The n-Category Café

Joining the seminar.To join any OWLS seminar, visit the following link, up to 15 minutes before the posted start time:

• https://zoom.us/j/177472153

You will be given the option to join through your web browser, or to launch the Zoom client if it is installed on your device. For the best experience, we recommend using the client.

Audio and video. We encourage all participants to enable their audio and video at all times (click “Use Device Audio” in the Zoom interface.) Don’t worry about making noise and disrupting the proceedings accidentally; the Chairperson will ensure your audio is muted by default during the seminar. Having your audio and video enabled will allow other participants to see your face in the “Gallery” view, letting them know that you’re taking part. It also gives you the option of asking a question, and of making best use of the “coffee break” sessions. For most users with good network access (such as a fast home broadband connection), there is no need to worry that having your audio and video enabled will degrade the experience; the technology platform ensures that the speaker’s audio/video stream is prioritised at all times. However, those on slow connections may find it better to disable their audio and video.

Coffee breaks. Every OWLS seminar has two “coffee breaks”, one starting 15 minutes before the posted start time of the seminar, and the second starting after the seminar is finished. To participate in these, feel free to join the meeting early, or to keep the meeting window open after the end of the talk. During these coffee break periods, participants will be automatically gathered into small groups, assigned at random; please introduce yourself to the other members of your group, and chat just like you would at a real conference. Remember to bring your own coffee!

During the seminar. If you’d like to ask a question, either during the seminar or in the question period at the end, click the “Participants” menu and select “Raise hand”. The Chairperson may choose to interrupt the speaker and give your audio/video feed the focus, giving you the opportunity to ask your question verbally, or may instead decide to let the seminar continue. You may click “Lower hand” at any time to show you no longer wish to ask a question. To preserve the experience of a real face-to-face conference, there is no possibility of giving a written question, and the chat room is disabled at all times. You also have the opportunity to give nonverbal feedback to the speaker by clicking the “speed up” or “slow down” buttons, also in the “Participants” menu.

Recordings. All OWLS seminars are recorded and uploaded to YouTube after the event. Only the audio/video of the chairperson, speaker, and questioners will be captured. If you prefer not to be recorded, do not ask a question. Of course, the organizers do not make any recordings of the coffee break sessions.