Forces of IT evil - 0, Peter - 2

Well if that isn't asking for it, I don't know what is.

Two small victories for me over my LCD (lowest common denominator) screen status. Well, 1 and three quarters.

First, up, having blown 3 times the price of a Windows compatible, I at least have a Skype phone, on my Mac, that seems to work. That is, I made a call and received one. Whether I will do it without the help of a tech expert next time is another matter. But I am now online and freely available... literally, if sometimes not actually able to come to the phone.

The other is our first test of the upgraded Junkk.com site. Very exciting, except for the fact that a lot didn't work, which is why we have it on a test server. Can't wait to let it loose. New homepage with auto-updates of latest ideas and blogs. New functionalities such as a much more useful edit/delete function on JunkkYard. And some major glitches sorted. Sweet.

Well, when they work.

Calls are free. The shrink bill is mounting.

Speaking of count-ups (see previous post).

Today is day 5 of my Skype saga.

Goaded by a more tech-literate mate in Hong Kong, and the promise of free calls, I last week ordered up a handset.

And this weekend I played software roulette with this piece of hardware and the various online options between our PCs and Macs, made all the more fun by the various drivers coming on disks that won't fit into a Mac, and when they do fit in the PC then clashing with the XP OS.

So far, all I now have a very good, extra, instant messaging system, but then what was wrong with email, especially as you don't waste all morning saying hello to and fro? And I can hear the other end but can't seem to get my voice heard even though the test says if you can hear yourself (which I can) then it's all spiffy, while the online icon says 'Skype can't hear you'.

So far, it is: Me = 0. Skype = 0. My psychiatrist = kids through college.