recent years, and it continues to evolve. Organizations don’t just face isolated lone wolves and criminal outfits, they’re taking on an entire online subculture of fraudsters.
Social media has created countless online communities, some good and some bad. But what we’re seeing now is the rise of the new kids on the block – the next generation of tech-enabled fraudsters. This crowdsourced community is truly international, able to share techniques, tools, warnings and opportunities online. Rap artist Teejayx6 has even been able to hide fraud lessons in his song lyrics, turning him into a fraud folk hero.
What’s happening is that fraud is being democratized. Where resources and experience used to be key to success, anyone with an internet connection can access the dark web tools they need to pull it off. For organizations, this means fraud attacks will be coming from every direction and across every channel non-stop.
The only way to protect yourself and your customers from these new fraud attacks is by having technology in place that lets you adapt. Systems should be integrated and agile, and your methods for fraud detection should be intelligent and dynamic to change.
Knowledge is power
As financial companies have moved online, so have the fraudsters. A criminal doesn’t have to search through garbage bags for bank statements to steal a person’s identity – they can now get all the info they need on social media or even a phone call.
The customer is always the weakest link when it comes to security. It’s no accident that 70% of successful fraud attacks begin on the telephone, and 10% through direct email. Fraudsters will target them relentlessly, tricking them into sharing personal info, passwords and account numbers. They may go as far as stealing victims’ personal devices.
The first line of defense will fail: fraudsters will get what they need from their target and can start and exploiting their online accounts. It’s here that a company has to step in to protect the customer.
To do this, you need a truly intelligent, insight-driven screening process for every channel. Have a way to accurately identify and verify each customer interaction, to ensure the user is who they say they are. Data is the most important thing, but so many authentication systems only make use of a fraction of what’s available.
A secure and efficient verification system needs to assess a lot of different typologies. Only confirming that a user is using a familiar device doesn’t mean they are being honest. You should check them against multiple typologies – like experiential information, user behavior and public records – before you give them access.
Organizations don’t have to check for every data type, but they do need to be exact. Identity fraudsters build entire synthetic identities on top of their victim’s – they’ll change personal details, addresses and public information to make their identity more believable. If you check for more factors, you’re more likely to catch them out.
If the user passes these checks, they can safely be let in. If they don’t, it’s time to give the customer a call, either for further authentication or to tell them their identity is in danger. When you have the data-driven insight to warn a customer about fraud before it happens, you turn it into a positive customer experience. They’ll be sure that their identity and business is safe with you.
With half of Americans lacking confidence in companies and government when it comes to protecting personal information, it’s no surprise three-quarters (74%) are more alarmed than ever about their privacy, according to a research from NortonLifeLock.
More than 10,000 adults online were surveyed in Australia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States about their attitudes and behaviors when it comes to cyber safety.
The individual consumer outranks government as most responsible
Americans are split on who should be held most responsible for ensuring personal information and data privacy are protected. Just over a third believe companies are most responsible (36%), followed closely by the individuals providing their information (34%), with slightly fewer holding the government most responsible (29%).
Half of Americans don’t give companies (49%) and government (51%) credit for doing enough when it comes to data privacy and protection. Notably, compared to the other countries surveyed, Americans are most likely to put the burden on individuals—in fact, it’s the only country where the individual consumer outranks government as most responsible.
“Americans are outliers compared to other countries surveyed in that they are willing to accept a lot of the responsibility in protecting their own data and personal information,” says Paige Hanson, chief of cyber safety education, NortonLifeLock.
“This could be the year Americans truly embrace their privacy independence, particularly with the help of new regulations like the California Consumer Privacy Act giving them control over how their data is used.”
Americans have lived up to their sense of self responsibility with 87% taking steps to protect their online activities and personal information—whether that’s limiting what they share on social media (38%), avoiding public Wi-Fi (33%) or using identity theft protection services (20%).
Americans are also 15% more likely to say they are proactively looking for better ways to protect their privacy compared to the global average (75% vs. 65%).
Protecting personal information: Additional findings
Three-quarters of U.S. consumers (74%) report being more alarmed than ever about their privacy: The top of consumers’ list of concerns include their personal information being exposed in a data breach and compromised by cybercriminals (52%) and their sensitive personal information being sold to third parties and used in decision-making processes without their consent (43%).
One in six Americans are concerned that their personal information will be used to inappropriately influence how they vote: While much lower on the list of top concerns, it’s worth noting in a presidential election year that 16% of Americans are concerned that their personal information will be used to inappropriately influence how they vote in an election, a concern that is shared equally among Republicans (18%) and Democrats (16%).
Americans who identified as Republicans and Democrats agree on the government’s role in data privacy: Despite the current tensions and political divide, data privacy and protection is one area where Republicans and Democrats are in sync—Republicans (47%) and Democrats (50%) are equally likely to feel that the U.S. government is not doing enough and that the U.S. is behind most other countries when it comes to data privacy laws, with Democrats at 55% and Republicans at 54%.
Despite the potential for abuse or misuse, most Americans support the use of facial recognition: 68% of Americans believe facial recognition will likely be abused or misused in the next year, and 47% believe it will do more harm than good—with the biggest concern being that cyber criminals could access and/or manipulate their facial recognition data and steal their identity (39%).
Nevertheless, after learning the advantages and disadvantages, the majority of Americans still support the use of facial recognition among law enforcement (67%), schools (65%), and to a lesser extent, retailers (54%).
A new CyberEdge Group report uncovered two trends that are stimulating record-setting ransomware attacks:
More ransom payers are successfully recovering their data. In 2018, only 49 percent of ransom payers successfully recovered their data. That number rose to 61 percent in 2019. Today, 67 percent of ransom payers have recovered their data.
More payments are incentivizing the ransomware industry. In 2018, only 39 percent of ransomware victims actually paid the ransom. In 2019, that number rose to 45 percent. Today, an alarming 58 percent of victimized organizations have paid ransoms.
Following the company’s announcement that less than half of ransom payers successfully recovered their data that year, cybercriminals started to realize that withholding encrypted data after receiving ransom payments is bad for business.
Since then, data recovery rates for ransom payers have gone up. Unfortunately, the increased likelihood for data recovery is motivating more organizations to pay ransoms, which in turn is stimulating growth of the ransomware industry. Last year, 56 percent of organizations were compromised by ransomware. That number rose to 62 percent this year – a new record.
