Zoom or bust

I suspect a year ago few had head heard of Zoom, now it is an indispensable communication tool.

It may be indispensable but it is not enjoyable.

I do not pretend to be any sort of art expert but perhaps its the mercantile in me that makes Dutch art in its  golden age in the sixteenth century my favourite.

Having acquired independence, The Netherlands began a commercial boom backed by a fleet and this witnessed the Dutch East Indian Company, the invention of the stethoscope and other scopes … and such major figures in art as Rembrandt and Vermeer.

Alice suggested I joined her art course on Dutch art yesterday which I willingly did.

Unfortunately the first 30 minutes was spent by the teacher struggling to get herself heard and producing the slides.

There was no shortage of advice. It was pretty clear to me that the problem was not Zoom but internet connectivity in high wind.

One woman was busy issuing instructions: “Jackie, switch off and start again …” she  ordered. I am sure she intends to be helpful but the fact is she isn’t.

I have witnessed this Zoom phenomenon before when a bossy boots delays the start of proceedings.

Eventually flustered Jackie did terminate the meeting but it took 15 minutes to re-issue the invitation. Even when she did there were still problems of audibility.

There is an issue here.

My banking system, TV and sound system, printer and now burglar alarm are internet dependent.

Whenever the internet crashes, even temporarily, the alarm  emits a siren which requires the alarm provider to correct it.

I was involved in a project yesterday which required printing of photographs only to be informed that the iPad could not find the printer even though it was next to it.

The frustration is that the internet on which our lives are dependent is not that reliable.