So much has changed in the past few weeks. Team Nixplay is still tirelessly working (from home, of course) to help you stay close through these difficult times. Your continuous support means that we could:
Ensure that all members of Team Nixplay can keep providing for their families and access health services, should the need arise
Maintain our supply chain, providing employment to hundreds of people in this crucial time
Help you stay close to your families while observing social distancing measures
We hope that you and your family remain safe during these unprecedented times, and may the photos and videos on your Nixplay Frames spark happiness and bring you and your loved ones closer than ever.
St. Patrick’s Day is usually celebrated on March 17 with lots of parties and events. Here are some of the unique ways the holiday was commemorated this year.
An out-of-this-world commemoration
Astronauts marked St. Patrick’s Day with photos of Ireland taken from the International Space Station, located 408 kilometers above the earth. It’s a fitting way to honor the Emerald Isle.
Silven screens turned green
A simple way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is to watch movies about Ireland and its people. Some folks opted for classics like My Left Foot and Far And Away, while others went for fresher films like The Irishman. There’s no shortage of movies on the topic–and it’s not yet too late to join in on the fun!
An Irish Jig
Some folks celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by learning how to do the jig, a lively folk dance that’s commonly associated with Ireland. It’s a fun way to celebrate the occasion while working up a sweat. Learn how to do so below:
Having virtual celebrations
Several musicians and DJs, including Irish punk band The Dropkick Murphys, held online concerts so people can enjoy their concerts from the comfort of their homes. Some farm owners also held livestreamed St. Patrick’s Day parades around their property, much to the delight of their online audience.
Verdant buildings
St. Patrick’s Day wouldn’t be complete without some of the world’s most famous landmarks going green. The London Eye, Madison Square Garden, and the Burj Khalifa are just three of several sites in 50 countries that glowed a viridian hue, bringing hope and spreading cheer to people across the globe.
It’s not yet too late to have your own St. Patrick’s Day celebration! You can also reminisce about the previous St. Paddy’s Day parties you’ve attended by displaying your fun moments on a Nixplay Frame. Take advantage of our St. Patrick’s Day sale today!
Looking picture-perfect is a goal many strive for. This is especially true on holidays like St. Patrick’s Day, where office parties and parades are abundant and pictures are captured to commemorate the events. If you’re worried about your celebrations not being photogenic enough, now is the perfect time to set yourself up for success on St. Patrick’s Day and beyond. Make sure you’re photo-ready for whatever event is thrown your way with these tips and tricks!
Let your outfit take center stage in photos
You wouldn’t want to look back on your photos from St. Patrick’s Day and only be able to notice that ketchup stain on your shirt. You will want to make sure your outfit is picked out and planned beforehand to avoid having to rush while getting ready. You also will want to make sure the outfit blends in at whatever activity you’re going to. You don’t want to be the only one dressed up as a leprechaun at your office party, nor would you like to be the only one not wearing green to the bar. Ask around and see if what your co-workers or friends are wearing aligns with your planned outfit for the day.
This advice actually goes beyond just St. Patrick’s Day. Make sure to plan your outfit accordingly for all the events and parties you attend. Just like wearing a color other than green on St. Patrick’s Day, you do not want to be the only one besides the bride wearing white to your friend’s wedding.
Picking out the outfit beforehand will not only save you some time getting ready on the day of the event, but it will also give you some peace of mind that what you’re wearing will be appropriate for the big day. This will let you focus on socializing with friends or co-workers, and not on your shirt being inside out. It will also help you show off your confidence in photos!
Strike a pose
It’s normal to feel uncomfortable in front of the camera, especially when you’re lacking in confidence. Try planning out what pictures you want to snap for the night and how to best pose for them! For group photos, try thinking about where you’ll want to position yourself. You don’t want to be the shortest of the group and get stuck behind your tallest friend at the last second. Being prepared for whatever picture may be captured can also help give you a confidence boost. Plus, a great pose can highlight your body’s best features and minimize the parts you aren’t too confident about.
