In a year without industry-shaking trends, this year's list leans toward the titles with forward-thinking aesthetics, challenges to convention or a sheer ability to dazzle.

• Millions of people have quickly had to adapt to working from home during the pandemic, leading some to scramble to look presentable over video chats with colleagues.
• One strategy workers have used is the purchase of a ring light, a product that can be used in your video set-up to to improve lighting of your face on-camera.
• Right lights have already been popular buys for influencers, vloggers, and TikTok creators who adopt various tools to produce professional-quality videos uploaded online.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The ring light is beloved by YouTubers and aspiring TikTok creators for casting a flattering, even glow across anyone's face. Now, ring lights are seeing widespread interest among people tuning into Zoom work calls from their poorly lit homes during the pandemic.

Video conferencing software has exponentially grown in use in recent months, and employees now find themselves in situations online creators have been dealing with for years: Looking their best in front of the camera while in the comfort of their own homes.

Lockdown orders have coincided with a recent surge of interest in ring lights, especially in the U.S. where work-from-home rolled out to non-essential employees starting in early March. Twitter users have been sharing with followers their recent ring light purchases for classes, work meetings, and happy hours taking place over Zoom and FaceTime.

Ring light set-ups provide the benefits of a professional photo studio without the cost, casting your face in a shadow-free, flattering hue while you're in front of the camera. Ring lights on Amazon go for between $60 and $150, depending on how powerful of a light or complicated of a set-up you want. Many of these ring-lights come with tripods and pieces to hold your phone or camera.

Although newly work-from-home employees may just be discovering ring lights for the first time, they've long been a trick for creators whose bedrooms have doubled as their studios. While ring lights have been especially vital for makeup tutorials and beauty vloggers, they've since become commonplace to set-ups for young people starting out on YouTube and TikTok. Now, they're just one of the products with appearance-adjusting features catered to influencers, such as specific camera models that come with skin-smoothing filters.

As dates for returning to the office continue to get pushed back at some companies, sales will likely continue to rise for ring lights. However, it's probably on the more expensive side of simple tips and tricks to implement to look for presentable on your video calls. For those that don't want to splash out cash for a ring light, Zoom has a little-known filter on its platform that users can apply to give their faces a softer look and minimize imperfections. The "touch up my appearance" can be turned on directly within the Zoom app (you can find the steps for activating it on Business Insider).

SEE ALSO: WhatsApp is touting steps taken to cut the viral spread of coronavirus misinformation, but experts question whether it's done enough

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: What makes 'Parasite' so shocking is the twist that happens in a 10-minute sequence

The pop queen concludes her new music video with a call to sign a petition for the Senate passage of the Equality Act.

The rapper has been a supporter of the Democratic presidential candidate, and says she wants to help "a movement of young people to transform this country."

TelcoTV released a preview of results from the annual Heavy Reading State of the Video Consumer Survey. Complete findings from the 2012 survey will be presented at the TelcoTV Conference and Expo taking place October 24 to 26, 2012 at the Las Vegas Hotel, Nevada. Aditya Kishore, Senior Analyst, Heavy Reading will present the findings during his keynote address on Wednesday, October 24, 2012.

Heavy Reading’s highly anticipated State of the Video Consumer Survey, now in its fifth year, is an annual report that reveals consumer opinions about video consumption across device platforms, provider perceptions and satisfaction levels with video services. In years past, it has proven to be a valuable planning tool for any organization serving the video distribution marketplace.

There are several things which go into successful video marketing on YouTube. One of these things is the very often neglected YouTube SEO that’s so vital for getting viewers to actually find your video. Too many YouTube marketers are concerned with what’s going on in their videos to really push for better SEO, and it […]

The post How Web Media Developer can use YouTube SEO with Better Search Marketing to Rank Their Videos appeared first on SpyreStudios.

