Skype

     The usefulness of this application is nearly immeasurable. Skype allows you to communicate with anyone in the world through your computer. I have spoken to my girl friend, Kory, through Skype several times while away at UIC. One time, I recall playing a game of Monopoly with some people while the computer was placed on the couch. Every thirty seconds, she would start chiming in and announcing how no one should accept any of my business offers.
     Jack finally gave into the hype of Skype (hey, that rhymed) a few days ago. One of the the first things he did was play the card game, Magic, with one of his buddies who was in a completely different town. They both leaned their laptops downward in an effort to help each other to see what cards had been placed on a table. Earlier that day, Jack and I had a Skype conference. We were in the same room about ten feet away from each other. We also learned what happens if you put two "Skype-ing" computers next to each other and put the volume up all the way, every sound made will echo back and forth between the computers. If the computers are too close, however, a high frequency sound, similar to when two microphones get to close to each other in a stage or concert performance, will occur.
     Victor was Skyping for about four hours the other day with these girls from ISU. He gave them a tour of the room by turning the laptop 360 degrees around. I ended up introducing myself, and they commented on how they liked my hats. I commented on how I also liked my hats. The conversation didn't get much further than that.