Facepalm: The pandemic has pushed much of the world online. While many people are getting used to doing everything via video messaging, the less tech-savvy among us occasionally need a helping hand---or paw. Texas lawyer Rod Ponton, for example, appeared unable to remove a kitten filter from his Zoom conference call, part of a civil forfeiture case, and was forced to assure the judge that "I'm not a cat."
As reported by the New York Times, Ponton, a county attorney in Presidio County, Texas, was participating in a hearing on Tuesday in Texas' 394th Judicial District Court. His embodiment of a kitten is made all the more hilarious by the feline's concerned expression.
Anyone who has taken part in a video call with an elderly relative will likely feel the judge's pain: "Mr. Ponton, I believe you have a filter turned on in the video settings," says Judge Roy Ferguson, to which Ponton replies: "Arrghh.... Can you hear me, Judge?"
The other men on the call retain the stony-faced, stoic demeanor associated with those in the profession, though lawyer Jerry L. Phillips in the top right box does show signs of humanity when he smirks upon hearing Ponton's heartfelt plea that "I'm not a cat."
Ponton said he was using his secretary's computer for the call. She was apparently "mortified" by the incident.
With the video going viral, Ponton has taken the whole thing in good humor. It took less than a minute for him to discover how to turn off the filter. "My older and less humorous face popped up, and we continued with the hearing," he said.