Scroll Food: 5 worthy distractions to add nourishment to your daily scroll

Ironically, during a lockdown, we all still need to escape from one another from time to time … here’s how to me-time with aplomb

A little space away from our cooped-up, cabin-feverish family, partner, housemates, kids – even time away from the mindless scroll of social media – has become an essential part of daily life. And let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that it’s just us escaping from them. It’s only right that we should give them a break from us too. So find a nice chair, by a window is always good, pour yourself a cup/glass of whatever it is you fancy, settle down and add a little depth to your me-time experience with these five worthy distractions that will add nourishment to your daily scroll.

Walk the walk

Take a virtual tour of NYC with an architectural expert via the New York Times series of virtual city tours. A highlight is the romp through a shuttered Broadway that takes in the glitz and the history of some of the district’s most famous theatres.

Listen to Lockdown Lit

Dublin’s Museum of Literature Ireland has just launched a new on-demand section to its digital radio station, RadioMoLI, enabling listeners to stream dozens of podcasts, lectures, interviews and readings from the Museum’s archive from the comfort of their own armchair. Access interviews, readings and lectures with authors such as Marian Keyes, Mark O’Connell, Anne Enright, Roddy Doyle, Christine Dwyer Hickey and many more.

Discover an Under-the-radar Podcast

If you didn’t catch it first-time-around, now is the perfect time to acquaint yourself with the award-winning podcast from the folks behind Serial and This American Life. S-Town is an adults-only documentary that is as astonishing in its twists and turns as it is addictive.

Join the Ivy League

Embark on a fantastic educational journey with Cambridge’s world-famous Harvard University, with one, or several, of their short (from one- up to 12-weeks) yet comprehensive online courses. From “Pyramids of Giza: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology” to “Shakespeare’s Life and Work”, there is much to learn.

Immerse Yourself in Art

One of the most emblematic and deeply layered paintings of the Northern Renaissance is the still jaw-dropping Garden of Earthly Delights, painted by Hieronymus Bosch. The incredible triptych has been the subject of much speculation over its lifetime, and now it’s your turn to throw your own theories at its meaning via this mind-blowing interactive site that allows zooming into the minutest detail of this highly detailed work. There are also narrative tags discussing and illuminating some of the symbolism contained therein.