OK, I’ll admit it, I’m a little obsessed with Skype. I mean why wouldn’t anyone be a little obsessed with a piece of software that give you almost free long distance. Skype has another great service called Skype To Go. This lets me give free long distance to my friends and family to call me anywhere in the world, without a computer.

Skype has local Skype To Go numbers in a large number of countries. For example, I am in the Middle East, and my parents are in Canada. I set up a Skype To Go number in Canada on the Skype website. Skype To Go is part of my $3 a month unlimited US & Canada calling package. I register my parents home number online and give them the local phone number for them to call. They call that local number from their home phone, and select me from the call list with their keypad. Then Skype calls me on my cell phone, wherever I am. The cost of the call is added to my Skype account and in most countries is about 2-3 cents a minute. No cost to my parents, and no computer involved during the call.

OK, not everyone likes Facebook. Not everyone even has a computer. So what do you do to keep these people up to date with what is going on in your Facebook life? Simple, send them a newsletter, complete with status updates and the photos that you posted. PostEgram now allows you to automatically send your parents or grandparents a newsletter via the post office, starting at $4.99 a month. I think this is a great idea to keep my parents up to date.

Skype is one of those software programs that no one should be without. Skype allows anyone to call around the world at little to no expense. Skype can be used in several different ways.

PC to PC: Most people who have heard of Skype think that this is the only way to connect to others. It is true that all connections using this method are free. So if you have family members that are on their PC at specific times, or you can see they are logged in and available, via the Skype interface; then you can connect. The other benefit of using this method is that you can take advantage of the video conferencing. However, finding someone online at the same time that you are, is not always convenient. Which leads us to the next method of using Skype.

PC to Landline: Also referred to as Skype Out. Many people do not realize that you can call landlines from Skype. It is not free of charge, however, the monthly service fees are minimal. For example, I have an unlimited plan that allows me to call any phone number in the US or Canada for $3 a month. I can also call other countries using Skype’s favorable rates that average about 2 cents a minute depending on the country being called. There are some other perks when you buy a subscription plan such as voice mail and call forwarding. Meaning if someone calls your PC and you are not there, the call can be routed to you mobile/cell phone or they can leave a voice mail. But what about if the person calling you does not have a PC.

Skype In: Skype has agreements with several phone companies around that world that allow you to buy a phone number. [unfortunately Canada is not one of those countries, yet]. Skype In allows you to buy a phone number and give that out. Then when someone calls that number it is routed to Skype on your PC. If you are not there then the voice mail and call forwarding features can be activated.

So go to Skype and download the software.

Computers keep getting smaller. But one thing that will have to change if computers continue to get smaller, is what kind of interface will be used to interact with them. Keyboards can’t get much smaller and still be usable. Talking to a computer may be the future, but that is still a ways off to be practical. That reminds me of comical Star Trek movie segment where they go back in time and Scotty tries to talk to a present day computer.

But the most fascinating work that I have seen to date is being done by a young gentleman by the name of Pranav Mistry from MIT. He recently did a demonstration of his work at a conference. It is far too amazing to describe. It it best to watch the videos.