The Samovar

In what way are Skype and Samovars related? Well, in no way. So: off topic…

It is easy to buy new objects you like and when you have a medium (or minimum) budget, rare new objects are mostly out of reach. Only mass production is available. Even then you can find nice things you like to decorate your house with.

Though I come from a family who always loved antiques. My grandfather who was as much addicted to books as I am, often visited the “Waterlooplein” in Amsterdam and more then once he returned with an antique object. I am now talking about before the 2nd World War.

All 4 children of my grandparents inherited the love for antiques and even in Canada with my Mother’s sister, you find precious objects.

My uncle stayed in the 500 year old house they lived in most of their lives (once painted by Monet) and filled it with even more antiques. My Mother and her eldest sister went into the antique business and my Mothers greatest joy was giving neglected antiques a second life.

And those genes I inherited. Browsing Car Boot Sales, Second Hand Markets, Charity Shops is fun. Not seldom you find an object which purpose is long forgotten.
Needles to say that programs like Flog It, Antique Road Show and Bargain Hunt are some of my favourites.

And bless the Internet. Because I only search close to home (radius 25 km’s), I prefer Marktplaats and subscribed to many RSS feeds. I am patient, I can wait for years to find the object I am looking for and the price I want to pay for it. I don’t mind if it is a totally neglected object as I love, like my Mother, to use my hands to give it a second chance. I never buy anything that I don’t want or which doesn’t go with the other decoration. And I don’t sell it again!

The feeling of creating and improving is a wonderful feeling. Achieving the result you wanted, gives great pleasure. Often during the “restoration” objects tell you a story. Like my recently purchased Samovar (or Samowar) -->

For those who don't know what a Samovar is, it is a heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water in and around Russia, as well as in other Slavic nations, Iran and Turkey. Since the heated water is usually used for making tea, many Samovars have an attachment on top of its lid to hold and heat a teapot filled with tea concentrate.

I always fancied one but for many years they were hardly for sale. But I found one not far from where I live, advertised as a “tea pot”. It is good to use your imagination when searching.
The man who sold it, got it from an old lady who never explained what it was. He did not know what to do with it and sold it to me for € 10. The once so beautiful yellow shiny brass was now brown and unattractive. But I knew what was underneath and looked forward to giving it a proper polish.

The Samovar is not complete, some tiny little parts are missing but I know I will find them one day. Home I started polishing and doing this, I discovered a very old and well used Samovar. Inside it was full of boiler scale. Caused by the water in the country side? Also some miner repairs were done to it with great love. The foot was black from standing in coal to heat the water.
Not a rich man’s Samovar but definitely from a family who treasured it because they either inherited it from loved ones or were to poor to buy a new one. Maybe it has been a wedding gift. From a more wealthy family member, friend? Or paid for by many people together? It served a purpose and heated water for endless cups of tea for probably several generations.

I browsed the Internet for pictures and the history of Samovars and found (where is that site again??) pictures which explained the age of Samovars judged by their parts. This way I found out that mine dates back to 1880.
How many generations is that? Seven? Will it have been used by a farmers wife to cook tea when the family came home after a hard day working? Did the endless cups of tea warm cold hands? Did it get an extra polish when visitors came over for tea?

Did it always stay in one place until it moved to Holland? Were the previous owners immigrants or did they buy it somewhere?
I know it is slightly damaged but it is not leaking. The careful repairs took care of that and still hold. But I will not use it to boil water for my own tea. Not because I don’t have coal to heat and put the Samovar on top but because it deserves a well earned rest 127 years after it was used for the very first time.

Could it speak, it would tell me a fascinating history, painted in colourful words. Now it only speaks to me by the shine of the brass, the careful repairs and the missing parts.
I listen carefully...

Skype 2.7 for Mac beta is out

Finally where so many mac users have been waiting for!! Skype 2.7 is out....