Cisco Webex Meetings is a business-oriented video conferencing solution that currently offers a free way to set up and organize video calls for remote meetings, work or online classes during this social distancing period. Webex makes video conferencing quite easy, so whether you’re telecommuting, working with people remotely, or stuck at home in quarantine, if ... Read More

Did you know that you can make video calls with Facebook Messenger? The next time you want to reach out to friends, family members, or colleagues, you might consider using Facebook Messenger to initiate a video chat, and it works for easy video calls on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows PC too. There’s no doubt ... Read More

oscon: RT @OReillyMedia #Video Deal/Week: Data and Databases at #OSCON 2012 - $49.99 (Save 50%) Use code VDWK http://t.co/BnDD750NQv

‘The idea that what’s happening with searcher behavior is not causing these shifts means that Google is in there writing that code for every intent, every day, and I can’t believe that’s what’s happening,’ said Dr. Pete Meyers on Live with Search Engine Land.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

As US states reopen, White House keeps CDC guidance on the shelf | Trump tests negative after valet contracts virus; here are the top world news videos for today. WATCH.

velocityconf: RT @avleen: Ok folks, home stretch! We need 10 more people to record short #OpsSchool videos NEXT WEEK at @velocityconf. We can do it!...

Harry and Meghan are celebrating 365 days around the sun with Archie!

Google's video chat app got new features this week. No, the other one. No, the other other one.

In a Friday blog post, Google announced some snazzy new features for Duo, one of its three video chat services. Let's get this out of the way early: Duo is the one that's mobile-friendly and resembles FaceTime more than Hangouts and Meet.

The new features make more sense with that in mind. Google added something called "Family Mode" to Duo, in which you can draw silly little doodles on the video feed, presumably to amuse the little ones on the call. There are also AR effects you can use on one-on-one calls on Android and iOS, similar to those available on Facebook's video calls. Read more...

TL;DR: Give a meaningful gift during these difficult times with a Tribute Video Montage for $64.99, a 34% saving as of May 9.

A Zoom happy hour only goes so far.

If you're looking for a way to celebrate and send affection to your loved ones, regardless of the reason, check out Tribute Video Montage as an alternative to those wonky (and sometimes awkward) video calls. 

Sending a Tribute might just be one of the best morale-boosting presents you can send during these trying times. It's a way for friends and family to share their love and appreciation for someone they want to celebrate, whether for a major milestone, like a 50th anniversary or 30th birthday or just because. The platform is super easy to use and breaks a 10-hour process down to just 10 minutes. Read more...

Internet of Yum digs into all the things that make us drool while we're checking our feeds.

The famously sensitive strongman, actor Terry Crews, is screaming at the top of his lungs. In another time and place, you would be sure he was getting tortured. Which, essentially he is — just not as a form of punishment. Instead, the misery is all in the name of promotional entertainment, with Crews' self-inflicted tears generating views for the YouTube series Hot Ones.

Across the centuries, people have watched transfixed as others dare to eat disgusting, torturous, or sickening amounts of food. The specifics change with the venue, but it is a consistent form of entertainment.  Read more...

The Delivery Man Synopsis The Delivery Man is a comedy television series produced by ITV that premiered in April of 2015. The Delivery Man follows the story of Matthew (played by Darren Boyd – Spy), a police officer who decides to switch careers in his mid-thirties and becomes a midwife. The Delivery Man is currently […]

Other Space Synopsis Other Space is a Science Fiction comedy television series produced by Yahoo that premiered in April of 2015. Created by Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks) Other Space is set in the early 22nd century and follows the story of the inexperienced crew aboard UMP Cruiser on a routine space exploratory mission. In […]

Peter Kay’s Car Share Synopsis Peter Kay’s Car Share is a situation comedy television series produced by BBC One that premiered in April of 2015. Peter Kay’s Car Share follows the story of John (played by Peter Kay), an assistant manager in a supermarket and his co-worker and promotions rep Kayleigh (played by Sian Gibson). […]

Meet the Smiths Synopsis Meet the Smiths is a scripted reality television series produced by TBS that premiered in April of 2015. Meet the Smiths follows the daily lives of Kenny Smith, an NBA analyst for TNT and his wife Gwendolyn Osborne-Smith, a model for The Price is Right. The couple has five children together […]

Arranged Synopsis Arranged is a reality television series produced by the FYI Network that premiered in April of 2015. Arranged follows the story of the three American couples who all come from different backgrounds, but their cultural traditions allow for arranged marriages. The series chronicles their lives in the lead up to the wedding and […]

Wayward Pines Synopsis Wayward Pines is a mystery thriller television series produced by Fox Network and set to premiere in May of 2015. Based on the book Pines written by Blake Crouch and produced by M. Night Shyamalan Wayward Pines follows the story of an FBI agent Ethan Bruke (played by Matt Dillon), who travels […]

