Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Israel is using food as a weapon of war. Unforgivable.

A consequence of cucumbers

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

FFS people, this was a good thing. take the win.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

When we show up, we win.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

They were going to turn on one another at some point. It was inevitable.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

He really is that stupid.

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Come on, man.

Today’s gop: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

If you’re looking for someone who’s young and athletic, go watch a fucking movie.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Trump makes a mockery of the legal system and cowardly judges just sit back and let him.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

You are here: Home / Healthcare / COVID-19 / Zoom Zoom Zooming

Reader Interactions

83Comments

  1. 1.

    Chief Oshkosh

    Both my wife and I have very chubby cheeks.

    “Does this Zoom make me look fat?” was funny the first time I asked…

  3. 3.

    Mai naem mobile

    Tom Coburn has died . Reportedly  from prostate cancer.not  COVID19.  Even though he acted like a Kentucky GOP politician he actually  represented Oklahoma

  6. 6.

    BroD

    Let’s face it, for many of us, a quarantine mask is a fashion accessory which improves our appearance.

  7. 7.

    gene108

    I think I look good in Zoom calls. We have at least two a week for work.

    I have no idea what the person’s talking about.

  8. 8.

    Bill Arnold

    A couple of very recent pieces in Science magazine on mask-wearing. TL;DR wear a mask of some sort (e.g. a pollen/dust mask), or even a bandana, while doing any necessary interactions with people, while maintaining the usual 6 ft distance and maintaining other precautions like hand washing and avoiding face touching (and face washing if touched).
    Would everyone wearing face masks help us slow the pandemic? (Kelly ServickMar. 28, 2020)
    Not wearing masks to protect against coronavirus is a ‘big mistake,’ top Chinese scientist says (Jon CohenMar. 27, 2020) (bold mine)

    Q: What mistakes are other countries making?
    A: The big mistake in the U.S. and Europe, in my opinion, is that people aren’t wearing masks. This virus is transmitted by droplets and close contact. Droplets play a very important role—you’ve got to wear a mask, because when you speak, there are always droplets coming out of your mouth. Many people have asymptomatic or presymptomatic infections. If they are wearing face masks, it can prevent droplets that carry the virus from escaping and infecting others.

    The advice being currently offered in some countries to not wear masks, to protect the supply of medical grade masks for medical worker, is deliberately discarding an opportunity to slow exponential growth, which will not be helping health care workers in the future. Wear something; wear it ostentatiously, to get people in your town in the habit. I hang a dust mask from my rear view mirror. (Doing a few trips to an unoccupied house and to blue (outside) post box and general scouting of local towns; haven’t been shopping yet.)

  10. 10.

    Gvg

    @Bill Arnold: well as the sister of a doctor, I do think healthcare workers should get priority. I found a dusty pack of N95s I had bought for some woodworking project last summer and not opened. Passed it on to her and she said she needed it which upsets me. I was going to start sewing the tea towel ones this weekend. I can sew one for myself but until healthcare workers have enough I am not using the real ones for myself.

  12. 12.

    Kay (not the front-pager)

    OT (is there a T? No? Of course not!) what do you feed someone with coronavirus? I googled it and can you believe I didn’t get any relevant answers on the first 3 screens on my phone? What is wrong with people! Anyway, it looks like my niece, an obstetrics sonographer with a toddler, has COVID-19. Her doc says there are no tests available for those not sick enough for hospitalization, which fortunately she is not. My go-to response to any crisis is to cook, so naturally I want to cook some meals for her family. Does anyone know, or have experience with, the best kinds of food to prep? Best would be things I can seal up for her husband to heat in the microwave or hot water and leave at the bedroom door.

  13. 13.

    Roger Moore

    @MattF:

    My employer is telling us to use Microsoft Teams whenever possible. It’s security is supposed to be much better than Zoom.

  14. 14.

    BR

    @Kay (not the front-pager):

    I did extensive reading before this outbreak about SARS, and while there’s no true remedy, you will get good mileage out of chicken broth, juiced ginger tea (blended ginger root + hot water), and licorice root tea.

  15. 15.

    trollhattan

    @Kay (not the front-pager):

    It’s a fair question because most of us will eventually know somebody who has it.

    My presumption is those who have it won’t necessarily have much of an appetite, and their sense of smell and taste will be altered. In the meantime they need to stay hydrated and keep their energy up. My short list would be soups, maybe stews, perhaps blandish that they can season to taste. High-protein smoothies could be an option.

    My free advice is priced properly.

  17. 17.

    Barbara

    @Roger Moore: Teams began advertising a lot even before the virus, which is probably fortuitous.  My kid’s school district is trying to utilize Teams as well, but it’s a lot to expect that everyone will have access to it in a student classroom setting.

