I am quite pleased tonight, all-over pleased, yes I am. For almost two years now, ever since I moved back to Bellingham, I've been WiFi freeloading on the networks of generous neighbors and local latte-slingers. The hipster 'net. Tonight, I am back on the serious internet. The copper-wired, 7Mbps, streaming-video-in-HD big kids internet.

True, I was actually pulling down decent bandwidth from the various open 802.11 SSIDs that waft freely through my apartment. But it wasn't enough bits to do VoIP, and that's the one killer app I've been craving lately.

So I bought a DSL modem/router on Ebay. I saved bundles compared to the price Qwest is charging for the identical device, but it took weeks for the thing to get here. I bought a webcam. A package arrived. I called Qwest back. It took another grumbling week for them to send a kind & helpful phone guy out to flip a switch in the phone box. I created a Skype account and tested my gear. Blinky green LEDs all around.

Tomorrow night (Friday, starting  around 4pm PST) I shall be consuming several pints of powerful stout and putting that silly program through its paces. Care to join me? This little exercise won't be much fun without your sterling voices-- or better yet, your laggily webcamified faces-- on the other terminus of the line. 

my SkypeID: mwkelley360