From the ashes of last night's solo New Year celebration comes an idea for the next. What you see in the picture is the results of me doing some shots with friends who requested we toast the coming change in date. There were a lot of problems starting with the drink itself but I was just a passenger on this trip so I did not pick the poison. The rules were to go out and buy a party pack of that garbage depicted above and toast with the others as they called over FaceTime.
It was fun at first and good to talk to friends hunkered down for the festivities but after the third tiny bottle I began to get annoyed. Tired of holding my phone in front of my face, tired of yelling like an old person who doesn't understand technology, and tired of that cinnamon devil sweat. So I tapped out Roberto Duran style with that note going out to the group chat. All communication from me from the note point forward was text only.
As I drifted off a cliff to sleep last night with a belly full of defensive assorted fruit Tums I remember thinking that with a little more thought, virtual drinking could work. None of these ideas are fully formed yet but I know what the problems are. First I need to take the annoyance out of the camera and microphone operation. I'm putting that on the big list for this year to puzzle out. I like talking over video but hate the phone aspect of it.
Its too bad I don't trust FaceBook because they have the perfect device for me. The Portal+ has a camera that keeps you in focus and follows you around while displaying all the people you're talking with but then I'm inviting the biggest data vampire into my home. (with a movable camera and always on microphone that they completely control.) And before you tell me about some Amazon or Google thing I don't know about same rules apply. I use all of those companies but it doesn't mean I have to like them. Apple is the only big data company I truly trust right now and they will probably break my heart at some point but I digress.
I think I'm in search of a camera that will work with my TV and now that I said that I've lost all interest in writing. I need to scour the internets.
The other improvement thoughts are around scheduling and specifically picking times. Time to talk, time to rest, time to interact with people who have gathered together in remote locations like a group toast. These are the seeds of Tom's Not-So-Rockin-New-Year's-Eve 2021. Stay tuned.