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Started 4 years ago by mikiem2
Latest reply from Whiterabbit-uk

mikiem2
Moderator

windowscentral[.]com/steams-breaks-its-own-record-20-million-concurrent-players-due-coronavirus

Many gaming services are seeing spikes in the number of players on the service at once, which in some cases is leading to issues. In Steam's case, however, it simply means a record-breaking number of players on the platform at once. As of March 15, 2020, Steam had over 20 million concurrent players logged in and online at one time, with 6.2 million of those players actively in a game.

It seems that Counterstrike: Global Offensive and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, the usual heavy hitters, are still the front runners for number of active players, but it's clear that there are more people than usual logging on lately. This is likely because of the coronavirus, which is encouraging people to stay at home rather than go out. What better way to spend time at home than play some video games?

Posted 4 years ago #
Dragonlair
Member

Yeah, but the internet is getting doggy - especially in the afternoon and evening. If you're gonna use the time to play games -- you get better response with local, not internet games!

Posted 4 years ago #
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru

I was playing a cooperative game online this evening with a few friends , thankfully we didn't have any issues playing together despite one being on the other side of the Atlantic (in Florida). I do have a decent 350MB broadband speed, but I have been having issues getting my Amazon Prime videos streamed properly. I've had to abandon watching several times already due to the programs e.g. Vikings, The Expanse etc stopping and starting every several seconds. It's never been an issue before. That said, I do think its a good idea to keep away from crowds and stay at home. I'm sure in most cases it will bring families together; though an expert on TV this morning suggested that we may see a spike in divorce rates before the end of this pandemic.

My daughter may have been exposed becasue three of the staff at the Dental Labs that she attends twice a week doing her first year practical placement have the virus. She's now home and we are going to have to self isolate to be sure she hasn't contracted it and passed it on to us. Also my son has had all his uni lectures and placements cancelled (though the lecturers are streaming the lectures, and my wife's college is shutting down after tomorrow. She's also been told to stream her lectures online from home.

My online shopping order arrived this evening. I'd completed the order three weeks ago before the panic buying had started. Of the 40 or so items I'd ordered, only non essential items such as ice lollies, kitchen towels, marmite and some margarine were delivered, everything else was marked ''no longer available and no substitutes''

The panic buying has really got out of hand. Thankfully most big stores are limiting the number of items you can buy, though there are ways to circumvent that (at least by those selfish enough to do so). Until a few days ago, it was just dry food goods and toilet paper, now fresh food is becoming scare as well. I don't know about the US, but I reckon if things don't improve soon, the government are going to have to bring in rationing as there will always be greedy selfish people who have no thoughts to the rest of us. Our local community have just set up a help line and have asked for volunteers to deliver food to the elderly people who are unable to get out and buy for themselves.

Posted 4 years ago #
Dragonlair
Member

The last time I was in a store was last Tuesday getting a prescription from a "superstore". I had to pick up a few things so didn't go through all the store (one of the biggest in my area). The produce area was pretty well stocked except for the cabbage on sale (last day for St. Patrick's day). Even though they only had about a half-dozen heads left, they were excellent quality (I love boiled cabbage). However other areas were pretty bare - almost no water and the Gatorade was almost gone -- only one flavor left.

I needed the Gatorade for what I was hoping to be upcoming surgery. Now, not only was my "Joint Camp" instructional session cancelled for next week but ALL non-emergency surgeries have been cancelled to save on a rapidly dwindling supply problem. I am upset (and in pain) to have my surgery, at least, postponed. I have been self-isolating just to prevent any contagion so the only time I go out is for a medical appointment.

I've been doing a fair more online orders (Amazon and WalMart) and so far, everything seems to be shipping. I don't do "essentials" from Amazon because of the price. I checked their price for powdered all-fabric bleach and they charged over $15 when I normally get it from Walmart for $1.98! It's not necessarily price-gouging -- they always seem to be high on things that I can get locally easily under normal circumstances.

Posted 4 years ago #
mikiem2
Moderator

... an expert on TV this morning suggested that we may see a spike in divorce rates before the end of this pandemic.

:) newyorker[.]com/cartoon/a24006

All the big names in streaming have now changed their policies in the EU to preserve bandwidth. How this will effect you WR I've no idea.