    @Gvg: I would think that easily digestible is the name of the game here, and bonus if it is hydrating because of the prevalence of fever.  So, chicken noodle soup, or a fancier version, poule au pot, would be the kind of thing you might make.  I expect that yogurt, tea and toast would also be good things.  Heavy casseroles would probably be too rich.

  18. 18.

    evap

    @Kay (not the front-pager):  Many people with COVID lose their sense of smell and taste, apparently, so probably anything will work.  A friend who had it said he had no interest in eating due to a lack of energy and no sense of taste, he had to force himself to eat.  He lost 10 pounds in 10 days.

  19. 19.

    opiejeanne

    @Kay (not the front-pager): Isn’t chicken soup always appropriate for respiratory ailments? I’d think that would be a good place to start. Beyond that, if her sense of smell is gone (one of the symptoms) then her sense of taste probably is too, and she may have no appetite.

  21. 21.

    Ohio Mom

    Kay: I would guess, whatever she wants. Just keep those calories coming to fuel her fight.

    On another note, Ohio Dad just printed out the forms to get a mail-in ballot for the extended Ohio primary. As most of you already know, there was early voting but the actual day of in-person voting was (illegally) cancelled.

    Ohio Dad says the site is not particularly easy to navigate, which I think is par for this course. The League of Women Voters had suggestions for the newly-extended voting period but they were ignored.

    I just hope there will be a better thought-out plan for November.

  22. 22.

    ziggy

    @Bill Arnold: I agree, I think people should be wearing masks of some type–we are all potential virus vectors. I’d like to, but I haven’t been able to get past the social stigma. I have a few dust masks (not N95) lying around, but I’m afraid people will think I’m keeping them from medical workers. I think I may try wrapping a scarf or bandana around my face. Hopefully soon that will be a “thing”.

  23. 23.

    mad citizen

    At least we now know that McConaughey’s hairpiece-minder is not staying with him to tend to the hairpiece.

  24. 24.

    Jinchi

    @Bill Arnold: I’m pretty sure any mask is better than no mask for a few reasons. The simplest is that it is a physical reminder not to touch your own face.

    Another is to reduce the stigma associated with it. If you’re seen wearing a mask in public in the America, everyone assumes you’re sick. Specifically sick with coronavirus, and people have been assaulted for it. So people who feel healthy are hesistant to do it. If everyone wore masks, then people who don’t realize they are sick would be wearing masks, too.

  27. 27.

    Jinchi

    @ziggy: I’m pretty sure everyone will recognize the difference between an N95 mask and a dust mask soon, so keep them handy.

  28. 28.

    Urza

    @Roger Moore: I can attest to Teams being more secure.  I work for MS.  I also saw in the comments on here yesterday about the atrocious terms of service for Zoom.  https://zoom.us/privacy   They are a free service, but for some reason feel the need to scrape and store your credit card info.  Even if they don’t use it maliciously, they are now a high priority for hackers.

    Teams is actually now bundled with new versions of Office and is free on your phone.  I haven’t used Zoom to know the difference in quality, but Microsoft would get your credit card info a legit way if we want it.

  29. 29.

    realbtl

    I just realized my painting respirators are N 100, N 95 + oils.  I may look like an alien but WTF I don’t care.

  30. 30.

    Brachiator

    @Bill Arnold:

    The advice being currently offered in some countries to not wear masks, to protect the supply of medical grade masks for medical worker, is deliberately discarding an opportunity to slow exponential growth,

    Other medical experts dispute this. People are desperate to want to do something to protect themselves, and wearing masks seems an easy way to do it.

    One researcher even noted that you could actually increase your risk by fiddling with a mask and touching your face more.

    Social distancing, staying home if possible and washing your hands is also easy.

  31. 31.

    John S.

    @ziggy: My wife and I both wear an N95 mask and gloves the few times when we need to go out (separately). We’ve been doing it for the past 2 weeks, and will continue to do so for as long as it takes.

    People stare. They probably think we’re nuts. And we see very few others following suit. But as time goes on, we are seeing more people taking precautions. That’s a good thing.

    We don’t really give a shit what other people think. I wish more people felt the same way.

  32. 32.

    ziggy

    @Jinchi: @ziggy: I’m pretty sure everyone will recognize the difference between an N95 mask and a dust mask soon, so keep them handy.

    I don’t know, I’m constantly surprised by the general idiocy of the population.

    Makes me want to shop at asian grocery stores instead.

  34. 34.