Miles from Tomorrowland Synopsis Miles from Tomorrowland is an animated television series produced by the Disney Channel that premiered in February of 2015. Miles from Tomorrowland is an American animated TV series about the adventures of an inquisitive, if somewhat reckless boy named Miles who travels the universe with his family. Miles from Tomorrowland is […]

The Protectors (1972) Synopsis The Protectors (1972) was an action thriller television series produced by ITV that premiered in September of 1972. The Protectors (1972) was a British action thriller series created by Gerry Anderson (Thunderbirds) about an international group of rich troubleshooters. Contessa di Contini (played by Nyree Dawn Porter), Paul Buchet (played by […]

Wormwood Synopsis Wormwood was a children’s television series produced by Network Ten and ABC1 that premiered in October of 2007. Made as a joint Canadian-Australian production, Wormwood was a TV series about a quirky town where a group of kids investigated strange events. The series was based on the stories written by Paul Jennings. Wormwood […]

A Sharp Intake Of Breath Synopsis A Sharp Intake Of Breath was a situation comedy television series produced by ITV that premiered in February of 1978. Created by Ronnie Taylor A Sharp Intake Of Breath followed the story of Peter Barnes (played by David Jason – Only Fools And Horses), an ordinary man who made […]

Part of the Going for gold promo for the BBC UK Homepage

Part of the Antarctic diary promo for the BBC UK Homepage

Part of the Food for thought promo for the BBC UK Homepage

Part of the Sport Relief promo for the BBC UK Homepage

Video: Merlin Mann - "Time & Attention Talk (improvised)"

Audio (mp3): "Merlin Mann - 'Rutgers Time & Attention Talk'"

This is a talk I did at Rutgers earlier this month. I kinda like it, but for a weird reason. Something something, perfect storm of technology Ragnarok, and yadda yadda, I had to start the talk 20 minutes late with no slides. Nothing.

So, I riffed.

And, I ended up talking about a lot of the new stuff you can expect to see in the Inbox Zero book—work culture, managing expectations, the 3 deadly qualities of email, and one surprising reason email's not as much fun as Project Runway.

Some people liked it. I think. I liked it. I hope you do, too.

Here's the slides I would have shown. ;-)

Many thanks, again, to my great pal, Dr. Donald Schaffner, for bringing me in for this visit. I had a great time and met some fantastic, passionate people. Much appreciated.

update 2010-04-27_13-50-00

Apologies—my friends at Rutgers (inexplicably) have placed this video under lock and key. Fortunately, I have a lock-picker called Firefox. Samizdat video available soon...

update 2010-04-27_14-42-24

Yay, fixed! Many thanks to my hero, Jesse Schibilia.

A couple weeks ago, my pals at Twitter were kind enough to invite me in to visit with their (rapidly growing) team. The topic was meetings, so I used it as an opportunity to publicly premiere a talk I've been presenting to private clients over the past few months.

I hope you'll enjoy, Broken Meetings (and how you'll fix them).

Slides:

Supplementary links and commentary forthcoming, but I wanted to go ahead and post the talk as quickly as the video was available. Special thanks to Michelle, Jeremy, and the crackerjack Twitter crew for a swell afternoon.

I really like this talk and sincerely hope you will find it useful in helping to un-break your own meetings.

[jump to video]

Long story (not very) short? One night in 2003--after killing it in front of audience of about 30 lucky people in Oakland--The Long Winters needed a place to crash, and my wife and I were happy to oblige. 

So, they drove their Big Stinky Blue Van over the bridge, slept on our floor, and by breakfast the next morning, it'd become clear to me that I'd provided lodging to a man who was not only very likely a member of my karass--he was also one of the smartest bullshit artists I'd ever met. 

Almost eight years later, although I don't see him nearly as much as I'd like, I still count the guy as one of my best pals ever.

That's John Roderick. And, I think you need to know about him.

John doesn't read this site--he's more of a Twitter person--so I don't risk feeding his astounding excess of dignity by saying he's one of the most gifted writers and bon vivants of our generation. He's just the best. In large part because he's congenitally incapable of suffering bullshit.

This was never more apparent than the Saturday morning in 2007 when we sat in my back yard and talked about a lot of stuff. Playing guitar, advertising on the web, the evil work of promoters, and why everyone is always trying to shortchange everyone on copper pipe. 