The big deal about what they call Social Distancing, which I imagine includes not going out in the 1st place, self-quarantining etc., is that they absolutely HAVE to slow the spread of COVID-19. Hospitals can handle a steady trickle of patients, but any uncontrolled surge more than completely overwhelms their capacity. In Italy doctors are in the horrible position of deciding who gets put on ventilators, and may live, and who cannot, and will almost definitely die. In China the death rate in Wuhan was like 5.7% because the hospitals were overwhelmed. In other parts of China it was like .7%. A report out of one of England's colleges used mathematical modeling to forecast different scenarios -- it's said that that report literally scared both your PM & the US pres. into their about-face regarding how our governments were going to proceed.

Psychologically many people started panic buying because it's Doing Something when they have no idea what they should be doing to face an unknown threat. Some bought up everything in sight to sell for a huge profit -- now some of them are going to jail. Others started panic buying out of self defense. I didn't realize that folks would be panic buying soon enough, so I was late ordering one or two essentials that I wouldn't have replenished until April otherwise, but I still got what we needed, albeit just before they sold out. Normally we keep pretty well stocked as a side effect of trying to save money -- you find better deals on larger amounts, so I'll for example buy a year's worth of mustard at a time. I didn't foresee problems getting stuff like bread, though I guess with school's closed all those kids have to eat lunch at home. Lots of the other things they're out of doesn't make a bit of sense to me. It can take more than a month to get over COVID-19 to where you're not contagious, but people seem to be buying more than a month's worth. The Meijer's down the street just started letting seniors & vulnerable people shop an hour before the store opens, so that'll help with the stuff they sell out of, like bread. With the exception of imports there's plenty of food -- they just can't get it on the shelves or into the distribution warehouses fast enough.

Most of the food stores have started home delivery, though most don't in this area yet, which has REALLY spiked nationwide. I spent a couple few hours yesterday, and of the two services available, neither would do stuff like bread & milk, so we still have to go out shopping. You're right Dragonlair that Amazon is usually too high-priced on food & household essentials, but they have special deals & coupons & Prime Pantry & Subscribe & Save -- I compare prices with Walmart/Sam's Club & Kroger, and sometimes we can save buying from Amazon, sometimes not. Anything that comes in the door gets either wiped down with Lysol wipes or sprayed with Lysol. The US Postal Service recommends this with delivered boxes too.

Personally I'm waiting anxiously for their results testing existing meds -- I'm on one of two they talk about already, & could easily get an Rx for the other as it's used for Arthritis.

Posted 4 years ago #
mikiem2
Moderator

... my wife's college is shutting down after tomorrow. She's also been told to stream her lectures online from home.

Came across this which might be helpful to her:

blog[.]google/outreach-initiatives/education/helping-educators-and-students-stay-connected/

In the last week we’ve created new distance learning resources including a collection of training materials, a list of useful apps, a new Learn@Home YouTube resource designed for families, as well as a series of blog posts and webinars. We’ve also made our premium Meet features free for schools through July 1, 2020. This includes the ability to have 250 people in a call together, record lessons and livestream. And thanks to feedback from educators, we’re also constantly making product improvements, like these new educator controls for Hangouts Meet.

We’ve continued to listen to the challenges teachers are facing during these uncertain times and today we’re announcing two new resources to help teachers and students stay connected.

Teach From Home is a central hub of information, tips, training and tools from across Google for Education to help teachers keep teaching, even when they aren’t in the classroom.

When facing these challenges, we’re at our best when we respond as a community. As part of our $50 million Google.org COVID-19 response, we’re announcing a $10 million Distance Learning Fund to support organizations around the globe that help educators access the resources they need to provide high quality learning opportunities to children, particularly those from underserved communities.

Posted 4 years ago #
Dragonlair
Member

After the mentions about Amazon and it's higher pricing normally for some items, I decided to try to order one of the few things that I do normally order from the Amazon Prime Pantry. I was shocked! I don't order that many things through Pantry and only when I can manage the $35 to get free shipping so there have only been about a dozen things I have ever purchased that way. EVERYTHING I have ever purchased through Prime Pantry is unavailable with no idea when/if it will be available. That includes things like Lysol toilet bowl cleaner, Lipton tea bags and Planters Peanuts (34.5 oz). That got a "WOW!" response from me!

