Couple of new things that will help the board
 

If you have not podcasted yet, forget it and got straight to Screencasting, which is making a video of your computer screen, with audio into a movie. This is VERY simply done for free at www.jingproject.com, you can make a movie up to 5 minutes and host it at screencast.com for free. 2G of storage per month and 2G of download space per month for free. As an example I put together a simple 3 mintue screen cast of how to run a ballistics program: http://screencast.com/t/NGC51UoF2Sg

The other thing I wanted to tell folks about is Adobe ConnectNow, which is a free screen sharing program for 3 people to collaborate.

http://www.adobe.com/acom/connectnow/?promoid=ELTNR

So you could use this to fix mom's computer at home. Just login to your ConnectNow account, send her the URL in email, and have her connect to you. Change her to presenter, then you keep keyboard.

You can give presentations to 2 other people, pefect for helping folks out, and 0 cost. VoIP one way from presenter to 2 other people. Supports WebCams.
Chap

RE: Couple of new things that will help the board
 

Excellent Chap. I guess I'll have to give it a try.

Every time I think I'm starting to get a tiny handhold on communication technology it jumps ahead about three light-years (stillcan't program a DVD recorder :D). Maybe the advances we've seen in our lifetime are the reason I'm so fond of dumping loose powder down a hollow tube and stuffing a lead ball in behind it.

RE: Couple of new things that will help the board
 

Video unfortunately takes bandwidth. Some of us lack bandwidth speed, so video while a great media can be a little overwhelming both in technology and resources.

But thanks for the site. I will look into that.

RE: Couple of new things that will help the board
 

My wife and kids do our DVD recording, never did it. I believe your on to something about shooting front stuffers. What I am showing people is simple to do. Chap

RE: Couple of new things that will help the board
 

Thanks Chap - I may have to try it out too.

RE: Couple of new things that will help the board
 

Thanks Chap. I was trying to un-tech when I retired, now my son gave us a web cam and we now can see the grand kids via Gmail video for free. If you don't count the hi speed internet connection. Now to tackle
screen casting. Thanks again.
Regards,

RE: Couple of new things that will help the board
 

Simple tojust watchthe getting started Video:

http://www.jingproject.com/

Click on Watch a Video to see how. Also, a lot of hot to videos on www.screencast.com
Chap

RE: Couple of new things that will help the board
 

send me your "ConnectNow" urls and I'll mess with your computers. :D

RE: Couple of new things that will help the board
 

https://connectnow.acrobat.com/Underclocked

https://connectnow.acrobat.com/MountainDevil54

That should get you started. Get your WebCam going. Don't have a Web Camera (Webcam) this looks very cool for $44:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826179042

Web Cam, speakers, USB Hub, microphone, headset all in one unit. I don't have one, but maybe I should for my desktop.

These are all the web cams on Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=152&Tpk=web%20cam eras

That should allow us to see your smiling face.

Chap

RE: Couple of new things that will help the board
 

Jing allows you to store your files locally also, so no bandwidth needed in that case. When you upload, it is done in the background, it is using bandwidth, but you can do something else like read email that you downloaded BEFORE you click the Share Button.

As for speeding up Internet Connections fom dial-up, you can now buy Air Card pretty cheap with a Cell Plan and get that to plug into your PC or laptop, another option to look into is Dish Networks offers plans for Internet with the TV service, it is not as fast a Verizon or CAble modem but it works. Another option is Skynetwork.com, google "Rural Internet Access" and review material for your area. I know of 4 or 5 people banding together to get a T1 Line at the top of a mountain, then doing line of site microwave from that tower to their home. now these guys were geeks in my church and worked at home, and I am sure the wrote it off, but none the less it can be done quite cheaply I might add. So basically you find 1 provider, a t1 line was like $500/mo, but shared between 5 families is only $100/mo. So there are options out there.
Chap