Big Brother seemed so modern when it launched, but now it’s starting to look very old-fashioned. Instead of asking Channel 4 to put you on TV, anyone with a laptop, a webcam, a wireless connection and a load of batteries can now do it themselves.

Pre-History: Back in 1996, student Jennifer Ringley launched JenniCAM , a simple black-and-white webcam in her dorm room. It updated every three minutes, and she never turned it off. By 1998, three million people a day were checking in for a glimpse of her changing, and she appeared on the Letterman show.

Justin.tv: Today, wireless broadband means you can stream live video from a camera mounted on a hat and a computer in a rucksack. That’s what Justin Kan started doing in March, and he’s still live. Two days in, hackers called police and reported a stabbing at his apartment. A bewildered Justin put his hands up as two policemen burst into the room. Sadly, it’s been downhill from there.

iJustine: Justin.tv now hosts dozens of 24-hour live streams. His first recruit was perky blonde TV presenter Justine Ezarik, who’s hoping to become a web celebrity, and is certainly more photogenic than Justin. Other characters include the Naked Cowboy, a professional busker who sings in his pants in Times Square, and Ron Paul , a 71 year-old presidential candidate, who is often filmed at campaigning events.

CatCam : It’s not just humans: Mr Lee is a cat in South Carolina. His owner rigged up a little digital camera, mounted it on his collar and set it to take photos every few minutes. The pictures are, obviously, a cat’s-eye view of the world – a lot of shots of the undersides of cars and the bottoms of kitchen cabinets. Surely a live stream is only weeks away. On the site, you can buy a Catcam for just €35.

Do it yourself: If you want to live your life online, Ustream.tv can let you do it very, very easily. Their 'get started' page has a five-point system. If you've got a webcam, you can go live right now... Just remember to email me if you do.

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