Invisible Boyfriend App

"Have you met anyone yet?" The dreaded questions from your parents after you've been single for years, and then all your friends get into relationships and are on your case.. and do you have a date? Hell naw.

But would you go so far as to having a fake partner?

Invisible Boyfriend, and Invisible Girlfriend, allows you to have the appearance that you are seeing someone, with texting, voicemail and even a gift service. You can create how you and your fellow robot met and his/her personality.

Reasons people use the service:

“Hoping to buy some time and convince my parents I’m in a relationship until I’m ready to come out”

“Get a clingy coworker off my case”

“I’m in the army and want someone to write to”

“I’m divorced and just want to spend time with my kids”

When you sign up, you chose a selfie from user-submitted photos. Then you get a text from a real, but anonymous person from their workforce.

The company are currently working on creating Facebook profiles for the invisible partner.

When I first heard of this, I thought "what?! this is creepy" and thought it was a complete joke. But reading through, dare I say it's a weird but wonderful idea?

Someone asks about your day, has an interest in your life and you release dopamine when you get a text. And you have no time for an actual partner, but want someone to talk to and to get co-workers off your case. They always respond and have the same interests as you.

Their introductory price is $24.99 a month, including 100 texts, 10 voicemails and one handwritten note.

The idea was pitched at St. Louis Startup Weekend, they won and immediately assembled a team. Within a few days they were featured on Buzzfeed and Business Insider. Over a million people have visited the site from 193 different countries.

The service is US-based. In the future, there will probably be something similar in the UK with the increasing number of people using social media and social dating sites.

Am I convinced by the idea? No. But I do think it's very original and probably does work for a few people, just not for me.

What do you think? Comment below!

Five things to do in Norwich this Halloween

Happy Halloween family trail

Take a spooky trail around the museum and win a prize. Fun for all the family.
 

24^th October - 31^st October
Ancient House
10am-4pm
50p per trail + museum entry


Ghostly Gressenhall

A frightfully fun family party for all your little witches and warlocks! Attend our magical lessons at Gressenhall Academy for Wizardry and Witchcraft and see if you can graduate top of the class. Dress up for the occasion in your scariest costume.

31^st October
Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse
6pm-8pm
£6 per person. Under 4s free.


Spooky City at the Castle

Make your own creepy crafts, with dungeon tours, castle trails and a mysterious magic lantern show.

31^st October
Norwich Castle
10am-4pm
£8.35 adult, £7.50 child, £23.50 family (2 adults, all children)

Spooky City Parade

Get dressed up in your finest frightening costumes and join the parade. Watch out for witches and ghosts mingling in the crowds and enjoy music, food and entertainment by the ghoulish green light that has descended on the city.

31^st October
Chapelfield Gardens
5pm-6:30pm
Free


PrimEvil Scare
 
5 “live scare” attractions: the forest of fear, the dark, circus of terrors, zone 64 East, mayhem manor hotel.

16^th October – 1^st November
Dinosaur Adventure
6pm-11pm
£15.95 off-peak, £19.95 on-peak
*Not suitable for under 12s

A couple are building a new business while building a new family.

Iain and Sophie Ames, 38 and 37, are due a little girl on Christmas day, but this does not stop them managing 18-month old Oscar, a 12-year old business and a new-born business.

The Norfolk Lighting Company opens on Monday, 12th of October, and will be in Taverham Craft Centre, Fir Covert Road. The couple have 21 years of electrical industry experience and currently manage electrical contracting company Diamond Controls.

Lauren Burrows, a self-employed Marketing Manager for the company, said: “Iain and Sophie are very caring and career-driven. By hiring me on after my internship they are giving me the opportunity to gain experience and develop my career.”

It will be a one-stop shop, as well as offering a selection of lighting and other home appliances, in-house electricians can fit the lighting and this is what makes them stand out from competitors.

They will be holding a launch event on the 24th of October. The launch event is currently being organised and will contain refreshments upon arrival, vouchers and a 15% discount on products on the day.

Future plans include creating more jobs and an online store.

The company will sell switches that are remote-controlled from an iPhone and work where ever you are. This will allow a reduction in energy bills and can increase home security.

The only ‘Like’ that counts is your own

Dove has launched a #NoLikesNeeded campaign today in the World Summit in London.

Over one million girls in the UK have low body confidence, according to Dove. 6 out of 10 of the girls Dove spoke to said they feel prettier online, especially when they get ‘Likes’ on social media.

There is no doubt of the pressure young women face today with the threat of bullies in schools and the pressure of appearance.

Dove want to help girls find beauty confidence in themselves, and are on a mission “to ensure the next generation grow up enjoying a positive relationship with the way they look – helping girls to raise their self-esteem and realise their full potential.”

Dove’s UK brand director, Lucy Attley, said: “Today’s research enables us to better understand the relationship between social media and girls’ self-esteem, and the importance of talking to girls about body confidence before they turn 18. 

“Everyone can help a girl feel good about herself which is why we are asking parents, teachers, youth leaders and family friends to share their support for the #NoLikesNeeded campaign.” 

A member of the public thanked Dove for taking a stand and commented: “I would like to add that boys struggle with this issue”, another adding: “Can you broaden your remit to include boys? Any work in schools with boys and girls working together where they are encouraged to look at each other in a positive way would be helpful.”

Dove launched its self-esteem project in 2004 and is the global sponsor of Women in the World. It has been going for 11 years and it has helped 17 million young people across the world.

More than 625,000 teachers have delivered a Dove self-esteem workshop.

If you’d like to have a free teacher-training session or workshop visit http://selfesteemsignup.dove.co.uk/.