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Ostensibly speaking, showering is a time when we tend to our personal hygiene: shampooing, conditioning, exfoliating and yoga with razor blades –  you know, the classics.

But that's not all we get up to behind that curtain, is it?

If you generally use your morning shower to solve the world's problems or nail that biting one-liner in an imagined argument with your boss, you're not alone.

According to a recent study conducted by cognitive scientist, Scott Barry Kaufman, 72% of people get some of their most creative ideas when lathering up.

His findings suggest that the environment created in the shower allows the individual to tap into thoughts and ideas which they may not humour throughout the day.

"I've done some research on showering. We did a multinational study and found that people reported more creative inspiration in their showers than they did at work. That's really telling about how we think and find creativity," Kaufman told productivity experts during a recent online summit.

"The relaxing, solitary, and non-judgmental shower environment may afford creative thinking by allowing the mind to wander freely, and causing people to be more open to their inner stream of consciousness and daydreams."

But if your 'shower thoughts' rarely gain momentum after leaving the confines of the bathroom, that may be due to external factors like our reliance on the internet, for example.

"You need to create that space in your life, and that's often what happens when we go into the shower," Kaufman explained.

"It's one of those few moments when we're not tied to our devices, so we have that extra space to find connections between ideas. If we're not allowing that to happen in our lives, it's just never going to work," he added.

You heard the man – time to take our shower thoughts on tour.

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If you've ever shot daggers at a fellow commuter for holding you up while they root through spare change in order to pay for their bus fare, you may be pleased to hear that Dublin Bus intends to go cashless over the next three to five years.

According to emerging reports this morning, the National Transport Authority plans to follow the example of other major cities in an effort to improve travel times for millions of commuters.

As it stands, 70% of commuters use Leap Cards so officials don't envision that the plans will cause any major inconvenience, but those who insist on using cash will be required to purchase their bus tickets in a retailer prior to their journey.

It is understood that fares may be higher for those who choose to use cash to pay for their commute.

Commenting on the proposal, NTA chief executive Anne Graham said: "We have 70pc of all journeys being done through Leap. This has happened in London, and it's worked."
 
"We would encourage more people to move to Leap, and we would like to see cashless services, where you can't pay in cash on the bus," she added.

A team within the NTA is currently assessing potential developments regarding the Leap Card service which was introduced in 2011.

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According to the results of a new study, 15 per cent of Irish women, who participated in a national screening programme, tested positive for Human Papillomavirus – a virus which is known to cause cervical cancer.

Of the 6,000 women who participated in the programme, which was funded by the Health Research Board, one in six carried traces of the virus.

According to The Irish Times, however, just five per cent of those who tested positive carried the two subtypes which are generally associated with cases of the disease.

Commenting on the results, John O’Leary, professor of pathology at Trinity College, explained that the results were actually in keeping with similar studies conducted in other countries, and were not a source of undue concern.

While most strains of the virus are low-risk, some are responsible for causing changes to cervical cells which can, in some cases, lead to a cancer diagnosis.

It has been established that women under the age of 30 are most likely to test positive for HPV, with one quarter presenting with DNA of the virus.

The interim results of the pilot screening will be discussed at a symposium in Dublin later today.

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If the classic hand-on-hip pose fails us after a few too many gins on a night out, you can be fairly certain we'll pull out the peace sign, and hope for the best.

And while we may cringe at ourselves while trawling through Facebook the following morning, it turns out that that particular gesture does more than make us look like a Miley Cyrus wannabe, but actually poses a genuine risk to our security.

No, seriously.

According to a recent study, displaying your fingertips in a digital image leaves you vulnerable to data hacking.

Investigating the theory, Japan’s National Institute of Informatics (NII) recently conducted an experiment into the likelihood that fingerprints can be copied and stolen, and findings conclude it is possible even from as far as nine feet away.

"Just by casually making a peace sign in front of a camera, fingerprints can become widely available,’ explained NII researcher Isao Echizen. "Fingerprint data can be recreated if fingerprints are in focus with strong lighting in a picture."

Attempting to combat the threat, the NII are said to have developed a transparent film which when attached to an individual's fingertips conceals the unique print, but it won't be available until at least 2019.

Back to the classic 'skinny upper arm' pose, pronto.

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As millions of women took to city streets to march for equality last weekend, several women, who were unable to attend official marches, held their own in the hospital where they are currently receiving treatment for cancer.