    Sloane Ranger

    My U3A committee is looking at having virtual meetings via Zoom but one member is concerned about privacy and something called Zoombombing. Apparently Trolls can join meetings uninvited and interrupt them with porn videos or just general disruptive behaviour. I don’t know if European/UK law outlaws some (or any) of the privacy issues identified. Does anyone here know?

    Chris Cuomo covered Zoombombing last night and went through some steps hosts can take to make it harder for the Trolls to join meetings but I can’t them on the CNN website.

  35. 35.

    Mo Salad

    I look at the picture and all I can think about is an alternate universe where “Dallas Buyer’s Club” was made in 1988 and starred Michael Caine.

  36. 36.

    Kay (not the front-pager)

    @BR: Ginger tea is my go-to cure for just about everything, and if she has lost her sense of taste and smell it should be a good option. I only have a small chunk of ginger at the moment, but I need to make a run to Whole Foods Monday morning during #OldFolksHour so I’ll pick some up then. I can also mince some ginger up and put it in chicken broth, along with some green onion and minced chicken. Seal it in bags for boiling, and her husband can easily prepare them. Thanks for the reminder about ginger!

  38. 38.

    MazeDancer .

    Pro tips on looking your best on webcam.

    Frame yourself in a medium shot. From the waist or chest up. No close-ups. The more depth to your background the better. That means if more room behind you, people’s wyes travel back there, too, instead of focussing on you.

    Best lighting is a side window. Gives nicest glow.

    Elevate your phone or laptop so that the camera is about eye level. Do not leave your laptop on your desk shooting you from below. Widens your jaw distortingly.  Just put books under it.

    Try not to use your iPad, because many of them won’t frame face on. Your eyes seem like they are looking to the side. Makes you look shifty. (If there is a way to correct this, please let us all know.)

    Try to prop your phone on something so you don’t have to hold it. Inevitably, you will tire and move yourself out of frame.

    There is no requirement to have books the background behind you. It actually encourages people to read the titles. And we’re not all Big Thinkers.

  39. 39.

    laura

    I’ve got a face for radio and so not looking forward to video conferencing on the job. Upside- my employer has all of the ms office stuff and so am very glad to hear that office teams is safer than the zoom that all the cool kids are talking about.

    Re Kay and foods – my prior attempt got ate or erased so here goes again chicken soups, toast butter and jam, egg custard with nutmeg cream of wheat cream of rice with jam and milk, tamale pie, chicken pot pie, enchiladas, citrus fruits or juices, ground beef sauted with minced onions in a gravy slurry over rice, baked potato, ginger tea, herb tea, chai, sherry or hot toddy (grandma swore by small amounts of booze even for the wee’uns as much as chicken soup although that’s not an option for all).

    Focus on high calorie, easily digestible foods in small portions and as frequent as possible.

  42. 42.

    JoyceH

    I’ve only heard of Zoom in the past few weeks. Is it the new Skype? I still use Skype. Is Zoom better?

  43. 43.

    Kay (not the front-pager)

    @trollhattan:

    @opiejeanne: As usual, I posted, then got distracted and left my computer. Soups, stews, easy to reheat and serve foods are always good, especially for a dad trying to take care of an active toddler while keeping him away from his sick mom and also trying to work from home. I can make some things he can feed himself and his son, too. Good suggestions. She has trouble keeping her appetite up when she’s not feeling well, so I’ll include some whole milk yogurt too, just for the calories.

    This is a family already grieving from losing a fairly late-term pregnancy earlier this year, so lightening their load a little would mean a lot.

  45. 45.

    Keith P

    Matthew McConaughey looks like a natural to play Rand Paul in the next Sorkin movie….or porn flick.

  46. 46.

    zhena gogolia

    Favorite tweet so far today (I got it off that great Andrew Cotter thread with the labradors that somebody posted down below):

    Life won’t return to normal – it’ll be much, much better than that. Enjoy Saturday x— Irvine Welsh (@IrvineWelsh) March 28, 2020

  47. 47.

    Kay (not the front-pager)

    @laura: Egg custard was a comfort food my mom made me when I was sick, so that is most definitely going to be in the goody bag. ;-) Toast with jam and butter made me think of bread pudding also. I have a loaf of whole wheat milk bread I made my daughter-in-law. Maybe I can steal some away (I can always make more) tor a nice bread/butter/jam pudding. I don’t have any cream, but I bet I can improvise with cream cheese. She’s very much into healthy eating, but hopefully she will make an exception…

    And fruit! Definitely citrus fruit. A bag of clementines and a little bottle of fruit & vegetable wash should go into her quarantine room with her, at the very least.

    Thanks everyone for the great ideas!

