A Nerd is We

In their grand effort to make sure they have every online technology utilized, Google has now integrated voice/video to their Gchat client. This feature is useful for people like my friend who suffers from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on both wrists, so voice/video chatting is much more efficient and painless way of communicating so long as she's willing to look decent while on camera. Even when I don't have video or voice for me to communicate, we sometimes chat with her talking while I type my replies.

Other times run the risk to steal more time while under The Man's clock.

It just so happens I now work at a place that uses a computer with a built in microphone and camera that allows me to video chat at work. Around the same time, a friend who we will call "Fran," got a brand new, sexy computer (Windows-based, fancy that!) that had the same. With our powers combined, a lot of nerdiness ensues.

Is it because of the novelty? Perhaps. We actually don't chat over voice as not to be TOO disruptive to those around us, but we are easily amused by the fact that we can see each other read what the other has written and witness that LOLing is truly an LOL (or at the very least, an LMO - Laugh Mimed Out). We also try to make each other laugh while on the phone by saying random things and give each other hi fives. Because when we break from chatting, a high five is the perfect bit of motivation to do a job well done. We can also see when the other is a bit annoyed by a certain comment when eyes roll or if the other finds the linked YouTube video amusing. One can also do fun things like notice your friend's freakishly huge zit on her face or see when your friend is taking a camera phone picture of video chat, only to send as a picture message that is emailed and put on a blog.

Little work breaks are a bit funner this way, chatting online is a nice, casual thing to help the time pass and perhaps prevent stress from building when working on something that could be stressful, and otherwise nerdy conversations about comic book heroes and cell phone reception is further heightened by visual aids. It also provides an opportunity to help point out bad grammar while being creative when writing songs to certain situations, like when your friend all of a sudden is stuck to the ceiling.

I'm not writing this to say that your entire day should be spent teasing your friends via Internet. What's helpful for me is that I keep my social skills relatively sharp this way, as I don't usually work with co-workers in-office; even though there are other offices on this floor and I can happily saunter over for a quick chat, I can't really get much work done when I'm away from my desk. At least this way I'm kept company in this corner office, and the PIP image of how I look on video makes me a bit self-conscious and I try to have better posture since I know someone may notice.

...and no, before anyone asks or mentions it, this video chat capability will not be used for monetary gain for strange people with unique fetishes for things I cannot even begin to imagine to have.