Committing suicide on webcam seems to be a very scary and rapidly growing trend among people in this world.  It seems like every month or so there is a new news story about someone else who took their life via webcam, streaming their last few moments on this world to interested parties. The scariest part about all of this is that the people who are in contact with the potential suicide victim seem to think it’s ok and encourage the people to take their own lives. I’m not going to get into a debate about whether this is right or wrong but I personally feel that no one should push someone in that state of mind as the results can be horrific. Take a look at the following stories all of which have had major news coverage over the last year.

• Ontario Teen Commits Suicide
• California Man Attempts Suicide New Jersey Man Saves Him

The first time I ever hear of a webcam suicide was around 6 years ago a 22 year old man named Brandon Carl Vedas had commited suicide by webcam. Brandon setup his webcam and joined an IRC chat room where his “friends” were waiting to watch him commit suicide by overdosing on various types of drugs and alcohol. This incident really made an impact on me, if you read through the logs of his discussion with the members of the IRC chat you will see that they did nothing to help Brandon in his situation. They basically pushed him and pushed him until he eventually consumed a lethal mix.

If you know someone who has threatened to commit suicide or attempted to commit suicide talk with them, see if you can help them past the rough times they are having in their life. They are many organizations out there willing to help individuals in need.

Lately 3d video technologies have been all the rage, with 3d commercials already being broadcast on television and 3d movies in theaters, the logical next step would be LIVE streaming 3d video. But would this technology really catch on and is it something we as models in this industry should be looking at?

Here is some information about the new Novo Minoru 3d Webcam.

“Meet Minoru, meaning ‘Reality’ in Japanese, the World’s first 3D webcam.

Connect Minoru to your PC and he will come alive, his eyes will light up and he will be looking at you in 3D.

Your friends and family can now see you in 3D over your favourite messaging program like Windows Live Messenger, Skype, AOL instant messenger, OoVoo and many others.

You can also take 3D photos or even shoot 3D videos and upload them to YouTube.

Minoru = Reality!

Minoru connects easily to your PC’s USB port just like any other webcam but that’s where the similarities end. The Minoru software has stereoscopic anaglyphic processing that lets you be seen in three dimensions. The red and cyan anaglyph image produced by Minoru can be viewed by anybody who is wearing commonly available red and cyan 3D glasses (five pairs included free with Minoru). Minoru can also be used as a standard 2D webcam for anyone who doesn’t have the 3D glasses at hand.

Minoru will appeal equally to the 3D novice and the stereoscopy enthusiast alike.

Minoru will be available from the Minoru online shop from December 19th 2008.

In early 2009 Minoru will be available from major electronics retailers in the UK, EU and USA.”

What do you think about this technology do you think it will be the next big thing, clients requesting to watch you do live shows in 3d?

Is this something you think the cam companies will pick up on?

This is my thinking, 3d streaming video sounds awesome and it could very well be the next big thing to the live chat industry but there’s on huge drawback, your clients need to have a pair of 3D glasses and the quality of the video could be off . I have not had the opportunity to view any of the 3d video that this camera has recorded as I don’t have a pair of glasses that works with this type of camera. I was kinda pissed because I had a pair of 3d glasses laying around from the super bowl ads and I threw them on thinking cool I’m going to get to see what this thing can actually do but unfortunately they did not seem to work with the pictures and videos I saw online that this camera produced. They lenses must be different on the glasses Novo provides you with.

Now if cam sites actually pick up on this technology and the quality is there for a good stream then it wouldn’t be a huge deal to send the clients a few pairs of 3d glasses, it could actually be a very good marketing strategy for these type of feeds.  A cam site gives a couple of these cams to their top models, throws their brand on the side of the glasses when the member signs up you send them a couple pairs of 3d glasses, they keep a pair give the rest away to their buddies and it’s great word of mouth advertising. I think people would eat it up as long as the quality of the cam stream was good and they had the option to watch in 3d or not to watch in 3d.

Peoples interest in 3d technology has really peaked since a lot of mainstream production studios are now creating content in 3d formats. Novo has basically set the bar so lets see who can come up with something better, at this point this is one of the more drastic advances in webcam technology we have seen in a while.

Interested in picking one up you can purchase the Novo Minoru 3d Webcam directly from Novo for around $90.

If you have a Mac and use the built in cam you know how annoying it can be to change angles and get the cam in the position you want it. Enter Ecamm’s BT-1 it is a new wireless webcam solution for Mac that runs around $150. The idea and concept are great, a wireless bluetooth webcam that you can place just about anywhere within 30 feet of your MAC and can stream live video and audio to your computer and onto the web.

Features:

• 640×480 H.264 video and 48 kHz AAC stereo audio
• Compact 2″ x 2½” x 5/8″ design
• 4 hour talk time
• Wireless range of 10-30 feet
• Compatible with iChat, Skype and more
• Standard tripod mounting screw

I have not tested this product but as with most other wireless cams their biggest drawback is delay due to the data being transmitted by wireless. Bluetooth technically can transfer data at a gross rate of 1mbit/sec so it should be able to handle a video stream with no problem. Also your time on cam is restricted by the battery life of the wireless cam, the current “talk time” is 4 hours. When your relying on a webcam to support yourself having a choppy feed or a battery dieing can cause you to lose money.

This product is not available for purchase yet, but can be pre-ordered, it is shipping in March.