A lot of us are going to end up watching World Cup 2018 games at work.
Theres no getting around it.
And everyone knows Brian spends about half the time on Twitter anyway, rightHowever, theres more chance of you getting in trouble for dropping into a football game on your work computer than nipping over to a social media site.So how do we watch some of the World Cup 2018 at work, and how do we get away with it Lets get started.The good news is that World Cup 2018 games are extremely accessible.
In the UK they will be broadcast on the BBC and ITV channels, and you can watch those in a web browser.Both ITV Hub and iPlayer let you watch live broadcasts from their respective sites, so you dont have to install any additional applications.
Larger companies with restrictive IT policies often wont let you install unapproved apps, so thats one potential roadblock avoided.Just beware that your IT crowd may have restrictions on watching anything that's BBC based, because of licensing issues.
If this is the case, then avoid using the work Wi-Fi at all, and skip straight to sorting your own hotspot out (see below).Hiding windowsUnless youre watching on your lunch break, dont maximise the video window.
Itll get you spotted in a second and, well, were only giving you these tips on the understanding youll be able to get your work done at the same time.
OKOne top tip to stop your line manager realising what youre doing is to master the hide app shortcut.
This varies between OS X and Windows systems.Running a Mac or MacBook Press CMD+FN+H and the current screen will be minimised instantly.
The Windows shortcut is even subtler.
Just press CTRL+ALT and the down arrow.That avoids having to scramble about with a mouse or trackpad as soon as you think anyone is watching, which looks dead suspicious.If you fancy adding an extension to your Chrome browser, then Switch Tabs is a good one.
It allows you to switch between open tabs really, really quickly.If you want something that is a little more extreme, then Panic Button will hide all your tabs at once with one single button and restore them later.Getting around a sneaky IT departmentIf you work at a large company theres a solid chance its internet connection blocks off certain sites.
And if it doesnt, it still might monitor the traffic of employees.
Sneaky rightIf that gives you a chills, or you think your company or boss is particularly highly strung, you might want to try bypassing the corporate internet completely.
This will work best if you have a laptop rather than a desktop, as we need to use its Wi-Fi.
And your desktop may not have a Wi-Fi card.What were going to do now is setup your phone to provide the internet access for the laptop, by creating a hotspot.In an Android phone youll find this in the Networking part of Settings menu.
Its in the Wi-Fi part of an iPhones Settings menu.
When setting this up youll see the name of the hotspot, which should appear in your laptops Wi-Fi finder once switched on.Just connect as you would to any Wi-Fi network.
The caveat is your mobile contract needs to allow tethering.
This is where your mobile internet is used to get another device online.Check out your contracts terms before trying this one, and note how much of your data youre using.
Video streaming will eat it up pretty quick.Alternatively, you could get hold of a dedicated Wi-Fi hotspot.
Its a pocketable box that creates a 4G-based Wi-Fi network.
Mobile networks sell these.
However, its usually with a fairly long-term contract.
You can also buy one separately online, and then plug-in either a preloaded data SIM or one that comes with a one-month contract to avoid long-term costs.Getting privateA privacy screen is one other option.
But itll raise a few eyebrows.This is a layer you place on top of your screen, and it blacks out the display from any angle but front-on.
Youre much less likely to get caught catching up on a game as a result.It works a bit like the blinds you might even see in a meeting room at work, funnily enough.
A louvre effect blocks off light at any angle but straight-on, drastically reducing the screens viewing angle.A privacy screen is not a bad idea if you end up working on a laptop on the train to work, and are distracted by the eyes of other passengers seeing whats on your screen.
Thats really the only excuse youre going to be able to use to convince your boss, though.Well, unless theres an office creep who comes up to your desk all the time to start conversations after peering at your display.Altering the brightness of your screen is one other option.
Judging by our experience, hardly anyone in an office with a monitor alters its settings much, but you can lower its backlight brightness to make whats on-screen less obvious.
Start pressing the buttons on its front or side to bring up its OSD (on-screen display).Wed suggest cranking it back up when not watching, though, as peering at a too-dim screen all day wont be good for your eyes.Dont forget the toiletTheres also the slackers classic: a slightly elongated trip to the toilet.
Youll be able to watch World Cup 2018 matches on your phone using the iPlayer app, although if you use this tactic for the whole month, people will think you need a visit to the doctors.
Or, more likely, that youre watching the football on the toilet.Lets not discard the honest approach either.
If you have a reasonable boss who understands how excited people get about the World Cup, why not raise the idea of keeping an eye on the football during workAssure them youll still be able to get your job done, and will make up for any lost productivity minutes by either cutting down your lunch break or staying late.
Weve been around, we know this wont work for everyone.
But its better, and less stressful, than subterfuge.Also, dont forget that youll likely be able to download any BBC-broadcast matches to watch on your phone on the way home.
However, rights issues could potentially put a stop to this.
Not all iPlayer programmes can be downloaded for later viewing.
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