Finally - A Name I Can Remember!

Not much to report... David's in Scotland this week, and I've been packing and bringing stuff over to the house little by little. Before he left, David downloaded this really cool free software onto our computers & cell phones. I have a tendency to make up nicknames for computer-related things because I can never remember what they're called (just ask my former students, who came to realize that whenever they saw me frantically pacing the classroom, muttering "Where's my Doodad? Who's got the Doodad? Has ANYONE seen my DOODAD?!?" it was their cue to look around for my Flash Drive). So when David installed this software, I rejoiced when I learned its name: GIZMO.

Gizmo is a free full-service communication interface for macs, pc's, and cell phones, that allows you to connect to someone easily in many different ways. It's similar to Skype, but I believe it has more features. You can make free phone calls & web cam calls over the internet using a computer OR phone, plus it consolidates all your IM accounts into one place. This "Gizmo" has been terribly useful for us, as it allows David to contact me for free, or cheap, in a variety of different ways whenever he can get a WiFi connection on his cell phone or laptop. So Scotland doesn't seem so far away :(

Sometimes the connection is great, sometimes it's only ok. Sometimes a video connection takes a few tries. It kinda depends on the quality of internet he's getting out there. And he's on an old laptop. It's not a perfect system, but I think I actually figured out how to use it right away, which is a big plus.

Anyway, if you travel internationally or have a loved one who lives or travels overseas, and you need a one-stop shop interface for all your communication needs, check this puppy out... I mean, check this GIZMO out...