Technology

This is a difficult time. Whoever and wherever you are, your life is likely already changing in ways you never could have anticipated as the world grapples with the fast-spreading global outbreak of a virus we don&t yet fully understand.

Itweird and hard and we&re feeling it too. Now more than ever, diving into new skills, old interests and even — perhaps especially — totally fluffy mindless entertainment can keep our minds refreshed and our days full. From at-home workouts and soothing virtual farming simulators to Catherinehonestly uncannily good drawings of our staff pets, herewhatworking for us.

Natasha Mascarenhas, Reporter

Bon Appétit YouTube videos

While this is not at all a revolutionary concept, Bon AppétitYouTube videos are the calming distraction I&ve been using after work. I give double points to Priya Krishna, their in-house Indian American chef, for inspiring me to go back to some old classics with confidence. If you like New Jersey, watch any of Bradvideos. And If you like watching a gourmet cook try to recreate niche food items like Hot Pockets, watch Clairevideos.

Overcooked

This is the perfect video game for people who don&t like video games but enjoy high-intensity conversations about flipping burgers with their housemates. You act like a chef with other users and try to complete recipes. And yes, things do catch on fire if you aren&t on top of your game.

Catherine Shu, Writer

Procreate app + Apple Pencil

I was skeptical about digital art because my favorite part of sketching is messing around with different mediums, but the combination of Procreate (I use it on an iPad Air) and my Apple Pencil have been a very welcome distraction. I do a combination of freehand sketching and tracing photos to make my own versions of coloring sheets. I&ve been keeping a sketch journal and drawing pet portraits for my friends: this one is of TechCrunchhardware editor Brianrabbit, Lucy.

Keeping a journal

….or you can try sketching with pen and paper, too! If you don&t own an iPad or drawing is not your thing, then journal. Seriously. This is a very strange time and things keep changing and escalating. I live in Taiwan, where COVID-19 has impacted daily life for months already, but I find it very hard to remember the details of what happened or how I felt from week to week. Keep a regular record, even if itjust a couple sentences. It will keep you centered when the days start to blend together.

Brian Heater, Hardware Editor

High Weirdness: Drugs, Esoterica, and Visionary Experience in the Seventies

A thick tome that deconstructs the roles Philip K Dick, Terence McKenna and Robert Anton Wilson played in developing the psychedelic subculture of the 70s. Heavy, man.

On cinema

The lore runs deep with Tim Heidecker and Gregg TurkingtonOn Cinemaverse. Therethe podcast, the series, a motion picture, another series (Dekker), a multi-hour mock trial and seven live-streamed Oscar specials — all of it is deeply hilarious.

Kettlebells

I dusted my old kettlebell off. This and morning yoga (see: Natasha L&s) have been the extent of most of my exercising, but the number of things you can do with the dumb piece of cast iron is mind-boggling.

&The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place& by Explosions in the Sky

I can&t say why for certain, but I&ve only been able to listen to largely instrumental music since this whole thing went into overdrive here in the U.S. My playlist at the moment mostly consists of jazz piano like Monk and Bill Evans, guitarists like John Fahey, Jim O&Rourke and Khaki King and more noise-oriented work like Can and Boris. But post-rock has been my real rock, including Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mowai and this absolute classic.

Devin Coldeway, Writer

Ring Fit Adventure

This Switch fitness game with its ring controller has helped me exercise regularly even after I finished my review. Iteven more helpful now that the actual gym is not an option.

Stardew Valley

This peaceful farming game is a great one to play with friends who might not be interested in more &serious& gaming. Download Discord, start a farm and have fun. Make sure you&re all on the same platform!

Generative.fm

People who haven&t worked from home much likely don&t have a big selection of ambient music thateasy to work through. This site has dozens of pleasant but not distracting procedurally generated streams that go forever.

Korean and Chinese historical dramas

Tired of the same old U.S. prestige TV and sitcom reruns? Korea and China have been making AMAZING historical dramas like &Nirvana in Fire& and &Mr Sunshine& that are very different from what you&re used to.

Darrell Etherington, Science Editor

RimWorld

A great resource-gathering and crafting sim with a fun style and very light system requirements thatavailable on both PC and Mac. A recent expansion provides even more fun.

