The Skype's The Limit

Calling all phone fanatics. All you constant callers, telephone talkers, cell phone stalkers, dingle devotees, ring-a-lingers, ring-a-ding-dinglers, drink-and-dialers, 1-800-numbed-ers, toll-freebees, can-I-put-you-on-holders, call-waiter-traitors, clicksters, no-longer-in-servists, long-message-leavers, star-sixty-niners, call-when-I-drivers, I'm-on-my-way'ers, better-let-ya-go'ers, the ring-tone-deaf, those with voicemail-hangups or let-the-machine-pick-up hiccups.

It's one thing to have your landlines, your podberries, your assorted cellularia and your global roaming and such, but have you ever imagined you could speak out loud, in the general direction of your laptop, and a voice would come back at you in response? And what's more, this voice belongs to someone with whom you actually intended to talk. It might seem ridiculous to talk through your computer hardware when there's usually another device lying around that's wholly dedicated to this very process. Since arriving here in Flower Town, however, we have been without such a device. No phone apparatus here, and not sure whether things would be hooked up if we acquired one.

So we've recently given Skype a test-run. If you don't already know, this is a free, downloadable software (developed in Estonia, by the way) that lets you call anybody, anywhere, and talk to them through your computer, for free if they're a member, and for pennies if they're not. If your computer has a built-in mike, you're good to go (better for the speaker to wear headphones).

"This is Our First Call" wrestles with the often difficult transition from old technology to new; here, Skype taking on Telephone. Note that this vid might not be appropriate for the young ones due to brief "language" (would have been beeped if I knew more about manipulating the audio). Please also keep in mind that this offering belongs to the realm of the arts and the entertainments and in no way should be seen to represent John's true character. The music is by the Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir -- I hope they don't mind.