Posted 4 years ago #
mikiem2
Moderator

My wife drinks a lot of tea [we buy 6 boxes of 100 at a time], and we've only bought it from Amazon once or twice -- for regular Lipton black tea they're usually far too expensive. We normally buy it from Aldi's -- my wife feels their brand is comparable to Lipton and they're reliably the cheapest [Sam's is slightly higher, but in stock, as are the peanuts]. aldi[.]us

I can understand why people would want to stock up on things like Lysol or Clorox wipes, but panic buying toilet bowl cleaner sorta baffles me, but then we've got a good stock from past sales. I checked Sam's Club & they've got both the cleaner & the wipes. Walmart has a huge supply chain [maybe even bigger than Amazon's], and they've been trying hard to replenish a lot of the scarcest stuff. So have Target & Kroger. While Amazon says they're trying hard, I've not found anything there since this mess started -- 1/2 the US has Prime, & I suspect there are troves of people constantly checking the site, so anything they get in stock is gone within a few minutes [if it lasts that long].

That said, before all this started we only bought staples from Amazon when they had special sale pricing or coupons, usually for Subscribe & Save, or more rarely Prime Pantry.

Posted 4 years ago #
Dragonlair
Member

Walmart's site is not that reliable - period!!!! I was trying to get multi-vitamins and vitamin D supplements and the size I buy is not even listed at Walmart at all - not even as "in store purchase only". However, my husband was able to find BOTH at the local Walmart the other day. The vitamins were sort of hidden behind the name brand and that may have been customers trying to get around any sort of restriction by hiding them and then coming back later to buy them. My husband straightened that out!

We've found a lot of other things that we know they carry but aren't listed online at all.

I only buy staples like the toilet bowl cleaner and such when it's on sale even for prime and I always buy enough to get free shipping. Prime does NOT give you free shipping on Pantry.

I have noted - for those who are interested - that Amazon is trying to encourage you to delay the shipping (use no-rush shipping) by increasing the digital promo they offer by 50% - up to $1.50 for each order. With the cost of many digital books being down, that can add up fast. I think I've got $4 to $4.50 due when things ship (one item was ordered before they increased but hasn't shipped yet so I don't know if I'll get the extra 50 cents).

Posted 4 years ago #
mikiem2
Moderator

I agree 100% about Walmart's web site. Their order online & pickup in store has also been disastrous for us, with super long waits just to get someone to talk to. Delivery & in-store pickup of online orders has been unavailable at all the local stores, sometimes because they're so swamped, other times because they restrict what items you can buy that way. So my wife went out early this afternoon to Target, and they were almost empty -- same with the Meijer's she passed on the way. She said there were far more employees than customers in the store.

Posted 4 years ago #
Dragonlair
Member

I haven't tried the site-to-store with Walmart under the current environment. I did get an email yesterday that Walmart is having special times for older people (definition - 60 and over). It's 6 AM to 7 AM every Tuesday. That's just one day a week at a horrible hour. Meijer is 7 - 8 EVERY day!

Hubby did go to Walmart today and was actually able to get almost everything he tried to get. He did get one package of toilet paper (limit 1) and it was the supersized rolls of that brand. He even got a dozen eggs and the price was still 48 cents.

The one positive point of this panic -- you don't have to worry about the expiration dates as much -- they're selling out so fast that you're bound to get something fresh!

We don't shop at Target for two reasons. Here, they tend to be higher than either Meijer or Walmart. The other reason, depending on my route, I have to go past either Meijer or Walmart (both about equal distance from my home) to get to Target and the roads down in that area of town are NOT good.

We've got a "hunker down" order starting tomorrow which should make my doctor's visit a bit easier -- less traffic. I don't think it will help with the store situation -- there are a lot of exceptions and grocery shopping is one of them.

BTW - Amazon has doubled the no-rush promo to $3. The bad news is some things are prioritized and delivery is set out a bit and when they do that, there is no no-rush option! I ordered generic freezer ziploc bags today and the only option available is "free delivery" (if you have prime) with delivery of APRIL 22.

Posted 4 years ago #
Rabbo
Spammer

Walmart's web site are not a good option in my opinion

Posted 4 years ago #
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru

I didn't realize that folks would be panic buying soon enough, so I was late ordering one or two essentials that I wouldn't have replenished until April otherwise, but I still got what we needed, albeit just before they sold out. Normally we keep pretty well stocked as a side effect of trying to save money -- you find better deals on larger amounts, so I'll for example buy a year's worth of mustard at a time.

We've always done the same. I always remember my grandparents whom I lived with for a large part of my childhood) always had their pantry and food cupboards full to the brim 'always' and for the same reason as yourself Mikiem as we find buying in bulk saves money in the long run.

I needed the Gatorade for what I was hoping to be upcoming surgery. Now, not only was my "Joint Camp" instructional session cancelled for next week but ALL non-emergency surgeries have been cancelled to save on a rapidly dwindling supply problem.