Zooniverse

You might have a lot of extra time on your hands, and Zooniverse turns that time into crowdsourced contributions to ongoing scientific research. Verify lab results! Identify raccoons! Do all kinds of fun stuff, easily and from the comfort of home.

Hello from the Magic Tavern

This is a long-running podcast with the simple premise that a normal guy from Chicago finds himself trapped in a high-fantasy, Tolkien-esque world. All improv on-the-spot storytelling, and plenty of archives to catch up on.

Josh Constine, Editor-at-Large

Cowboy Bebop

If you were ever curious about anime, or thought it was too childish or ridiculous, you need to try Cowboy Bebop, the 1997 animated series. Itabout a group of bounty hunters in the near future navigating the gig economy as they try to find where they fit in the universe after an accident nearly destroys earth. Cowboy Bebop offers gorgeous noir-ish illustration, stylish fashion, thrilling action and suspenseful romance, all set to hip jazz soundtrack. You can binge the two seasons, but most episodes are relatively self-contained for a satisfying quick hit of entertainment.

Overwatch

Most first-person shooter games are pure tests of reflexes and experience, making them daunting to those who end up getting pwned by long-time players. Overwatch is different. Instead of everyone having similar weapons or skills, in this 6-on-6 battle you pick one of 21 different characters with unique attack, shield and healing abilities. Be a ghostly dual-wielding assassin, a viking knight with a giant hammer or angelic doctor who can revive teammates. Itmore about the interplay of your squadcharacters than individual effort, which is perfect for those feeling lonely amidst quarantine.

Greg Kumparak, Editor

Apex Legends

If you&re into the concept of battle royale games but aren&t into the building aspects of Fortnite, check out Apex. You pick one of 12 &Legends& (each with their own strengths and abilities) and team up with two other players to try to be the last squad standing. Like most battle royale games, iteasy to keep saying &OK, OK, one more game,& until you look up and realize you&ve been playing for eight hours straight. Itavailable for Windows, Xbox One and PS4… and itfreeeeeee!

Ask the StoryBots

Working with a young kid at home and need to give them a bit of TV time for everyonesanity? Can&t stand to watch any more Daniel Tiger? Ask the StoryBots. Kids ask questions (Where do planets come from? How do ears hear?), and the StoryBots go and find the answer. Created by the brothers behind JibJab (a viral internet thing before viral internet things were a thing) and acquired by Netflix, itsomehow perfectly tuned for us to watch when everyone just needs some down time… and, I admit, I&ve totally learned a thing or two from it. Bonus: A lot of the music in the show is by Parry Gripp, the unreasonably clever songwriter behind Nerf Herder. The songs will get stuck in your head forever… but hey, better than Baby Shark.

MasterClass

Itthe best kind of &distance learning.& No one is going to complain about getting schooled by Steph Curry and the many other greats who appear on the platform.

Lucas Matney, Reporter

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

My hype had already been building for Animal Crossingrelease Friday, but after being under government-enforced shelter-in-place in San Francisco, I&ve been yearning for the relaxation of repaying predatory home loans to Tom Nook. We have little idea how this will compare to past versions, but given its been eight years since a major release in the series, I have sky-high hopes.

Natasha Lomas, Senior Reporter

YouTubefitness community is going to be essential to stay sane and healthy during this lockdown — whether you need specialised training or just want to keep (or obtain!) a general level of fitness. If I had to pick one longtime favorite channel I&d probably go for Yoga with Kassandra. The channel offers a mix of vinyasa and yin yoga classes, including some hour-long classes. The content caters to various levels and interests. For the more advanced she offers some minimal cues classes, which can be especially great if you&re sharing a living space and don&t want to take over too much of the general ambiance with yogi chatter. Namaste.

Matt Burns, Managing Editor

Gundam Models

I&ve never watched Gundam nor read the books. I don&t know anything about these robot guys. But they&re great fun to construct. The best part is thereno glue involved. Everything snaps together in a satisfying way and the only tool required is a pair of snippers. A couple hours later, bam, robot dude with a giant gun. Things can get even more involved. Some builders take ultra-fine pens and line the panels, which gives the models more depth. Others add weathering marks and battle damage. I&ve taken to painting a few panels. There are no rules.

