Say hello, wave goodbye: the future is here, with online video calls
Author: Isla Campbell
Category: Internet
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Movie audiences from the 'atomic-age' could perhaps be forgiven for thinking they had nuclear-powered bubble cars and cities under the sea to look forward to. Indeed, it was probably 1950s and 1960s film above anything else that put the "fiction" into science.
As imaginative and optimistic as they may have been at the time, the flying-car never did quite materialise as predicted. But then again, it's maybe a little too easy and early to laugh at the naivety of previous generations. After all, who could have seriously predicted missions to Mars, mobile phones in every pocket and a world-wide web of information, accessed through personal computers in every house?
Indeed, if anything has helped to realise at least some of the visions of the future as portrayed in the sci-fi movies of five decades ago, then it is the internet. It has single-handedly revolutionised the way people interact and has opened a whole new world of opportunity to millions of people the world over.
From grocery shopping and booking holidays, to gambling and game-playing; the internet is a true global community. And even one-on-one communication has advanced greatly thanks to the advent of the internet.
Not only can people send emails or chat via an instant messaging service, people can actually talk over the internet for free using VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). But what has truly brought communications into the 21st century is the ability to see each other at the same time as speaking to each other.
Video communication has been the stuff of dreams ever since the humble telephone was invented and has been brought to life in many sci-fi forms over the years, perhaps most notably in shows such as Star Trek. But video calls are now a possibility to anyone who possesses a computer, an internet connection and a web-cam.
To describe the world as a 'global village' has never been more apt, as it is now possible to communicate face to face with someone on the other side of the world. And the beauty of making video calls is that, beyond the cost of the actual equipment, it is free; so showing off those dance moves or blowing a distant loved-one a kiss won't come at a cost.
So, whilst it may only have been a matter of time before it became accessible to everyone, to actually see the technology come to fruition, in a way, is to realise the dreams of so many great minds of the past. So go on, say hello and wave goodbye, the future's here!
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Keywords: Video Calls, video communication, global village
View Count: 222
Date Submitted: 5/23/2008
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