Taking to Twitter to share photographs of the march in the LA hospital, Allie Oetken wrote: "Couldn't make it the LA march today so we had to do our own protest around the hospital (only got 1 floor– we tried tho)."

Allie, who is currently living with a rare bone cancer known as Ewing's Sarcoma, told Seventeen that being unable to participate in an official march had left her feeling disheartened.

"I've been a cancer patient for two years now and have had clear scans until just about last weekend when they found a tumour on my skull. So I've been in the hospital mostly for pain management while we figure out what the plan is moving forward," she told the publication.

"Well that morning I knew there was going to be multiple women's marches around the country and world and was pretty bummed I wasn't going to be apart of it, especially since my friends were going to the LA one," she explained.

"Well in the middle of my wallowing, I heard another lady squeaking down the hallway chanting something so I went out and joined her and we had put together signs that say "Freedom for All" and things like that and marched with our IV poles as well as some of the nurses."

Allie says she was relieved to have been able to express her desire for equality with millions of other women over the weekend.

"It was small but very meaningful that I got to feel part of it and protest the new President and the gross rhetoric and behaviour that comes with his power and followers when I otherwise would have had to stay sick in bed and essentially be silent."

Twitter, unsurprisingly, has reacted to Allie's post with unbridled optimism for the future.

"This is beautiful. Keep fighting," wrote one while another remarked: "This is so beautiful and powerful."

"This may be my favourite post about #WomensMarch," added another to the post which has amassed 56,000 likes since its upload on Saturday.

 

 

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Desperately trying to remember a password to a particular online account is fist-clenchingly annoying, so it's no real surprise that many of us opt for very simple passwords when creating our accounts.

Oh, and we also tend to use the same very simple passwords for multiple accounts 'cos we're super-smart like that.

And if anyone knows just how ridiculous many of us are when it comes to online security, it's SplashData who recently released their annual list of the 25 worst passwords.

For the sixth year in a row, 123456 took the top slot when it came to putting a user at risk of identity theft while password came in a close second.

Compiled by assessing more than five million passwords which were leaked last year, SplashData were able to identify the combinations of letters and numbers which can leave an individual vulnerable to hacking.

Reminding us that we need to do more than capitalise one letter to get the better of online hackers, Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData offered a little advice which we should probably pay attention to.

"Making minor modifications to an easily guessable password does not make it secure, and hackers will take advantage of these tendencies," 

"Our hope is that by researching and putting out this list each year, people will realise how risky it is to use these common logins, and they will take steps to strengthen their passwords and use different passwords for different websites," he added.

And without further ado, here are the 25 worst passwords of the last 12 months.

Taking the top five slots, we have 123456, password, 12345, 12345678, and football. These are followed by qwerty, 1234567890, 1234567, princess and 1234.

Coming in at number 11 we have login, welcome, solo, abc123 and admin. Slots 16 to 20 brought us 121212,  flower, passw0rd, dragon and Sunshine.

And the final five to make it in the top 25? Let's hear it for master, hottie, loveme, zaq1zaq1 and password1.

Yep, we definitely have some work to do on the ol' password front, ladies.

 

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There's no doubt that hangovers get worse as you get older.

As a 19-year-old, a quick McDonald's breakfast the morning after a rager of a session was enough to sort you out before a nine-hour shift in a bustling department store.

As a 29-year-old, nothing short of a counselling session, three-hour shower and frantic texts to friends and family will help ease the pain brought on by a night on the tiles.

But while the older among us bemoan those who still manage to dodge hangovers, we do reserve a kernel of empathy for the moment they do experience their first real-life hangover.

Here are just 9 moments you'll recall from the day your first genuine hangover actually landed.

1. The all-encompassing sense of dread that descended upon you after opening your eyes.

Long gone are the days when your 'hangover' kicked off with a burst of giggles over your antics the night before.

"Why do I feel like I've burned down an orphanage? Turn on the news and check. I've an awful feeling about this."

2. The hammering in your head makes you question whether you actually sustained head injuries the night before.

That vague ache which would lift after a cup of tea has nothing on the splitting pain behind your eyes right now.

"I actually can't move my head. I can't. Call my mam. But tell her I was pushed head-first into a wall last night."

3. The desire to ensure you're still in possession of all your personal belongings is no longer a priority.

Who cares less about your purse and phone when you're spiralling into a hell of your own making?

"I don't know where it is. I don't care. I just need to be hospitalised."

