Saturday, March 21, 2020

PANDEMIC | Online Free Resources, Alphabetized!

March 30, 2020–Zoom (see below) was an eye-opener for me. It's so easy to use, I wonder why I haven't used it before. Maybe this period of self-enforced physical isolation in the pandemic can open us all up to underused software resources. I will add more resources to this list as I get information. (P.S. Everything posted on CityEconomist.com is free to read. To update, contact john @ cityeconomist.com)

Adobe Creative Suite is offering free access to its Creative Cloud programs for college students through May 31. To qualify, your school or college must be a current customer with an active Adobe plan.

Amazons Kindle Unlimited has a library with more than a million free titles, is offering a two-month free subscription.

Berliner Philharmoniker, the German orchestra based in Berlin, has brought its performances to the digital concert hall for the next 30 days, offering its library of more than 600 performances for free when you use the code BERLINPHIL.

Bookhampton and other local bookstores can be supported remotely, by buying books from them online (bookstores use Libro.fm or Bookshop.org).

Boy Scouts activities.

Brit+Co, a media company focused on DIY crafts, offers access to all online classes for free through March 31 when you use code SELFCARE at checkout.

Cambridge University Press is opening its library of college textbooks, book chapters, journal articles, and key reference works to students for free until the end of May (although it has had to pause free access to textbooks while it handles the unprecedented demand for resources).

Coursera, an online learning hub used by college professors, is opening its catalog of 3,800 courses to college students for free. Also: Courses on line. Free!

Downward Dog Yoga, a fitness app that offers guided yoga, HIIT, and barre classes, is opening its library of videos for free until April 1.

Evite has invitations online to 4,000 virtual events.

Headspace, a mediation app that we recommend, is offering free subscriptions to US health-care workers through the end of 2020. To qualify, youll need to provide your National Provider Identifier.

Hertz and Enterprise are waiving the surcharges for college kids ages 18 to 24 through May 31; Avis is nixing its fees for drivers ages 21 to 24 through April 30.

History Remote-Learning Aids, free from the Gilder Lehrman Institute. 

Humu, a company that specializes in encouraging productivity within remote workforces, is providing free nudges (short, scientifically backed email suggestions to help you work from home) during the coronavirus outbreak.

iKaossilator for iOS and Kaossilator for Android, apps that let you create music with a single finger, are free to download from Korg through March 31 and March 20, respectively.

Instagram is live-streaming mini concerts by musicians like John Legend and Keith Urban.

International Tennis Hall of Fame Digital Exhibits

Jamm, a video call platform, is allowing free access to its program for four months.

Khan Academy, a free online learning platform, has released daily schedules for students in pre-K through grade 12.

Kickstarters is offering a resource list for artists during the pandemic.

Kindle Deal! Get two months free at Kindle Unlimited.  Payments (small!) are nonetheless  made to authors and publishers. (Shameless self promotion: My book Oxford College Arms is one of the books you can read free on Kindle.)

Krisp is an app that removes background noise from calls. It has introduced a free tier that gives all users 120 minutes of free noise cancellation per week. The company is also granting free unlimited use of the app to all students, teachers, and hospital and government workers worldwide for the next six months.

LinkedIn is offering free business development courses through LinkedIn Learning that are centered on remote working.

Loom Pro, a screen recording platform, is removing the recording limit on its free plan through July 1.

Lunch Doodles are daily projects offered free by Kennedy Center Education artist-in-residence and childrens book author Mo Willems.

MeeroDrop, a visual content sharing site, is offering large file transfers for free. Its also increasing the storage capacity to 10 GB and the length of time that files can be accessed to three months.

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is live-streaming its performances on YouTube while closed to the Australian public through April 13.

Metropolitan Opera of NYC's Nightly Met Opera Streams offers a nightly series of free, live opera performances.

Minimoog Model D, an iOS app that allows you to turn your device into a synthesizer, is free to download from Moog Music until further notice.

Mint Mobile is giving customers free unlimited data until April 14.

Movies Anywhere has added Screen Pass, a new feature that will allow members to lend digital movies to their friends and family. Members can share up to three movies a month, and recipients will have two weeks to watch (and re-watch) a movie.

Netflix Party, a Google Chrome extension, is available free to watch movies with friends from different locations. Thanks to Wirecutter for spreading this news.

NFL Game Pass, free access to a library full of football game replays and other programs, is extended by the NFL through the end of May.

NPR's List of New Free Things during the Pandemic.

Outschool is offering free live, online classes for public school students through the end of the school year.

PBS Kids is sending out a daily newsletter to subscribers thats filled with activities and educational games for kids ages 2 through 8.

Planet Fitness is streaming live, at-home workouts for free on its Facebook page daily at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Publishers Weekly. Temporarily free Digital Edition.

Pure Barre studio is offering Pure Barre On Demand free for 30 days with code EXTENDEDTRIAL.

Scholastic is offering free, daily online courses for involuntarily homeschooling families on its new Learn at Home” website targeted at students from pre-K to grade 6. All school children are now Home Schoolers! Advice from NYC Comptroller on home schooling.

Scribd is offering free access to all of its ebooks, audiobooks, and other digital content for 30 days. Thanks to Wirecutter.

Shudder, a streaming site dedicated to thriller, suspense, and horror movies, is offering 30 days of free access to its titles with the promo code SHUTIN.

Sling TV is offering free access to select on-demand movies, television shows, and ABC News Live.

Talkspace, an online therapy company, plans to provide 1,000 free months of therapy for impacted health-care workers. The company is also offering $100 off all plans with the code 1004U.

The Know-How Series, a mix of creative writing and Instagram branding classes released by the media company Frolic, is now free for the duration of the outbreak.

Tone It Up, a workout streaming app, is offering free access to its programs for new members through April.

U-Haul is offering 30 days of free self-storage for new customers with college IDs.

Uber Eats is waiving delivery fees for all orders from independently owned restaurants through the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vimeo, great video on protecting your family,  from a doctor at Cornell Weill in Manhattan, where the 1200 beds are mostly assigned to Covid-19 patients. 

YouTube on how to shop and handle food (a doctor explains how to do it safely) 
... and YouTube on making surgical masks. A good project for a homebound family that wants to be useful. Ideas for designers. Why can't surgical masks look more individual and interesting, like individual or college coats of arms? (See above under Kindle.)
Zoom.us. The most-used videoconferencing app.

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