Villu Arak reports on Skype's blog:

"We’ve now released Skype 2.7 for Mac beta. With “beta” on the label, there may be some wrinkles, kinks and unsprayed bugs which we’ll remove in time for a public release. With that in mind, feel free to download and play with it.

Here’s what’s new:

• Group contacts – organize your contacts into as many groups as you need. While there are some pre-defined groups (like Online, Waiting Authorization, Recently Contacted), you’re free to add new ones that suit your life. This should be a godsend to those whose contact list has ballooned to hundreds of Skype users. Explore this nifty feature under the cogwheel icon on the main screen.


• See your Apple Address Book contacts in Skype - easily call or SMS anyone who has a phone number in their address-book profile. When texting, just make sure the number is one that belongs to a mobile phone.


• Create and manage public chats by clicking on Chats in the menu bar and choosing Start Public Chat. A public-chat assistant will walk you through the necessary steps.


• Auto Redial for busy or unconnected calls. When your call hits the busy signal, Skype will give you the option of automatic redial every two minutes until the call goes through. This setting can also be adjusted in Skype > Preferences > Calls.


• Easy sound-level controls – when you need to tweak the sound level during a call, use a simple slider in the call window.


• Overhauled file transfer – wearing a more fashionable jacket, file-transfer now looks elegant and acts even nicer, especially when receiving many files at once.
  
  Download Skype 2.7 for Mac beta at skype.com/go/getskype-macosx-beta
  
  Oh, and one last thing: if the default language on your Mac is Czech or Norwegian, Skype 2.7 Mac beta will automatically follow suit. "

Skype!! Uuhhmm……. Skype what???? (year 2057)

Sometimes my Skype friend Jean Mercier and I have long discussions about life (and Skype of course as part of life).
Tonight we talked about his father and my mother who are unfortunately not at all in good health.

You accept this happens at their age and you know it soon will be your turn.
OK, not soon, hopefully we still have a long time to go, but still.

Jean said that being the eldest of brothers and sisters, statistically he should go first. For me with a younger brother, this is the same.
But in my family from Mum's and Dad's side, it was always the youngest that passed away first with the eldest now being in their 80’s, still reasonable fit or even still going strong.

I told Jean: “you will turn 90 and I will PM you a birthday wish on Skype” (meaning that I, 2 years older, will at least survive him :-))

Then we had the discussion if Skype would still exists in 2057. Here is a challenge for Skype! Different groups of Beta Testers: juniors, middle aged and the tough veterans from the first hour.

But indeed, will Skype still exists or do Jean and I need a complete new way of Electronic Telepathy (which he starts inventing from today just in case….) to communicate from our Homes for Elderly People?

Will Skype be a nice memory?

Jean talking about it as a business tool at the time he also was a Skype SuperUser.

I talking about my great time with Skype as a Beta Testers and Head of Communications and Forum Operations.

Our carers, grand children, nephews and nieces will smile and ask: “How did Skype look like at the time? Old fashioned or already as shiny and efficient as today?”

Or will they ask: “Skype???? What is Skype?????”

(If you already wondered about our avatars and moodmessages, now you know.... )

Pamfax and Skype!

Pamela did it again. This time with PamFax.....

A feature where hundreds of users (maybe even thousands, no… millions ) have been waiting for. And I am definitely one of those millions.

Searching Skype’s Forums you will find many topics about “sending a fax through Skype”.
This is not possible with Skype itself but Dick Schifferli of Pamela and his Team worked hard to build an application for this.

After months of testing (I was so very proud to be one of the beta testers), PamFax is now live!!
Anywhere you are in the world with an internet connection and Skype installed on your computer, you can send faxes. I still remember the very first fax machine and thought it was a true miracle. Again I have the same thoughts about Pamfax.

The costs for sending a fax is very low, only 17 Euro cent (please check other rates). Especially when you only do a few faxes a week or maybe a day like all small business, this is cost saving. Now you can get rid of that extra landline. No subscription to web based fax facilities that cost you nothing to receive faxes but quite a lot of money to send them.

