Insight

The Washington Post's The Trail blog describes Barack Obama's "International Following."

Shailagh Murray notes: "The World Wants Obama Coalition of international and U.S. expatriate supporters has turned into a booming marketplace of campaign-related outreach -- mostly involving people who are not eligible to vote in the United States but who are transfixed by the Obama candidacy."

There are Facebook campaigns. After all the Man from Illinois has been a major presence with zillions of friends in Facebook. There are online photo albums.

And there are instructions on how to use Skype for get-out-the-vote campaigns back in the USA.

The instructions read, "Start by explaining who you are, and asking if they would be happy to talk, for example: 'Hi, I'm Justin from London, England, and I'm part of an international movement supporting Senator Obama. I can't vote in this election, but if you have a few minutes I'd love to talk to you about how a President Obama would improve America's standing in the world.'"

Meanwhile, we reported on Silicon Valley for Obama's use of Skype to reach out to voters.

Equal time statement: If anyone from the McCain and Clinton camps is using Skype, let us know. We'll rock the vote for them too.

The mantra at the Silicon Valley for Obama organization in Palo Alto, Calif., is: "Don't hide behind e-mail. Pick up the phone and call."

And Roger Hu, a memory chip designer, who helped start the group last August and is now an delegate for Barack Obama to the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August, said Skype calls have become the backbone of the operation.

Continue reading "Putting Skype to work for Obama in Silicon Valley--and beyond" »

Skype’s Hollywood profile is on the rise again.

Here’s the latest from Tinseltown: Skype is on the A-list at the Cannes Film Festival, no less.

Not bad. Only last month, Skype had a supporting role in Nim’s Island, a Robinson Crusoe-style adventure on a remote South Pacific island.

Movie stars, directors and other Hollywood royalty that don’t make it to Cannes can make their video calling connection via Skype to the American Pavilion, the business and hospitality center for the press, filmmakers, stars and others attending the famed festival running from May 14 to May 25.

Titanic director James Cameron and cinematographer Vincent Pace, executive producer of this year’s Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour and other luminaries will be linked via Skype video calls into discussions hosted by the American Pavilion.

The American Pavilion will use Skype video calling in its “In Conversation” and “Industry In Focus” series, in which respected filmmakers and industry insiders offer audiences opinions and insights, in moderated panel discussions. The discussions happen nearly daily during the festival.

Continue reading "Skype to provide video calling link between Hollywood and Cannes Film Festival" »

A Federal Communications Commission hearing Thursday in Silicon Valley focused on these questions: Should the Internet be a closed entity controlled by the likes of the cables companies and phone companies? Or should it be controlled by the people who use it?

Skype has voted for the latter.

And Christopher Libertelli, senior director of government and regulatory affairs Skype, made the case in an op-ed appearing today in the San Jose Mercury News.

Continue reading "Skype speaks out on FCC hearing on 'net neutrality'" »

Music lessons generally are a local business.

But John Tuggle, a guitarist in Athens, Ga., has found a way take his classes to a national and international audience online. Skype has been a major player in Tuggle's business.

Search Engine Land tells Tuggle’s tale of building his business online.

Tuggle launched a blog, podcast,YouTube videos, digital downloads and live Skype lessons.

Gibson Guitars found Tuggle on YouTube and added him as a recommended instructor on their web site. He teaches more than 40 students.

Tuggle told Search Engine Land: “After I put up my first few YouTube videos, I immediately got e-mails for more lessons and Internet lessons. I never planned on doing Skype guitar lessons, but someone e-mailed me and wanted some as soon as possible, and I decided to create a service based around it. I'll be teaching the captain of a US Navy ship here shortly, and I've already taught to Portugal last week!"

Back in March 1958, pioneer rockers Bill Haley and his Comets released their album: Rockin' Around the World. WIth Skype as his roadie, Tuggle has taken his music and lessons 'round the world.

Is Skype in the sky a pie-in- the- sky idea?

Not necessarily.

Gogo, a new service being tested this year by American Airlines and Virgin Air, will feature broadband service at 30,000 feet.

At its website, Gogo describes how people will go online on transcontinental flights to check their e-mail, buy stuff, etc.

But nowhere does it mention the possibility of Skype audio or video calls. Huh?

Continue reading "Skype in the sky: Part II" »

A new service is coming that could have you online while you’re airborne.

It’s called Gogo. It’s a Wifi service that initially will make Internet access available this year for flights between the East and West Coasts on American Airlines and Virgin America.

I can see it now: Gogo users will be going online at 30,000 feet, checking e-mail, catching up on the news, playing games and buying shoes.

Gog's website doesn't address the possibilities of Internet calling. But an American Airlines announcement last year indicated Internet calling was on the no-fly list.

Still one can dream of placing Skype audio and video calls and IMing on board.

Note to Gogo: Don't forget those of us in the "flyover." And please consider Skype in the sky. We promise to be considerate of other passengers.

Skype blogmaster Villu Arak’s entry on the AT&T Picturephone brought back memories for me.

Back in 1964, I trekked with my family from Chicago to the World’s Fair in New York. As a sarcastic teen, not much captured my imagination. But the Picturephone did. It's one of the few things, along with General Electric's "Progressland," I remember seeing while out at the Meadowlands.

Continue reading "Back to the future: “Crossing a telephone with a TV set”" »

Everybody and his mother have a mobile device. Now the market appears to be moving toward providing them with Skype on their devices.

Jonathan Christensen, head of audio/visual at Skype in San Jose, CA., says the next leap forward for the mobile world will be “unfettered mobile IP access on open devices. There is now a chance this will happen.”

Christensen, whose team develops software for Skype calls and video calls, was the opening speaker Wednesday at the emerging Communications (eComm) show at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA.

He says that economic forces, including Federal Communciations Commission auctions of spectrum and flat mobile phone plans, “are pushing the market in this direction.”

He says this will mean people using Skype on mobile devices will be able to do “many of the cool things they can do on their computers with Skype now.” This includes video calling as well as sharing files, pictures, moods and presence, the ability to see if your network buddies are available or unavailable for your call.

“It’s happening now and Skype is excited to be innovating at the edge,” says Christensen.

Meanwhile, let’s contemplate our mobile future on Skype. Better put on our sunglasses. As the band Timbuk 3 said: “The Future’s So Bright Gotta Wear Shades."

Continue reading ""Unfettered mobile" Internet access will open bright new possibilities: Skype engineering leader" »

Recently, Skype Journal and VOIP-News have been discussing unwanted, frustrating, irritating and even embarrassing IMs and voicemails on Skype. People use these techniques to push porn, spam and other images and messages you wouldn’t want anyone in your home exposed to.

They are a pain. I can remember getting phone calls and even contact-list entries from people I didn’t know when I first signed on with Skype a couple years ago.

There is a simple solution to keeping these intruders out. Force Skype to only allow calls from people in your contact list.

Here's an example of how: Go to and click on “Tools” on your Skype toolbar. Scroll to and click on “Options...” Then select “Privacy” and finally click on “Only allow people in my Contact List to contact me.”

Continue reading "Avoiding stranger danger: Keeping unwanted callers and IMers out" »