Skype

    Well, yay me.  I am now on Skype.  After a couple of false starts, including the realization that my 10-year-old microphone was totally useless and that a desktop computer has no camera, I finally got serious about becoming skypified today.

    So I went down to Best Buy and bought a webcam.  It had a built-in microphone to boot, so the old mic has been tossed in the trash.  Installation was a breeze, and then it was time to try my first Skype-to-Skype video call with my sister.

    Getting the settings right was a minor challenge.  For instance, "line in" was the default audio setting, so I had to scramble when she reported that she was getting so sound.  Switching that worked, but it seemed to nix the video.  A primal scream took care of that, and we was in business.

    I find it interesting that Skype-to-Skype is free, but Skype-to-phone (both a call and/or a text message) is not.  It makes me wonder whether the phone companies will still be in business 20 years from now.