Pay with your Skype Credits. You can reserve some of your credits for it. It can’t be easier!
PamFax perfectly integrates into Windows and Microsoft Office (2003 and 2007). In Windows Explorer, you can fax any supported document from the context menu of the file. A PamFax toolbar button is added to Microsoft Office to directly fax the current document from Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel.

And Pamfax stores your recipeints! Once entered, always at hand.

But there is much more. Visit PamFax and learn about this GREAT program!
I can assure you that you will it as much as I do….

The features:

· Simple to use:

o Fully integrated with Skype
o User friendly wizard makes sending a fax a breeze
o Send faxes from Word/Excel 2003/2007
o Easy payment with your Skype Credit

· Preview your fax
· Status notification via Skype Chat, email and/or SMS
· Many supported file types
· Send a fax to multiple recipients
· Portal with fax history and settings
· Add an optional cover page (several choices)
· Send only a cover page with a message
· Reserve Skype Credit for faxing so you can one-click fax

Supported platforms: Windows 2000, XP and Vista

PamFax FAQ's

Being Unfaithful and Skype

First of all I have to apologise to all my readers. I have been rather unfaithful to all of you over the past 4 weeks.
Not that there was nothing to report. On the contrary, there was far too much to post.
Much info on Skype and much to do in my new job with Skype.

A lot of travelling. Running in and out airports in London and Tallinn, my own office, home.
Believe it or not, I love every minute of it but it does not always allows me to do things outside the regular work. Yes,I consider my blog to be work with a private touch, still….

The true Skypers and Skype News hoarders have no doubt, been browsing the Internet so no need for me to highlight interesting news over the past month.

From now on I hope to be up and running Blogwise again.
End of this part of being unfaithful…

So, how can you be unfaithful to Skype?
No, although a Skype addict, I am not married to Skype. And I don’t mean the company but the Skype client, that great wonderful program on your computer.

One of the most wonderful and by me most used features is File Transfer (FT).
I prefer to send PDF’s and use Primo PDF, a great free program (donations welcome) to convert my documents.
Although FT in Skype is fully encrypted, I also prefer my documents to stay the way they are at the other side of the Internet, hence my love for Primo PDF.

E-mail is still the most used way to “transfer” any document to someone else but there are limitations regarding the MB’s let alone GB’s) you can send. And that is what I love with Skype’s FT. You can easily send 1 GB. With a good internet connection it goes without problems.
As a Beta tester I sometimes need to send huge logs which could never been done in any other way then via FT.
Note that there can be a delay when you are also on the phone with Skype.

When receiving the File you can immediately save it to the correct folder. You can open it immediately or leave it in the folder until you have time to view it.
Documents, pictures, logs, presentations, you name it, transfers work like charm with Skype FT.
Forget about the hassle with e-mail attachments: open a new message, add the receiver, write your message, attach your file and send.
You will not even know if it arrived until it is confirmed by the receiver. His / her anti SPAM tool might have refused it. Or he / she is receiving already so much e-mail that yours is overlooked. That happened to a few e-mails I sent this week.
This caused a huge sigh at my side. I screamed: “Please!! Use Skype!”

Why running Skype and being so unfaithful to one of its great, useful, businesslike, quick and easy to use features?

There are more features I am faithful to but will blog about them another time.
Faithfulness is just great! Sharing it even more....

Very useful FT links:
- Peter Kalmström: 6 ways to perform File Transfer
- Jim Courtney : Eight Ways to File Transfer Using Skype

It is my birthday

And I don’t want to celebrate it. No, this has nothing to do with my age because I found out growing older, has a lot of advantages. E.G. when you behave silly, younger people think “Just ignore, she is old anyway”
Older people think: “Isn’t it nice to be that young?” So 50+ is a great time of your life with hardly any obligations and regulations. You are in between generations and this gives you an enormous freedom.

