Skype video

[jack]

I've had a skype account for ages but I put off using it for video calls for ages because last time I tried it was a faff.

But Rachel was right that on my current laptop It Just Works. In fact, I'm scared that I had a webcam and microphone there all along without noticing.

It's a bit of a cliche to talk to distant loved ones over video chat, but it's really lovely seeing a beautiful smiling cuddly Rachel when you talk to her[1].

It's funny, people have been predicting videophones for decades and now it looks like no-one is ever going to want to use them by default. But for times when you actually want it (long chats to close friends and videoconferences) we basically have it, without ever noticing "the future has finally arrived", because "having video calling technology" turned out to not be that impossible, but "using video calls every time you phone up a stranger" turned out not to be anything anyone wanted...

[1] I'm aware in principle you can phone people other than Rachel, but that wasn't really a priority :)

Comments

[onyxlynx]

That probably held it back, too; I sometimes use FaceTime to talk to Mom, and I might use it for very close friends, but strangers? Business that does not require conference calling? HAHAHAHAHAHANO.

(And Mom's less than keen on it because, as she says, she looks like an old lady.)