Currently under development at Microsoft research labs in Cambridge, England, new webcam, i2i consists of two lenses, which carefully follows an individual's movement. Using an exclusively developed algorithm to cleverly blend what each lens is seeing, resulting in creation of an accurate stereo "cylopean" image.

All very technical, but for 18.5 million people (source Microsoft) who regularly use webcams while they are using instant messengers, i2i means that it will appear as if users are looking into each others eyes.

Antonio Criminisi, lead researcher of Microsoft's Machine Learning and Perception Group, said.

"We were able to come up with an algorithm that was able to take two images and capture a corresponding map in 3D. Using this powerful technology, we can now synthetically create an image as if person is looking straight into your eyes."

According to Dr Criminisi, biggest challenge for backroom boys at Microsoft was in calculating how visual brain works. In particular, how it sees and sorts out colors, shapes and distances.

The discovery of autoresponder.

After purchasing a family computer in big post Christmas sales we were all estatic! The teenager was thinking e-mail, games, e-mail, pre-teen, our middle child was explaining to us all how to use computer because she "was bought up around computers" and being a nine year old girl, she knows everything. The wee fellow played with boxes and Dad got on with making thing work. Meanwhile I sat back and mapped out my plans of online riches.