uninteresting :: rich

i’m on a conference call at work right now (not really paying attention) and was thinking about the neat technologies at work, all connected through my thinkpad laptop:

* skype: though it’s a telephone conference call, rather than use my desk phone (and holding the handset for an hour and cramping my neck), i’m calling in through my personal skype account. skype charges money for calling computer-to-phone, but at 2 cents/minute, it’s still practically free. the call quality is crystal clear, i hear the audio in stereo through headphones, and my hands are free.

* NetMeeting: built-into Windows XP/2000, you can always count on everyone having it pre-installed. i connect to the mtg host’s pc, and a window pops open displaying his screen so i can follow along.

* AIM: while the mtg is going on, i can use AOL instant messenger to have one-on-one side conversations with participants, like saying “what the hell are they talking about?!”

all this technology at work, all these ways of communicating, and i still can’t manage to pay attention…