Have you been sitting at your computer throughout a Zoom meeting, wondering how a colleague you know to be living in Dubai Marina, suddenly appears to be coming to you live from Times Square?
As you're probably aware, they've not hopped on a plane to New York in the middle of the pandemic: they're just gotten a bit artsy with their Zoom background.
Ah, Zoom. The friend we'd never heard of three months ago that we now wish we'd bought stocks in pre-Covid-19.
If, like us, you're now spending many hours a day conversing and holding meetings through the conference calling app – maybe it's time you switched up that cream-coloured wall behind you for something a bit more interesting.
Sure, a picture of Joe Exotic cuddling a giant tiger might be less appropriate for a meeting with your boss, and more so for your weekly quarantine quiz, but if you know where to look – the world is literally at your fingertips.
Here's how to upload a new Zoom background:
1. When you're on a video call, find the little drop down menu next to the "stop video" command, and click it.
2. Select "choose virtual background".
3. Here, you'll find three – pretty uninspired – pre-loaded backgrounds to choose from: a lovely vista of San Fransisco's Golden Gate Bridge, a close-up of a few blades of grass, and the outline of Earth, as taken from space. But because you're feeling a bit more original than that, you're going to want to select the small "+" icon where you can upload your own.
4. Find an image from your archives, or download one from the internet, and plonk yourself in a new environment for the day. (Or, like one or two of our colleagues, plonk yourself in your old environment for the day: with a background of the office you're currently not able to work at.)
5. If you're overwhelmed with all the choice, you can try looking for free Zoom backgrounds on Google, where artists across the world have already set about ensuring your meeting backgrounds are more colourful than before. Download and upload, and you're good to go.
Five fun Zoom backgrounds to download (that aren't Joe Exotic):
1. These lively backgrounds straight out of a Studio Ghibli movie. The studio released 12 video backdrops featuring a different Studio Ghibli movie – including Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke. Download them from the Studio Ghibli website.
2. Colourful illustrations from children's book author Debbie Ridpath Ohi.
3. Sit poolside at Caesars Palace Bluewaters Dubai with this animated background, which features moving clouds and sparkling waters. Download it from the Caesars Palace Bluewaters Dubai Facebook page.
4. Pretend like you're still able to travel by downloading one of these backgrounds from Airbnb. This one's from a property in Killarney National Park. Download them from Airbnb's website.
5. This recreation of the famed Robert Kelly interview on the BBC, where his two adorable children crashed the interview. Now, you can be Kelly!
To be honest, Twitter is a goldmine for finding Zoom backgrounds, so search for whatever you have a hankering for and you'll likely find it.
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20Secret%20Kingdom%20
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A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
More on Quran memorisation:
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