That talking became a four-part interview I ran on the late and occasionally lamented The Merlin Show, and, to this day, it's one of my favorite things I've been lucky enough to post to the web.

So, y'know how I'm definitely "not for everyone?" Well, John is really "not for everyone."

He's opinionated and arrogant and undiplomatic and unironically loves Judas Priest--meaning everyone will find at least one thing not to like about him. Despite being hairy and enjoying laying on your bed, John is not exactly a teddy bear. 

But, John's also right a lot. And, he never sands off the edges of his personality or opinions to make you theoretically "like" him. Which, it will come as no surprise to you, is a big reason I love the guy more than a free prime rib dinner. 

So, why the jizzfest about that awful jerk, John Roderick?

Because, as I noted the other day on the Twitter, in our first episode of Back to Work I misattributed a line that should have been credited to John. Which in itself is unimportant, except inasmuch as finding that link to correct the error got me watching our 50-some minutes of chatting again. I also received some at-responses and emails that reminded me how much people enjoyed our chat. 

But, really it made me realize how much that rambling morning in my back yard still resonates so much with stuff I care a lot about. Independence. Agency. Directness. And, never apologizing for wanting to get paid. Also, guitars and talkative hippies.

So, anyway. John. 

I edited all four parts of the video into one big (streamable/downloadable) movie that should make it way easier to watch at a sitting. Should that interest you. Which it may not. Which, as ever, is totally fine, and kind of the point.

But. If you like Dan and my new show (and, seriously—God bless you magnificent bastards who helped briefly make B2W the most popular podcast in the world [gulp]), I think you'll really like this interview a lot too. I hope so, anyway.

Thus, submitted for your disapproval, permit me to present my four-year-old visit with the acerbic, opinionated, and reportedly unlikeable bullshit artist whom I respect and adore more than just about anybody. 

Meet Hotrod.

• Vimeo Page
• Direct Download Link (589 mb, requires login)

The DML News App offers the best in news reporting.

The post VIDEO: AG Barr criticizes Mueller’s handling of Steele dossier appeared first on Dennis Michael Lynch.

The DML News App offers the best in news reporting.

The post VIDEO: GOP senator says China made ‘conscious decision’ to allow COVID-19 to spread beyond border appeared first on Dennis Michael Lynch.

The following article, BREAKING: CBS News Allegedly Staged Fake COVID19 Testing In MI…Makes Dem Gov Whitmer Look Like She’s Doing More To Help Citizens Than Fed Government [VIDEO], was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe has done it again. He’s uncovered yet another deceitful piece of coverage on the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic in America by CBS News. O’Keefe begins his interview with a man whose identity is being hidden, “You’re telling me—you’re 100% certain, that CBS News, CBS News Corporation national—staged a fake event. They […]

Continue reading: BREAKING: CBS News Allegedly Staged Fake COVID19 Testing In MI…Makes Dem Gov Whitmer Look Like She’s Doing More To Help Citizens Than Fed Government [VIDEO] ...

The following article, 77-Yr-Old MI Barber Defies Gov Whitmer’s Shutdown Order: ”I don’t need another mother” Shop Will Stay Open Until “Jesus walks in or until they arrest me” [VIDEO], was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

Emergency orders that “non-essential businesses” remain closed during the Covid-19 crisis have devastated small business owners across America. A wave of business owners across the nation are defying executive orders by their governors and opening their businesses anyhow. Yesterday, we reported about a small business owner in the state of Michigan, where Governor Gretchen Whitmer […]

Continue reading: 77-Yr-Old MI Barber Defies Gov Whitmer’s Shutdown Order: ”I don’t need another mother” Shop Will Stay Open Until “Jesus walks in or until they arrest me” [VIDEO] ...

The following article, Video Scrubbed of Obama-Biden Ambassador To China Praising Their Response to Coronavirus: “I take my hat off to China”, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

During a recent interview on CNN, Obama-Biden ambassador to China (2014-2017) Max Baucus compared standing up to China on the coronavirus to “Hitler in the ’30s.” Baucus has proven himself to be sympathetic to China in recent interviews, where he puts down America and praises the Chinese. The MSNBC video via The Washington Free Beacon […]

Continue reading: Video Scrubbed of Obama-Biden Ambassador To China Praising Their Response to Coronavirus: “I take my hat off to China” ...

