The Future has Arrived

I realize that for many people, this post will do nothing more than expose my extreme lack of technical knowledge. Yes, I am still hanging back in the dark ages of the '90s, when email was just a lazy substitute for pen and paper, 28.8 k modems were the "wave of the future", and "hours" had replaced "minutes" as the currency by which we valued our internet access. Now I am living in what is often referred to as the most "wired" country in the world. My internet access runs around the clock and at speeds which leave the old dial-up modems gasping for bandwidth (ker-scrreeecccch-hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm-scrreeeeeeech-buzzzzzzzzzzz-shhhhhhhhhhhh).

Thanks to a very gracious gift from my brother-in-law, we now have a webcam. He has been preaching their utility for sometime now, but until last night I hadn't really become a believer. Last night, Beth and I saw and spoke to David and his family. Praise God! What a blessing! To think that several continents, seas, and one very large ocean could be so easily traversed in so short a time! I was reminded of the scene from Arthur C. Clarke's 2010 where Roy Scheider's wife and child are speaking to him from outer space (we often feel as if we are in outer space). In fact, it was pretty much like every sci-fi movie you have ever seen where people converse by both video and voice.

And now for the best part.....it was entirely free! A 30 minute conversation that didn't cost a dime!

This is indeed progress.