Skype OT

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

ollie2 - 30 Mar 2007 20:31 GMT

I've just installed Skype and am having a lot of fun with it. With
broadband it is all so simple :) We have good friends in Brisbane (x New
Zealanders) and it is good to be able to talk with them at no cost. We
now have video cams as well so that we can view as well as talk. I was
wondering if any members of RPCA were on Skype as well. I know some of you
have blog sites which you can add to your profile on Skype. I haven't but
have put down writing and cats as my interests. Haven't ventured into the
chat there yet but might once I get the hang of things properly.

Bev

Signature

--
The e-mail of the species is more deadly than the mail.

Reply to this Message

Pat - 30 Mar 2007 21:38 GMT

| I've just installed Skype and am having a lot of fun with it. With
| broadband it is all so simple :) We have good friends in Brisbane (x New
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
| have put down writing and cats as my interests. Haven't ventured into the
| chat there yet but might once I get the hang of things properly.

I don't have Skype but I do use AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ and PalTalk. All but
PalTalk have free webcam, and all have free voice chat.

Reply to this Message

Christine K. - 31 Mar 2007 09:15 GMT

Pat kirjoitti:

> | I've just installed Skype and am having a lot of fun with it. With
> | broadband it is all so simple :) We have good friends in Brisbane (x New
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> I don't have Skype but I do use AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ and PalTalk. All but
> PalTalk have free webcam, and all have free voice chat.

I have MSN, Yahoo and ICQ too. Not that fond of Skype tho...

Signature

Christine in Laitila, Finland
christal63 (at) gmail (dot) com
photos: http://photos.yahoo.com/christal63
photos: http://community.webshots.com/user/chkr63

Reply to this Message

Yowie - 01 Apr 2007 11:25 GMT

> I've just installed Skype and am having a lot of fun with it. With
> broadband it is all so simple :) We have good friends in Brisbane (x New
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> ventured into the chat there yet but might once I get the hang of things
> properly.

We have Skype.... somewhere. I wasn't terribly impressed with it at the
time, and, besdies didn't really have anyone to talk to. Like most other
chat programs (even ones with VOIP), after the novelty wears off, it just
ends up easier to call someone on the real phone, rather than arranging with
someoen to be at their puter at a particular time, and then being tied to
the puter for the length of the conversation (particularly with the Yowlet
around, a cordless phone is *necessary*). I also found that with my
particular hearing loss, the quality of the voice made it very hard to work
out what people were saying, although Joel, with perfectly working ears,
didn't have that problem.

It would probably fun, though, if there were 'chat rooms' so that we could
all meet and chat together. If we're going to do that, I'll try to drop in
and say 'hi'.

Yowie

Reply to this Message

ollie2 - 01 Apr 2007 23:52 GMT

>> I've just installed Skype and am having a lot of fun with it. With
>> broadband it is all so simple :) We have good friends in Brisbane (x New
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
>
> Yowie

Yowie, I didn't know you had a hearing loss and this can be so difficult for
you to cope with - I have just had a friend staying with us who simply
refuses to acknowledge his problem. I am sure this doesn't apply to you

:). But Stan pretends all is well although he doesn't hear a thing, the tv

was up at scream level and after three days I was at scream level. I am
sure a hearing aide would help him but he gets ratty if you mention it. Oh
well - guess it is a man thing!! But I would rather hear what was going on
than worry about how I looked.

It would be nice to occasionally chat on Skype and if you have a webcam have
a look at the Yowlet and of course the furred ones. I am on messenger and
talk to my friend in Canada on that. She doesn't have broadband so it's no
use suggesting Skype to her.

For some reason I find it funny to have a ringing computer, rather like
Maxwell Smart in an early TV programme. He had a shoe phone which was
always ringing rofl, I just loved it and when we went through LA airport
recently and had to remove our shoes I nearly said to the poe faced guy,
don't mess with my shoe phone! If I had I am sure I would have been
arrested!

Interestingly some six million people are on line on Skype at one time.

Bev

Reply to this Message

Marina - 02 Apr 2007 03:49 GMT

> For some reason I find it funny to have a ringing computer, rather like
> Maxwell Smart in an early TV programme. He had a shoe phone which was
> always ringing rofl, I just loved it and when we went through LA airport
> recently and had to remove our shoes I nearly said to the poe faced guy,
> don't mess with my shoe phone! If I had I am sure I would have been
> arrested!

LOL!

> Interestingly some six million people are on line on Skype at one time.

I installed Skype once, just to see what it was like, but I've never
used it (and I've forgotten my password now). Since I don't have a
fixed-line phone, just a mobile one, I thought Skype could be a good
back-up in case the mobile went dead or something. But I'd have to buy
the phone time in order to use Skype to make normal calls to telephones.

Signature

Marina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki.
Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/
Pics at http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/
http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Reply to this Message

Yowie - 02 Apr 2007 07:05 GMT

> > For some reason I find it funny to have a ringing computer, rather like
> > Maxwell Smart in an early TV programme. He had a shoe phone which was
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> back-up in case the mobile went dead or something. But I'd have to buy
> the phone time in order to use Skype to make normal calls to telephones.

The 'joy' of Skype (and other programs that do similar things) is that if
you & your friend both have Skype, you don't have to pay for the calls.

You do, however, have to be attached to the computer via the mircophone (I
guess you could get a wireless one) and if you don't have headphones, you
have the conversation over the speakers. Its OK if you have your PC in
another room, or you live alone, but would get annoying for us.

AS I said, its a good idea for those who can make 'appointments' to call
other people and don't mind being attached to their PC. Especailly since
youcan use a web cam at the same time and have 'video conferences' so to
speak.

The sound quality is also less than that of a regular phone, some people
don't mind that small loss of quality, but it bothers me.

Yowie

Reply to this Message

Adrian A - 02 Apr 2007 11:12 GMT

>>> For some reason I find it funny to have a ringing computer, rather
>>> like Maxwell Smart in an early TV programme. He had a shoe phone
[quoted text clipped - 34 lines]
>
> Yowie

I don't know about other parts of the world but in the UK you can buy
cordless phones for use with Skype.

Signature

Adrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera)
Cats leave pawprints on your heart.
http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk

Reply to this Message

Marina - 02 Apr 2007 12:19 GMT

> The 'joy' of Skype (and other programs that do similar things) is that if
> you & your friend both have Skype, you don't have to pay for the calls.

Yes, but the advantage with Skype is that you can make calls to regular
phones with it, so there doesn't have to be a computer on the receiving
end, but this kind of calls cost something (but they're much cheaper
than regular international phone calls - from one phone to another).

Signature

Reply to this Message

Yowie - 02 Apr 2007 07:09 GMT

> >> I've just installed Skype and am having a lot of fun with it. With
> >> broadband it is all so simple :) We have good friends in Brisbane (x New
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
> well - guess it is a man thing!! But I would rather hear what was going on
> than worry about how I looked.

Its not *serious* hearing loss, but I do find it harder than 'average' to
follow a conversation in a noisy place, and also find it difficult to hear
everything on a poor quality phone connection.

My parents on the other hand - my father especially - are both death but
rarely if ever use their hearing aids, so when I visit I come back with a
headache and Joel has to tell me to stop yelling at him. LOL.

> It would be nice to occasionally chat on Skype and if you have a webcam have
> a look at the Yowlet and of course the furred ones. I am on messenger and
> talk to my friend in Canada on that. She doesn't have broadband so it's no
> use suggesting Skype to her.

I don't have a web cam :(, but could probably find one cheap if I had to :-)

Yeah, those security people are hand picked for their total lack of humour.

Yowie

Reply to this Message