Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Connectivity is dangerous. The fricative sounds of German wafting through the open windows of today’s hotel room reminded me of that fact, reminded me of a misadventure long past, a memory from a time when connectivity took a modem and a phone line. Sometimes it took the diligent and careful application of alligator clips. Hotel [...]

September 15th, 2008 | Category: Chumpness, Gizmos & Gadgets, NPTech, Technology, Telephony, Travel | 2 comments

Skype Me, Dr. Memory!

A few days ago, a reader of this humble blog asked if I knew a way to embed “Skype Presence” in a SharePoint Web Part.
I didn’t. But, I was intrigued. (That’s a bad sign… as it usually means I’m going to stay up until the wee hours.)
It turns out to be pretty easy-breezy, with a [...]

February 21st, 2008 | Category: NPTech, Sharepoint, Technology, Telephony, Web/Tech | 2 comments

Blogging by Candlelight

I woke up when I heard the snap, crackle, pop. A tree had fallen in the woods and I had heard it. Whatever the philosophical implications, the actual effect was that my power went out.
“Damn,” I muttered, shaking off a sense of déjà vu. It was early morning, Sunday, December 23. The winds were howling [...]

January 30th, 2008 | Category: NPTech, Technology, Telephony | 3 comments

Adventures in Telephony — Scaling Skype

I think it was Alan Kay who once said (and I’m paraphrasing here): the personal computer won’t really be personal until you can wear it on your T-shirt. I think of that quote every time I see an IPod commercial.
I find it phenomenal how much of what defines this connected age actually is actually pretty [...]

September 28th, 2007 | Category: Gizmos & Gadgets, NPTech, Technology, Telephony | 6 comments