Rolla Mornings Live - How 'Bout Those Net Neutrality Commercials?

Steve, Marty and I have already discussed Net Neutrality but now Steve's discovered a video that compares losing it to big business owning the Interstates. The best customers can go straight through the tollgates and everyone else can either stay off the highway or take the service roads. Is that accurate? Welllllll.....it could be IF it the telecoms who currently own the backbone that the Internet runs on decided to cripple it.....but for what? Who'd want to use a crippled network? I wouldn't. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're going to see a lot of folks out there who believe that without government intervention and federal legislation, that's what's going to happen. You're going to see commercials like this (can you spell l-o-b-b-y-i-s-t?) that puts fear into your little surf-loving hearts in the hopes that you'll be convinced that legislation is the only way to stop it. Balderdash! Poppycock! First of all, who's going to define Net Neutrality? There really isn't a formal definition and you can bet there are several variations going around. You have to define it to legislate it, don't you? OK, I won't get on my soapbox here. Suffice it to say that my own personal opinion is that the government doesn't have any business legislating the Internet FOR (Save the Internet!) or AGAINST (Big Telecom wants to franchise the Internet!) Net Neutrality. Do I hear Chicken Little....??????? Hey, that's MY opinion and if it's not yours, that's OK. You can be sure we haven't heard the last of it....and I get more confused the more I hear...Just listen to the podcast. Steve and Marty are always a hoot!

[And the Views continue...]

Rolla Mornings Live - Skype's Latest, Greatest Offer!

I consider myself pretty much of an "old hat" at using VoIP since that's also what runs the Virtual Coop and I had my first experience with using a VoIP conference room a year ago at Co-opworld's first Summer Sizzler. I never tried Skype until a short time ago...

I've been using Skype, mostly to talk to Kristi, from my PC for several months now. I've always known that Skype offered PC to landline calling for a fee but never tried it. I have a cellphone and long distance (within reason) is a part of my cell plan. Now, Skype's done something that's made me decide maybe I should give it a try: FREE calling from PC to landline or cellphone until the end of 2006! Hey, my mom, Gwen, has already put it into practice with several of her friends who live far enough away to be considered long-distance when it comes to the telephone company. She and Dottye have been chatting via Skype for awhile but they only live down the street from each other so long-distance wasn't an issue. Now, they can add their long-distance friends to their conversations just by calling them on the phone...no computer required! Mom tells me the reception is great. She even left me a message on my cellphone from Skype and I would not have known it if she hadn't told me. I did wonder about that weird number that appeared on my Caller ID, though...012-345-6789 (or something like that).

You really have to listen to this show. Steve actually made a Skype call from his PC while we were on the air! If you haven't tried Skype and you like the idea of FREE long-distance phone calls, then visit them online and try it out! Even if you have a cellphone plan, you can save your minutes by using Skype to make those long-distance calls.

[And the Views continue...]

Sharing Your Photos Online - Episode 27

**This show is dedicated to David "Butthead" Eveland**

Remember how much fun it always was to look at pictures of your friends and family (especially the ones where Aunt Martha was caught with a goofy look on her face)? It was always so exciting to get one of those letters that you knew had photographs in it because you could feel them through the envelope. Hopefully, the sender put a "Do Not Bend" message on the outside of the envelope and the post office actually read it.....

Today, digital cameras have made it so much easier to share photographs. If you have a digital camera, I know you've e-mailed pictures to other people at least once. The biggest problem with e-mail, though, is Internet connection speed. If you happen to have dialup (and I do have it on my home computer), it takes what seems like hours to send a photo or photos, if they get sent at all. If you have a high-speed connection but the recipient doesn't, the pictures you send them may even prevent them from downloading other e-mail. What's a gal to do?

I use an online photosharing service. The one I use is called Snapfish, but it's only one fish in an ocean of photosharing services. Photo sharing services can be broken down into two groups: free and paid. Some free photosharing services depend on advertising to offer their services and some offer free photoshairng services as a vehicle to sell their prints or other merchandise. Paid sites are usually subscription based and may not use advertising or sell other goods. You can also purchase peer-to-peer photosharing software that allows you to share your digital photos directly from your home computer. Those types of applications generally depend on high speed connections and some may even require that the recipient have the same software installed on their computers to be able to view your photos.

Sound like a bunch of options? You bet it is! On our show this week, Kristi and I stressed (again) the importance of doing your homework. What features do you want in a photosharing service/application? Do you just want to share your photos, or do you want instant messaging, blogging or website options, too? Check out online reviews of photosharing services and photosharing software before you decide which one is right for you.

