{"id":58,"date":"2006-12-19T07:11:00","date_gmt":"2006-12-19T07:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/10.168.29.5\/blog\/?p=58"},"modified":"2006-12-19T07:11:00","modified_gmt":"2006-12-19T07:11:00","slug":"easy-webcam-setup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidsterry.com\/blog\/2006\/12\/easy-webcam-setup\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy Webcam Setup"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was a kid, my grandfather lived in Idaho. I saw him about once a year when he came down in his RV or when Idaho made it into our summer family trip. What if I could have seen him more often, like each time we talked on the phone? Today, cheap webcams<\/span> and high speed Internet<\/span> are making that a reality for millions of people around the world.<\/p>\n

The first step is to buy a webcam<\/span>. For under $40 you can get one and install it when you’ve got 15-30 minutes. Most webcams<\/span> come with software to record video, send video-email, or monitor the security of your home office. You can also create video blogs<\/span> to post on YouTube<\/span><\/a>. If you choose to pay more you may get a built in mic or a motorized aiming and zooming apparatus. As another add-on, some cameras come with software that tries to track the movement of your face or objects on the screen. I’ve not had great luck with those.<\/p>\n

The next step is to download software to run the video conversation. I’ve used both Yahoo Messenger 8 and MSN<\/span> Messenger 7. The best luck for me, came with MSN<\/span> Messenger 7.0 for its speed and the way it shows a mini version of me when I’m viewing my counterpart full screen.<\/p>\n

Once you’ve got MSN<\/span> Messenger 7 installed, you sign in and add your friend or relative to your buddy list<\/span> using their email address or user ID. When you see they are online, you can fire up the old land line<\/span> or cellphone to give the other person a call. It saves the hassle of setting up a microphone on the computer and since it’s separate<\/span> from the computer, your conversation doesn’t have to end if you crash the computer talking while trying to reach a new high score in Tetris<\/span><\/span>. To initiate the video conversation, I double click my buddy and hit the Webcam<\/span> icon at the top of the resulting window. This invites the other party to the conversation so all they have to do is accept and live video should start flowing.<\/p>\n

Whether you laugh, gossip, prognosticate, visit or just hang out. I’ve been surprised after webcamming<\/span> just how memorable the meeting was. It is a lot closer to seeing someone face-to-face than I anticipated. Plus if you’ve got a wireless laptop, you can easily show someone around or go to visit different people in the house. So, find a tech-savvy friend or relative to connect to for the first time. It may take a few tries to get it right but when it works, it’s all the fun of teleportation without the risk of getting lost in transit.<\/p>\n

Links to get you started:<\/p>\n