News: Good News Update — Amazing Recovery, Free NBA TV, Vaccines Coming & the Return of the Drive-in Theater

Hey, you, still stuck at home? Cheer up, today is the first day of spring. Yes, really. And since you're probably locked in on TV, we're guessing you need a break from some of the less than sunshiney news reports rolling in. Well, no worries, because there's actually some good news to report.

Strap in and slap on your mental shades, things are about to a little bright in here.

• Don't Miss: Free Apps & Services to Take Advantage of During the COVID-19 Lockdown

Bouncing Back

Remember Lawrence Garbuz, the 50-year-old New Rochelle attorney who was at the center of a cluster outbreak and one of the first well-known cases in the New York area? Well, Lawrence is already on the road to recovery.

"It is with tremendous gratitude to God and boundless gratefulness to all of you around the world from all religions, cultures, and faiths who have prayed for my husband, I share very joyous news," wrote Lawrence's wife, Adina Garbuz, on Facebook.

"Lawrence is awake and alert and seems to be on the road to full recovery. He still has healing to do but is on a very good trajectory. I would have waited longer to share but since so many of you have been on this journey with me, my family and my community asking and waiting to hear, I felt I could not hold off any longer."

Virtual Library Tripping

Staying inside for days or weeks is tolerable if you have a vast treasure trove of streaming TV and YouTube videos to select from. But what happens when you inevitably get a little bored with the flickering images and want to switch things up and, you know, maybe read few books?

Well, the people at Scribd have decided to help us all out by offering free access to the company's entire digital library for free for the next 30 days. And unlike some free offers out there, this one doesn't require you to input a credit card or commit to a subscription. It couldn't be much easier than that.

"Access to books and information is more important than ever before. Reading can offer incredible comfort: it reduces anxiety and makes us feel more accomplished and even happier," said Trip Adler, the founder & CEO of Scribd. "We encourage you to take care of yourself and each other, and we hope reading can offer you solace during these difficult times."

After you've read every single page here on Gadgethacks and on Next Reality, you can start reading Scribd for free here.

Free Sports Fix

Ok, so maybe you're not a bookworm. In fact, maybe you're a bit of an athlete and all this stay-at-home nonsense has you feeling a bit antsy. Well, even though you can't hoop with your buddies, and most sports aren't in action right now, that doesn't mean you can't bask in the glory of the NBA hardwood — this time, at no extra cost. From now until April 22, the NBA is providing free access to its NBA League Pass service, which usually costs $125 per year.

The deal affords sports fans free access to all the games from the 2019-20 season, as well as the NBA's archive of classic battles from the likes of Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and many others.

The free sports content is available via streaming services including Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, and others.

Fresh Air & Fresh Movies, Old School Style

Social distancing doesn't always have to mean holing yourself up in your home and not seeing another human for weeks. Just ask these dedicated movie fans in Los Angeles, who decided to engage in one of the most venerable American traditions: drive-in movie theaters.

The two-screen Paramount drive-in movie theater in Los Angeles (7770 Rosecrans Ave, Paramount, CA, near the 105 Freeway) is currently doing great business as some movie lovers have decided to get some fresh air along with the latest films showing there including Vin Diesel's superhero epic Bloodshot, The Invisible Man, and Sonic the Hedgehog.

This seems to be the perfect response now that most movie theater chains are closed as a safety measure. According to the Los Angeles Times, the drive-in movie trend is also coming back in places like Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

Vaccine Help Is on the Way!

You're probably wondering when all this health safety activity will end. Although that's difficult to nail down to a specific day, we do know that the end is in sight now that testing has begun on a vaccine in the US. The vaccine candidate, which is code-named mRNA-1273, got its first human test subjects (four in all) on Monday at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute in Seattle.

However, while some believe that a widely available vaccine could be available in the next few months, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of Health warns that a working vaccine might not be widely available for another 12 to 18 months. Nevertheless, we now can begin to imagine what life will be like "after" all this, and that's all many of us need to feel better right now.

If you're interested in participating in the experimental vaccine, live in the Seattle area, and are age 18-55, you can find more information here.