Get a First Life

April 3, 2014

The Dos and Don’ts of Internet Dating

Once full of stigma, Internet dating has really taken off — now it’s only 15 percent stigma. More and more people are turning to the web in order to add some romance to their busy lives. There’s no doubt it’s more convenient than conventional dating: you can take your time, peruse (though it’s difficult not to feel like you’re looking at a catalogue), and exchange as many messages as you want before committing to anything. On the other hand, you can also be granted opportunities to express yourself in ways you’d struggle with in person, which can be freeing. However,…

April 3, 2014

These Life Hacks Will Make You a Really Efficient Human Being

We all love to make our lives a little easier. The trouble is, a lot of things designed to be “more efficient” actually wind up creating the opposite effect. (I mean, drive-throughs? Seriously? And don’t even get me started on escalators and travelators). So, I’ve created a list of little tricks you can use throughout your day that actually work and will make you a TOTALLY AWESOME AND EFFICIENT SUPERHUMAN. (Hyperbole? Hardly). 1. Use paper clips and toilet rolls to organise your cords. Those tangly little buggers are always getting tricksy, aren’t they? Attach some paper clips (the ones designed to hold…

April 3, 2014

How to Stay Healthy While Travelling

Travel improves our lives in a lot of ways. We’re exposed to new cultures and sights and smells, taught humility and patience, and, well, we have a lot of fun along the way. What travel also does, however, is wreak havoc on our health. I’m not just talking about the odd bout of Delhi Belly here; I’m talking months of poor sleep. I’m talking your eyes turning grey and dull because you’re not getting enough essential nutrients. I’m talking your skin breaking out due to excess pollution, muscles slacking, and cargoes growing tighter because you’ve had a straight week of…

April 3, 2014

Men: This is Why You Hate Shopping

Even though I’m a woman, I have a man’s mindset when it comes to shopping. Most of the time, I loathe it – except when shopping for very specific leisure items – and count down the minutes until I can break for lunch. My heart pains for the lost and confused congregations of boyfriends and husbands eternally sitting on benches, or lone partners trailing the aisles while shooting longing glances towards the pub. I empathise because of shared frustration for the same things: repetition, overwhelming variety of items that are 99% identical (yet different enough to merit consideration), and the…

April 3, 2014

Would You Get in a Self-Driving Car?

Google have a lot to answer for. Of course, they’re revolutionising technology: Google Glass – basically, smart technology in eyewear form – was hailed as one of the best inventions of 2012, and let’s not forget what the phrase “Google it” symbolises. But there’s no doubt some of their inventions are subject to controversy. Driverless cars – or Google Chauffeurs, as they may well be known – are one such invention I’m pretty content not to trust as far as I can throw them – which, of course, is not very far…or at all, really. The concept behind driverless cars…

April 3, 2014

Tips for Better Blogging

More and more people are turning to blogging as means of growing their business or personal image. It’s easy to start, accessible by the general public, and, best of all, it can be free (although the option to pay is there). All you really need is an Internet connection and something to say or promote. However, there are simple techniques to get your message seen by larger groups of people, in shorter amounts of time. Moreover, there are ways you can encourage would-be readers to pay close attention, and be personally affected by your words. Getting to this stage is…

April 3, 2014

Glasshole: the Tech World’s New Swear Word

Let’s face it: from an optimist’s (and tech lover’s) point of view, Google Glass is a staggeringly brilliant invention. You can perform all kinds of actions – taking pictures and recording video, getting directions, translating, sending messages to friends and colleagues, and more – hands-free and by voice command, essential features in today’s needed-to-be-there-ten-minutes-ago society. However, there are several arguments to counter the upsides: Google Glass can be used to document information without permission. Google Glass, at the moment, looks a little ridiculous to wear (the quote from designer Marc Newson was that it makes you look like “a d*ck…

March 30, 2014

The High Cost of Getting Around

If you own a car you’re likely very familiar with the high cost of fuel. In most parts of Europe it can be quite unpleasant and sometimes bordering on painful to pay a visit to the petrol station and hand over your hard earned money. However, in some parts of the world petrol is so cheap that you’d really have no excuse not to own a car, or several of them. In fact, in some parts of the world, gas is cheaper than bottled water. Read on to see where the world’s cheapest petrol is, and then decide which country…

March 30, 2014

Four First Date Ideas That Don’t Suck

Let’s face it. There’s isn’t much that can be more nerve wracking than a first date. This is especially true if you really like the girl, and you really want to impress her. However, there are loads of first date horror stories that are result of the guy either trying too hard, or not trying hard enough. While you might not think that the planning of the date is not all that important, you couldn’t be more wrong. Planning is crucial, and the lack of it can pretty much guarantee that there won’t be a second date, or that all…

March 30, 2014

Baseball in Taiwan

If you’re like me I’ve always thought of baseball as being a uniquely American sport. They seem to have the monopoly on the whole game, and even host the World Series. However, the only non-American teams allowed to play are from Canada. I had heard that Japan has a pretty big baseball scene, but I wasn’t prepared to learn that Taiwan and its people are baseball fanatics. When I took a trip there recently I was able to see first hand just how much the Taiwanese people love this sport. In the Beginning Taiwan’s love affair with baseball started as…