DragonflAI Days of Distancing

Like most companies, the coronavirus has pushed us into the now too familiar comforts of home, where we continue working remotely to develop our child protection and nudity detection software. But while stuck indoors during this period of social distancing and quarantine, we’ve managed to find ways to stay energised both as a company, and personally, to stop from going completely mad looking at the same walls each day. So here are four ways DrangonflAI employees are staying connected and entertained both during work hours and the weekend.

1. Drinkly

We are a drinking nation, and social distancing was not going to stop DrangonflAI from enjoying a cold beverage and looking on the brighter side of isolation and forgetting work for a few hours. In this, Drinkly has been a saving grace to get booze to our doors with no risk of contact, and supporting an Edinburgh based company doing great work during this time is certainly a bonus! We took this ordering a step further and have been surprising each other with some drinks for the weekend.

2. Michelin Star Cuisine (in our dreams!)

It’s not just beans on toast we’re enjoying, staying indoors and having time to think about meals has led to cooking some great and different meals. Not only has the food been tasty, taking the time to plan a meal and experiment with some new cuisine has been fantastic and break up the monotony of isolation, as long as we can find it on the shelves! A personal favourite meal has been this simple gnocchi dish.

3. Canine Companions

Of course, being able to spend some more time with our dogs has been brilliant, and not just for them! Definitely a highlight of social distancing and the best part about working from home, seeing what our pets get up to while we should be out working has been incredibly fun and taking a short break to get them excited or toss a ball definitely rejuvenates us before getting back behind the computer.

Though, we have swiftly learnt that personal space doesn’t exist between Doug and Harvey.

4. Dog Bunkbeds — DIWhy didn’t we do this sooner?

With almost every hour of the day spent inside at home, certain projects around the house you’ve been meaning to get to for ages seem to stick out even more. We’re currently in the middle of doing up our house so had a lot of wood, grout, tiles, plaster (…you name it), lying around so we started painting, plastering, and putting up shelves to make the new ‘office’ a bit more enjoyable. But we didn’t stop there. As mentioned above, we’re now spending considerably more time with the dogs and realised their current beds didn’t quite cut it. So after hours of sawing, sanding, and staining, this was the result:

While maybe not the most glamourous or luxurious of dog bunk beds, it gave our older dog some peace and quiet and who doesn’t want dog bunkbeds?

Stay safe and remember the government guidelines for staying healthy during the virus, and maybe give some of these activities a try if you’re looking to mix up your daily routine and stop from going stir-crazy indoors!