“This year, both good news and bad news are stimulating growth of the multi-billion-dollar ransomware industry,” says Steve Piper, founder and CEO of CyberEdge Group.
“To combat ransomware and other threats, I advise IT security organizations to invest wisely in products that continuously discover and patch vulnerabilities, uncover advanced threats using machine learning and artificial intelligence, and continuously back up their data everywhere.
“I also recommend organizations invest more in their people, including training and certification for IT security personnel and ongoing security awareness training for all employees. Never underestimate the value of the human firewall.”
Severe staffing shortages plague IT security
A severe shortage of IT security talent is driving important changes in technology and practices. The report found 85 percent of organizations are experiencing a shortfall of skilled IT security personnel, and survey respondents cited “lack of skilled personnel” as their biggest obstacle to adequately defending against cyberthreats.
This crisis is leading to strong preferences for technologies that can increase the productivity of existing IT security teams, such as security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR), advanced security analytics, and security products that feature ML and AI technologies.
Additional key findings
The report yielded dozens of insights into the challenges IT security professionals faced last year and the challenges they’ll likely continue to face for the rest of this year. Key findings include:
Successful cyberattacks at record levels. For the first time in CDR history, four out of five organizations (81 percent) experienced at least one successful cyberattack, up from 78 percent the prior year.
Hottest security technologies for 2020. Next-generation firewalls (NGFWs), containerization (e.g., browser isolation, micro-virtualization), application container security tools, threat intelligence platforms (TIPs) and services, and SOAR are among the most sought-after security technologies in 2020.
The new app security “must haves.” API gateways, database firewalls, and web application firewalls (WAFs) are this year’s most widely deployed application and data security technologies.
Decryption deficit. Surprisingly, only a third (35 percent) of SSL/TLS-encrypted web traffic is decrypted for inspection by network security devices, opening up the door to undetectable encrypted cyberthreats and associated data exfiltration.
Training and certification in demand. The vast majority of IT security professionals (87 percent) who haven’t received formal training would welcome it. Two-thirds (67 percent) of IT security professionals who haven’t yet achieved a security professional certification plan to get started in 2020.
Security’s weakest links. For the third straight year, application containers are rated as the IT component most difficult to secure, followed by operational technology (OT), Internet of things (IoT) devices, and mobile devices.
Putting trust in zero trust. Of those organizations who haven’t started assembling a zero-trust network architecture, 67 percent plan to get started in 2020.
Security’s slice of the IT budget pie. On average, IT security consumes 12.8 percent of the overall IT budget, up from 12.5 and 12.1 percent in the preceding two years.
Researchers from North Carolina State University and the Army Research Office have demonstrated a new model of how competing pieces of information spread in online social networks and the Internet of Things. The findings could be used to disseminate accurate information more quickly, displacing false information about anything from computer security to public health.
“Whether in the IoT or on social networks, there are many circumstances where old information is circulating and could cause problems – whether it’s old security data or a misleading rumor,” says Wenye Wang, co-author of a paper on the work and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State.
“Our work here includes a new model and related analysis of how new data can displace old data in these networks.”
“Ultimately, our work can be used to determine the best places to inject new data into a network so that the old data can be eliminated faster,” says Jie Wang, a postdoctoral researcher at NC State and first author of the paper.
Does network size matter?
In their paper, the researchers show that a network’s size plays a significant role in how quickly “good” information can displace “bad” information. However, a large network is not necessarily better or worse than a small one. Instead, the speed at which good data travels is primarily affected by the network’s structure.
A highly interconnected network can disseminate new data very quickly. And the larger the network, the faster the new data will travel.
However, in networks that are connected primarily by a limited number of key nodes, those nodes serve as bottlenecks. As a result, the larger this type of network is, the slower the new data will travel.
The researchers also identified an algorithm that can be used to assess which point in a network would allow you to spread new data throughout the network most quickly.
“Practically speaking, this could be used to ensure that an IoT network purges old data as quickly as possible and is operating with new, accurate data,” Wenye Wang says.
“But these findings are also applicable to online social networks, and could be used to facilitate the spread of accurate information regarding subjects that affect the public,” says Jie Wang. “For example, we think it could be used to combat misinformation online.”
In this day and age of cyber risk and data privacy regulations, automated third-party questionnaires are a must. Organizations can no longer simply hire vendors without proof of a strong cyber posture, and a comprehensive questionnaire can demonstrate that vendors’ internal security policies are up to par.
Yet not all questionnaires are the same. The benefits of automated questionnaires can vary, depending on the solution. What features should CISOs be sure are included in their security questionnaires?
Zettaset, a leading provider of software-defined encryption solutions, announced Zettaset XCrypt Kubernetes Encryption, a software-defined solution that protects data at-rest across any Kubernetes environment.
The solution is purpose-built to provide an advanced layer of transparent, high performance encryption that secures sensitive data wherever it resides. The new offering is designed to support common challenges associated with transitioning from DevOps to DevSecOps, without negatively impacting performance or business operations.
Digital transformation initiatives are being rapidly adopted across the enterprise landscape and DevOps methodologies that incorporate Kubernetes have become the preferred engine to implement these new strategies. In fact, research shows the Kubernetes market is steadily growing as more enterprises leverage the platform for container orchestration and management.
However, data protection within Kubernetes environments is a growing challenge for organizations because the location of sensitive data or whether a container has access to unauthorized data is unknown.
Since these environments are often multi-tenant, granular data-at-rest encryption attached to the storage layer is the only way to address the security vulnerabilities unique to Kubernetes deployments.
“The rapid adoption of cloud-native technologies like Kubernetes is forcing IT teams and developers to reconsider the appropriate actions to secure data at-rest,” said Tim Reilly, CEO, Zettaset.
“While Kubernetes is great for managing and orchestrating containers, it does not inherently address data protection. Transitioning from DevOps to DevSecOps has created the unique need for software-defined data encryption throughout the development lifecycle.
“XCrypt Kubernetes Encryption will bring organizations beyond the base encryption functionality of Kubernetes Secrets to help safeguard all sensitive data in these emerging environments, not just tokens and passwords.”
Zettaset XCrypt Kubernetes Encryption is a first-of-its-kind, software-defined encryption solution that simplifies protection of data at-rest stored across Kubernetes environments.