I don’t want to celebrate my birthday because I never liked it, not when I was way younger and not now.
I also tend to forget other people’s birthday but that is a different story.

I admire the Swedes who give a real party every 5th year and in between they have “name days”.
Maybe that is why I feel at home in Sweden.

Over the past years I managed to “hide” myself with many valid excuses but this year I don’t have any.
Well, I have but they are ignored. Being busy seems not to be a valid excuse anymore. Though it is true!! I am busy. Up to my ears in office work today, tomorrow, Sunday etc. etc. But tomorrow is planned for an early rise and food shopping. After that I need to prune my Ivy which is consuming parts of my roof.
And this can’t wait because the painters arrive Monday. So it is not just pruning but it is also cleaning the woodwork from the traces of the Ivy and I can tell you, that is a lot of work!! Yes, yes, I know. I should have kept it clean regularly but I haven’t. No time on my hands.
Sometimes you need a valid reason to start jobs like this but it also means I can’t do anything else.

Tonight brother, sis in law and I celebrate my birthday at Mum’s which is more relaxing for Mum.
And on Sunday I see other relatives and friends. I know that I am going to enjoy it because they are all great people.

And I also enjoyed all the happy birthdays via Skype from family, friends and colleagues tremendously.
They helped to bring me in the right mood! And when I can empty my brains before tonight, I might even enjoy having my birthday.

But why is that song playing around in my head all day long? You know which song I mean. Yes, exactly, that one: “It is my party and I cry if I want to” although in my case nobody is leaving. No, they are coming to celebrate!

No wireless connection

No, this is not the reason why I haven’t been posting for so long…. Just been very busy getting used to my new job at Skype, flying around, getting stucked in the tube in London, jumping on the plane at 20.25 when it was supposed to leave 20.25, long hours at the office etc. etc. I am not complaining though!! I love every minute of my work.

My work yes, if the wireless allows me to do my work. So, what happened.
Last night my IP had a problem. Maybe due to the huge thunderstorm we had. What ever, I lost my Internet Connection for an hour or so. When connected again, I switched on my modem, router, laptops and WiFi phone because there were loads of work waiting.

Old laptop and WiFi phone were doing fine but with me “new” laptop, I could not connect to the Internet.
Wrong IP address. Odd because all other devices were ok, why not this one?
I plugged in a cable from the laptop to the router and to my surprise, this worked ok. The correct IP address. All clients listed in the router, all settings correctly.
Mmm… I puzzled and puzzled, reset everything, uninstalled Broadcom, rebooted, puzzled again but at 1 AM I still had the same problem. My provider couldn’t tell what happened, or even better: how to solve it, either.

A bit frustrated because I am earning a living with my laptop, I went to bed but even asleep I was looking for solutions. AAARRRGGGHHH....…….

I dropped a message in the Beta chat about the problem and Martin, Beta tester for Skype, spent numerous hours trying to sort out what was wrong. He never got tired with giving advices, downloading the manual of my router, going through al options not once but numerous times, etc. etc. Unbelievable patient and supportive.
He and I felt frustrated when around 4 PM, the problem was still not solved. I owe him a huge beer next time I see him.

We gave up and I phoned HP who had some other tricks up their sleeve but again, no solution. Starting up in the safe mode though triggered a long forgotten action with me: a system restore……..

But after all we went through, HP thought it was worth trying but he feared the worst.
I have never watched the screen of my laptop as intense as I did during the system restore and reboot.
Like I was watching a thriller: eyes wide open, fingers entangled, biting my lip. I almost forgot to breath!

And yes!! Wifi was back to normal, correct IP, excellent connection. Gosh, I was soooooooooo happy!!

Thank you Martin, thank you HP for all your time and patience, I will never forget that.

But what did cause this time consuming problem? We still don’t know. Will it remain a mystery for ever or can I invite you to my puzzle?