4. The inclination to shower is non-existent, because you can't be sure you won't drown in your current condition.

Unless you're carried into the shower and placed beneath running water, you're staying in last night's top and a pair of back-to-front football shorts.

"I want a shower, but I need to stay there for three hours, and I need supervision. Can you provide that?"

5. The idea of getting a takeaway for breakfast has you heaving into a wastepaper basket by your bed.

The days when you could chomp on a Dominos at noon before tucking into a chipper later that evening are long gone now.

"My body is rejecting itself, and I don't know what to do. Somebody needs to take this seriously, I'm frightened."

6. You scavenge for random items around your room that you think will help ease the pain.

A wet sock for your forehead? Check. Resting your face against the cold wall? Done. Rubbing the soft cord of your dressing gown against your cheek? Yes, yes, and yes.

"Leave me alone with my sock. But check on me in ten in case I'm dead."

7. You spend the entire day texting with one eye open (providing you have your phone, that is.)

The texts of yesteryear would be chock-full of last night's gossip, but on the morning of your first real hangover, issues get real.

"Do you hate me? Is there something you need to tell me? Why is Sinead taking so long to write back? Can you call an ambulance for me? Is this a hangover?"

8. Standing up straight and focussing on anything is beyond the realms of possibility.

Stumbling around your house in the form of Quasimodo is a sign nothing will ever be the same again.

"I honestly can't look up at you without feeling the need to projectile vomit. Please don't force me to do something we both might regret."

9. You swear on everything dear to you (between violent heaving) that you will never, ever put yourself in this position again.

You finally understand the sentiment behind those Facebook statuses insisting a dry month was on the horizon.

"Forget a dry month. I'm done. It was good while it *gag* lasted. But *gag* never again…."

 

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While the world watched a former reality TV star become the 45th President of the United States of America, Ryanair decided to announce a flash sale.

Taking to social media in recent moments, the airline have acknowledged the current sense of disbelief on Twitter, and insisted it's not all bad.

In fact, you could, if you wanted, get away from the stress if it all by booking yourself a bargain flight.

"Donald Trump is President. These fares are €9.99. This is not a dream. Book your getaway here. #InaugurationDay." they told the public.

Oh and ladies, this is NOT fake news, so have at it.

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We've all been finding it surprisingly mild of late, so it makes sense we'd be due a right old shock to our systems, doesn't it?

And this weekend, we're going to get it.

According to those in the know,  a cold weather snap is currently making its way through Europe, and we're about to experience the tail end of it.

Met Éireann have advised the public that we are in for frosty conditions over the next 48 hours, with temperartures set to drop to as low as -3.

Tonight will be cold and clear while Saturday will kick off with frosty conditions and icy stretches which will stay put across the weekend before clearing as we head into next week.

Oh, joy!

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If you have a job that requires you to be on your feet most of the day, you've probably cursed your friends and families who lord it over you with their sweet desk jobs, right?

Well, if recent research is anything to go by, your mates with the 'cushy' office jobs are biologically almost a decade older than you due to the fact they're sitting for most of the day.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers established that women who sit for at least ten hours a day and fail to do at least 40 minutes exercise were biologically much older.

Oh, joy.

It has been established that women whose jobs require them to sit from morning until evening have shorter telomeres which are the tiny caps found on the ends of strands of DNA.

These caps. which shorten with age, protect chromosomes from damage meaning that these particular women have a higher risk of disease, and are, from a scientific perspective, eight years older than their counterparts.

"Our study found cells age faster with a sedentary lifestyle. Chronological age doesn’t always match biological age.” lead author, Aladdin Shadyab explained.

The research was conducted across 1,500 women.

 

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The transition from secondary school to third-level can be overwhelming on so many levels.

While some people take to the new environment like a duck to water, countless others struggle massively with the process, and often feel out of step with the rest of the student body.

From adjusting to independent learning to adapting to changeable timetables, college is a far cry from your days in the local comprehensive, and for some, it's a transition which impacts on their mental and emotional wellbeing.

As you face into the second semester of this academic year, you may have toyed with the idea of jacking it all in, and if that's the case, you may want to consider some of the following questions.

1. Are you unhappy with your subjects?

Identifying the source of your upset is the first step towards taking positive action.

If you are unhappy with your subjects or degree, you need to approach the university and ask for guidance on the matter.

The staff and faculty of any university are employed to guide and support students, so they'll be more than happy to advise you on your options.