Anthony Ha, Senior Writer

Star Trek: Picard

The latest Star Trek spin-off on CBS All Access (and Amazon Prime Video outside the United States) is a bit of a slog in its early episodes, wallowing in a future that has gotten considerably bleaker since the days of &Next Generation.& But the pace is quickening, and the darkness increasingly feels like a reminder that an enlightened Star Trek future is something that has to be continually fought for and earned — and that we will always need compassion, curiosity and optimism.

The park

While the rules around going outside differ from location to location, itworth emphasizing that for many of us, walking and exercising at a safe social distance are still encouraged. Here in New York, with bars and restaurants and theaters closed, it looks like plenty of city dwellers are rediscovering the joy of green space. (Just remember to stay six feet apart!)

Ingrid Lunden, Editor

Pandemic (and other table-top games)

Not wallowing in coronavirus pity here! Pandemic is a group game, away from the screen, where everyone has to work together to cover the globe with research centers. Wonderful lesson to be had here: There is no single &winner.& You have to collaborate to reach the objective, which is to find a cure. Other table-top games my family likes include Catan, Ticket to Ride, Istanbul and Perudo.

Kirsten Korosec, Senior reporter and editor

Jump rope

I rediscovered a jump rope hanging on the back of my door and thought, hmm this is something i can do. In moments of frustration or when I feel like I&ve been sitting too long I just jump rope for a few minutes.

Organize!

In such a chaotic world, organizing and cleaning has been a go-to for me. Thathow I found that jump rope. ^^

Photo journal

I&ve been playing around with my Pixel 3 camera, digging into some of features and stuff I never bothered to learn. I have started taking macro and more artistic (in my mind) pictures of stuff in my immediate world. There are a number of cat photos too of course. But each dayphoto seems to perfectly capture my mood.

Taylor Hatmaker, Writer

Pokémon Sword/Shield

The world may feel upside down, but the latest Pokémon game is as relaxing and formulaic as ever. And theresomething about catching virtual animals and relegating them to tiny spherical prisons that makes home quarantine feel not so bad.

Duolingo/Memrise

I get bored when I don&t feel like I&m learning anything, so language apps are perfect. I got started with learning beginner Japanese in a classroom, so now I use apps to refresh my (very rusty) knowledge. And happily, the language has enough memorization to keep me busy from now until the end of time.

Fortnite

Against all odds I somehow got my non-gamer wife into Fortnite and we play it when we absolutely can&t otherwise turn our brains off. Fortnite is a 180 from relaxing games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, but itaddictive and absorbing if you&d like to teleport forward in time a few hours. Also the new season has a really buff calico cat named Meowscles, so don&t sleep on that.

Cooking e-books

Itthe perfect time to hit the virtual library and check out e-books that embody the skills you&d like your very impressive aspirational self to have. In my case, I&m trying to learn the principles of Japanese and Thai cooking so I never need to eat out again, pretty much. Lately, I cook every day and itgone a long way toward keeping me sane. Cook something and waste a bunch of time taking artsy photos of what you made. You&ll feel accomplished, even if you won&t be winning any Michelin stars. If all else fails, make pancakes and don&t stop until you feel better.

This week, Extra Crunch hosted a call with General Catalyst managing director Niko Bonatsos to discuss a number of startup topics, including what the novel coronavirus is doing to investing in the Valley, as well as his thoughts on robotics, homeschooling, edtech, SMBs, international investing and what helooking to see today in startups. Joining me on the live call was my fellow Equity host Alex Wilhelm and a couple of dozen EC members.

If you missed this conference call for EC members, don&t fret: We&ll have more of these to come in this era of work-from-home. In the meantime, here is a lightly edited transcript, along with a recording of the call if you&d like to listen in.

Scopely, the mobile gaming publisher behind titles including Marvel Strike Force, Scrabble Go, Yahtzee with Buddies and Star Trek Fleet Command, has added another $200 million to its hoard of cash for mergers and acquisitions.

While some startups are fearing a cash crunch, other businesses seem to be preparing to go on a shopping spree. The economic slowdown has many businesses reconsidering their prospects, and ita good time for startups and established businesses with lots of cash to consider going on a shopping trip.