It’s important that you do some research beforehand (even if your ‘research’ is just practicing poses in the mirror) to see what feels most natural and shows off your figure in the best light. Check out some of these tips to see how you should be posing for pictures!
Get a good night’s sleep and show off your energetic side
Once again, you wouldn’t want to look back on your pictures and only be able to focus on the dark circles under your eyes. Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep every night to feel their best. This is especially important on days like St. Patrick’s Day, when bar hopping and staying out late is common for many. Make sure you’re getting in enough z’s before any big event to ensure you’re looking well-rested in photos!
Getting a good night’s rest before an eventful day like St. Patrick’s Day will be a life-saver, and this will show in the pictures you capture too.
Make sure your skin is glowing and photo-ready
While most photos won’t show every blemish and imperfection on your skin, making sure you’ve maintained a consistent skincare routine will help your skin have a youthful and glowing appearance in photos. The first step to achieving this is to know your skin type. If you have oily and acne-prone skin, a heavy moisturizer may not be the best idea. Do some digging to find out what type of products work best with your skin type. If you’re not exactly sure what category you fit into, be sure to check out this guide.
Next, you’ll want to find the best products for you. Pay attention to how your skin reacts to certain products and watch out for signs of irritation such as bumps or rashes. What may seem like a good product may actually leave your skin looking red and irritated in pictures with friends.
Men should also mind their skincare. If your skin is on the sensitive side, make sure to grab a skin-protecting shaving kit that will give you a clean shave without razor bumps and cuts. This will help you look and feel your best when the camera flash goes off!
Show off your smile
Last but certainly not least, you’ll want to make sure your teeth are taken care of before the big day. Often, the first thing anyone notices in a picture is their smile. The last thing you would want to notice after the camera flashes is a piece of food stuck in your teeth. Make sure your teeth are brushed and flossed just before you leave for your big plans so you can show off that smile. Whitening your teeth doesn’t have to be expensive and time-consuming! If you really want to go the extra mile and achieve a whiter smile, there are lots of simple home remedies that will do the trick. It’s never a bad thing to have the brightest and biggest smile in the room when you ‘say cheese’ before the picture is snapped.
Once the photos are taken and St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, make sure you can always look back on them with a Nixplay digital frame. Thinking back on those memories with a smile will be the icing on the cake! We hope these tips will help you prepare for your St. Patrick’s Day parties and beyond!
March 8, Sunday, marks International Women’s Day, the global celebration of all things women. It’s the best day to honor all the achievements and opportunities created throughout history by women globally: A day created to encourage solidarity among all women and to celebrate how, with courage, strength, and passion, they were able to endure and overcome so much.
This day belongs to all women, and if you’re looking to celebrate it with some self-care for yourself and the women around you, here is how to do it:
Reflect On Your Accomplishments
Start your day right by reflecting on all the things you have accomplished this year, big or small. Acknowledge all that you have done and appreciate your self-growth! You are not the same person you were yesterday, so take time to recognize that. Make a list of all the major events of the past year and the women that have helped you achieve them. This day is not only for the women of the past, but also for the phenomenal women who have influenced you today.
However, while you should acknowledge your accomplishments, you should also recognize any setbacks you have had in the past year. Setbacks help create a path for improvement. Use them as a learning opportunity and don’t be overly critical: It’s perfectly normal to make mistakes!
In addition, make sure you don’t stray from your path to self-improvement by setting achievable, realistic, and time-bound goals. This will help you focus on where you want to see yourself in the next year. It will help you build your confidence and see the beauty in your growth while making you appreciative of how far you have come.