Zettaset XCrypt Kubernetes Encryption provides a granular approach to encryption for even the most complex Kubernetes environments. As a result, customers benefit from the solution’s transparent, yet high performing, layer of security that does not degrade performance or speed.
The solution, a critical component to large, enterprise-grade security approaches, offers:
A software-defined, simple deployment
Negligible impact on overall performance
Seamless container storage and data at-rest separation
Onapsis, the leader in business-critical application protection, announced the official launch of the Onapsis nCase Partner Program. This new program opens business opportunities for partners in the fast-growing market of protecting business-critical SAP and Oracle applications as they migrate to the cloud and drive digital transformations for the Global 2000.
The Onapsis nCase Partner Program is led by Darren Gaeta, Vice President of Worldwide Alliances and Channels. Prior to Onapsis, Gaeta built and scaled successful alliance and channel programs for cybersecurity solutions for Anomali, Securonix and HP Arcsight.
This new partner program is built on a four-pillar strategy, which was developed by Gaeta several years ago with the goal of reaching strategic system integrators, managed security service providers (MSSPs), technology alliance partners and value-added resellers (VARs).
“We’re excited to see this next phase of the Onapsis nCase Partner Program come to fruition as our strategic alliances grow,” said Chris Smith, Chief Revenue Officer, Onapsis.
“As modern companies focus on complex digital transformation projects and cloud migrations, it’s crucial to ensure the availability, security and compliance of the mission-critical processes that help run their businesses. The Onapsis nCase Partner Program extends the reach of our mission to empower organizations to protect their business-critical applications.”
Onapsis partners gain access to the company’s specialized knowledge base, expertise and insights into best practices for ensuring the availability, security and compliance of business-critical applications, including actionable information about the key quality, security and compliance issues that need to be addressed during SAP S/4HANA projects and cloud migrations for SAP and Oracle.
Additional benefits to partners include:
New product and service offerings that support emerging business-critical application transformation, cloud migration and regulatory compliance use cases
Improved revenue margins with a trusted leader in protecting business-critical applications
Participation in deal registration by reselling Onapsis technology solutions
Access to Onapsis market-leading technology for use in consulting engagements
The ability to incorporate Onapsis technology, experts and analytics into managed security service offerings
Product integrations to drive value within the security and audit ecosystem
Exclusive access to sales and technical training, as well as branding and lead generation programs
Significant services revenue built around Onapsis implementations
The official launch of the Onapsis nCase Partner Program comes on the heels of Gaeta’s recognition to CRN’s 2020 list of Channel Chiefs. This annual list, which was released in February, recognizes the top vendor executives who continually demonstrate exemplary leadership, influence, innovation and growth for the IT channel, with cutting-edge strategies and partnerships.
Additionally, the Onapsis nCase Partner Program has been included in CRN’s 2020 Partner Program Guide. This annual guide is the definitive listing of the most rewarding partner programs from technology companies that provide products and services through the IT channel, based on several factors, including investments in program offerings, partner profitability, partner training, education and support, marketing programs and resources, sales support and communication.
ImageWare Systems, a leader in identity management software, announces that on March 3, 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. Patent 10,580,243 entitled, “Conditional and Situational Biometric Authentication and Enrollment.”
This patent grants ImageWare the exclusive rights for the following key capabilities:
Capture biometrics on any device (camera, fingerprint scanner, microphone, iris scanner, kiosk, or station) based on the situation and environment.
Enroll on one device and then authenticate on any other device.
Enable organizations to require one or more specific biometrics (face, finger, iris, and more) based on conditional security requirements.
Together, these rights uniquely enable ImageWare to provide the flexible, multimodal, biometric authentication solutions that meet the needs of modern systems. ImageWare leverages this patent in our solutions to uniquely solve the need for flexibility when using biometrics for identity authentication.
Democratizing biometrics
Biometrics aren’t just about identifying yourself at your office, the airport, at the hospital, or online. They are about being able to authenticate your identity anywhere, anytime, using the right biometrics for varying conditions and situations.
It’s only through situational and conditional authentication using biometrics that true identity federation is possible.
Federation is the concept of allowing your identity to follow you from one business to another, one platform to another, without needing to create new login credentials.
ImageWare makes federation a reality through our patented Digital Identity Platform, which includes our IWS Biometric Engine. We enable a person to create a single digital identity using your biometrics, and then use any of your biometrics, on any device, to identity yourself for use with any system.
“Our central mission is the promise of anonymity, which does not disclose Personally Identifiable Information (PII) throughout the journey of authentication,” says Kristin A. Taylor, President and CEO of ImageWare Systems.
“Over two decades, ImageWare has developed deep technical expertise on complex federal government projects, and today we bring that defense-grade security to everyday use.”
ImageWare has pioneered the concept of multimodal biometrics and created the IWS Biometric Engine, the only real-time, multimodal, biometric platform that doesn’t use cumbersome and performance-degrading middleware.
With the Biometric Engine, users are authenticated as a person and not as a device, while it anonymizes the biometric data for added security. The technology assists in complying with GDPR and CCPA mandates.
The Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS) initiative, supported by the Internet Society, announced the Content Delivery Network (CDN) and Cloud Program to help secure large hubs of the internet from common routing problems.
Systemic security issues that arise from how traffic is routed on the Internet make it vulnerable to abuse, attacks or errors. Through technical and collaborative action, MANRS helps with crucial fixes needed to reduce the most common threats to the internet’s routing system. In other words, the security of the internet depends on routing security.
CDNs and cloud providers help companies serve content and access online services by delivering it in a distributed manner and often from locations close to end users. For instance, when you visit a website, CDNs draw content from the closest locations and not from the website owner’s infrastructure, which is farther away and could result in slower download speeds.
The providers typically exchange traffic – or peer – with thousands of other networks to enable traffic to flow more efficiently around the world, making them significant participants in the internet’s interconnection infrastructure.
Participants in the new program include Akamai, Amazon Web Services, Azion, Cloudflare, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Netflix, with a number of other companies on boarding soon.
They agree to specific actions to improve the resilience and security of the routing infrastructure to keep the internet safe for businesses and consumers alike.
By joining, they commit to the baseline of routing security defined by a set of six security-enhancing actions, of which five are mandatory to implement. The actions are:
Prevent propagation of incorrect routing information
Prevent traffic of illegitimate source IP addresses
Facilitate global operational communication and coordination
Facilitate validation of routing information on a global scale
Encourage MANRS adoption
Provide monitoring and debugging tools to peering partners (optional)
According to industry estimates, over half of all online traffic today is served through CDNs, and this trend is likely to continue, given Internet users’ growing appetite for online media content, such as video, music, gaming, and software downloads.