I've had four different appointments cancelled (mainly follow up consultations and an MRI scan of my spine); thankfully no surgery. I do hope you have adequate pain relief?

With respect to online ordering, since the panic buying started, I've not been able to book one spot. It was lucky I'd pre-ordered three weeks in advance, otherwise we would have been a little stuck as I cannot go out on my own. Every day at midnight the store I order from add an extra day. By the time I've managed to log into the site all the spots have already been taken. Even in less than a minute after the new day is added. An online friend of mine orders from a different store. They started to list where you were in a queue to get onto the site, they were listed as over a thousand spots in to wait.

Posted 4 years ago #
Dragonlair
Member

I've had four different appointments cancelled (mainly follow up consultations and an MRI scan of my spine); thankfully no surgery. I do hope you have adequate pain relief?

I try to avoid the stronger pain meds and for the most part, just generic Tylenol seems to help for now. My biggest problems are standing from a sitting position, getting started moving and turning around. The hip sometimes "locks" (bones actually lock with each other) and nothing helps except to just force past that lock.

The one person I feel sorry for mainly is a woman my eye doctor told me about - she was diagnosed with breast cancer and has had her mastectomy surgery canceled TWICE! I would not call that surgery "elective"!

Because of the hope of surgery, I have been literally staying home except for medical purposes (3 last week). Hubby is out trying to get groceries early before the main crowds hit at Walmart. He realized tomorrow is the first of the month and the government checks are usually deposited then.

Posted 4 years ago #
mikiem2
Moderator

No idea why, but suddenly today [3/31] there are crowds of people shopping – 4 people were waiting for my wife to open the doors at Rite Aid, and customers reported that other stores, e.g. Meijer’s, were swamped. Online, video showed people lined up waiting for a Sam’s Club to open during special hours for seniors. The only thing I can think of is people had money they *Had* to spend by the end of the month. It certainly wasn’t because of any positive news – we had a big jump is confirmed infections yesterday – and I couldn’t find anything new in the way of contrarian political statements etc…

RE: Gaming, the WHO says Game On!
usatoday[.]com/story/tech/gaming/2020/03/28/video-games-whos-prescription-solace-during-coronavirus-pandemic/2932976001/

And Ubisoft is giving away Raman Legends:
neowin[.]net/news/ubisoft-is-giving-away-rayman-legends-on-uplay

A couple of good articles on the novel coronavirus:
newyorker[.]com/science/elements/from-bats-to-human-lungs-the-evolution-of-a-coronavirus

newyorker[.]com/magazine/2020/04/06/how-does-the-coronavirus-behave-inside-a-patient#intcid=recommendations_default-popular_c15236c3-473d-4f2e-9b3d-50ca44d26b46_popular4-1

And quick & dirty DIY mask instructions:
scmp[.]com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3050689/how-make-your-own-mask-hong-kong-scientists

The UK & US are hoping for mass blood tests to see how many have had the virus, and with that data scientists can make much better projections – without that data there’s little way to tell where we *actually are* on the curve. The UK will be 1st because of their national system, & well, smaller population. Until then the only prudent course is to plan for the worse, so even where hospitals aren’t yet at capacity, anything not immediately life threatening is getting shunted aside.

covid19.healthdata[.]org/projections

You probably already know about this, Dragonlair, but once or twice Glucosamine Chondroitin has been a lifesaver for me. Boswellia *may* help too – my wife swears by it. Allegedly popular in the EU & Japan, Serrapeptase works well for me for inflammation, but there are supposed to be other benefits. The big negative for me is that it also thins your blood – that’s why I mostly stay away from Tylenol, since it can give me nosebleeds too if I use it more than occasionally.

Posted 4 years ago #
pokieslab
Member

You are totally right! Everyone is sitting home here in the burbs and trying to find the work online. Actually here is my story. I am from the online gamer turned the developer of the games for the pokieslab .
You know what is the trend right now - Video games add 'stay at home' Covid-19 adverts. Three of the UK's leading video games developers are to display coronavirus safety advice within their titles.
Candy Crush Saga, Dirt Rally 2.0 and Sniper Elite 4 are among the games that will feature the messaging.

Posted 4 years ago #
nelly savina
Member

yes it's true

Posted 4 years ago #
Whiterabbit-uk
Games Guru

I have two of those; (Dirt Rally 2.0 and Sniper Elite 4)

Posted 4 years ago #

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