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For the first time in my life, I used a Skype video call with my wife today as an ambient backdrop to life, rather than just as tool for having a conversation.I’d always wanted to try it, ever since hearing my friend and colleague Dave Newbold mention, in a presentation he was giving a couple of years ago about the near future for technology and social interaction, something he’d heard described as ‘ambient Skype’, whereby people leave a voice client running in the background while they are away from home as a way of being almost-there.
Where the marginal cost of bandwidth is at or near zero, you don’t have to constantly talk to make use of realtime online communication tools. You can relax and enjoy being in each other’s company, as you would at home. A bit like Leisa Reichelt’s term, Ambient Intimacy, but less about easily staying loosely in touch with many people, and more about actual intimacy between two people by using a (normally) synchronous tool in an undirected way.
Time zones have often made it difficult in the past. I’m in the US and Rachel is back in the UK, our lives don’t overlap much, and we have to make an effort to find times we’re both online, or revert to text and email. Today though, I had some free time in the late afternoon and badly needed a nap. Since it was early enough to coincide with Rachel’s bed-time, we tried falling asleep together, apart.
I found this to be very comforting. It’s rather reassuring to drift off with the familiarity of hearing each other breathing and (for me) the everyday noises of home in the background. A nice way to reduce the distance during a long trip abroad. I don’t know why we didn’t try it sooner.
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25 responses so far ↓
1 Graham White // Mar 13, 2008 at 9:43 am
Nice idea, this takes what I’ve done with Beth to a whole new level. While I’m away on a business trip, we’ve left Skype running during the time we overlap so we can just chat away when we feel like it rather than having to sit down and force an unnatural conversation between us.
2 John Scott // Mar 13, 2008 at 10:17 am
This is one of the most beautiful pictures I’ve ever seen.
It reminds me a little of the Truman Show. For comfort, people would go to sleep with Truman on the television. For those of you who’ve seen the movie, here’s a reminder of the score: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIisWCSi5×4
3 Paul Rodriguez // Mar 13, 2008 at 10:42 am
I first started using Skype a few years ago when a good friend moved to France. We found that often calls that started out as ‘normal’ calls would drift into ‘ambient’. He’d be cooking in the background, me likewise or reading, we’d play some online backgammon, occasional comments, but no real ‘conversation. Much better than a forced, get this over and done with conversation…. especially for men!
4 Frank Jania // Mar 13, 2008 at 11:59 am
This is about the most adorable thing I’ve seen in a while :-)
5 Darren Shaw // Mar 13, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Will you all stop being so soft. This is creepy! :-)
6 Catherine Steele // Mar 13, 2008 at 1:55 pm
I use skype a lot but I am tethered to the computer with it.
I suspect if both Anthony and I had wireless head sets it would make the hole he leaves whilst in Scotland much easier to bear.
It is a lovely idea.
7 Philip Campbell // Mar 15, 2008 at 2:03 pm
awwww, that’s cute.
8 David Orban // Mar 17, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Very nice picture.
It is spoiled somewhat in my mind by the image of you beating the computer’s shutter speed, by jumping into the bed after having clicked on the screenshot key. :)
9 kyb // Mar 17, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Heh, my thoughts exactly David, but I guess cuteness doesn’t make itself…
10 Gavin Bell // Mar 17, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Lovely
Sometimes I think the only reason we invented this whole computing infrastructure is to be able to play games with one’s nearly two year old son over video iChat.
11 Alex // Mar 18, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Hi Roo,
Long time since I last saw you at Hursley, but keeping up via the blog and a very interesting post.
Inspired me to blog on where I thought this might affect my area: http://europeancontactcentre.blogspot.com/2008/03/video-and-contact-centre-some-thoughts.html
Best wishes,
Alex
12 Marshall Kirkpatrick // Mar 18, 2008 at 8:08 pm
It’s like your own baby monitor, for adults.
13 zack // Mar 18, 2008 at 8:20 pm
It’s funny that humans take new technology and immediately apply it to sex only to realize YEARS later it might have other psychological uses in their lives.
14 Crystal // Mar 18, 2008 at 9:44 pm
My partner and I have been managing a long distance relationship for about six months now. We’ve have matching headsets and have been doing this every night we’re apart since almost the beginning. We even wait up for each other. It’s been a major way of managing the distance. Glad we’re not the only ones!
15 mark larson | // Mar 19, 2008 at 12:36 am
[...] like this idea of ambient Skype, just keeping the line open. Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 8:36pm. Life, Tech. Permalink. Comments [...]
16 Donovan // Mar 19, 2008 at 2:09 am
My fiancée and I live continents apart with me in the USA and her in Korea. One of the nicest times we spent together while being physically apart was when we both got on Skype and worked and listened to music. It’s really a wonderful thing and it would be great if Skype made some features geared more towards this (maybe more directly streaming music as well as voice?). It really makes it easier. It’s good to hear others are doing this.
17 Sameer Vasta // Mar 19, 2008 at 4:56 am
This just made me smile so much, especially at a time when I’m missing someone across the ocean quite a bit. Beautiful. Thank you.
18 Christian J Estrada // Mar 19, 2008 at 8:10 am
When I first started dating my girlfriend we lived 4 hours apart due to college and stayed in touch mostly through skype. Every night we would talk on skype and do our random schoolwork and whatnot. Eventually we’d go to bed with the conversation open. Whoever got up first in the morning would hear the other breathing and/or snoring. It was always quite a moment. Now, it’s two years later, we live together and often reminisce about the many nights where skype was the closest we could be to each other. We had some skype calls open for days and days on end! :D
19 Drift off to sleep with Ambient Skype // Mar 20, 2008 at 12:00 am
[...] is virtually next to nothing these days, couples who find themselves apart are using Skype to recreate that “at home” feeling. It even has a name - Ambient [...]
20 Damien Mulley » Blog Archive » Fluffy Links - Thursday March 20th 2008 // Mar 20, 2008 at 5:30 am
[...] Ambient Skype. Interesting idea. Might be a good idea too for a company with a few small offices around the world. [...]
21 Dagelijkse Links | Past is prologue // Mar 21, 2008 at 4:25 am
[...] Ambient SkypeThis is sweet (tags: communication social lifestyle technology culture Skype) [...]
22 smack // Mar 21, 2008 at 12:40 pm
this is so sweet. That is love in it’s most stripped comfortable intimate form.
23 phil // Mar 25, 2008 at 7:41 pm
My parents are 9o yr. young. I”m going to use skype as a montoring device to keep an ear out for them. Thanks
24 Burkey’s Blog » Blog Archive » Ambient Skype // Apr 1, 2008 at 9:18 pm
[...] the same at home, giving you the feeling of almost being at home whilst away from home, known as Ambient Skype. One such activity which you can partake in, as shown in this picture, is falling asleep together. [...]
25 links for 2008-04-04 « New Sciences of Protection: // Apr 4, 2008 at 4:45 pm
[...] rooreynolds.com: Ambient Skype (tags: communication culture Skype ambient) [...]
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