When I was growing up, I used to watch a lot of sci-fi. It usually concerned itself with the question of what life would be like in the future – specifically, beyond the year 2000: silver jumpsuits, rocket cars, jetpacks, videophones and meals-in-a-pill was the consensus. Today it occurred to me – we finally made it. Welcome to the future.

I’ve been encouraging my family in New Zealand to download and install Skype for quite some time.

My argument has always been the whole ‘it’s free’ thing. I thought that might encourage a bit of ‘voice over internet’ enthusiasm, but there’s still a reluctance. I suspect it’s on the grounds that we already know how a telephone works: ‘Yes, it costs money to talk to the UK, but then it is a terribly long way away.’

It’s not as if it would be too difficult to arrange. We’re a reasonably tech-savvy lot. We have a ‘Family Update’ email group that aunts, cousins, parents, significant others and siblings all successfully contribute to. We have no shortage of professional computer geeks in the immediate bloodline and in their circle of intimates. And apart from anything else, it’s really simple to do.

With broadband in New Zealand finally becoming slightly less of a cruel joke than it was a few months ago, I think the time has come – and this was brought home to me especially strongly as I was watching my nephew take some of his first steps, live as it happened, just this morning.

You see, one of the gadgets I encouraged my brother-in-law to spend on while we were down in London last week was a webcam. It’s a tidy little Logitech with a built-in mic. Surprisingly good quality. Mine’s a few days away.

Since they bought it and plugged it in, we’ve had pretty much daily chats, complete with live video from their end. It is, in fact, the long hoped-for videophone – and it’s not an expensive commodity – it’s a little plastic ball you plug into your computer and a free piece of software.

Most people I know don’t use Skype, and I really wish they would. I know my sister and her husband feel the same. I’m sure there are other people they’d like to share their child’s milestone moments with.

You don’t need the camera to get started – the free software will let you chat for nothing anywhere in the world – and even though we won’t be able to see you (until you inevitably get yourself the webcam), you’ll be able to see those of us with the little plastic cameras.

I may not have my silver jumpsuit yet, the bus will have to do till my jetpack is ready, and you can keep your tablet roast – but at least we citizens of the future can chat face to face across the void of time and space, as promised… and I won’t have to remember your phone number any more.

Oh, and this goes for anyone else I might have occasion to speak with. Talk to you soon, yeah?