BetaNews: You need to take action if you want to avoid being cut off from Zoom. “Zoom 5.0 came out of Zoom’s 90-day focus on security updates, and one of the key improvements was the addition of GCM encryption. But to take advantage of this security feature, and others, people need to be using the latest version of the software. As such, it is important that you update your Zoom client, or you risk being cut out of meetings completely.”
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‘Zoom fatigue’ is setting in: What it is and how to prevent it (CBC)
CBC: ‘Zoom fatigue’ is setting in: What it is and how to prevent it. “Although the term may not be found in psychology textbooks, some psychologists say the condition has become all too common in the COVID-19 era, with so many people working from home and holding meetings through video conferencing applications such as Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or Cisco Webex. The fatigue can stem from any such software.”
The Cut: How to Make a Realistic Duplicate of Your Head and Face (for Zoom)
The Cut: How to Make a Realistic Duplicate of Your Head and Face (for Zoom). “Wouldn’t you love a guilt-free break from Zooming? Try to imagine it. The ability to have a single night’s relief from screaming into a computer during an ultimately dispiriting facsimile of a ‘hang-out’ with your friends or loved ones, without the stigma that accompanies turning down the invitation. The ability to act as a sounding board for your in-laws’ thoughts about lifting isolation restrictions, without having to be a sounding board for your in-laws’ thoughts about lifting isolation restrictions. The ability to present an attentive audience for your boss during a ‘meeting,’ while you just close your eyes or lie on the ground or do literally anything else, for the love of God. Believe me when I tell you: I can bring you this relief.”
The Verge: Anchor will now let you make video calls into audio podcasts
The Verge: Anchor will now let you make video calls into audio podcasts. “Anchor, a podcast-making app owned by Spotify, will now let you take recordings of your video calls and chats and turn them into podcasts (via TechCrunch). If you’ve been doing a regular Zoom meetup with your friends to talk about Animal Crossing: New Horizons town designs, for example, this new tool could help you turn those conversations into a podcast you can publish and share.”
FBI: FBI Warns of Child Sexual Abuse Material Being Displayed During Zoom Meetings
FBI: FBI Warns of Child Sexual Abuse Material Being Displayed During Zoom Meetings. “The COVID-19 crisis has caused many organizations and schools to conduct virtual meetings/events, some of which are open to the public. Additionally, links to many virtual events are being shared online, resulting in a lack of vetting of approved participants. During the last few months, the FBI has received more than 195 reports of incidents throughout the United States and in other countries in which a Zoom participant was able to broadcast a video depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The FBI considers this activity to be a violent crime, as every time child sexual abuse material is viewed, the depicted child is re-victimized. Furthermore, anyone who inadvertently sees child sexual abuse material depicted during a virtual event is potentially a victim as well.”
New York Times: Son Stabs Father 15 Times on Zoom Call, Killing Him, Prosecutors Say
New York Times: Son Stabs Father 15 Times on Zoom Call, Killing Him, Prosecutors Say. “A 32-year-old Long Island man was arrested and charged with murder on Thursday after fatally stabbing his father more than a dozen times while he was on a Zoom video chat with about 20 people, the authorities said. The father, Dwight Powers, 72, had been participating in the Zoom call at his home on Dixon Avenue in Amityville, N.Y., when he was attacked by his son Thomas Scully-Powers, just after noon on Thursday, the Suffolk County Police Department said.”
Lifehacker: Use These Extensions To Trick Out Google Meet
Lifehacker: Use These Extensions To Trick Out Google Meet. “Google Meet is now free for everyone to use. The search giant has finished its rollout, and anyone with an email address—a Gmail address, that is—can use it to hold free video chats. Meet isn’t as fully-featured as other video chat apps, but a few useful browser extensions can add in much-needed functionality. Oh, and they’re free, too.”
