Copyright 2006 Jim Edwards

* Sony Offers "VoIP" *

Electronics giant, Sony, jumped on the VoIP (Voice over IP) bandwagon recently to offer long distance calls through the Internet. http://www.SonyIVE.com

They join a long list of providers competing for your Internet phone call business, including: Skype, Google, and AOL.

Sony claims their service includes a video component that rates superior to all other offerings.

Their IVE (Internet Video Everywhere) can also make video calls to video enabled mobile phones, telephones and other devices intended for video conferencing.

In fact, the IVE "Meeting Room" enables you to hold video conference calls with up to six users just as you would a regular telephone conference call.

Users also receive a unique "video phone number" which other users can call and, if you don't answer, leave you a video message.

The basic plan comes free of charge and goes as high as $20 a month for the group calling and video "meeting" room features.

* Camtasia Alternative *

Camtasia software rates as the 800-lb. gorilla of the screen-capture software market.

It enables you to capture your screen, narrate the action, and publish your videos in multiple formats (including publishing to FLASH for streaming on the Web).

Unfortunately, Camtasia comes with a stiff $300 price tag which often inhibits the casual user from getting the software.

A less expensive alternative can be found at http://www.AimOneSoft.com which publishes the Aim One Screen Recorder.

This software captures either the full screen, window, or a fixed region of your screen as an AVI or WMV video file.

This type of software can make the creation of software tutorials and other computer training a breeze.

The one drawback to the software is that it does not convert to flash, so that limits your video delivery over the Web to the WMV file format (which will exclude MAC users).

* Urban Legends Reference Page *

Log on to http://www.Snopes.com and find a wealth of just the type of information that nobody should pass along to anyone else.

Bill Gates giving away a million dollars if you forward this email to 12 people?

AOL offering free housing to all Web designers?

Yahoo and Google founders set for a mud-wrestling match next Saturday with a live simulcast on both sites?

Do you need to drink 8 glasses of water per day to avoid dehydration?

The Web makes it almost too easy to create and pass along rumors, legends and outright falsehood (along with destructive "info-viruses" that cause people to delete important files from their computers and encourage unwitting friends to do the same).

The next time you hear something that sounds odd (such as Microsoft is preparing to market the "iLoo", and Internet capable toilet), you should log on to Snopes.com and check it out before taking it as "truth."

A few keywords in the search box will let you track down any errant stories and check your facts before passing along the message to your friends.

The site also offers a free update by email service so you can stay current on all the latest gossip and nonsense floating around online.

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