Lapface is a lo-fi video streaming site for people working on their laptops

Working from home can be a lonely business – cue the tiny violins – which is why I was tickled by the idea of Lapface, a lo-fi streaming site that shares your webcam with other lonely souls.

Obviously there’s a risk that the page could turn into a Chatroulette-style wall of flailing phalluses, but right now it’s just jerkily updating shots of earnest faces hard at work.

Lapface is a side-project by Jong-Moon Kim (his main focus is Emoti). He explains its purpose on the site:

Lapface was my weekend hack designed to give the feeling of working with other people. It takes a low resolution webcam shot every 3 seconds of you working. I made the image with slow fps to relieve you of the pressure that usually comes with broadcasting.

Like any good social network, the site lets you post and update your status. Your Twitter name serves as your identity. There’s also a text discussion panel on the right-hand side for conversations.

It’s a simple idea and unlikely to become the next great online hangout or trouble Periscope, but there’s something really sweet about Lapface and getting a snapshot into other people’s worlds.

I dig it, purely as another place to chase that human contact I am sorely lacking. Cue the violins again…

➤ Lapface

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