With $650 million in venture dollars raised so far, Scopely can certainly consider making some bids. The latest $200 million doubles the amount of money the company closed on for its Series D round. Investors included Advance (the privately held media and publishing company behind Conde Naste and a slew of local news [online and print] publications), and the consumer-focused investment firm, The Chernin Group.

&The FoxNext Games acquisition reinforced our commitment to M-A, and the opportunity to partner with Advance and TCG was a welcome addition to further support our strategy,& said Javier Ferreira, the co-chief executive officer of Scopely, in a statement.

Advance investment comes as the company experiments with various new media, entertainment and publishing formats of its own and looks to invest in more digital media companies, according to a statement.

Chernin, a longtime investor in Scopely (since the companyearliest rounds), said that its investment in Scopely on the heels of closing a $700 million new investment fund was a no-brainer.

&As the traditional media industry continues to go through unprecedented change, we believe that Scopely has all the ingredients for tremendous success — exposure to games (the fastest-growing sector in media), a scalable and durable technology platform, a diversified set of well-known IP, an attractive economic profile, and a team hyper-focused on execution and long-term success,& said Jesse Jacobs, a co-founder and partner at The Chernin Group .

In an effort to ensure that the latest updates related to COVID-19 are as visible as possible, YouTube announced today that they&re launching a dedicated hub on the YouTube home page for stories related to the coronavirus outbreak.

For YouTube, the dedicated shelf is a means of promoting &authoritative content& to users. In the U.S., most of these videos appear to be from national publications. It will be rolling out in 16 countries with more on the way, according to the companytweet.

The feature follows other home page changes promoting coronavirus awareness now seen on apps like Instagram.

YouTube has had its fair share of issues with promoting unsavory videos and conspiracy theories on its home page during past breaking news situations, and the news shelf may offer a way for the company to keep a stronger editorial hand on videos touching on the pandemic.

As organizers cancel events with massive attendance, like SXSW (400,000 attendees), E3 (66,000), GDC (65,000) and Mobile World Congress (100,000), mobile game developers have felt the crunch. At a show like SXSW, larger developers can spend more than $135,000 just to secure some real estate.

Despite the steep cost, if you&re a developer, these events can prove worthwhile for building awareness, buzz and customer downloads. Real-time feedback from attendees, the ability to sign up users for beta campaigns, opportunities for bolstering subsequent email marketing and the prestige of having your app live side-by-side with games produced by larger studios are unique qualities.

It remains unclear if and how developers that made investments will recover costs such as those for onsite promotion, print advertising, staff for booths and restaurant reservations. Equally, if not more important though, is the added layer of opportunity cost for developers, especially those who sought to use these events to launch something new.

How important are launch moments for game developers? During the Game Developers Conference 2019, a new port of Cuphead for Nintendo Switch was announced. Per Google Trends, web searches for the game reached their second-highest point of the year during the event (March 20th), only behind search volume of the gamerelease a month later, in April 2019.

Large developers can come out unscathed from a trade show cancellation and simply kick the launch moment to their next big tentpole event. But for smaller app or game developers that can&t wait another six months for their launch moment, they need to do something.

Here are five ways to salvage a launch lost to a trade show cancellation.

Tesla will suspend production at its Fremont, Calif., factory beginning March 23, days after a shelter in place order went into effect in Alameda County due to the COVID-19 pandemic that sparked a public tussle between the automaker and local officials over what was considered an &essential& business.

Some basic operations that would support Tesla charging infrastructure and what it describes as its &vehicle and energy services operations& will continue at the factory, which under normal circumstances employs more than 10,000 people.

Tesla will also suspend operations at its factory in Buffalo, N.Y., except for &those parts and supplies necessary for service, infrastructure and critical supply chains,& the company said in a statement.

Tesla could not be reached for comment. TechCrunch will update the story if the company responds.

The Alameda County Sheriff also confirmed the announcement, noting in a tweet that Tesla would suspend production during the health order and that minimum basic operations are permitted.

Meanwhile, the companymassive factory near Reno, Nev. is still open and operational as usual. The Nevada gigafactory, as Tesla describes it, employs thousands of people who produce electric motors for the Model 3 and battery packs for its portfolio of electric vehicles. People familiar with operations at the gigafactory told TechCrunch that managers are monitoring the situation closely.

Tesla said it has enough liquidity to weather the shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its cash position at the end of the fourth quarter was $6.3 billion before its recent $2.3 billion capital raise.