The following article, Video: Salon Owner Shelley Luther Released from Jail After Obama-Loyalist Judge Sentenced Her to 7 Days, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

Salon A La Mode owner Shelley Luther was just released from jail today. The Texas Supreme Court and Texas Governor Greg Abbott both called for her release today (see below). When Luther left jail she was greeted by supporters who yelled “Shelley’s Free!” She thanked all of the new friends she’s made during this difficult […]

Continue reading: Video: Salon Owner Shelley Luther Released from Jail After Obama-Loyalist Judge Sentenced Her to 7 Days ...

The following article, Mother of the Year, Michelle Obama Explains How Having Kids Was A “Concession”… Had To Give Up Her “Aspirations and Dreams” [VIDEO], was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

While campaigning for her community organizer turned presidential candidate husband, Barack, Michelle Obama told a crowd of his supporters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that for the first time in her life, she was proud to be an American. Four years later, Michelle Obama was a keynote speaker at the DNC convention, where she told Democrats how […]

Continue reading: Mother of the Year, Michelle Obama Explains How Having Kids Was A “Concession”… Had To Give Up Her “Aspirations and Dreams” [VIDEO] ...

The following article, BREAKING: Ex-Cop Father and Son Arrested and Charged With Murder of Black Man Jogging In Neighborhood…President Trump Responds [VIDEO], was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations has arrested a father and son duo, 64-year-old ex-cop, Gregory McMichael, and his son, 34-year-old Travis McMichael for the February murder of  24-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was jogging through their neighborhood when they jumped in their truck and pursued him. Yashar Ali shared the news of the […]

Continue reading: BREAKING: Ex-Cop Father and Son Arrested and Charged With Murder of Black Man Jogging In Neighborhood…President Trump Responds [VIDEO] ...

The following article, BREAKING: New Docs Prove Obama Knew Details Of Flynn Wiretapping…Newly Surfaced Video Shows Obama Explaining How He Stays Out Of FBI Investigations, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

Barack Obama knew. Documents released yesterday that were used to exonerate President Trump’s new NSA General Flynn, prove that President Barack Obama was aware of the details of Michael Flynn’s intercepted phone calls on December 16 with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. On January 5, 2017, then-Deputy Attorney General, Sally Yates attended an Oval Office meeting […]

Continue reading: BREAKING: New Docs Prove Obama Knew Details Of Flynn Wiretapping…Newly Surfaced Video Shows Obama Explaining How He Stays Out Of FBI Investigations ...

The following article, BREAKING: President Trump’s Fiery Interview On Fox & Friends…”These are dirty politicians and dirty cops…They put our nation in danger with other nations, including Russia” [VIDEO], was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

This morning during a nearly one hour interview with Fox & Friends, President Trump addressed the decision by the DOJ to drop the case against the innocent General Michael Flynn. Trump ripped into the “dirty politicians and dirty cops” who went after General Michael Flynn. President Trump called the players involved in the horrible plot […]

Continue reading: BREAKING: President Trump’s Fiery Interview On Fox & Friends…”These are dirty politicians and dirty cops…They put our nation in danger with other nations, including Russia” [VIDEO] ...

The following article, Busted! Late-Night Hack Comedian, Jimmy Kimmel Is Forced To Apologize For Sharing Highly Edited Video Of VP Pence To Make Him Look Bad, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

Last night, Jimmy Kimmel, host of the low-rated, late-night Jimmy Kimmel Show, shared a deceptively edited video clip of Vice President Pence delivering PPE to a nursing home. Today, liberal activist Matt McDermott tweeted the videotaped segment on VP Pence that was edited to make the vice president look like he was faking a delivery […]

Continue reading: Busted! Late-Night Hack Comedian, Jimmy Kimmel Is Forced To Apologize For Sharing Highly Edited Video Of VP Pence To Make Him Look Bad ...

The following article, Video: Dallas Salon Owner Shelley Luther Gets Surprise Visit from Sen Ted Cruz for a Celebratory Haircut, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com.

When Dallas, Texas salon owner Shelley Luther opened her salon in defiance of the lockdown order in Texas, she was visited numerous times by the local police and then sentenced to 7 days in jail with a fine of $7,000. After public outrage at her punishment, the Texas Supreme Court stepped in to demand her […]

Continue reading: Video: Dallas Salon Owner Shelley Luther Gets Surprise Visit from Sen Ted Cruz for a Celebratory Haircut ...