Relax, You Deserve It
Life can get overwhelmingly chaotic at times, so take the time to sit back and breathe. Self-care is essential to living a well-balanced life, but it can be challenging to practice self-care when your worth is centered around your social media presence. Make an effort to turn your phone off for a couple of hours and take a break. Go for a walk to unwind and enjoy a change of scenery. Refresh yourself throughout the day by meditating or practicing mindfulness techniques to alleviate stress. You might feel silly at first, but you’ll find that even simply putting on your favorite playlist and having a dance party in your bedroom can lift your spirits and get the day going on the right foot.
You can also pamper yourself with an at-home spa day. Treat yourself to a massage at home, or spend the day reading your favorite book with a sheet mask on. What’s important here is that you can relax and unwind for the day, and if that means lazing around in bed, then do exactly that! Your mental health should always be important, but make it a priority during this year’s International Woman’s Day by celebrating and supporting your overall well-being.
Take Yourself Out
This is your day, so do what you want! Spend a whole afternoon at your favorite coffee shop or take yourself out to a nice lunch. Prioritize a day of your favorite things, and make it your mission to do them all. If you aren’t sure where to start, then make a list and call your girlfriends to help! This can turn into a fun yearly activity to do with your pals or by yourself.
If you aren’t one to indulge, then let today be the exception! If you have been eyeing a pair of jeans or workout shoes, then allow yourself to spend a little extra. Spending money on yourself will remind you that it is okay to appreciate yourself every once in a while. If you hate the way your nails look, then go get a manicure with a vibrant color. Or, if hair loss is making you feel insecure, then buy yourself some biotin gummy vitamins to help encourage thicker hair growth. Regardless of what you’re spending your hard-earned money on, enjoy yourself and take care of your individual needs!
Visit Important Women In Your Life
Who is the most influential woman in your life? Is it a family member, a friend, or even a past employer? Regardless of who it is, take time to cherish and remind her of the important role she has played in your life. Send her an e-card with a personalized message or gift her with a special photograph of the two of you, displayed on a Nixplay Frame. There are countless ways to show your admiration for the women in your life.
If you can’t think of any woman that has had that effect on your life, then go out and meet some! Join a club or activity that will get you to interact with different types of women.
If you want to do something bigger than usual but don’t know where to start, then host a women’s empowerment brunch at your house or apartment. This can be a fun way to gather women with different viewpoints on life and have them all share inspirational stories of womanhood. You can play games or share quotes from your favorite women in history. Whatever you do, make sure you surround yourself with strong women who not only can uplift you but can also challenge you to be the best version of yourself. And, who knows, this might even become a yearly tradition!
Donate to Support Woman’s Rights
If you’re scratching your head on how to give back to all the women who have paved the way before you, then donate. Donating shouldn’t mean breaking the bank because even a small donation can go a long way. Donate to an inspiring charity that helps protect women’s rights, such as Planned Parenthood or Women for Women International. You can choose to donate monthly or just once. Find an organization whose values and mission align with yours. Supporting these organizations means you are also supporting the cause for equal women’s rights.
You can also donate your time to a women’s organization by finding the nearest women’s community clinic and asking about their volunteer hours. You can also gather clothes or canned goods around your house and donate them to a battered women’s shelter. Or, you can support brands that are giving back in honor of International Women’s Day and are donating their proceeds to support woman’s rights.
However you chose to celebrate International Women’s Day, remember that it is a day for women of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds, so make sure you honor yourself and them all!
International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on the 8th March as the focal point in the movement for women’s rights and equality. To celebrate this year, we’ve pulled together a list of some of the top women in tech to honor their accomplishments. While the technology industry has a reputation of being male-dominated, these inspiring women—along with thousands of others–are proving that gender is no barrier to success.
Women In Technology
While more and more opportunities are available for female undergraduates in IT, in 2018 only 25% of all US tech jobs were held by women. The percentage of female IT leaders across the globe also remains at just 9%. But why?