  49. 49.

    laura

    @Elizabelle: egg suck dog. My dad told us if you had a chicken killing dog, you wired a carcass to its neck to wear until it broke of the habit. It is/was a most revolting description that hasn’t ever left my recollection.

  50. 50.

    MomSense

    @Kay (not the front-pager):

    If you make the broth slowly and constantly skim the fat – it comes out much clearer and more healthy.  Look for a chicken pho recipe.  They usually call for ginger in the broth and it will come out really clear and delicious.

  51. 51.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Bill Arnold: It’s pretty easy to make a homemade mask that will prevent droplets from flying out of your mouth when you talk. It could be as simple as a piece of a T-shirt tied around your head (which was what I wore to the supermarket yesterday). It won’t protect you from anything, but that’s not the point–it will provide some small protection to other people. And this way, you’re in no way hoarding equipment that doctors and nurses need.

  52. 52.

    laura

    @Kay (not the front-pager): my grandma Foley could make something out of nothing. Raised a family during the depression. Mom and uncle buddy had asthma that invalided them to bed for a year. Aunt Margie had polio at 2. They were quarantined for months. Cooking for illness was her bag. I learned as many of her recipes as I could when I was. Foolish young virgin. Roadie brothers both called on Sunday – the older to confirm her pot roast recipe, the younger to confirm her corned beef and cabbage. It made my day, week, month. She’s the inspiration for the batchelor gentlemens luncheon and she advised to never marry a man who didnt like dogs or the women in his family. She is my lodestar.

  55. 55.

    catclub

    @gene108: I think I look good in Zoom calls. We have at least two a week for work.

     

    You and THE CAT, from Red Dwarf wearing an orange jumpsuit.

    “I make this look GOOD”

  56. 56.

    gogiggs

    He looks like Moscow Mitch’s younger brother.

    Which leads me to the scary thought that a (much) younger Moscow Mitch might actually have looked like young Matthew.

  58. 58.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @opiejeanne: According to this Scientific American article,

    “flavor” is a more accurate term for what we commonly refer to as taste; therefore, smell not only influences but is an integral part of flavor.

    So, probably closely related. I have an obnoxious habit of asking for a sniff of a food someone else is eating but I’m not supposed to have, because (so I claim) “this way I get 80% of the flavor but none of the salt or sugar.” (Yeah, I’m a real popular dinner-party guest.)

  59. 59.

    PST

    @laura:

    I’ve got a face for radio …

    I used to live next door to a woman who had a radio show on WGN. One day she told me that I had a great voice for radio (which is actually something people say to me from time to time) and then added, “and a great face for it too.” It must be an old industry joke. I think it was said in good fun.

  60. 60.

    Gvg

    @Sab: I haven’t done it yet but supposedly Joann’s is donating supplies for those who want to. It may be only their complete kits. They do curbside and mail delivery too. You could call and ask if you have doubts.

    sis says tea towels are the best fabric. Vacuum bags are better filters but irritating to actually wear. I have no real idea what fabric to call tea towels in order to find some.

  61. 61.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Ohio Mom:

    As most of you already know, there was early voting but the actual day of in-person voting was (illegally) cancelled

    I don’t much like DeWine, but this was the right call. The asshole judge left the state little choice. As for the new April 28th primary date and the way absentee ballots are being handled, I’m not thrilled but that was the Assembly’s decision

  62. 62.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Brachiator:

    Other medical experts dispute this. People are desperate to want to do something to protect themselves, and wearing masks seems an easy way to do it.

    One researcher even noted that you could actually increase your risk by fiddling with a mask and touching your face more.

    I think the Chinese (not to mention the South Koreans and Japanese) who wear masks on the regular know what they’re talking about.

    Just don’t touch the mask

  65. 65.

    Feathers

    @Sab: I see people making them with bias tape ties. the home made masks seem to be going out to the people outside of hospitals, to free up supplies. The ties need to be long enough to tie behind the head, one over the ears the other under.

    I have several yards of cotton/linen tea towel fabric. I bought it to make pants, but I guess it’s going to be masks now. I may be giving some to more productive people. I have the fear that they will be much more needed in 2-3 weeks than they are now.

    Could there be a way to send homemade masks here to those who need them but do not sew?

  66. 66.

    cain

    @MattF:

    Hilarious that you linked to jwz. He’s such a curmudgeon. He used to bash our project constantly back in the day.

    But yeah, anything associated with facebook is going to be a privacy nightmare – even more now with everyone using it.

  67. 67.

    ziggy

    @MomSense: Chicken pho would be excellent! My favorite soup when I get sick is Tom Ka Gai–has the heat and spices that seem to hit the spot.

