Migrating Macs

No, not the laptop this time. Thanks to Ewan, I had a look at this site, and found out that the greatest number of people with the surname McIntosh live in New Zealand. Not only that: the only country in the world with the site's top rating for my maiden name, Findlay, is also New Zealand.

There are other interesting facts here - the top-rated forename for all these McIntoshes is Christine, though the fact that McIntosh is not my own family name makes it less remarkable. Does make my Google rating more pleasing,though!

Skype family McIntosh

Skype family
Originally uploaded by goforchris.

You've read about the family that blogs together? Well now you have the family that Skypes together. Thanks to the generous loan of an iSight from Mr Heathbank I was at last able to appear as more than an old photo for Catriona on Skype.

When I was small I was obsessed with the notion of travelling in Space - and the capital S is intentional. And I'm talking pretty small here - seven or so, if memory serves. But later came the kind of communications they had in the first series of Star Trek: I dreamed of face-to-face chats at the touch of a button. And here it is. Allowing for the slight time-lag when we waved to each other - as you can see, I'm doing just that - it was pretty impressive.

By the end of the call Catriona seemed to have become used to the idea that her grandparents were in the laptop. I can remember when I was convinced an entire symphony orchestra - complete with white ties and tails - fitted inside my parents' black bakelite radio. Some things don't change - they simply become more fun.