Skype: Greece Calling

I'm a computer guy and I like to be cutting edge when I'm working. When I'm home, however, I tend to resist the encroachment of technology into my personal domain. Partly that's a money issue, but partly just a personality quirk.

So I usually embrace a technology or product right before it gets canceled, sold, or radically changed. I can pick that moment without fail. (Someone ought to be able to make money off of that talent, but it isn't me.)

In this case the technology is Skype, the Internet phone and computer technology. I installed the Skype client about a month ago, just before Microsoft announced it was acquiring the company. Ta-da! I did it again!

So I made my first Skype call this past weekend, not to any paltry smart phone or buddy next door. Nope, my call was to Greece, where my sister and her husband were honeymooning. We had the whole family gathered around the big 24" iMac screen to wish various and sundry well-wishes, birthday greetings, and international vicarious sight seeing.

I thought it worked fairly well and it was cool to boot. My parents who are not particularly tech-savvy got to see and chat with my sister while she was in Greece, since she was absent from our regular Sunday brunch.

I've used Google video chat before, although the sound never came through for us. So Skype was a big improvement. I'm giving it a thumbs up.

As soon as I consider taking up a new technology, I'll let you know so you can buy, sell, or do whatever to it to take advantage of whatever is about to happen.  Cheers!