And remember, they've heard it all before, so lay it out for them, and it could be as simple as swapping subjects for one you're more interested in.

2. Are you unhappy with your university?

If you don't feel your choice of degree at this particular university is what you were expecting, that's not a reason to drop out of education altogether.

Seek guidance from the staff at your current university, and communicate your concerns.

It's always possible to start again, but doing it by yourself is where it gets tricky, so reach out and give yourself a voice.

No one knows the system better than those working within it, so there's a high chance there are options available to you which you haven't even considered.

3. Are you unhappy with the social element of third-level?

TV and movies would have us believe that college is where you make life-long friends, but for many, college is spent floating between various classes, unable to make a proper connection with fellow students.

After groups forge in the first week, those who didn't make the cut are often left looking in – a sensation which makes for a wholly unpleasant third-level experience.

In this instance, you need to bite the bullet and join some societies. College is chock-full of clubs which don't require a passion for philosophy or history, so join the trampoline club or movie society, and start making pals.

But listen…

College isn't for everyone, and maybe it's just not your time yet.

If you have addressed all of the above issues, and still know that you would benefit from some time away from education, there's no harm in taking a year out or deferring your place.

Everybody is on a separate journey, and there is no rule that says you have to do everything in the same sequence as everyone else.

But before you simply turn off your alarm, and refuse to step foot on campus ever again, make sure you talk through your options with the experts.

 

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It was the 7 minute-long video that captured the nation's attention when it was released late yesterday evening.

And how painfully inevitable that Heartbreak, which was written and performed by Emmet Kirwan, quickly became a target of wholly misguided condemnation. 

The summation? Oh, just that the powerful production amounted to little more than predictable clickbait, created by a "self-promoting spoofer to get more funding."

The barrage of scathing remarks would be laughable – ridiculous, even – if they weren't deeply offensive to every woman who has been degraded, violated or dismissed in this country.

The turning point in the short film, directed by Dave Tynan, came at the moment a young mother turns on three men who objectified her on a Dublin street in the presence of her young son.

"I’m not defined by the fact I am some man’s daughter, sister cousin, mother. I am a woman and I have agency just because I’m breathing air, mother*cker. And I’m standing here, mother*cker," she told them.

Having navigated teenage pregnancy, been dismissed by those purporting to support, and reduced to little more than another statistic in modern Ireland, she finds herself right back where she started – the subject of a catcall.

Except this time, she has a child by her side.

“The boy sees this treatment in the street and from the State all his life so he decides to regulate, but young one now fully grown tries to sate this rage and build this young man, this young boy.”

“He will be the best elements of femininity wrapped in a rebellious feminine but benign masculinity,” the viewer is told.

And while thousands have heaped praise upon the short Irish film which began circulating online yesterday, some observers have gone on the defence – appalled that their gender be accused of objectifying women.

“Sexist vile crap that tries to demonise men,” wrote one YouTube commentator. “What the hell was that bit about "standing in awe" of women about? F*ck right off with your sjw bs.”

“This is the trend now in Lefty Ireland. It’s open season on Men and Masculinity,” whinged another.

“His "poetry" is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face,” opined yet another. “The white male is public enemy number one.”

And yet, for the vast majority of women watching, countless elements of this young mother’s story were all too familiar.

From the catcalls and the thinly veiled judgement to the deep-seated anger and desire to be heard, Emmet Kirwan tapped into the lived experience of thousands of women in Ireland.

But for some people, it was just a little too close to the bone.

“I’m not like that.” “Why am I the enemy?” “I’m being demonised”, and so on and so forth went the comments on YouTube, Reddit and Facebook in the wake of the film’s release.

And herein lies the issue.

By failing to look further than their own treatment of women, these people are ultimately blinding themselves to the conduct of their peers.

By insisting they’re innocent of certain attitudes and behaviours, they are extricating themselves from the real issue.

Have women been objectified by men the length and breadth of this country? Yes.

Do women face more judgement than their male counterparts over certain issues in Ireland? Undoubtedly.

Does the weight of family planning, pregnancy and abortion weigh more heavily on women’s shoulders? Obviously.

And are women still waiting to be granted bodily autonomy in this State? Regrettably, yes.

Claims that Emmet Kirwan’s production is little more than clickbait is offensive to every woman who has fended off unwanted attention, endured public or private degradation, and still fights for bodily autonomy in this country.

Just because you don’t do it doesn’t mean it isn't being done.

 

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