Hughes climbed the world’s highest mountain to raise money for Comic Relief, a British charity that battles poverty around the world. He reached the summit of Everest on Sunday, May 19^th, put on a red clown nose (it is Comic Relief after all) and made a Skype Video Call to BBC News. That’s a “World’s First” for Hughes.

 Daniel Hughes talks with BBC News from the top of Mt. Everest on Skype, via his mobile phone. 

“Skype became a part of my everyday life on Mt. Everest,” Hughes said. “I used it to stay in contact with my friends, family and even to make high quality calls to the BBC.”

Hughes may have been the first person to make a Skype call from the top of Everest but another climber came close.

Courtesy of Mark Wood

Mark Wood, also from the UK, spent the last couple of months trekking through the Himalayas and connecting to students around the world via Skype in the classroom. He uses Skype to discuss environmental change with school kids. As Wood explains, “I try to bring connection to the outside world, and bring explorations visually to schools from many different countries.”

While Wood and his team also hoped to make a Skype call from the top of Everest, two team members fell ill –  just a heartbreaking 500 meters from the summit. Wood made the tough decision to turn back. We commend him for putting safety first and look forward to sharing his next adventures via Skype.

Now that Skype from Mount Everest has been checked off the “Never Been Done Before” list, what do you think will be next? Skype from space? Let us know in the comments.

Skype opted for VIP treatment, inviting soldiers to walk the red carpet at the premiere of Marvel’s Iron Man 3, in Los Angeles, California.

Troops stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma were able to join in on the fun as well, thanks to a custom-built Skype Suite. The suite featured an over-sized monitor that projected a Skype video call into the heart of the action, and soldiers were able to see and speak with members of their family. The Marvel’s Iron Man 3 celebs also stopped by to express gratitude and spend some time with the troops.

We know military families rely on Skype voice and video calls to connect with their loved ones, so we were thrilled to be able to provide that opportunity, and a magical night these everyday heroes can smile back on for years to come.

Watch the excitement yourself as the troops chat on Skype with A-listers, including Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Jon Favreau:

Brooks as we know and love him today was born in 1926 as Melvin Kaminsky.  He began his career as a comedian in the famed “Borscht Belt,” and is best known for his satires and parodies such as The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein and Spaceballs. Brooks’ shotgun humor was recently highlighted in the PBS biography American Masters Mel Brooks: Make a Noise, which was screened last night at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

Brooks used Skype video calling to connect from his home in Los Angeles, California with Joy Behar, Susan Stroman, and Robert Trachtenberg at the 92Y for a conversation about his life, career and the documentary. As they discussed different moments from the film, he revealed his biggest secret to success: “I do things for myself, and mostly the audience just joins me.”

Brooks shared a number of stories with us, including one about the time he waited an hour and a half to present Cary Grant with the album for the 2,000 Year Old Man. This segued perfectly into the gem about his close friend Carl Reiner who took a dozen of the albums to England as a gift for the Queen (or the biggest “shiksa in the world” as Brooks calls her).

Having previously hosted comedians such as Larry David, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Colbert and Woody Allen, the 92Y has a particular soft spot for comedy. When asked “why Mel Brooks?” Deputy Executive Director Henry Timms said, “There is probably no one who is more admired by the 92Y audiences than him.  Being able to bring Mel Brooks here via Skype makes this event extra special. This kind of technology really allows 92Y to expand its reach and enhance its programming in wonderful ways.”

Brooks credited his success to Sid Caesar with whom he first began his professional career, stating “I don’t even know if I’m talented, but I’ve told so many people I am, and they believe me.” When questioned about what he was currently working on, Brooks deadpanned, “I’m working on a new suit that I got at Men’s Warehouse. I don’t want to get it tailored, because then you’re throwing out all the savings.”

American Masters Mel Brooks: Make a Noise premieres nationwide Monday, May 20 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and is available on DVD May 21 from Shout Factory. Tune in to catch the biography Brooks describes as “very, very moving… the stories and the strife, and my life.”

Since then, Ryan and VerbalizeIt co-founder Kunal Sarda recorded an episode of ABC’s hit reality series Shark Tank. For those not familiar, Shark Tank is primetime TV show (currently the most popular show on Friday nights) where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of real investors like multi-billionaire Mark Cuban.

The guys at VerbalizeIt spent months honing their pitch and then presented to “The Sharks.” After carefully considering VerbalizeIt’s pitch, the investors decided to… actually, we don’t know what they’ve decided yet. You’ll have to tune in to Shark Tank on Friday, May 17^th (9:00pm EST) to find out.

In the meantime, we do know that Ryan and Kunal spent an hour pitching “The Sharks” and their segment will be edited down to some eight minutes in the actual broadcast. During the full hour, VerbalizeIt and the Sharks repeatedly discussed Skype and how VerbalizeIt works within Skype voice and video calls.

Ryan says, “The Sharks got excited when we brought up Skype. They saw it as a great platform for VerbalizeIt – both in terms of the technology itself and in terms of the reach and popularity of Skype.”

