I’m one of those people who finds video calls unpleasant. Part of it is the fact that my mike works exactly half the time for no discernible reason. Part of it is having to sit there like a mannequin, feeling weird if you need to take a sip of water or, God forbid, hit the men’s room. And part of it is the uncanny-valley effect, the term that refers to animation that almost looks real.

That last bit is actually the most important. The other two are just annoyances, but this last one is something psychological—something I can feel my brain responding to and reacting to at a level below preference or consciousness...