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by nlh 2141 days ago
Genuine question for people: When I read about things like gesture guard, head bubble, virtual backgrounds, etc., I cant help but wonder why they’re so important.

Is it really a problem if you sneeze or cough during an online meeting? Are you colleagues really making this an issue?

Likewise, I’m fascinated by the focus (ha ha) on hiding backgrounds. Why is it so bad to show people where you are?

I’m clearly in the minority in that neither of those scenarios are even remotely (ha ha) bothersome to me or my colleagues. But from their overall thematic popularity, obviously these are real issues for people.

I’d love to be enlightened...
2 comments
guessbest 2141 days ago
Many people don't have a room in their house or apartment that they can dedicate to creating a home office, especially people with kids, and have to use a shared room. Blocking the background is essential. Also, sneezing during a pandemic sounds like something that could get an employee or contractor a furlough.
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thrav 2141 days ago
Haven't gotten to try it yet, but is head bubble actually black around the edges, or is that just to show off how it works?

First thought was it would be nice to combine head bubble with blur, so you avoid the stark background -- that's probably already what you're doing though. Will give it a shot later today.

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soonpls 2141 days ago
yes, the Head Bubble puts your head in a bubble, making your background black and tracking your head. it's a great way to hide your background and it really takes away any distractions from video calls.
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soonpls 2141 days ago
guessbest replied perfectly regarding the background question.

about the gesture guard, we believe there are many scenarios in which it would be useful. We realize sneezing or coughing might not be the worst to witness during a video call, but other actions like picking your nose, biting your nails, etc might be perceived as inappropriate, so we're aiming not just to hide those moments, but to help users get rid of the bad habits on the long-run. and then there's the nudity detector, which I covered in one of the other comments.

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