Are you leery of registering with your e-mail address? Read the Privacy Policy. We don't recommend using an online service that doesn't have a Privacy Policiy posted on their website. You could use a fake e-mail address, but we don't really recommend that either. What we recommend is creating an e-mail address with Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail or some other free e-mail service and use it just for sharing your photos. Again, it's your responsibility to do your research and choose what works for you, whether it's security, number of features, or ease of use that happens to be your most important requirement. Whatever you choose to do, remember that if your choice doesn't work, there a plenty more out there to try!

[And the Views continue...]

An Interview with Greg Bright of Keynamics - the Inventor of the Aviator Laptop Stand - Episode 26

We had a great show this week. Kristi and I were tickled to have Greg Bright of Keynamics in Austin, Texas with us to discuss ergonomics in the computer workstation environment and to tell us about some of the Keynamics products that help promote proper positioning, specifically as they relate to using a laptop. The original laptop stand that Greg created, the eWheelie, was created for laptop users that primarily used their laptop at a single location for long periods of time. The newest addition to Keynamics ergonimically correct laptop stands is the Aviator (I have one and love it!). Unlike the eWheelie, the Aviator was specifically developed by Greg and a co-inventor, Ken Jones of Integrated Molding Solutions in Houston, Texas, to be portable. That's especially appealing to business travelers who are here today and someplace else tomorrow. A large number of those trips include airplane time and often, using a laptop in an already cramped airplane seat on a tiny fold down table.

Greg, an experienced road warrior who has carried a laptop with him for over 10 years, became interested in the field of ergonomics when he started noticing that he was starting to experience discomfort at the end of a week of laptop use at his desk. His interest and expertise in ergonomics has increased over the years and along with it, Keynamics has introduced ergonomically sound products ranging from office chairs to headsets. Greg recommends that everyone visit the OSHA website for a wealth of information about safely using computer workstations.

Dr. Kathy King of Podcast for Teachers at Fordham University in New York city was also on hand to discuss an ergonomics project on which she and Greg are currently working together. As laptops become more and more popular in schools across the nation from kindergarten to college, the need for proper ergonomics is a subject that has not been receiving the attention it deserves. Dr. King and Greg Bright are pursuing funding to research the benefits of ergonomics in education, especially younger children who may be growing up using laptops as part of their everyday activities.

We had a great time and also welcomed several new guests to our virtual coop including:

Ken Jones, co-developer of the eWheelie and the Aviator
Sue Anne, Greg's lovely wife
Renee Brown of Women's Ave Radio
Dave and Bob, friends and colleagues of Greg's from the great state of Texas

I highly recommend that you listen to the interview since Greg has a special offer for everyone who does.

[And the Views continue...]

How Good are YOU at Communicating by E-Mail? - Episode 25

I'll bet you think you do a pretty good job. Tell me, have you ever sent an e-mail that the recipient misunderstood? Sure you have. That wasn't YOUR fault, though, was it....or was it? Have you ever received an e-mail that really ticked you off and responded in kind just to find out the sender didn't have a clue what you were so mad about? I think most of us who use e-mail on a regular basis really do believe that we're pretty effective communicators over e-mail. That belief is what prompted this week's Views from the Coop.

I read an article a few weeks ago on the Christian Science Monitor's website that really made me stop and think about the confidence I have in my ability to create effective e-mail messages. The article, by Daniel Enemark, pointed out that researchers have identified three major problems with e-mail:

1. e-mail lacks conversational cues like facial expression and tone of voice


2. being able to communicate almost instantaneously creates an urgency that causes us as e-mail correspondants to think and act quickly, which often leads to carelessness


3. the inability to develop a personal rapport over e-mail makes for fragile relationships in the face of conflict

The conclusion at which Professors Morris and Lowenstein (two of the scholars studying the benefits and dangers of e-mail) arrived is that most of us overestimate our ability to communicate feelings in an e-mail and that likewise, we also overestimate our ability to correctly decode feelings expressed in an e-mail. If you get a chance, take the time to read "It's all about me: Why e-mails are so easily understood" and decide for yourself how you feel about that. Other articles that do a good job of examining the e-mail communication issue are:

• "Study on e-mail points to problem with e-go" at ars technica


• "E-Mail Misundestandings" at Poynter Online

At the very least, these resources will make you think about sending and receiving e-mail. Just remember a wise piece of advice from the Poynter Online article:

Ticked off? Ready to blow? Step away from the keyboard...

[And the Views continue...]