Zoom, Zoom.
It's hard to believe that until about three weeks ago, I had no idea what a "zoom session" was. Now, they are an almost daily part of my life. They are not unike Sype sessions which I give credit to my co-counselor, Sumner for introducing me to. The lighting seems a little different. Or, maybe it has to do with viewing so many other participants at one time, "Brady Bunch"-style in little boxes of light and color. At first, my eyes would grow tired after 20 minutes or so. Now, I seem to be getting used to it.
The audio is a whole other set of problems. Unless the majority of users turn off their speakers by using earplugs, there is apt to be a cacophony of feedback and echoes and a wierd distortion of people's voices, making them sound like munchkins.
This adds a level of tension to EfM classes which have already been subject to DIY solutions to the problem of the same people doing all the talking. The audio mishaps apply their own brakes to the conversation.
Pale Male hosted a dinner party on zoom last Sunday and it went pretty well. Nearly three-quarters of the guests were beaming in from New Jersey. So, I got to see a lot of porches and casement windows in the background. A few people preferred digital backgrounds of Hawaiian beaches, that sort of thing. But, mosty it was a glimpse into the households of a lot of highly successful people in the middle of raising families. I was very surprised VRaptor couldn't find the time to sow show his face. And the fruit of his loins, little Chastity.
And, honestly, I don't know how the RC community will ever regain normalcy after all this. Physical separation strikes it right where it lives. The Seattle headquarters operates on thin margins as it is. Dependent as they are on publishing and printing, the income they get from workshop fees must represent a very important source of income. More importantly, the traditional physical gatherings allow the local leaders to take the immediate pulse of the community, determining who is in and who is out and who requires reeling back into the fold.
But, as things stand now, I'm rather used to not having to keep a clean house. I haven't done a laundry in nearly a month. And, I've taken to wearing the same clothes for days - even weeks - on end. I have absolutely lost all desire to please other people. This must be how it starts: The Road to Smelly Old Manitude.
The audio is a whole other set of problems. Unless the majority of users turn off their speakers by using earplugs, there is apt to be a cacophony of feedback and echoes and a wierd distortion of people's voices, making them sound like munchkins.
This adds a level of tension to EfM classes which have already been subject to DIY solutions to the problem of the same people doing all the talking. The audio mishaps apply their own brakes to the conversation.
Pale Male hosted a dinner party on zoom last Sunday and it went pretty well. Nearly three-quarters of the guests were beaming in from New Jersey. So, I got to see a lot of porches and casement windows in the background. A few people preferred digital backgrounds of Hawaiian beaches, that sort of thing. But, mosty it was a glimpse into the households of a lot of highly successful people in the middle of raising families. I was very surprised VRaptor couldn't find the time to sow show his face. And the fruit of his loins, little Chastity.
And, honestly, I don't know how the RC community will ever regain normalcy after all this. Physical separation strikes it right where it lives. The Seattle headquarters operates on thin margins as it is. Dependent as they are on publishing and printing, the income they get from workshop fees must represent a very important source of income. More importantly, the traditional physical gatherings allow the local leaders to take the immediate pulse of the community, determining who is in and who is out and who requires reeling back into the fold.
But, as things stand now, I'm rather used to not having to keep a clean house. I haven't done a laundry in nearly a month. And, I've taken to wearing the same clothes for days - even weeks - on end. I have absolutely lost all desire to please other people. This must be how it starts: The Road to Smelly Old Manitude.