So, it looks like we might have instantaneous communication between far-off shuttles, probes and alien beings nailed. But what good is that if we make first contact and can't actually understand the extraterrestrials? Well, we're not quite at Star Trek levels of sci-fi tech just yet, but the first universal translator is almost here. Surprisingly, the technological breakthrough in this case comes from Skype, the free video call service that Microsoft snapped up but whom the Gates Corp have yet to sort into a form that doesn't constantly lag, drop calls, or not remember you have a webcam. Yes, that broken piece of crap is responsible for one of the science fiction inventions that actually became a reality in 2014. For now it's in the beta stages of development, but before too long you'll be able to chat to people in a different language over Skype and have the conversation instantly translated with the text chat along the side.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