Whether they find investors on Shark Tank or not, VerbalizeIt has grown like crazy over the last months and will continue to evolve. They’ve gone from four to six translation languages and from a community of 2,000 interpreters to over 5,000 bi-lingual (and tri-lingual) experts on call. They now have interpreters specialized in specific industries such as medical, legal and financial translation.

Gloria Lee, a VerbalizeIt Korean Interpreter explains, “VerbalizeIt is made up of real people. We’re a live community that shares interests, cares about one another and is working together towards helping people communicate better.”

Even though VerbalizeIt is still in its start-up stages, they are already finding a way to give back by providing language interpretation for the Skype in the Classroom initiative. Ryan concludes, “None of our success would be possible without Skype. The ease of use, quality of the calls and nearly universal familiarity with Skype has helped VerbalizeIt become what it is today.”

Secondo una ricerca commissionata da Skype negli Stati Uniti, una persona su cinque non si ricorda di festeggiare la mamma!

E voi… vi siete ricordarti di questa importante festa? Avete fissato un promemoria su Outlook per la giornata di ieri? Sicuramente uno dei modi migliori per festeggiarla, è stato quello di trascorrere insieme a lei l’intera giornata. Purtroppo però non tutti hanno avuto questa possibilità: spesso viviamo in città diverse e lontani dai nostri cari. E allora quale modo migliore di una videochiamata fatta con Skype per stare insieme ?

Le chiamate sul cellulare o su rete fissa tramite Skype aumentano proprio nella giornata dedicata alla mamma: rispetto a una normale domenica, in questa occasione, infatti Skype ha registrato – negli USA – un aumento del 35%. La ricerca statunitense mette in evidenza anche un dato piuttosto curioso. Il 21% degli americani è appassionato di star e celebrità e, nel giorno della Festa della Mamma, vorrebbe video chiamare Michelle Obama o mamme bellissime come Jessica Alba e Angelina Jolie. Vip a parte, non dimenticate di video chiamare la vostra mamma … e non solo per la sua festa!

Damaris Palmer was awaiting the arrival of her newest little bundle of joy, when an unexpected turn of events lead to an emergency C-section. Shortly after birth, newborn baby Eliza was having breathing problems. As such, Palmer was only able to sneak in a quick glimpse of the infant before she needed to be transferred to another hospital a mere few hours later. Palmer described this as a “very stressful and tumultuous experience,” as her first peak included her little one hooked up to machines.

As the days passed, her doctors kept reassuring her that Eliza was doing better, that she was growing healthier by the day. However, without seeing it with her own eyes she grew finicky. Her husband was dividing his time between visiting her at the hospital and baby Eliza at the other hospital’s NICU. He’d relay moments he shared with the infant – how cute she was, things she did, how she was eating well.

Having already given birth twice before, this was a totally different experience for Palmer. She stated “I was starting to get really depressed when I wasn’t able to see her for a couple of days, especially because I was in one hospital and she was in another.” Not being able to see her newborn daughter left her at a loss as to what to do. As her husband, Christian, was preparing to leave one day, Palmer was struck with inspiration. She thought to herself, why not have my husband take my mobile phone, and she could hang onto their laptop and use Skype video calling to “visit” the NICU.

Palmer and newborn baby Eliza.

With laptop and phone on and ready, Damaris and Christian connected via Skype for 30 minutes, and finally Palmer was able to meet her baby girl. “When I was able to see her I was so relieved, to see she really was doing better. It was the first time I was really able to see her face, her little features and feel as though I could spend some time with her. It felt like the first time we were able to be a little family,” says Palmer. Going on further to say that “technology is my BFF.”

A source of joy for the now family of five, Palmer is also able to share baby Eliza from the comforts of her home in California with family members abroad in Brazil and Hawaii. For Palmer “it’s wonderful. They can see our kids, and we can see our nieces and nephews. And it just makes us feel like we’re not thousands of miles away.”

How have you used Skype to share special moments with your mother?

Paltrow’s fans were encouraged to visit MSN’s Facebook page and post their Iron Man 3 questions for consideration. Ten lucky fans ultimately got chosen to ask their original and fun questions to Paltrow via a Skype video call.  The chat was a part of an ongoing series of Skype sessions between celebs and fans facilitated by MSN, which kicked off with a live chat with pop-music sensation Katy Perry in July.

Kerri-Ann Roper, Managing Editor of MSN Entertainment UK told me that they started the Skype chat series because they wanted to give fans a unique way of interacting with their favorite stars. “Skype is the perfect vehicle – it’s easy to access and you can use it pretty much anywhere,” Roper said. “It allows you freedom to connect, within seconds, to anyone across the world. You don’t have to worry about barriers such as distance.”

Check out the full video of Paltrow’s Skype chat on MSN below:

Paltrow has become more familiar with using Skype as of late. Recently, she answered questions via Skype from members of the U.S. military live from the red carpet premiere of Marvel’s Iron Man 3. One serviceman asked Paltrow who she missed most while being away filming her movies. “It’s my children that I miss the most,” she said, before thanking the troops for their service. “These are really uncertain times, we appreciate so much what you’re doing, and it’s because of you guys that, when my sons are lying in bed worried at night, I can tell them they’re safe.”