To address this challenge, in 2018, a task force was formed by the Internet Society and the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, a public cybersecurity commitment spanning over 140 global technology companies.
In addition to the eight participating companies, the task force also includes Nexica, Oracle, Telefonica, Redder, and Verisign. Existing MANRS participants Comcast and TORIX also joined the task force.
Over the past year, they agreed on the set of actions that a CDN or cloud provider should take to improve routing security, leading to the creation of this community-driven program.
“The MANRS community can leverage the new participants’ unique roles in the Internet routing system, in particular their vast peering value, for the benefit of a more secure Internet,” says Andrei Robachevsky, the Internet Society’s Senior Director for Technology Programs.
“Putting in place more stringent controls on routing hygiene in the peering environment, will increase awareness of the need for greater MANRS adoption by peering networks. The CDN and cloud community is integral to the Internet ecosystem, and by joining MANRS, they are joining a community of Internet service providers (ISPs) and Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) committed to making the global routing infrastructure more secure,” he added.
Collaboration and shared responsibility are key to the success of MANRS. So far, 293 network operators and 48 Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) have signed on. By joining, these companies are working hard to secure the fabric of the Internet.
Christian Kaufmann, Vice President, Network Technology, Akamai says: “Being MANRS compliant not only improves our routing security capabilities, but has the potential to help other networks to improve theirs and is an opportunity for Akamai to make a significant contribution to the improvement of global routing security.”
Take $40 off Aukey’s recently-released pair of ANC true wireless earbuds with the promo code T18NC30OFF. We’ve seen a lot truly wireless headphones hit the market recently from a number of different manufacturers, all of them one-upping the ubiquitous AirPods in terms of sound quality and price.
This time around, Aukey is setting itself up as an alternative to AirPods Pro. Their ANC headphones can last for 7 hours on a single charge, plus an additional 17 thanks to its charging case. The 13mm dynamic drivers promise Hi-Fi audio quality, too, on top of active noise cancelling.
Just make sure to use the promo code to get the best price we’ve ever seen.
Hey, if you’re still ballin’ enough to buy a massive TV on the brink of the world’s most epic economic collapse, more power to you. Those who have had their eye on Sony’s 85" X950G set might as well pull the trigger today, because that’s all the time you have to buy one from Newegg for $2,950. Sales regularly knock this TV down to $3,500 from its MSRP of $4,300, so your savings are significant any way you slice it.
This LED TV features 4K HDR with Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and even IMAX Enhanced, giving you all you need to watch some of these theater-at-home releases in stunning detail. You’re also in for some of the best viewing angles, contrast, and color reproduction you’ll find in an LED set that eschews quantum dots. To top all that off, your smart features are powered by Android TV, complete with Alexa and Google Assistant functionality to help find new things to watch and keep your smart home running smoothly.
Don’t forget Sound-from-Picture, which matches the spatial position of your audio to what you’re seeing on the screen.
The only downside of this TV is that it has the ugliest looking feet we’ve ever seen. Good thing it’s mountable!
Right now, you can save 15% off Bokksu subscriptions and gift boxes with our exclusive code, KINJA15. If you’re unfamiliar, Bokksu is a snack box subscription service that delivers “Japan-exclusive snacks to your door.”
When I first encountered Bokksu, I thought to myself, “Well, I don’t need that” since I consider myself an adventurous snacker and I’m currently living in Elmhurst, Queens where there are amazing Asian snacks abound.
However, I gave it a shot and was pleasantly surprised. There were plenty of treats included in the box that I’ve never seen before and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. There was a varied selection of sweet and savory, so I never got tired of anything. Quite frankly, the Bokksu box I received was one of the best things to happen in recent weeks.
The best part? There’s a handy guide that gives you all the info you’d want on each treat (including allergy info) that removes a big barrier that often comes with trying new things with non-English labels.
Shep called this $19 shelf from Elevation Lab dumb. It is. But the good kind of dumb, like eating cheese despite being lactose sensitive, or telling your ex how you still value her friendship...
Um.
You know what’s not dumb? Using the promo code KINJASHELF to bring it down to just $19. In his review, Shep said:
In hindsight, the Elevation Shelf is about as simple and obvious as a product can be. And yet, there are surprisingly few low profile under-desk storage options out there, and those that do exist require drilling into your desk, which may be frowned upon your office. In fact, I’d say 99% of desk organization products are things that go on top of your desk, but for small items like your wallet and keys, utilizing the oft-wasted area under your desk is a much better use of space.
This is absolutely perfect for everyone WFH right now. But just a heads up, this sold out when we last posted about it. So get yours, or else we’ll know who the real dummy is. (It’s me, it’s always me.)
Your computer chair not doing its job anymore? Suddenly noticing how much it hurts your back now that you’re working from home? Well, if you head over to Dailysteals and use code KJERGOCHR, you can get a brand new mesh-back office chair for just $52. The chair comes in all different colors too—I’m partial to the pink one, myself.
Judging by the way grocery stores look right now, chances are you have more food in your fridge than you can handle. Freezing it all works, of course, but leave it in there too long, and you’ll get some nasty freezer burn, and suddenly that juicy sirloin tastes more like spoiled tofu. A vacuum sealer is the perfect solution, and Woot has a damned good one going for $90 today-only. It can seal up to 80 consecutive heavy-duty bags, and with built-in 12v DC adapters, you can even do it from your car or RV, perfect for camping and fishing trips.
Final Day! Summer barbecue season is inching closer and closer, so it might be time to invest in a truly great meat thermometer, and you can score a rare 20% discount on one of the the best one today.
Our readers love the Thermapen because it displays the temperature in 2 - 3 seconds, has a 3,000 hour battery, is waterproof, and is accurate to within 0.7°F.
Here are just a few readers gushing over it:
Thermapen Classic (or really any of the Thermapens). Bar none the best thermometer for cooking I have ever bought — accept no substitutes.
Somewhat expensive at ~$70-$120 range, but I’ve been using mine for years and years, and it still gives me an accurate reading in less than three seconds. Well, well worth the price. Especially excellent for the grill. - theburners
Without a doubt. No other thermometer comes close. I’ve said it before on Kinja that the Thermapen is the best piece of kitchen equipment I’ve ever bought. - the-return-of-samba00
This model is actually the newer Mk 4., which unlike the Thermapen classic includes a backlit screen, better waterproofing, better battery, and a motion sensor that automatically puts it to sleep and wakes it up.
