You would probably expect that a confirmed net-head like me would have jumped on the internet telephony wagon years ago. However, while I recognise that the ability to transmit your voice over great distances is an amazing thing, I have never been a great phone fan. When I moved to broadband, my phone bill dropped to little more than the regular service charge and there were very few occasions when I needed to speak to someone where end-to-end internet telephony would have given a cost-free option.

Recently, someone I know has got into Skype, which is the biggest provider of such services and so I have finally given it a go, having had my first Skype conversation with him last night.

All told, it was pretty easy to set up. The hardest thing was not installing the software or setting up my Skype account but finding a working microphone. Almost out of other options, I tried the excellent mini-mic I use with my minidisc recorder and found myself set up to chat (I thought it required power from the minidisc machine but either I was wrong or it can extract what it needs from my laptop).

Anyway, if you are someone I might have cause to call and you are also on Skype (or have been thinking of setting it up), drop my a line and I will give you my Skype address so you can look me up.

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