This webpage is the focal point to keep in touch and communicate w/ family, extended family, friends both near & far, neighbors, co-workers and anyone who benefits from the information shared on this site. Explore it, bookmark it for frequent updates, and let us know any suggestions, improvements, helpful links we can add via our GuestBook button on the home page. Read about our adventures as we share our experiences with your via our diaries.
About Tools & Services
Over time, we have learned that there are some wonderful communication resources on the web that both enable and help us stay connected w/ you, and you with each other for free. We selected many of these services because of their combined ease of use, portability, and proper function in various countries overseas. Additional benefit is realized the more we share the same tools & services. The services we both use and recommend are listed below.
About DSL
At the time, SBC Yahoo! DSL was one of only two DSL service providers that serviced our area, and offered a very attract price of $26.95/month w/ free wireless router, 3 months of service credit, etc. Continuity & performance of service have been great, and we also like the Yahoo! Parental Control flexibility & reporting.
About e-Mail
Yahoo! Mail enables us to check e-mail in airport lounges, public terminals, as well as at home w/ great virus protection. It's free, and the space generous. Liz & Kevin share an account and the kids each have their own.
About Instant Messaging (IM)
Because of the wide proliferation of Yahoo! Messenger (second only to AOLs), and additional features, alerting, avatars (animated display images of yourself & others), background environments, we've standardized on Yahoo! Messenger.
About Internet Telephony
Skype is a free, easy to install & use service to talk locally, nationally & internationally for free! The voice quality is absolutely astounding, and it was also recommended by several folks we know in Taiwan. The headphones we use (combination earpeice & microphone) we purchased for $14.95 (Logitech Internet Chat Headset and the packaging had a Skype Certified sticker on it). You literally just plug in the headset, download Skype, install, and add users you know. The whole thing took 6 minutes from start to finish, and most of that was opening the headset package.
About Photos
Like many of you, we have a digital camera and upload the pictures to our laptop. Yahoo! Photos has one of the easiest tools we've seen to create and manage albums, privacy levels, and just drag n' drop photos from you folders. Once uploaded, you can customize backgorunds, titles, see slideshows, print locally all for free. You can also chose the photos you want actual glossy 4x6 photo of for pennies (first 10 are free!), and they arrive in the mail just a few days later...