If you’re unfamiliar, Olivers makes some of our favorite men’s activewear that doesn’t look like activewear,
We’ve written about the Olivers mystery boxes before and it’s been a super popular promotion. Olivers decided to go for a more traditional route this time around and pick out your own goodies. And it’s all good, so browse around and save.
If you’re like me and you’ve decided not to join the legion of messenger bag users who don’t know just how much better it is to have two straps, take a look at this water-repellent Lenovo backpack, which is down to only $18 following its steepest discount yet. It has enough room to hold a 15.6" laptop, a tablet, your smartphone, and a host of other smaller odds and ends. You won’t be able to throw a whole mobile studio in there, mind you, but if essentials are all you’re toting around on a regular basis, this might be all you need.
Step up to this Clarks site-wide sale and save big on a ton of classy, comfortable shoes. I love my Clarks Chukka boots and during this sale, I actually picked up a pair of Kerby Finlo slippers for $13.
Just make sure to use the promo code TAKE30 at checkout to save big on a ton of styles. To get the most for your dollar, I’d suggest shopping the clearance and sale sections.
I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again: Mental health care IS health care, and therapy is a crucial part of treating your symptoms. You might be feeling down in the dumps right now, and that’s ok, you’re not alone. If you need to talk to someone but can’t leave your house, know that Talkspace is the number one online therapy service around and they’re offering $100 off your first month with the coupon code REMOTE100.
Considering it starts at $65/week, you’re basically getting a free 7-day trial and then some. As part of the service, Talkspace is currently promoting their COVID-19 stress and anxiety management program to all subscribers, including those taking advantage of this very discount. Try it out, and let me know how it is because I’m genuinely tempted to sign up myself.
There’s a lot of discourse surrounding the benefits of CBD and whether the Cannabid sativa extract is actually beneficial to those experiencing chronic pain and anxiety or if it’s a placebo cleverly marketed as a cure-all antidote. Whatever you believe (I, myself, have seen the positive effects of a good batch), JustCBD is offering 25% off its entire selection of CBD gummies right now using our exclusive discount code KINJA25.
Chill out, maybe watch a movie and fall asleep halfway through. It’s Friday, anything is on the table! Gummies at CBD start at 8mg and cap out at 25mg/piece, so there’s a wide gamut of dosages to choose from. Especially right now, we need all the help we can get for our mental and physical health. To that extent, CBD is a proven aid, and gummies are the most fun way to consume it.
Whether you’ve already lived through Forky’s (I still think he should have been named Sporky) cute-yet-maddeningly-sad identity crisis or you’re brand new to the Toy Story universe, Microsoft is giving you a prime opportunity to spend more time with your favorite plastic gang. The Toy Story four-film collection is73% off, and that includes the 4K Ultra HD versions for just $22. You can also snag it in HD for $17.
Microsoft Store digital titles are viewable on PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Android, iOS, and even HoloLens. You’ll need an Xbox One S or Xbox One X to watch in 4K, however, so be sure to go for the HD version if you don’t have a console.
My eBook backlog is gigantic. It’s somehow even bigger than my gaming backlog, despite the fact that playing and beating a video game takes way longer than reading and finishing a book. Regardless, I can’t resist a good Kindle eBook deal, and Amazon has a good one this week—spend $20 on eBooks, and you’ll get $5 Kindle credit... for more books, essentially.
There is a trick to this deal, though: You need to activate it. It doesn’t automatically apply at checkout, so be sure to click on that link and activate the deal before going on a buying spree.
Of course, there are sales on the eBooks themselves, too. For example, all of CS Lewis’s novels are $2 a piece, so if you ever wanted to read The Chronicles of Narnia now is your chance to get the whole series for cheap. As always, there are a boggling amount of eBooks on sale that you can peruse at your leisure, as well.
Since nobody asked, what I like to do during these promotions is pick up one or two books that never go on sale (looking at you, Harry Potter and Witcher novels), then work my way up to the $20 spent for the credit. It’s just enough of a bonus for me to splurge on some novels I have trouble justifying otherwise.
There’s a shaky history behind antivirus software, mostly due to high cost, obtrusive ads, spyware, and a knack to gorge on system resources. Lots of programs have improved in all of those areas over time, such as Webroot, which makes an antivirus app designed specifically for gamers that’s $10 off at Amazon today. You’ll get a full year of coverage for one computer for that price.
Webroot combines its deep threat definitions and scanning with a lightweight UI, faster scans, and a system optimizer that helps keep your operating system running its best.
If you’re a student who needs internet access to keep up with studies, Comcast wants to woo you with a $150 Visa gift card. All you’ll need to do is prove you’re a student, and you’ll get the free money as long as you’re on the Performance Starter+ Internet, Choice TV Select Double Play, or Choice TV Select Double Play+ packages. Note that this offer only extends to students who have been forced to live off-campus. Those still firmly entrenched in dorm life need not apply. The deal is on through June 1, 2020.
With so much time to kill and so many games to play, now is the perfect time to make sure your PlayStation gaming goes interrupted. Newegg has 12-month PlayStation Plus subscriptions for $40 if you use promo code EMCDEEG28. A full year normally costs $60, so you may want to consider adding time to your account even if you aren’t due to expire soon.
With PlayStation Plus, you can play online multiplayer in any game you want as much as you want, and you’ll also get free games, exclusive sales, cloud saves, and other juicy perks.
If you want a no-frills (i.e. no RGB lighting) headset, consider the Logitech G332 SE. While it’s not flashy by any means, it’s got big 50mm audio drivers, a flip-to-mute mic, and uses a 3.5mm jack so it’s compatible with a PC and most gaming consoles.
This is the best discount we’ve seen on this particular headset. The Logitech G332 SE typically sells for around $45-60, so this is a terrific buy.
This Xbox One S 1TB all-digital edition bundle is nuts. For $170, you get the console, a spare controller, and three digital games (Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Forza Horizon 3.) That’s $30 less than the console (without the spare controller) is normally. For someone stuck at home, looking for a fun way to pass the time this could be the perfect deal.