&We believe this level of liquidity is sufficient to successfully navigate an extended period of uncertainty,& Tesla said.

The company hadavailable credit lines worth about $3 billion, including working capital lines for all regions as well as financing for the expansion of its Shanghai factory at the end of the fourth quarter of 2019.

The announcement caps an uncertain week that began March 16 after Alameda County ordered all nonessential businesses to close, including bars, gyms and dine-in restaurants because of the global spread of COVID-19, a disease caused by the coronavirus. Teslafactory and a number of its other facilities are located in and around Fremont, which is within Alameda County.

Tesla kept the Fremont factory open despite the order, claiming that part of the companyoperations fell under an exemption in the countyorder. Tesla CEOElon Musk told employees in an email that the company would continue operations at the Fremont factory, where the automaker assembles the Model S, Model X, Model 3 and now Model Y electric vehicles. Musk did tell employees they should not feel obligated to come to work if they &feel the slightest bit ill or even uncomfortable.&

The Alameda County Sheriff disagreed, and on March 17 tweeted that Tesla was not &essential.& The automaker still ignored the order and the sherifftweet.On Wednesday, employees received another email from human resources head Valerie Workman that the Fremont, Calif., factory was still open for production, because it has had &conflicting guidance from different levels of government.&

The email told employees to come to work if their job is to produce, service, deliver or test its electric vehicles. Another email sent late Wednesday evening (and viewed by TechCrunch) reiterated to employees that the factory would remain open to &essential& workers, but special efforts were being taken to lessen the spread of COVID-19, includinghanding out masks to be worn throughout the day, taking temperatures prior to entry, adding more hygiene stations inside the facility, rearranging operations to promote social distancing as much as possible and increasing cleaning frequency of all work areas.

Herea portion of the statement:

In the past few days, we have met with local, state and federal officials. We have followed and are continuing to follow all legal directions and safety guidelines with respect to the operations of our facilities, and have honored the Federal Governmentdirection to continue operating. Despite taking all known health precautions, continued operations in certain locations has caused challenges for our employees, their families and our suppliers.

As such, we have decided to temporarily suspend production at our factory in Fremont, from end of day March 23, which will allow an orderly shutdown. Basic operations will continue in order to support our vehicle and energy service operations and charging infrastructure, as directed by the local, state and federal authorities. Our factory in New York will temporarily suspend production as well, except for those parts and supplies necessary for service, infrastructure and critical supply chains. Operations of our others facilities will continue, including Nevada and our service and Supercharging network.

Tesla also said that it will start &touchless deliveries& in many locations to allow customers to take delivery of their vehicle &in a seamless and safe way.&

The vehicles will be placed in a delivery parking lot. Customers will be able to unlock the vehicles using the Tesla app and then sign the remaining paperwork necessary to take ownership. Customers will need to return that paperwork to an on-site drop-off location prior to leaving, Tesla said.

Workers prep for deliveries

As Tesla winds down the Fremont factory, the activity is shifting to its delivery operations. Tesla has a history of stacking deliveries at the end of a quarter. And this one is no different, COVID-19 or not.

Current Tesla employees have told TechCrunch that communication about operations in California, one of its biggest markets, has been inconsistent and unclear as the COVID-19 pandemic has spread. Employees, who requested anonymity for fear of losing their jobs described a lack of access to disinfectant, and said there were not clear or proper protocols put in place to safeguard workers in sales, service and delivery.

The lack of guidance for Tesla employees who work in delivery and sales throughout the U.S. has prompted some to take matters into their own hands because there is &zero protective gear.&

Employees told TechCrunch there is no disinfectant or gloves for delivery drivers, service or sales staff at some of its busiest delivery hubs. There has been little communication with upper management, as well. Employees have bought hand sanitizer, gloves and disinfectant for co-workers as they prepare for an onslaught of vehicles before the quarter ends. For instance, employees were told to expect 1,000 cars in Costa Mesa alone in the next three days. Other delivery hubs are expected to be busy as well.

The touchless delivery system began Wednesday in places like Costa Mesa. Some employees are worried about the risk of exposure to COVID because customers are still walking into locations because touchless delivery isn&t possible in all cases because of trade-ins and other reasons, such as financing.