Yesterday I was IM'ing via Gmail with a friend who was riding a bus that provided WiFi. I noticed another friend of mine (and his) was logged in at the time from his volunteer post in Central America, and I suggested the two of them chat. Not because I thought they had anything significant to say to each other, but because the whole concept was remarkable. Just 10 years ago, the user at either end of the conversation couldn't have participated, and now, it required no special effort to have two people chat when one was on the East Coast heading north on a bus speeding 75mph, and the other was at his computer in rural Nicaragua.
Now all I need is for Emelia to be a little older, so I can start telling her, "When I was a kid...."
