Grandma's on the computer screen

30 November 2008 | 22:07 - By Stefano Boscutti

Video calling, long anticipated by science fiction, is filtering into everyday use.  And two demographic groups not particularly known for being high-tech are among the earliest adopters.

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In a way that even e-mailed photos never could, the web cam promises to transcend both distance and the inability of toddlers to hold up their end of a phone conversation.  Some grandparent enthusiasts say this latest form of virtual communication makes the actual separation harder.  Others are so sustained by web cam visits with services like Skype and iChat that they visit less in person.  And no one quite knows what it means to a generation of 2-year-olds to have slightly pixelated versions of their grandparents as regular fixtures in their lives.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/27/us/27minicam.html

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About this Blog

New New Media looks at how our mediascape is exploding to bits. How the latest technology and the internet are changing the way we live, work and play. How the latest media is shaping us all.

Stefano Boscutti is an executive creative director and strategist. He's like a better looking version of Todd Sampson. He also has an abiding faith that stories and wordplay (and not powerpoint presentations) will change the world.

 
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