c4Ckype, originally uploaded by vincenthorn.
I had a chance to talk with my old homedawg coolmel (the blogger formerly known as coolmel). We used the new skype video preview for mac, and although the connection wasn’t that great, it was still a blast.
Having these little iSight cameras built into the new Macs (and in many PCs), along with free video chatting software like Skype, and more ubiquitous broadband connections makes for an exciting time in communications. Video chatting is altogether a much better mode of communication than either text or audio alone, as it includes many helpful non-verbal cues.
My guess is that as soon as the quality of these technologies become life-like (and then beyond) almost all of our non-local communication will inevitably be done through this medium. And then of course, the longer term vision is full visual-auditory virtual reality (and perhaps full sensory virtual reality), but I’ll hold off on talking about that….
UPDATE:Looks like the Skype video for Mac is out of preview and now in a more stable beta release. Sweet!
