Feb 11, 2021 · Has the cat filter been a problem before? Bizarrely, Ponton is not the only person to have struggled with removing the cat filter before. In fact, it appears to be a common problem in the video ...
Feb 15, 2021 · A Zoom kitten filter spiced up a Texas court hearing. "I'm here live. I'm not a cat," said the lawyer, identified on his Zoom screen as Rod Ponton. "I can see that," the judge …
Feb 15, 2021 · 6. In Zoom, go to Settings > Video > Camera, and from the drop-down menu, select Snap Camera. You should see your face with the filter you selected appearing in the preview. 7. …
Feb 10, 2021 · The video has been viewed millions of times after being shared on Twitter and YouTube by Judge Roy Ferguson of the 394th Judicial District of Texas. Ponton's hilarious …
The video has been viewed millions of times after being shared on Twitter and YouTube by Judge Roy Ferguson of the 394th Judicial District of Texas. Ponton's hilarious declaration of "I'm not a cat" was a much-needed dose of joy on Tuesday.
It was a testament to Ponton's dedication that he was prepared to move on with the proceeding while appearing as a cat.
The filter debacle was ultimately resolved in about 20 seconds, but that was long enough for Ponton to become a viral star.
Your honor, we now have irrefu table proof that attorney Rod Ponton is not a cat. The Texas lawyer (and his actual human face) appeared on TODAY Wednesday, a day after he left the country in hysterics when he appeared at a virtual court hearing with a Zoom filter showing him as an adorable talking white kitten.
Thomas Smith demonstrates the kitten filter during an interview with CNN Business.
As for the cat filter, it's not one that's built into Zoom, and it isn't one you can find by searching Snap Camera, which is an application commonly used with Zoom that can add filters (Snap calls them "lenses") around or atop your face during a video chat.
You can see a picture of the cat in this 2007 Dell product guide for a computer monitor with an integrated webcam, which is hosted on Dell's site. "With the Live! Cam Avatar, user is able to disguise as a movie star, furry friend or any customized animated character during video chatting," the guide boasts, adding it uses "intelligent face tracking" to follow the user's head movements "and lip sync anything that is being said instantly." A YouTube video from 2010 gives a good sense for how it works in non-virtual-courtroom settings.
As for the cat filter, it's not one that's built into Zoom, and it isn't one you can find by searching Snap Camera, which is an application commonly used with Zoom that can add filters (Snap calls them "lenses") around or atop your face during a video chat. It turns out to be much older technology: Some internet sleuthing led to multiple suggestions that the filter Ponton accidentally used appears to be from a tool known as Live! Cam Avatar that was used with old Dell webcam software called Dell Webcam Manager. One Twitter user even posted that a similar cat-astrophe happened to them during a job interview via Skype years ago.
Judge Roy B. Ferguson of the 394th Judicial District Court in Texas kindly addressed the cat in the virtual room, suggesting that attorney Rod Ponton adjust his Zoom settings. The mishap on Tuesday was posted by the court's YouTube channel.
Even the famous are known to make the casual Zoom slipup. Comedian Tiffany Haddish had to use the restroom during a video call and did not realize other callers could see her.
Ferguson used his Twitter account to give the world a public service announcement about using Zoom.
Virtual hearings have been a mainstay during the pandemic and it’s no different in Texas. Ferguson said Texas judges have held more than a million virtual hearings at this point. While it may have looked very “un-purr-fessional,” the judge was proud of how all sides handled the situation.
Ferguson confirmed the Zoom mishap happened on Tuesday. “It did actually happen. There was no joke involved,” Ferguson told CNN via phone. The Zoom filter was removed within seconds of that moment, Ferguson said. He added that he walked the lawyer through how to turn it off.
The Zoom filter was removed within seconds of that moment, Ferguson said. He added that he walked the lawyer through how to turn it off.
Ponton told CNN he had to use his secretary’s computer for the hearing, and suspects she or her daughter had last used the cat’s image. “The cat was empathetic with me,” he said. “It was as upset about it as I was.”. CNN reached out to the county attorney for Presido County but did not hear back.
This week it’s the turn of Texas lawyer Rod Ponton, who got stuck with a kitten filter on during a video conference with a judge.
Mr Ponton had to tell the judge: ‘I’m here live. I’m not a cat’ (Photo: Zoom)
Filters in general are pretty easy to enable for videoconferencing calls. Zoom has some of its own, and Snap Camera even lets you make custom ones that you can enable and use with Zoom.
Rod Ponton, the now-famous attorney who fell victim to the furry glitch, would have to agree. “ I’m not a cat,” he says in the video, despite the fact that he clearly was a cat. The YouTube clip posted by the 394th District Court of Texas has been viewed more than 5 million times in a little more than a day.
It was a testament to Ponton's dedication that he was prepared to move on with the proceeding while appearing as a cat.
The filter debacle was ultimately resolved in about 20 seconds, but that was long enough for Ponton to become a viral star.