  69. 69.

    NotMax

    @Kay (not the front-pager)

    As others have stated, soups. Not limited to chicken. Tomato, potato, carrot, cabbage*, broccoli and cheese, celery, asparagus, the list is endless. Also chowders. Want include rice in a soup but can’t find it? See if orzo is available in the pasta, gourmet or ‘ethnic’ aisle. Another suggestion is homemade frozen fruit treats or sorbets, both pretty easy to make.

    Things like cookies, shortbreads or brownies, the types of things even people with low appetite might be tempted to nibble.

    For those who don’t cook (for example), an assortment of teas or an assortment of quality chocolates.

    *If you’ve got a ham bone, works wonders in a cabbage soup.

  72. 72.

    Sab

    @Gvg: I have a bunch of old teatowels from my mom. Some are linen, some are cotton. Broadcloth? They are much heavier than the calico type quilting fabrics.

  73. 73.

    NotMax

    @zhena gogolia

    As mentioned the other day, the chain supermarket closest to me (which I generally avoid anyway) has noticeably bumped prices up on everything. Not in the just a few cents here and there sense but in the “I should have taken out a loan before shopping” sense.

  74. 74.

    Brachiator

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    I think the Chinese (not to mention the South Koreans and Japanese) who wear masks on the regular know what they’re talking about.

    I don’t know. Seems to be more of a cultural practice. And it didn’t seem to prevent the spread of the corona virus.  Other measures had to be taken.

    Just don’t touch the mask

    People touch it when putting it on.

  76. 76.

    J R in WV

    @Roger Moore:

    My employer is telling us to use Microsoft Teams whenever possible. It’s security is supposed to be much better than Zoom.

    As if !! That says all you can say about Zoom’s security… that MS is better. OMG !!

  78. 78.

    J R in WV

    I have read that putting vacuum cleaner bag material, HEPA level in between fairly loosely woven layers of cloth can make a mask nearly as good as N-95 masks, but for the edges. Many of those bags state their filteration level at N-95 or better on the sales lit. Looks like you could get at least 2 and perhaps 3 or 4 masks per bag.

    Now, if only I could sew, had cloth, and elastic or 1/4 inch ties, and a big stash of vacuum bags… or filters for the industrial respirator I have from woodworking days…

    Ya’ll take care, stay safe, keep in touch !! I’m gonna go try baking bread for the first time since our great bakery in town opened years ago.

  79. 79.

    Michael Cain

    @MazeDancer .: Adding to MazeDancer’s excellent tips, based on my time doing research many years ago…  In a working meeting the video is often relegated to being a body-language signaling channel; a waist-up shot keeps your arms and hands in-frame, which is critical for body language.  When in doubt, wear a plain solid-color blouse or shirt; when your favorite plaid shirt moves, there’s a lot of detail that has to be coded, and there’s no telling what trade-offs the codec will make when it tries to keep up.

    For one set of tests, we put control of how video bits were allocated in the receivers’ hands.  We found that they would sacrifice a lot — frame size, image quality, even color — in order to get the frame rate up to 13-15 frames per second.  That’s the frame rate needed to tell if the voice and lip movements are properly synchronized.

  80. 80.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Gvg, @Sab:

    I mentioned surgical towels in the last day or so. Cotton, lint-free, light, durable. Might work.

    Note: Link is example only. Lots of sellers on Amazon, and quality seems to vary wildly. Check the reviews.

  81. 81.

    Bill Arnold

    @Brachiator:

    One researcher even noted that you could actually increase your risk by fiddling with a mask and touching your face more.

    I have not seen any science on this (especially related to pandemics/epidemics) , and have looked (briefly).
    Note that a mask prevents touching the nose or mouth. SARS-CoV-2 uses ACE2, so it might not spread this way; animal model studies of influenza have demonstrated influenza transmission through the eyes, but I’ve found no studies of coronaviruses that use ACE2. So:
    – If there is transmission by eye contact of SARS-CoV-2, then eye touching while adjust a mask is an important weakness.
    – If there is no transmission by eye contact of SARS-CoV-2, then a mask that blocks mouth/nose touching is a win. (With more face washing, to cover for mistakes and touching of other parts of the face.)

  82. 82.

    Mnemosyne

    @Brachiator:

    FWIW, some experts are saying that wearing masks did help in South Korea, but they were not sufficient in and of themselves. It was their aggressive testing and quarantining that turned the tide.

  83. 83.

    Mel

    @Sab: Simple ties made from washable ribbon or  bias tape, or sewn from the same fabric would all probably work okay. The wearer could tie the attached ties, or have the ties secured with safety pins.

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