(no subject)

[pensnest]

Beast and I attempted to use the laptop yesterday to do online chatting. My chorus is going to have regular Zoom meetings, and I'd like my face to appear instead of just my name. I *think* we've cracked it—the user account on the laptop does not have access to the camera, for reasons we can't remember or understand, but the admin account can use it, so we'll both log on with that for our chorus Zooms this week. Fingers crossed!

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Interesting page about anosmia as a marker of COVID-19 infection. In brief, if you lose your sense of smell it may be a sign that you are infected, and what NOT to do in response.

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We invited Bro-in Law to lunch today, and sat with his face on the laptop at one end of the table as we had our Sunday lunch. He is by nature something of a hermit, but that does mean the social interactions he does want, ie with us, are even more precious. He was supposed to be visiting us today, but lives in London so….

Comments

[frausorge]

I hope the Zoom video works! It's definitely nice to see people's faces when chatting. (As opposed to work meetings, when I very much do NOT want have to worry about my co-workers seeing my expressions!)

The virtual lunch sounds nice too.

[pensnest]

The difference between seeing friends and seeing colleagues is quite a thing, isn't it!

[brandywine28]

This is the first I'm hearing about the anosmia! GOD, a NEW horrifying thing to obsess over...

When a hermit accepts your lunch invitation, that's real love. :)

[pensnest]

So much information, and I'm starting to cut down on the input because otherwise that way lies madness.

Such a difference between not speaking to people because you don't choose to and not speaking to them because you're not allowed to. I must admit, I worry about what will happen to BIL if he becomes ill, because he lives alone and is physically quite, hmm, fragile. We'll deal with it if it happens, I guess.

[turps]

Please tell me you set a plate in front of your brother in law's face *g*

[pensnest]

Ahaha! No, but we should have done!

[chalcopyrite]

We had Quaker Meeting via Zoom on Sunday morning . . . which was kind of a giggle, given that someone's microphone could be not working, and you'd never know! But it was nice to see faces, and especially nice when various dogs and cats came over to see what their humans were doing.

(My lot felt moved to speak several times during the hour, so I was glad I had the microphone muted!)

And I'm about to embark on Zoom Bookgroup meeting. We have to provide our own wine now, woe.

[pensnest]

I should think your lot have quite a bit to say! It is quite an interesting experience doing an online meeting like that, but quite heartening.

I had to provide my own cake, only I am not a good maker of cake so I got a not very nice pastry from Aldi. I am contemplating the possibility of apple cake, in our near future.

[turlough]

I hope the chorus Zooming will work out.

Interesting. I hadn't heard that before.

Virtual lunch sounds like a fun way to connect.

[pensnest]

We've cracked the Zoom business, and it worked quite well this evening. The Thursday Evening Clap for the NHS is a good end-point.

I hope my bro-in-law can stay away from all sources of infection. If he gets ill, he's all alone, and that can't be good.

[rikes]

I generally think I'm pretty good at computers but omg, laptop webcams are a nightmare. Have been trying to get my own and my parents' to work. Neither camera has ever been used until now (have done all my video chats either on my work laptop or my phone). No clue if they worked even when the laptops were new, or whether an update somewhere broke them, or if mine was accidentally disconnected when I took my laptop to the shop to get the plastic cover replaced, or if the programs don't have access to the camera... Many Googling, Not Much Solutions.

So congrats, you solved yours!

[pensnest]

Yeah, it was a bit of a puzzle. And I don't understand why the regular user account can't use the camera, but it is so. I dare say we may have disabled it back in the days when people worried about people remote accessing cameras to see us naked, not that I have *ever* sat about naked using the laptop. It would burn my tummy!