There’s nothing worse than taking your Nintendo Switch on a road trip and having it die two hours in, all because you just couldn’t help but work on your Animal Crossing island. (You were supposed to be spending that time packing. Shame on you.) But if you had a HORI fast car charger—which is $15 at Amazon right now—this wouldn’t at all pose an issue. With six feet of length to work with, you’ll be able to play-and-charge even if you’re stuck in the back of a long truck. Just hook it up to your car’s cigarette lighter and you’ll be back to terrorizing your village neighbors in no time.
Razer makes some of the best gaming peripherals out there, and right now the Razer Viper ultralight gaming mouse is marked down to its lowest price on Amazon. There’s a lot to like about this sleek, comfortable mouse including gaming-level optical sensor and enough RGB lighting to make even the most hard-core gamers blush.
This ambidextrous mouse is also absurdly light. My brother owned this 69 gram mouse for a spell and it felt like I wasn’t using one at all.
This $14 Anker PowerWave Stand charger is the perfect desktop accessory. Not only will it charge your Qi-capable smartphone, but it also props up your phone so you can see if you get a notification right away. $12 is the best price we’ve ever seen, but just be warned, this doesn’t come will a wall adapter, so you’ll need to plug it in to your computer or provide your own USB plug to power it.
Bose’s wireless QuietComfort 35 II headphones set the standard for all other brands to follow when it comes to noise-cancelling technology. And right now you can get a refurbished pair for $200. This price is $100 lower than usual.
Gizmodo says:
Out of the box, they always felt a bit flimsy, and on my head, the audio quality seemed subpar for the price. At least that’s what I thought before I tried the new QuietComfort 35 Wireless cans. The noise cancellation is peerless, and the sound is terrific—for the most part.
However, as with all great things, these are still not super cheap. But it’s hard to argue against this investment, especially when you’re stuck working from home.
Save big on a of travel-friendly, Aukey USB-C wall plug with the code YU95W2PJ. Doing so will drop the price of this AUKEY 30W Power Delivery Charger down to just $15. This unit offers a standard USB plug plus USB-C to charge two devices at once.
For example, its 30W USB-C port can charge a laptop or Nintendo Switch, while the standard USB charges your phone.
If you’re still using the stock, single plug unit that came with your device, you’re in need of an upgrade. I mean, imagine the convenience of charging two of your devices at once? That’s the future. And this is an excellent opportunity to get one ahead of... well, the travel we’ll all be doing once this mess blows over.
Jaybird RUN XT Sport True Wireless In-Ear Headphones | $50 | Amazon and Best BuyGraphic: Tercius Bufete
Running remains one of the few things we could do during these troubled times to stay healthy and go outside. And right now you can save big on Jaybird’s RUN XT Sport True Wireless In-Ear Headphones.
These offer Bluetooth 4.1, swappable silicone tips and fins, compatible with Google Assistant and Siri, and they’re IPX7 resistant.
Usually selling for $80, these headphones advertise 4 hours of battery life on a single charge, plus an additional 8 hours with the charging case. So you’ll definitely still have juice even after a long run. I mean, of course, you’ll still need to use hand sanitizer, wash your hands, and socially distance yourself from everyone else outside.
So if you’re looking for a pair of truly wireless headphones, pick these up at either Amazon and Best Buy for $50.
Need a battery that can jump start your car as easily as it can your phone? Pick up Gooloo’s 4000A Peak SuperSafe Car Jump Starter for $84 at Amazon using the promo code CR7OCIC2.
While most people need a portable charger you can stuff in a bag or jacket pocket, this battery packs enough power to jump start your car in a pinch, too. With two USB-A charging ports, and one USB-C charging port, you’ll be able to keep all your gear charged up on your road trips without worrying about killing your car’s battery.
Not everyone has the luxury of moisture in the air during the Bad Times. Some of us live in dry apartments or houses in which we can hardly breathe through our nostrils. The solution, I’m told, is a humidifier. I have a cheap one right now but it sucks! This one from TaoTronics, according to reviewers, is much better.
At MSRP, its $100 price tag is a little steep if I’m honest, but at $77 with our exclusive code KINJIA97R (plus the clippable coupon on the site), it’s actually quite tempting. The 5.5-liter unit, designed for large rooms, is capable of clearing out dry air for 45 hours straight on one fill. It covers rooms up to 200-450 sq. foot which, seeing as my apartment is 550 sq. foot in its entirety, means you might only need one.
But if you have a larger apartment or house, it’s not a bad idea to shell out for one in each room. In the winter, you can even set the temperature to dispense warm mist up to 140°F, for a sauna-like experience. That said, warm mist mode is automatically disabled at night to keep you safe and sound from overheating and disruptive noise.
Sometimes your car battery just... dies. It sucks. If you’re caught unprepared, you’ll have to knock on neighbors’ doors or ask strangers in the parking lot “for a jump”, and who really wants to talk to other people? Instead, you can purchase the DBPOWER Portable Car Jump Starter for only $60, if you use the code G5WDZHOR.
This jumper is small, so you can throw it in the trunk with the rest of the emergency kit (that you definitely have, right?) and it’ll be ready when you need it. You can also use the jump starter for charging your devices, if you really need to.
With daily life screeching to a slow crawl, it can be easy to fall short of your daily step target. Whether you’re on the treadmill, walking around your backyard, or daring to move more than a yard away from your home, a Fitbit tracker keeps you on task, and they’re discounted quite handsomely at Amazon today. The Fitbit Versa Lite has all the essentials and a heart rate monitor, and the Mulberry model is down to just $100 today. The Fitbit Ace—designed for kids— is also on sale for $50, which is a $20 windfall for you.
The former is what you want for more involved workout information (there are over 15 different exercise modes) and sleep tracking, as well as smartphone control and notifications. The Fitbit Ace 2, meanwhile, is pretty much only useful as a step tracker, but with parental controls and fun features for kids, it could be the perfect device to get your young ones used to building healthy habits.
Unless you’re playing NBA 2K20, it’s kind of hard to get a basketball fix right now. With gyms and parks being off-limits for many, this Spalding NCAA-branded hoop might offer some reprieve, and it’s 20% off at Amazon right now, which knocks the price down to $360.
This system towers 50 inches and folds down into a compact state for storage. The base is plastic, but it’s thick and sturdy, and you shouldn’t have any bending issues with the steel frame. And don’t worry about that backboard: it’s acrylic, so unless you’re balling with some of the Space Jam monsters, it should stand the test of time.
