Reverse periscope for eye-to-eye video webcams

A rather sloppy but effective hack that allows you to video conference while maintaining eye-to-contact through a homemade cardboard reverse periscope mounted on the screen.

This comes from a German, which makes sense: as a race, the Germans value direct eye-contact so much that you literally can not have a beer without clinking glasses and staring each and every single person in the room in the eye for superstitious fear of "seven years of bad sex."

I think this superstition should be revised to only be seven years of bad sex between the two people who fail to look one another in the eye during a toast: I'm willing to sacrifice seven years of quality sex with the uggos if it'll get my beer down my craw faster.

Here's Looking At You, Kid [Datenform via MAKE

[#1 posted by Angstrom , January 26, 2009 10:29 AM]

as an un-coordinated oaf I always have problems with that 'eye-to-eye' glass clinking

I prefer to use my limited hand-eye coordination to dock those glasses correctly, but if they insist I dock on instruments only it's wet chest time for my drinking partners.

[#2 posted by hokano , January 26, 2009 12:10 PM]

angstrom: Probably worth the risk if it keeps open the possibility of other forms of 'wet chest time'.

[#3 posted by jtegnell , January 26, 2009 4:40 PM]

It's not the getting down the craw faster that's challenging about this custom, it's aiming while not looking!

Plus you're not supposed to cross other people too, which adds another layer of difficulty.

[#4 posted by Indigo12 , January 26, 2009 5:09 PM]

Seven years of bad sex is of course a stupid reason. I think it's more about being polite and not starting to drink (or eat) before everybody has their stuff. I guess this is more valued in Germany than it is in some other countries (including the US, from my experience)

[#5 posted by Anonymous , February 6, 2009 2:41 AM]

There is another saying here in Germany:

"Better seven years bad sex, than no sex at all."