Harv and Marv

What with everybody staying home, so-called virtual meetings with Zoom are taking the lead. Some computers and all laptops come with a built in camera and microphone. If you don’t have one, there are plenty for sale for around $50.

Office Depot was out of almost everything but the thousand dollar models when we looked. Amazon didn’t have many either, but there we found a $240 webcam from Logitech, the C615 HD, which came out four years ago. (We were ripped off, we could have gotten it for less than half that.) The quality is great however, and we get a much wider view than we do on our laptop. We can even see Harv and Marv, Joy’s two stuffed bears, sitting on a bookshelf in the background.

By chance, we later found our long-lost webcam, the Microsoft LifeCam Studio HD we paid $80 for four years ago. The difference between that and the new one was slight. We used it for talking to Joy’s brother in Florida using the Zoom software, which is free.

Besides using a webcam for video conferencing, you can use it to take your picture or a video of yourself. You can also use it to copy documents. To do so, type “camera app” in the search box in Windows 10, then click on “Camera app” and watch the screen fill with your image. We snapped a picture, then switched it to video mode. This is a fun way to make a record of our thoughts on any given day, a sort of video diary.

Going to the Movies

You can go to the movies with a friend without either of you leaving home. There have been countless articles about apps that allow you to watch a movie with friends in other locations, such as “Netflix Party” and Kast.gg. We wonder if anyone really tests these things. We did. Zoom is much easier.

Joy and her friend used Zoom to watch “Virgin River” from Netflix. Joy could see her friend responding to the movie in a small window in a corner of the screen. She paused the video when anyone wanted to make a comment. The next day, they tried doing a yoga class together on YouTube. Our young relatives are using it to cook together. If there are three people or fewer present, Zoom lets you go beyond the 40-minute limit. Otherwise, you’ll need the $15-a-month pro account.

To host a movie on Zoom, go to Zoom.us and click “host a meeting.” This will prompt you to send an email to your guests with the link they need to join you. Once you’re up and running, click “share desktop” in the Zoom menu and go to Chrome, Firefox or whatever browser you are using to show your movie.

Staying Connected

In a video call with her Osher Lifelong Learning Institute discussion group, Joy lost her Internet connection. How could she have kept the party going?

One way is to position your laptop, computer or tablet close to the router. Another way is to be sure you don’t have a lot of programs running in the background. Shut down Chrome or Edge or Firefox or whatever browser you use after you start your video call. You might also ask participants to turn off their video camera when they’re not speaking, if things get bad. We found these and other tips at Techlicious.com.

A Sweet Deal

We wouldn’t have been ripped off on the webcam we just bought if we’d use the free Wikibuy or JoinHoney. They automatically inform you of sweeter deals.

Amazon’s prices are crazy sometimes. We spent $240 when we could have spent $39 at BestBuy, only they were sold out. Wikibuy told us where to get it for $103.

Internuts

• YourCub.com: Click on “LEGO Stem Activities” for some fun stuff the site’s owner did with his son to ease the boredom of social distancing. “LEGO Marble Drop” lets you drop a marble from the top of your LEGO creation and watch it descend through various barriers. Another good one is “Exploding LEGO Targets.” A nerf bullet makes the loosely-connected LEGO wall with a figure on top go all over the place. Who doesn’t like to batter down walls?
• Search on the phrase “53 Funny Things to Ask Alexa.” We didn’t think the answers were funny but a child might.
• “What a wonderful world shadow puppet.” Search on that phrase to find a remarkable YouTube video. This guy can make his shadow look like Louis Armstrong, then a rabbit, then a swan preening itself, then a baby’s hand grasping an adult’s hand and more.

• Sorceress’ kit unearthed in Pompeii in 2019

  “Take a Virtual Tour of Two Recently Excavated Homes in Pompeii.” Search on that phrase to find a Smithsonian article. This Roman city was buried in a single day by a volcanic eruption in 79 A.D.

Going Backwards

Using “System Restore” in Windows is a good idea when you want to get your computer back to the point where things were working properly. It’s harder to find in Windows 10 than it was in Windows 7. Here’s how.

In the search bar, type “create a restore point.” When that opens up, choose “system restore,” and select a recent date when all was well. System restore does not touch your files or email, so you don’t have to worry about losing anything. However, you will need to reinstall any app that wasn’t there before the date you chose.