Stereotypes surrounding the tech industry have contributed to the decline of women working in the sector. But following the hit film “Hidden Figures”, it’s clear that people are becoming more interested in how women are making an impact in tech. The women in “Hidden Figures” were mathematicians and engineers who made valuable contributions to the space program. Along with the fact that they dealt with both gender and racial discrimination at work, they made a pivotal impact on the way that women in tech are perceived today.
That’s why the Women in IT Awards were launched in 2015: to address the gender imbalance in the technology sector by showcasing the achievements of women in tech. The awards organization works across several divisions around the world to provide a high-profile platform that supports women in tech and eliminates gender stereotypes.
To coincide with this year’s awards and to celebrate International Women’s Day, here are 7 influential women in tech, from the past and present:
1. Ada Lovelace
Born: 1815 Died: 1852
Ada Lovelace is an English mathematician who, despite the fact that she was the daughter of renowned poet Lord Byron, paved her own way to success. One of the most famous women in technology, she is widely regarded as the “first computer programmer” and is known for writing a crucial algorithm for Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, an early computing machine that only existed on paper in the mid-1800s.
2. Grace Hopper
Born: 1906 Died: 1992
Grace Hopper was an American computer scientist and a rear admiral in the U.S. Navy. She was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer and had invented one of the first linkers. Following her studies in math and physics at Vassar College, she completed her master’s degree in mathematics at Yale, going on to earn a Ph.D. in the subject. She was one of the first few women to accomplish this academic feat. Hopper then joined the U.S. Navy during World War II, where she was assigned to program the Harvard Mark I computer.
3. Margaret Hamilton
Born: 1936
Margaret Hamilton is a computer scientist, systems engineer, and business owner who was critical to landing the first astronauts on the moon. She graduated with a minor in philosophy from Earlham College in Indiana before working in the meteorology department at MIT. Impressively, she went on to join the team that created the onboard flight software for the Apollo space missions. Her talents are out of this world, so it’s no surprise that she’s also one of the most famous women in technology to date.
4. Sheryl Sandberg
Born: 1969
Sheryl Sandberg is the COO of Facebook as well as the founder of the non-profit LeanIn.Org. She graduated from Harvard in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and was awarded the John H. Williams Prize for being the top student in her graduating class. She’s now a top technology executive and author, who was one of the first women to serve on Facebook’s board, bringing them from a $56 million loss to $22.1 billion in profit in 2018.
5. Jen Fitzpatrick
Born: 1976
Jen Fitzpatrick started out in Google’s very first class of interns and went on to become one of the first female engineers at the company. She has since co-founded Google’s user experience team and worked on search, advertising and Google News, all before taking on the responsibility for Google Maps and Local as the company’s VIP for geo. Prior to her career at Google, she graduated from Stanford with a bachelor’s degree in symbolic systems and a master’s degree in computer science.
6. Tracy Chou
Born: 1987
Alongside Nadine Harik and Jennifer Tsai, Tracy Chou was one of the engineers behind Pinterest’s mobile redesign. More importantly, Chou, a software engineer with a computer science degree from Stanford University, promotes diversity in her line of work. Following her experience at Pinterest and Quora, she has become a voice of authority on diversity issues within the technology industry, inspiring young women to take classes in science, technology, and engineering.
7. Ginni Rometty
Born: 1957
Ginni Rometty is the chairman, president and CEO of IBM, and the first woman to head the company. Since becoming CEO of IBM in 2012, she has transformed and reinvented the business to lead in the new era of Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, and quantum technologies. And that’s not all: She also finds the time to serve on the Council on Foreign Relations, the board of trustees of Northwestern University, and the boards of overseers and managers of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
Now it’s time for you to honor the women in your life—or even yourself! Looking for International Women’s Day gifts? This year Nixplay is offering up to 35% off on selected frames*, so treat an inspiring woman or send yourself a gift to celebrate the occasion. Our smart photo frames are the perfect way to showcase the women in your life and their accomplishments: by sending those memorable moments straight from your phone to your frame.