Shhhh! I'm Talking To My Agent!

Skype me, baby, so I can have my peeps talk to your peeps!

One of the great discoveries during our trip to China was Skype (www.skype.com). We had originally purchased calling cards to use for calling back home while in the Land of the Rising Sun. Although it appeared that they could be used internationally when we bought them, we couldn't work the magic from China. We left one behind for Nate and Titus, and although they could get it to work from the US, it was only valid for 8 minutes when calling to China. After trying to buy a calling card in China, and also using the hotel phone line at a buck a minute, I resorted to Skype. A couple of friends had previously mentioned that I should check it out, so I did. Skype is a free program that you download to your computer. It allows for Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) calling from a computer where there is a broadband connection. If you phone computer-to-computer, it is absolutely free. If you phone from computer-to-phone it has a small cost. I had to load 10 Euros into my account by using a credit card, then I could call my boys, Mom, etc. on either their home or cell phone for about a penny and a half a minute. After a lot of calling I still have over 6 Euros left in my account. The voice quality was good to excellent. Sometimes there was a little delay, but nothing that doesn't occasionally happen when I call my pal Gary McCarty in Alaska on regular phones. If you have a microphone and speakers for your computer you will be set. I ended up going to Wal-Mart in Nanchang and purchasing the headset that Ming is wearing in the picture above for about $4.50 USD. Skype also allows for keystroke chatting like MSN Messenger, which I did with my buddy Jeff Gibson while I was in China and he was in Australia. If you have a webcam, then you can video message too. If this sounds like a commerical for Skype, it is. It was a very cool discovery for me which I will continue to use when connecting with people around the world. Don't you just love the technology age?