Okay, so here's the latest:

I got the webcam. Took a bit, but I think I can now talk to people over AIM. I haven't used AIM in years. I'm amazed the account is still active.

So my next step is figuring out how to get a webcam running on my site. I've tried a few options, but after spending the day getting the thing to work to talk to my dad, I'm waiting until tomorrow to really research it.

So AIM users, if you want to catch photos of my useless crap, let me know. I aim to please.

Currently, the camera is pointed at my cat sitting next to me.