Skype. As I told you in the meeting on Tuesday, May 9th, you can make your communications with folks here and around the world much less expensive by signing up for . You can click on the logo to get there.

Click on the download button and select the operating system that you most commonly use. The software will download in a few minutes, depending upon the speed of your connection.

Click on the installer with the software and install and log-in to Skype and establish an ID for yourself. It might take a while to come up with a good name, since there are already 100,000,000 members, so your normal "handle" might already be taken. You'll eventually get one approved and once you do, you'll be ready to go.

If you plan to use computer to computer connection, that's all there is to it. You'll have to have someone else to talk to, so be sure you find out the names of some of your friends who are also registered. You can send them an invitation to talk with you by clicking on the Add button at the top of you Skype window. You can either send it to someone's telephone number or click on the share with friends icon and send an e-mail to as many friends as you have who might want to know your handle.

You can then install the software in your laptop, if you have one, and log-in and create a new handle for that machine. You probably should have one for parent at your home and another for yourself. Then, you can readily call each other and talk away. You will need a microphone and speakers with a sound card to be able to use this program. I think you might want an earphone and mike or a headset designed for two plug ins, one for mic and another for speaker.

You might also drag the program onto a jump drive so you could plug into a computer at school or at an internet cafe and you'll have your own mobile phone. Just plug-in and launch the software from the jump drive. You'll still need headset with mike to chat.

If you do not have a computer at home, you can subscribe to Skypeout, which will permit you to call to a telephone number. The instructions for doing this are quite simple and you will find them at the skype.com site. To call anywhere you will need to know the country code and you must use it even when you're calling domestically. For the US, the number is 01, so you would enter "+01956381-2827" to call me at my office. There's a "Dialing Wizard" at skype.com site that gives you the country codes for wherever you might be calling. (Spain is "+34 followed by local number including area code.)

Once you know anyone's skype name, you can simply add it to your program and you'll be able to find if they're online and call 'em up.

Good luck. I'm "drtee3". Let me know when you're enrolled, if you want.