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In his 1992 novel Snow
Crash, author Neal
Stephenson
predicted a
future in which our ideas about interpersonal communications would be
redefined by the use of computers. Stephenson envisaged that face-to-face
communication would become obsolete as people chose to interact through
the use of digital representations of themselves known as "avatars". As
our online emissaries, avatars would be able to do our bidding in the
digital world, thus removing the need for us to travel to attend meetings
ever again.
Ten years after the publication of Stephenson's seminal work, it appears that his prophecies are being realised. Stephenson's "Metaverse", a vast global computer network, has already been with us for many years in the form of the Internet. However, new software from Microsoft is set to revolutionise the way we communicate by finally bringing avatars out of the realms of science fiction and into our everyday lives. |
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The much hyped communications revolution that was promised by the rise of
the Internet has so far failed to materialise. While most users are still
restricted to low-bandwidth dial-up Internet connections, inexpensive
global communication using Voice Over IP technology remains an
unattainable dream. Email and Instant Messaging have also failed to
achieve mainstream acceptance, due to the inherent difficulty of
conveying the subtle nuances of vocal intonation or body language in a
purely text-based medium.
The world has been crying out for a means of Internet communication which is both immediate and capable of imparting emotions, while transcending the fundamental limitations imposed by the scarcity of bandwidth. Fortunately, we can rely on Microsoft to solve our pressing technological problems and their latest offering, Microsoft Comic Chat, is what we've all been waiting for. Put simply, Microsoft Comic Chat is like instant messaging on steroids. Building upon the foundations of the popular MSN Messenger, Comic Chat manages to communicate the user's emotions and body language through a purely text-based protocol. Microsoft have achieved this impressive feat by using powerful Artificial Intelligence (AI) software which actually understands the content of a user's message. The AI software then extracts the hidden nuances from the message and translates these into the facial expressions of an avatar. As the screenshot shows, Comic Chat manages to convey emotions in messages with unerring accuracy yet without requiring the huge amounts of bandwidth that are associated with traditional video conferencing. Although avatars are currently limited to cute but crudely-drawn comic characters, it is possible that future versions of the software may allow you to use digital photographs of your own face.
It is both simple and inexpensive to become a part of the Microsoft Comic Chat revolution. The first step is to download the freely available software from Microsoft (Note: Comic Chat is currently only available for computers running Microsoft's popular Windows operating system). When the software has installed, you need to logon to one of the many Comic Chat servers. Popular Microsoft Comic Chat servers include:
Microsoft Comic Chat has the potential to change the ways in which we
conduct our friendships and do business, and Microsoft ought to be
commended for their tireless innovation. So why not join the
telecommunications revolution and start Comic Chatting today? |
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Stories