REI is having all sorts of deals this week, and that’s great news for anyone looking to do a little Spring refresher for their wardrobe (or camping gear). From now until April 11th, REI is offering 30% off Patagonia products, and you don’t even need to be a member to take advantage of the deal.
Included in this sale are a bunch of snazzy fleeces, slings, and the always in-style (?) puffy vest. If you’re an outdoorsy person whatsoever, Patagonia’s line of clothing and gear will be perfect for you.
Blue light is bad for you. The blue light from LEDs is why we’re not supposed to look at phones or computers an hour before bed, it’s why office workers often deal with eyestrain, and there’s a good chance that’s why you’re getting headaches. We’re using these devices more than ever before, and GlassesUSA.com has a great deal to combat that—free blue light lenses with the code FREEBLUE.
Here is how GlassesUSA.com works:
1. Pick the frames you want
2. Choose what you’re going to use the glasses for, and fill in the prescription if you have one
3. For this deal, pick either the value or standard lens package, then the ‘Clear with Blue Light’ option
4. Head to the cart and enter the FREEBLUE code
And you’re done! The best part is that this code stacks with other codes, too. When I was testing the deal out, the code SPRING60 was automatically applied to my order before I went to the cart, and that helped to save even more.
The FREEBLUE deal runs for a week, so make sure to take advantage of it soon!
If you want to improve your Nintendo Switch handheld experience, consider investing in Hori’s Split Pad Pro Demon X Machina Controller. Much more comfortable than the standard Joy-Con, these alternatives offer full-sized joysticks and programmable underside buttons.
Here’s what Kotaku had to say:
The Grip controller is pretty limited. It doesn’t have an internal battery, so it can only be used when attached to the Switch. It’s got no gyro sensor, infrared camera, NFC communication or vibration. What it does have is chunky buttons, large analog sticks, a proper d-pad and what looks like a nice heft.
Hori used the extra real estate on the Grip controller to add a programmable button on the back, which can be mapped to any other button on the controller.
You know what’s a pain in the ass while trying to exercise? Headphone wires. Whether you’re walking or doing crunches or striking a yoga pose, those wires always seem to get tangled on SOMETHING. Thankfully, Tribit is running an incredible sale on their wireless earbuds. Use code TribitX1 at checkout, and you’ll be able to get these babies for only $20. Grab a pair before they sell out!
For the uninitiated, Nomad makes high-end leather Apple accessories that look like they belong to someone with a pension and a Mercedes G-class parked on a side street in Lower Manhattan.
Their base stations, which can wirelessly charge up to four Apple devices at once (including your iPhone and AirPods) are particularly alluring. And if you buy one now, they’ll knock 50% off a premium braided Kevlar cable. Starting at $100, the Nomad Base Station Hub Edition is built with padded leather and supports 10W wireless charging for one device, and 7.5W for two.
The upgraded $150 version of the Base Station features a built-in Apple Watch charger as well, so you no longer have to juggle your chargers and devices—they’ll all be in one place. Meanwhile, the USB-C to Lighting (and USB-C to USB-C) Kevlar cables are sturdy and resistant, protected by double-braided fibers and reinforced by Kevlar’s signature central core.
While supplies last, you can snag them and mute the entire world around you for $238, which is $60 less than usual.
And, sure, that’s is still a big investment, but if you spend a lot of time in noisy planes and trains, or if you work in an open, or even need to focus while working from home you won’t find a better set of headphones.
It seems like you can’t sneeze or cough these days without drawing a death stare. An air purifier may not protect you from something like, say, an airborne virus, but it can at least suck up all the tiny dust particles and pollen that keep you allergies in check. This Hamilton Beach TrueAir Purifier with HEPA filter is usually $60, but you can take 15% off with coupon code TRUEAIR15.
Like most other purifiers, it claims to capture 99% of anything as small as three microns, but unlike a lot of others, it has a permanent filter that doesn’t need replacing. If you’re tired of your daily dose of Benadryl, then this could save you a ton of headache and money in the long run.
This need to do something instead of refreshing various news sources over and over again has also translated to me, and presumably to others, into a niggling desire to undergo some sort of dramatic physical transformation. Born out of both boredom and vanity, I have considered attempting nail art, “trimming” my split ends, and, in moments of deep despair, attempting to give myself a bikini wax. The transformations that I speak of are less maintenance—a man trimming his beard, those with pixie cuts considering their options—and more about the dramatic impulses that might lead someone to attempt balayage using bleach, tinfoil, and gumption. Cutting your own hair is a distraction, sure, but you will have to live with the end results for an indeterminate amount of time. These impulses are the output of an idle mind desperate for anything else to think about. Maybe if I give myself baby bangs, I will feel better, or at least different.
Faced with a vast grip of newfound free time and the overwhelming feeling of control slipping away, the impulse to do something different to one’s physical appearance is becoming harder and harder to resist. Many of us have nothing but time on our hands, and time, when it stretches out indefinitely, it feeds into anxiety. Two weeks out, it is clear that everyone is searching for a sense of control over their own bodies and minds. Parsing out tasks that would take three hours on a lazy Saturday to stretch over a full weekend’s worth of unstructured time is an attempt at regaining control through distraction. Cooking is a form of control, so is online shopping. Doing a full face of makeup for a walk to the bathroom and back is, too. Cutting your own hair, however, is a different beast. Please don’t. Put down the scissors.
Unless you are actually a stylist, cutting your hair at home is a terrible idea, though the impulse and the thinking behind it makes sense. If the only person seeing you and your new Louise Brooks-at-the-sanitarium bob is the across-the-street neighbor, who stands at peers out the window for an hour every day, then sure. Go bald, go pink, go nuts. But the same rules that apply to getting bangs during a breakup apply to this specific scenario, too. The empowerment that comes with changing your appearance, however thrilling it may be in the moment, is fleeting and works against my general understanding of our situation, which is that this current moment of stasis is not permanent. We are on pause, not a full stop. There will be haircuts and manicures and waxes in the future.
The internet has begun to push at-home haircutting tips and service pieces about how to safely wax your pubis, as a canny grab for traffic and a way to capitalize on the current moment. The Atlantic published a piece advocating for box dye and hair experiments during self-isolation as a way to work against collective boredom. The Cut advocated for cutting your own hair for the very same reasons. This sort of service journalism would not have existed two or three weeks ago, but reality has shifted slightly so this is where we are. Together, all these new-found hobbies and crafts form an imperative towards productivity: the tasks we undertake are all small, incremental steps towards self-improvement. Cutting your own hair feeds right into this narrative—nothing really matters right now, so playing around in an inconsequential manner is freeing, but there’s also the chance that a newer, shinier version of yourself could emerge.
