With the world in its current shape, there are many of us who are understandably a little tentative to leave the house unless it’s really necessary. Unfortunately, this hesitation means that so many great pastimes are being left behind. Sure there are a few that really can’t be done indoors, white water rafting is hard to set up in the bathtub. However, we can always rely on the technologically minded to figure out a way through this. It turns out there are plenty of amazing activities that with a little ingenuity can be enjoyed online.
IMAGE: UNSPLASH
Forget What We Said About White Water Rafting
So it turns out that you can actually enjoy being out and about on the water from the comfort of your own computer chair. Although it’s less thrilling than white water rafting, it’s a pretty good stand-in for a paddle down the river nonetheless. The project that enables this started back in 2013 when Google and American Rivers partnered up in order to provide the world with a 360-degree view of the Grand Canyon, as seen from the Colorado River.
Since then there have been some even more exciting developments though. In 2014 Friends of the Yampa and OARS joined the team in order to capture a 360 degree view of the Yampa River, as well as parts of the Yosemite and Rocky Mountain parks. If you miss being out on the water, or even just out in nature then you can click onto Google Earth and join the boat trips down these spectacular waterways.
A Visit To The Casino
Whilst there’s nothing quite like the ringing of change tumbling out of a slot machine, or the click click click of a roulette wheel, some clever companies have come quite close to emulating the real thing. Online casinos have been a firm favorite of many people for a long time now, but live dealer casinos are something altogether newer.
Live dealer casinos allow the player to feel even more like they’re actually in a casino, thanks to the presence of, you guessed it, a real live dealer. The dealer is captured from plenty of different angles as they deal cards, or spin a wheel.
Next, via the magic of the internet, or perhaps more accurately a well designed user interface and a game control unit, the player is able to place bets and interact with the dealer all from the comfort of their own home. If you’re the sort of person who still gets a thrill out of playing Solitaire on your computer, then live dealer casinos might just blow your mind.
Fancy Some Stargazing, Virtually?
Now if you live somewhere pretty rural then arguably this is an activity that you can quite easily enjoy without leaving your home. However, for those of us that live in more developed areas, light pollution means that it can be pretty tricky to get a good view of the stars unless you make your way out into the countryside. So, NASA has provided a solution for the stay at home astronomer.
NASA’s app is free to download for Android and IOS. Using the app you can point your phone at the night sky and the stars and planets that you can see will all be labeled for you. As well as these things, you’ll often find man-made objects such as satellites or if you’re lucky the International Space Station. It’s a great way to get to learn a little about the universe in a totally accessible way.
If you turn on alerts then your phone will even notify you if there’s going to be a meteor shower, a lunar event, or even a space station flyover. This app is truly brilliant for the curiously minded. Even better, if you fancy getting a look down at planet Earth, then the app will allow you to watch real-time footage of Earth viewed from the International Space Station.
So, if you found yourself struggling to enjoy your favorite hobby, or equally struggling to think of one to take up, then hopefully these clever online solutions will provide you with an exciting way to fill that downtime.
If you are interested in even more entertainment-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.
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