"The knowing guest who goes to the feast,
In silent attention sits;
With his ears he hears, with his eyes he watches,
Thus wary are wise men all."
-- From "Havamal," attributed to Odin, the chief god of Norse mythology.
And so the knowing guest and every wise man would rather do business face-to-face than by throwing a context-free voice across the ether. The Vikings and those before them knew it -- and the value of full-flavored human interaction has not lessened since those ancient times.
Networking giant Cisco Systems
The eruption of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajoekul plays right into this burgeoning technology's rise to stardom. With airline traffic stopped across northern Europe on a scale not seen since 9/11, business meetings are being canceled by the jetload -- or rescheduled as some form of teleconference.
In a delicious serving of cosmic irony, transportation ministers of the European Union are meeting via video conference to discuss what to do about this massive disruption. Cisco representatives report that interest in its telepresence facilities spiked when the eruption hit, and the event is forcing many businesses and governments to give video-powered teleconferencing a try.
The industry is maturing and consolidating rapidly with players like Logitech International
Eyjafjallajoekul is hurting airlines that have heavy European exposure like Delta Air Lines