My partner of six years and I have been geographically separated by the Pacific Ocean for the past two years due to our employment/academic situations and find Skype to be a great comfort.
Garfinkel's piece profoundly resonates with me, and I laughed out loud several times while reading it. He's truly on to something with the Scrabulous-Skype activity.
The increase of couples choosing to go the distance will undoubtedly become a greater market that companies seek to capitalize on. For example, researchers at MIT's Media Lab are developing Wifi Wine Glasses that light up when your better half takes a sip. Pair it with a Hug Shirt, a Bluetooth accessory for Java-enabled mobile phones, which uses smart technology pads to send hugs internationally via SMS.
First wine, then hugs? Sounds like it might lead to Skype sex that makes your partner's pixelated pupils pop.
I confess, for years I've clung to a luddite's wariness of any suggested benefits of virtual communication. Lately I've started to shift. But this articles kicked me forward a few stages. Better, more considered communication through Skype? Wow, that's paradigm shifting - and I think I aggree with the new reality. Not as a replacement for embodied relationships, but as a very beneficial alternative when the need arises. Must muse on this further.