It’s not that anyone who does decide to experiment with layers or trim their own bangs will get out the other side of this thing with a newfound passion for hairstyling, but even the suggestion that now is the best time to drastically change your appearance speaks to a sense of making the most of it—understandable advice when shit is going sideways. But taking a pair of kitchen scissors to your hair and working out a bowl cut is not a hobby or a suitable distraction! It will only make you feel worse.
The imperative to use this time to be productive is self-sabotaging because it feels highly unlikely that anyone will get any better at the hobby they’ve chosen to undertake. The point of all these tasks, from hair-cutting to scrapbooking to getting really into bread,is not productivity, but distraction, an activity that redirects your mind from a larger, more pressing matter. By definition, distractions are not productive! Trimming shaggy bangs between haircut appointments is okay, because if your hair looks terrible, help is but a phone call and a salon visit away. If the bangs look bad when you do it yourself now, well, staring at the result of your hubris for what could be a very long time might feed into the very anxiety you were attempting to silence. Staring at yourself in the mirror after dying your hair blonde for the first time and realizing that it looks like shit is good for a laugh, but when laughter can quickly turn to tears for no real reason other than existential stress, well, who needs that?
Though there is a freedom in abject failure, which we should all embrace with impunity, I don’t know if that same freedom extends to our physical being. Hair grows back. The tail of your left eyebrow will repopulate itself eventually. But the chance that you will feel like a worse version of yourself in a time when we are all experiencing a collective situational depression seems risky to me.
The screens, they are unavoidable right now. Our kids were probably already getting plenty of screen time before the pandemic swept the world, but now, they’re not just using screens for entertainment. They’re using them to connect with their teachers, to complete their schoolwork and to talk to family and friends.
My nine-year-old son has been having regular hang-out sessions over Zoom with a couple of his friends. They’ve spent most of the time playing Minecraft or a multiplayer dinosaur war game called Jurassic Monster World. It’s been fine, he gets to see his friends, and I’m in favor of just about anything that provides him with some connection right now, even if they do spend more time staring at their tablets than each other.
If you’ve got Ticket to Ride and they’ve got Ticket to Ride, you can all play Ticket to Ride.Photo: Kelly Carr
But the longer this “shelter in place” business goes on, the nicer it would be to also find a way to incorporate a bit more traditional game-playing into the routine.
I realize that many classic board and card games have online versions that people are now taking advantage of during their Physical Distancing Happy Hours. But for kids, there is something special about shaking actual dice in their hands and clomping game pieces unnecessarily hard around a real-life board. A throwback activity to a simpler time.
Since my son is, you know, HOME WITH ME, I figured I might as well as him what games he’d like to try playing with his friends over Zoom, Google Hangouts, FaceTime or Duo.
“Definitely not a card game,” he says, “Maybe Sorry? Yeah, Sorry would be a good one.”
He makes a good point—I can’t imagine how something like Uno or Go Fish could realistically work over video chat. But classic board games like Sorry, Trouble, Monopoly, or Chutes and Ladders? Those should work, as long as 1. both parties have the same game and 2. the kids are old enough to follow what the other player is doing in order to move their opponent’s pieces or 3. there is a parent nearby to help with that part.
A friend of mine recently busted out Ticket to Ride to play with her six-year-old son and their buddies across the country (pictured above). Other ideas might include Candy Land, Clue, Connect Four, and Battleship, which you could even play pretty easily over the phone. But is Twister only fun if everyone is physically tangled up together?
Let’s make a list in the comments. What games have your kids tried playing over video chat? Do you have any tips for improving the flow of the game? Was a good time had by all, or was it more trouble than it was worth?
Within the last month, life has changed in ways both large and small. What used to be a few news stories here and there about a new virus infecting people halfway across the world is now a global pandemic. Something as simple as visiting a friend, going to the playground with our kids, or even shopping for groceries is now fraught—or impossible. Every day brings new worries, new precautions to take, and new information.
It’s all too easy to let these events go by in a haze of stress and worry. Already, many of us are reporting a warped sense of time, professing shock over how little time has actually passed by. Was it really only March 11th that the World Health Organization declared this a pandemic? Was it really only January when U.S. news outlets started reporting on the coronavirus?
Keeping a journal, one in which you write down details of what is happening, can make sense of these changes, while creating a lasting record for posterity.
Eventually, this pandemic will be brought under control—we will one day have a vaccine and a comprehensive set of treatments. Even then, life will probably never return to exactly what it was before this started. History will be divided into the time before the pandemic and the time after.
In the future, we will want to look back and reflect on this time. We will want to pass these lessons on to the next generation. To do this, start by keeping a record of what is happening.
Keep journaling simple and easy
Herbert “Tico” Braun, a history professor at University of Virginia, has a few tips for keeping a journal during these times. As he notes in this article:
If you are going to compose a journal of these times, make it something easy to do. If a journal becomes onerous, it does not work. You do not have to write or do things for the journal every day. Keep your writing and composing close by, so you can jot things down to return to them later.
Note details, engage the senses
Details can be as simple as noting conversations with neighbors, or details about your neighborhood, or an accounting of how your work day or work habits have changed. These details need not be explicitly connected to the pandemic, but instead can just be little details about your day-to-day life. When describing, it’s often good to try and engage all of the different senses. Is the air a little lighter, now that fewer cars are clogging up the road? What about the changes in ambient noise, now that everyone is home all the time? When it comes to your neighborhood, how are people using the space differently?
Given the blur of everything that is happening, even the smallest of details can have meaning and spark valuable memories years down the road.
Make a plan for long-term storage
How you record these details, whether in a formal journal, a plain composition book, or digitally, will vary depending on your own resources and preferences. There are formal systems, like the Bullet Journal method. Or journaling can be as simple as buying a marbled black and white composition notebook, and writing down brief jottings here and there, along with the date. Journaling could also involve apps, or even expand to a blog, depending on your own comfort level.
Whatever format you use, just make sure that you have a plan for storing it long-term. When all of this is over, you’ll want to revisit these journals again.
