Reach out and see someone
New software makes it easy for anyone with a webcam and a fast connection to video-chat over the web.
By Tom Reganfrom the March 7, 2007 edition
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Recently I accepted a new job that will require me to be away from home every weekday for the next several months. While I'm much more fortunate than the hundreds of thousands of US military overseas who can't visit their families for months at a time, being with my family only on weekends will be tough.
But military families and my family do share one thing in common: We can see our loved ones on a regular basis (daily, in my case), thanks to the explosion of online video technology.
I remember films from the 1950s that showed people using futuristic video telephones. While phones aren't quite there yet (some cellphone companies offer "video calls," but they still count on your plan's overall minutes and quickly drain your batteries), computers can make video messaging possible – some of it free of charge.
The military has, in fact, used video conferencing whenever possible. The Video Journal of the Spokesman Review has a nice video piece about how an American soldier in Iraq was able to see his wife and new daughter the day after she was born. (www.spokesmanreview. com/blogs/video/archive.asp?postID=201) While the family had communicated frequently using their home computer's webcam via a special link provided by the military, in this case, the hospital arranged the video visit.
The obstacle many military families face is access to computers and webcams. Organizations like Freedom Calls Foundation, a nonprofit in Brooklyn, N.Y., arrange for families in the United States to use video equipment at local high schools and businesses to contact their husbands, wives, sons, or daughters serving overseas. In one instance, the foundation helped a soldier see and talk to an ill sister; in another, a soldier was able to see his daughter graduate.
For those of us in the US, it's becoming easier to connect by video. First, you'll need a webcam and a microphone. If you use a newer Mac, you may already have these features built-in (as you may have seen in the recent funny commercials comparing a PC to a Mac). Users of older Macs and PCs have to buy a webcam, which can cost you anywhere from $20 to $200. Setting it up is fairly simple.
Computer and electronics stores offer a variety of webcams. They are also easy to find online. But before you buy, make sure the program you choose supports your webcam. Most good sites will provide a list. (After I installed my program, I found that the webcam I'd purchased several years ago couldn't get a picture.)
Again, most new computers come with a microphone. But if you want a better one, you can pay about $30 for a good basic microphone or as much as $150 for a wireless set.
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