From the other side now: give mathematicians a little credit for being more literate than language mavens are numerate.

I’ve also been thinking of Skype–my in-laws like to use it to talk to my two year old. I understand the impulse, but I feel insanely uncomfortable fitting myself in the screen there, and having a conversation. The pressure! And then all of the things IJ mentions w/r/t videophony repulsion. And then, if I say, pretend to be doing something else (dishes, say), it’s even more awkward. Somehow it feels more invasive than the phone. And I’ve never been a big phone person. But I don’t know, I think skype is relatively popular, isn’t it? Even if I hate it, I know a lot of people who don’t. And I suppose if I were separated from say, my husband, for months at a time, I would appreciate it.

One thing that does occur to me though, is that lots of people had similar reactions to the telephone (Avital Ronell, bell hooks)–valid reactions to the illusion of the disembodied voice as allowing for real communication. But then, the telephone didn’t go anywhere. And I doubt that facebook/skype etc will either.