Lawyers are professionals who practice law and represent clients during legal proceedings. Their job requires highly developed analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Last week, Texas attorney Rod Ponton found himself mistakenly appearing as a kitten filter during a Zoom call at a court hearing. This unfortunate event quickly went viral and serves as a timely reminder to double check all zoom settings prior to attending meetings or appointments.
How It Happened
Coronavirus pandemic has led to many humorous misadventures, with Texas lawyer Rod Ponton becoming an internet hit after accidentally appearing as a cat during Zoom video meetings. Ponton won over both legal professionals and cat lovers worldwide when he struggled to remove a kitten filter from his screen during an important court proceeding.
Ponton was participating in a civil forfeiture hearing in Presidio County using the video-conferencing app Zoom when Judge Roy Ferguson noticed he had a cat filter active. Ferguson helped disengage it and restore him back to normal; all this took approximately 20 seconds of time but managed to become viral phenomenon for Ponton.
Ponton wasn’t embarrassed about his feline-themed appearance and told the AP, “It’s all right; it was funny.” Ultimately, this incident served as a good reminder that when entering any Zoom session it is always beneficial to first verify your filter settings before entering.
He stressed the significance of not taking the video seriously: it should not be seen as mocking or belittling an attorney; rather it praised all involved with its making for their grace and professionalism during an otherwise challenging situation.
The feline’s indecipherable words became an instant viral hit, drawing comparisons to other iconic cat memes like Gorilla Glue Hair and Milkshake Duck. Some even jokedly compared this hearing with ongoing impeachment proceedings against President Trump by photoshopping a cat face onto Trump attorney Bruce Castor’s face as they read through them in front of Congress.
Some criticised the hearing for being overshadowed by memes, while others supported its contentious nature. Legal professionals have had to navigate an extremely busy pandemic period and these comical hiccups show their dedication to maintaining justice systems that continue functioning effectively.
Ponton’s amusing Zoom experience was just one of many unfortunate mishaps recently; for instance, a news anchor mistakenly showed interviewees a penis sculpture and a New Jersey school board member announced her trip to the restroom during a meeting.
Filters
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, people have become accustomed to holding meetings online; unfortunately, not every meeting runs as smoothly as anticipated. One Texas lawyer, Rod Ponton, learned this the hard way when he accidentally joined a Zoom call with cat filter enabled and caused an internet sensation by accidentally appearing with that filter active during an important meeting. His video now serves as a powerful reminder to always set your Zoom settings back to default before engaging in any important discussions online.
Presidio County attorney Ponton had difficulty turning off his Zoom’s “cat filter”, which turned him into an adorable big-eyed cat in livestream video feeds. His assistant attempted to assist, yet it remains unclear exactly how this had come to happen.
Roy Ferguson, the judge presiding over the hearing, joked with Ponton’s attorney and asked whether she did this on purpose; she replied no and the case continued in court.
Even though it was an unconventional start to Ponton’s hearing, it didn’t prevent him from continuing his work. The video quickly went viral, providing entertainment and delight to viewers all around the globe – which Ponton feels has contributed much of what makes his job rewarding.
Although this video was comedic, it serves as a stark reminder that not everyone takes enough care in setting their Zoom settings prior to initiating a business call. If you find yourself often using filters on Zoom, here is a quick guide on how to add and remove them – who knows when they may come in handy.
Snap Camera
Snap Camera allows you to add lenses (which Snap refers to as filters) around your face during Zoom video calls, but before starting a business call make sure the app is closed as any cat-related filters could make the judge think you’re just an adorable feline!
Filters that cause video chat missteps have long been an issue – from politicians’ penis sculpture to an employee who accidentally turned herself into a potato on Microsoft Teams. Although Texas cat attorney’s embarrassing appearance was entirely accidental, its presence serves as a reminder to use video chatting tools with caution when adding unexpected filters.
Attorney Rod Ponton’s viral moment of appearing as a kitten during an online court hearing might have brought joyous relief during pandemic and Zoom-related proceedings, but it could have had serious repercussions for his case. Although it remains unknown which filter Ponton used, online research suggests it likely originated with software included with Dell laptops called Live! Cam Avatar.
It appears that the 69-year-old lawyer is not facing any disciplinary action; he still appears in a video posted to social media and can be seen practicing law with a smile on his face.
Ponton may find himself facing yet another obstacle in this case, as his appearance as a feline could come back to haunt him. Zoom’s app tends to retain your last camera selection for future calls; so, if Snap Camera was recently used as your primary camera, it is best to close down this app before joining any important meeting or call through Zoom.
Now isn’t too late to prevent similar missteps from recurring; just ensure your Snap Camera app is closed before launching Zoom and selecting the correct camera in its preferences menu. You can also verify if Zoom is running by accessing “Settings,” “Video and Camera,” in your preferred Zoom client application.
Judge’s Response
Presidio County, Texas-based attorney Rod Ponton will need to reconsider his zoom filter settings following his video call misadventure on Tuesday. After being unable to remove his cat-shaped filter during a hearing, which went viral and has since amassed millions of views online – not exactly ideal, but certainly memorable and humorous story!
Judge Roy Ferguson of the 394th Judicial District Court for Brewster, Culberson, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis and Presidio Counties in West Texas was clearly amused at Kendyl Hanks’ feline appearance, laughing heartily when viewing Kendyl Hanks’ video uploaded by Kendyl Hanks to Twitter by Kendyl Hanks while trying to open virtual proceedings for property forfeiture proceedings when he was taken aback by its feline features.
Thank goodness the other attorneys and people involved in the call maintained their composure. H Gibbs Bauer and Jerry L Phillips did not appear too bothered by what had transpired, maintaining their professionalism throughout.
The comedic nature of the cat lawyer’s Zoom misadventures was similar to other viral videos, like one where New Hampshire lawmakers were instructed not to bring pets with them into legislative Zoom meetings, and another featuring an interviewer masturbating during an interview. Furthermore, this incident reminded viewers of other meme-worthy incidents, like when an BBC reporter broadcast her visit to the bathroom while conducting live interview.
As the call progressed, his cat filter became animated with larger kitten eyes than ever. Soon enough, judges and others on the call started laughing at his predicament.
Ponton will never forget this incident and may pause before applying any zoom filters at virtual meetings in the future. To avoid becoming the target of an embarrassing viral zoom mishap, it’s vital that you know your zoom settings well and never apply filters directly onto yourself or another person.