When our son was head-hunted by Bill Gates and Microsoft for a position in Seattle, we thought that we would see little of our dear little granddaughter's formative years.

However after tweaking' the controls and sounding all the whistles on the home computer here, we were soon in touch on a regular basis through the video conferencing facility of the Microsoft built-in MSN programme.

Allowing for the eight-hour time difference of course, we are able to sit and chat with the family there in their own new home, with the web cam and microphone and have a live hour-long two-way conversation and view each other on a regular basis for free.

However, it becomes even more amusing when we realise that we are actually able to see our four-year-old granddaughter more often than when she was living over here in Hertfordshire!

She is at a playschool in their local community and we enjoy the facility of being allowed security clearance to the school's own website there.

By calling up the site at the appropriate times, twice a week, we are able to log in to this progressive establishment, and entering our password to utilise any of several web cam cameras strategically positioned in the school and surrounding play facilities watch our little sibling at play.

This is available to us in real time' - or through a pull down menu to any ten-minute segment of video from during the school day.

Bob Coote
Sidcup