Corona Virus

[New Kid In Town]

Our lock down has been going on for three weeks and there is talk of it going to the end of May. Our Governor issued an order earlier in the week for everyone to wear a mask when we go outside. Thus far we have at least 54,588 cases and and almost 2,000 deaths. They are saying the next two weeks are supposed to be the worst. I will probably have to leave my house by the end of the week to go grocery shopping. I have not been out in two weeks except for walks around the block. Grocery home delivery like Instacart have been so overwhelmed they can't keep up with the orders. I tried to order delivery two weeks ago and the three sites here could not take any more delivery orders. So, I had to go to the grocery store. Now they are limiting the number of people allowed in to shop and according to a friend it is being closely supervised by store managers. My sweet niece ordered a couple bottles of wine sent to me.
I had to trow out some recycling the other day(I live in an apt. complex) and when I tossed mine in I noticed the bin was full of beer and wine bottles. I have never seen that many bottles in the bins. I can't imagine doing this until the end of May but I know it is a small price to pay to stay safe.

[KingWalsh]

The numbers are heartbreaking NKIT. I know the numbers, at least in my state are off. We keep getting more and more inpatients, just where I work alone, yet the gov says hospitalization is happening at a slower rate. I don't see how that's true. 10,538 positive, 448 deaths in CT are the reports, but I don't know, I don't think it's tapering. It's so depressing

Our grocery stores are doing the same, in fact today I ran in quick, as I was leaving there was a line waiting outside to get in because they met their max.

I'm trying to stay as positive as I can, don't want kids to stress, my husband talks about it non-stop and so I don't talk to him about it, try to change the subject, because it just isn't good for him, then it's off to work. I am finding it harder to be upbeat. .

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Yeah - I think the longer this goes on, the worse the 'stay at home' thing is going to be for all of us. But, we are strong and we can do it. We've come too far to let our guard down now though. My family an I are all trying to follow the advice about practicing social distancing, but not social isolation. We are trying to figure out the best option for all of us to do video chats online? Anyone have any recommendations?

[KingWalsh]

Well, Dreamer, I’ve always done FaceTime with my phone. If on android, I think it’s google hangouts. Skype,online, is another choice. I think you have to pay for zoom...unsure. I’m not an expert though. It’s tough.

tonight is the busiest I’ve been on since this all started. I’m tired.

[UndertheWire]

I just checked the pricing model for zoom and there is a free option for up to 100 participants with a time limit of 40 minutes per meeting. I expect the idea is to get people familiar with it so that they will be more likely to buy it for business.

[WalshFan88]

You definitely want something that doesn't favor one platform over the other. So, for me that means FaceTime for iPhones and Duo for Androids is out. I know Duo has an iPhone app, but it's not near as functional for those users as the Android app. Google Hangouts is being deprecated and isn't that great anymore, there are service issues and a lack of a usable feature set. They are going to make it a business only feature. FaceTime doesn't work with Android or Windows at all, they don't even offer it. You have to have an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Again, Duo technically has an iPhone app but I've not had good luck with it in the past.

That leaves us with Skype, WhatsApp, Zoom, and other companies.

Personally, I think the most hassle free way to do it is probably Skype because it is free, works just as good on the iPhone and iPad as it does on an Android phone like a Pixel or Samsung. It works great on both Mac and Windows computers and doesn't favor Windows, which is great considering Microsoft does own Skype! But the Mac version is just as great. And being that Microsoft isn't in the phone business, it's great.

Some of these require your phone number (WhatsApp, Duo, etc) however some don't (Skype, Zoom, etc). Just something to keep in mind. I find that while WhatsApp is great on your phone, it's not very tablet or computer friendly. Skype and Zoom are both great on ALL types of devices be it smartphones, tablets, or laptop and desktop computers. With a desktop, you'd need a webcam but most laptops have one built-in.

Right now I have the family using FaceTime as we all are on Apple iPhones. However, I would definitely do a poll of all potential people you want to chat with, and see if they have all Apple. If not, go with Skype! If you all are on Android, then Duo would probably be the best choice considering it's preinstalled on most modern Android phones, be it Samsung Galaxys or Google Pixels (the two most common Android brands).

[CAinOH]

Doesn't WhatsApp have a major security flaw? A quick Google search brings up privacy and security concerns, but the articles are dated mid-2019. Maybe they've been addressed.