What took the videophone so long to catch on?

摘要

Eileen Donovan, an 89-year-old mother of seven living in a Boston suburb, loved watching her daughter teach class on Zoom during the coronavirus pandemic. She never imagined Zoom would be how her family eventually attended her funeral. Donovan died of Parkinson's disease on June 30, 2020, leaving behind her children, 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She always wanted a raucous Irish wake. But only five of her children plus some local family could be there in person, and no extended family or friends, due to coronavirus concerns. This was not the way they had expected to mourn. For online attendees, the ceremony didn't end with hugs or handshakes. It ended with a click on a red "leave meeting" button, appropriately named for business meetings, but not much else.