Tell me about couples and surfing!

[imomus]

I'm about to write my next Wired column. I've decided it's going to be about the effect of information addiction on the life of couples. And I'd like your help, because I don't want it just to be me going on about me. But naturally it starts with me, what I've observed in my own life. Here's a photo of me and my then-girlfriend (she's now happily

Comments

[stanleylieber]

We've both had laptops for years and text chat while sitting next to each other on the couch. We also chat all day long while at work, so in some ways our relationship is more real than traffic congestion and shift schedules. I don't so much separate the online interaction out into a degenerative form of communication though; it's difficult to communicate things like images, sounds and URLs through speech.

[imomus]

Good point, that! I have a tendency to think of computers as something "textual", something which can't match the textural qualities of real world interaction. But of course they're texturally more rich than language on its own can be.

[neil_scott]

And, of course, all Apple Macs are now built with iSight as standard, so you could have a real time picture your beloved in the corner of your screen at all times.

[fishwithissues]

but unfortunately eye contact is impossible with today's webcams. (you'd need something like Errol Morris's Interrotron for that).

[fishwithissues]

hm looks like microsoft is working on a solution. a very kooky digital one! 2 webcams render the face in 3D and then the computer digitally tilts the face upwards:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3833831.stm

[jinty]

yes, that's really a weird feeling for someone not used to it - I was chatting with my brother via iSight / iChat the other day and either he could look at me, or I could look at him, but we couldn't both look at each other at the same time, given the logistics of where you have to place a webcam.

[nicepimmelkarl]

stanley lieber at work:

http://www.the-naughty-office.com/28_zara/index.html

[ttrtt]

delete