Gwyneth Paltrow uses Skype to speak with soldiers stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington from the premiere of Marvel’s Iron Man 3.

Have your read about your favorite celeb using Skype? Leave us a comment and let us know! And keep it locked here on the Skype Blog Network for more stories about celebrities using Skype in their everyday lives.

We reached out to two of the country’s foremost experts on African Grey Parrots, Dr. Irene Pepperberg and Maggie Wright. Doctor Pepperberg is a research scientist and lecturer at Harvard. She does groundbreaking animal intelligence research and wrote Alex & Me, the famed memoir of her relationship with her African Grey. Maggie Wright modestly calls herself “just a plain old bird mom” but in fact has started the global parrot community site, www.africangreys.com and authored the definitive African Grey Parrots book.

Check out Maggie’s parrot, Merlin, imitating other animals on Skype:

We learned more about this amazing animal during a Skype call to Dr. Pepperberg and Maggie Wright in Arizona:

What are the challenges to get an African Grey Parrot to interact on Skype versus, say, a dog?
Dr. Pepperberg: African Greys are one generation out of the rainforest. Dogs have over ten thousand years of domestication. Dogs are eager to please. Parrots are… not. They have their own agenda. But they’re intelligent. They have the brain of a five-year-old human and communicate at level of a two-year-old.

What’s most important thing you’ve learned about animals from having a relationship with an African Grey Parrot?
Dr. Pepperberg: You might expect this level of intelligence in apes or dolphins, but it is surprising in a parrot. The whole notion of being a “bird brain” is so false. Animals don’t have to look like us to be intelligent or even have large brains to be smart.

What’s most important thing you’ve learned about humans from having a relationship with an African Grey Parrot?
Maggie Wright: To relax. To act childlike. To play. To be calm. My parrot Merlin taught me how to relax. I was a phobic child after the death of my mother and Merlin helped me to transform as an adult.

Any advice for people who want to adopt an African Grey?
Dr. Pepperberg: Make sure you have a lifestyle that allows you to be very present. Having an African Grey is like having a child who never grows up.

Maggie Wright: Once you become attached to an African Grey Parrot, it changes your life. They reflect our emotions and energy. It is an amazing relationship, but you have to be very dedicated.

Dr. Pepperberg: Also, please buy from a respectable breeder. You don’t want an imported, traumatized bird.

In the September of 2008, Aaron Davis, a freelance project manager, traveled down to Gonaives, Haiti’s fourth largest city that was hit particularly hard. After a brief stop in Galveston, Texas, to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Ike, Davis and disaster relief organization, All Hands recognized that their efforts were needed elsewhere.

Upon arrival, 10 days after the final storm, Davis was met with mudslides and flooding. Lacking power sources and sewage infrastructure, the city of Gonaives, a river valley, had as much as 6 feet of mud that came down from the mountains. With limited means of communication, Skype WiFi was used along with a satellite Internet connection to set up shop.

It was important to be able “plug in,” as Davis says, with ever changing locations, meetings were often spur of the moment. Video calling allowed various humanitarian organizations, like CARE, UNICEF, and Feed The Children, to discuss where relief efforts were most needed. As tasks were changing by the day, that line to the outside world was vital. Davis said, “if they needed mud to be removed from streets so children could return to school, or removed from a house, because a family of 14 lived there – we had a team survey where volunteers would be best utilized.” Volunteers, supplies, and daily responsibilities – it was all arranged and coordinated via video calling and instant messaging.

Davis with members of the Gonaives community.

 Not only were these features a good resource for last minute meetings and coordinating with their base camp, Davis says it also enabled them to “be in touch with the whole world. It became a community resource; villagers could call the rest of the world and contact their families. It was useful and helpful; it is the tie that binds the common thread.”

How has Skype aided you in remote situations?

For those who aren’t familiar, Pinterest is a popular social media site that lets its members discover and share all sorts of great images and photographs in a social setting. To enter, sign up or log on to Pinterest, follow Skype’s profile, then create a Pinterest board featuring the best international photographs that you can find. These can be awe-inspiring professional shots found on Pinterest, family pics from a personal album, or anything in-between.

We’re looking forward to seeing photos of all kinds, especially ones that exhibit some international flair. The most impressive entry will win the incredible grand prize of a trip for two with Intrepid Travel (worth $5,000), and 35 more winners will win a year’s free Skype Unlimited World subscription (worth over $140 each).

With a Skype Unlimited World subscription, you can call landlines in over 60 countries and mobiles in 8 countries as much as you like for $13.99 a month. It’s the perfect way to stay in touch with friends and family across the globe without having to worry about the cost.

If you’ve caught the travel bug, have some friends abroad you’d like to chat with, or just love to marvel at the wonders of the world, head to Skype’s Pinterest page now to learn more about Skype Unlimited World subscriptions and check out our contest.

We wouldn’t want you to miss it for the world!

¹ No purchase necessary. Open to registered Pinterest account holders 14+. Ends June 7, 2013. See Official Rules for details. Pinterest is not a sponsor of this contest.