Publication Date: September 27th 2005
ISSN 1445-1360
In this issue you will read:
Editorial: September 27th 2005
Definition: Wikipedia
Software Review: Skype 1.3.0.67
Quotable: Stanislaw J. Lec said...
Web site Review: The Favicon
The Great Australian Joke: Hotline to Heaven
G'Day Blokes and Sheilas!
How is everyone's month going? Summer has drawn to an end here and supposedly things are suppose to slow down in the Innkeeping business. I am not seeing it though! Good for business! I have even become a good cook, with my breakfasts getting rave reviews from our guests.
I have a few more happy customers with Thinkers, some with just hosting and some including domains. I apply the same philosophy I always have with any business I work in or for, that is the customer always comes first. So if you're not satisfied with your current web site host give me a try!
Back on to the educational part of the newsletter. Last month I noted how Google seems to be attempting to be everything for everyone. In the past month they released Google Talk their very own Instant Messenger. It uses your Gmail account as your ID and has the same sorts of bells and whistles that MSN, ICQ and Yahoo have. Trillian, my favorite, supports it in its Pro version however I am not paying for that currently so have not tested it. All Google need now is an Office Suite and they could really take it up to Microsoft as far as the desktop competition goes.
In the past I mentioned Skype, the little program that lets you connect to others over the Internet using voice. Well the powerhouse of eBay just purchased the company for like a gazillion bucks! Industry pundits and I tend to agree that it was mainly for the 65 million users Skype has. It will be interesting to see if and when it is somehow integrated in to eBay offerings.
Have a great day!
Nathan Allan
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I thought I better define Wikipedia as I use it later in this issue as a reference.
It is basically a free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Now the "edit" part is where it gets interesting, and also where the "wiki" comes from. A wiki is the software that enables users to collaboratively edit online documents. You could look at it like a communal notepad that anyone can add too, or erase. Of course with erasing comes in safeguards like permissions and the like.
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Skype is sort of like an Instant Messenger; however its core functionality allows you to use your computer microphone and speakers (or headset) to talk to other Skype users as if you were both using the phone.
It is extremely simple to download and get an account set up. The beauty of it is that it works well whether you live next door to the person or they are on the other side of the world. I have used it extensively to talk to friends and family back home in Australia.
With around 60 million users there are plenty of people who are willing and able to chat with complete strangers as well. It reminds me of the early days of ICQ where people would simply message you and ask if you wanted a chat.
The practical and cost saving functions of this program make it a must have for any computer user!
Visit: Skype
Download: Skype
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All is in the hands of man. Therefore wash them often.
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This is sort of a review and a tip rolled in to one! One of my subscribers, Sinead, asked:
"Someday in one of your newsletters, could you explain how you get that cute little NetBloke character up there at the beginning of your URL line?"
It is really, really simple! All it is a 16 by 16 pixel graphic that is referenced within your web page <head> tag like this:
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="favicon.ico" />
Of course you need to create the icon with an editor first. Search on Google for a plethora of online editors and galleries.
Visit: Wikipedia Favicon
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An American decided to write a book about famous churches around the world. He purchased a plane ticket and took a trip to Orlando, thinking that he would start by working his way across the USA from South to North.
On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read "$10,000 per call". The American, being intrigued, asked priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for.
The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God. The American thanked the priest and went along his way.
Next stop was in Atlanta. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in Orlando and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was. She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God. O.K., thank you," said the American.
He then traveled to Indianapolis, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. In every church he saw the same golden telephone with the same "$10,000 per call" sign under it.
The American, upon leaving Vermont decided to travel to AUSTRALIA to see if Australians had the same phone. He arrived in Australia, and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read "40 cents per call." The American was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign.
Father, I've travelled all over America and I've seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but in the US the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here?"
The priest smiled and answered, "You're in Australia now, son - it's a local call".
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