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Thursday, July 09, 2009
What is Magic Jack -- My Review
Magic Jack is a small plastic device a little bit smaller than a credit card that plugs into the USB port on your computer. The purpose of Magic Jack is to place telephone calls through the Internet. There is also a telephone plug on the device. I paid $45 at Best Buy for MagicJack and the first year of service. This includes unlimited domestic calls to any phone all in the one fee.
In addition to the device, the $45 included a free voice mail account and a free US telephone number, which is important since I spend so much time overseas.
Installation
installation was very easy. I plug the device into my computer on at the USB port and the Magic Jack software installed automatically. After a brief update, I plugged my telephone into the plug on th device and it was ready to go. Surprisingly when I picked up the telephone I had a dial tone immediately and was able to place a call.
So does it work
In short yes MagicJack works very well considering the inexpensive cost. My first test call using the telephone through MagicJack resulted in a call that was very clear and easy to understand. The initial call was clearer than most cell phone conversations and nearly to the level of using a landline. I experienced no voice delay as I had with other VO IP applications.
After testing several calls, I've concluded that Magic Jack is at least as good as most cell phone providers. Using the telephone handset I've had great results with the quality of my phone calls. When using a cheap computer headset, the call on my end was clear, but sometimes the other end had static. For best results use Magic Jack with the telephone handset.
For a more difficult task I placed a call overseas. Dialing from the US to an overseas number is not free of charge so I did need to set up an account with Magic Jack and pay for the minutes I used. Magic at rates to most countries is quite reasonable. This call went fairly well, but since the cell phone reception on the other end was for, sometimes it was hard to hear on the call. Surprisingly, there was little delay between speaking and hearing. While overseas, I placed several calls to US telephone numbers. These calls are free of charge on Magic Jack, making this an outstanding bargain for travelers. Most of the calls I placed were very clear although occasionally the person I was talking to would have trouble hearing and a small delay would occasionally occur between speaking and hearing. Overall, the quality is again comparable to the cell phone reception I was getting in the same country.
Conclusion
I am quite please with Magic Jack. The sound quality has ranged from excellent to adequate, the price is amazing, and I've been able to place and receive US calls while I'm overseas. MagicJack will require a broadband connection and your call quality will vary depending on the quality of your Internet connection. Overall I've had no calls were I could not communicate, and many calls where it was almost like being on a landline.
If you're interested in Magic Jack, the one mistake I made was buying it in the store. If purchased online, Magic Jack comes with a 30 day trial that is completely risk-free, and is available online for less than the costs in the store. As long as you have a broadband connection, give Magic Jack to try, it is risk-free and they have proven to be a reliable and quality company.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Fathers Day
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children. On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special. .
The origin of Father's Day is not clear. Some say that it began with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Father's Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington.
The president of the Chicago branch of the Lions' Club, Harry Meek, is said to have celebrated the first Father's Day with his organization in 1915; and the day that they chose was the third Sunday in June, the closest date to Meek's own birthday!
Regardless of when the first true Father's Day occurred, the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Mrs. Dodd felt that she had an outstanding father. He was a veteran of the Civil War. His wife had died young, and he had raised six children without their mother.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated to fathers on June 5, her father's birthday. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Children made special desserts, or visited their fathers if they lived apart.
States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father's Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." Since then, fathers had been honored and recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June.
When children can't visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card. Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental. Most greeting cards are whimsical so fathers laugh when they open them. Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needed Dad.
The origin of Father's Day is not clear. Some say that it began with a church service in West Virginia in 1908. Others say the first Father's Day ceremony was held in Vancouver, Washington.
The president of the Chicago branch of the Lions' Club, Harry Meek, is said to have celebrated the first Father's Day with his organization in 1915; and the day that they chose was the third Sunday in June, the closest date to Meek's own birthday!
Regardless of when the first true Father's Day occurred, the strongest promoter of the holiday was Mrs. Bruce John Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Mrs. Dodd felt that she had an outstanding father. He was a veteran of the Civil War. His wife had died young, and he had raised six children without their mother.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated to fathers on June 5, her father's birthday. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Children made special desserts, or visited their fathers if they lived apart.
States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father's Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." Since then, fathers had been honored and recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June.
When children can't visit their fathers or take them out to dinner, they send a greeting card. Traditionally, fathers prefer greeting cards that are not too sentimental. Most greeting cards are whimsical so fathers laugh when they open them. Some give heartfelt thanks for being there whenever the child needed Dad.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
YEAH I AM A GEEK....
YOU HAVE GOT TO CHECK OUT THIS SITE, WWW.TORNADOVIDEOS.NET THESE GUYS KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON WHEN IT COMES TO STORM CHASING!
Reed Timmer
Reed Timmer
Title: Storm Chaser
Age: 27
Stormchasing Since: 1997
# of Tornadoes Seen: 215
# of Hurricanes Seen: 6
Closest distance from a tornado: 0 meters
Reed was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI, and became interested in extreme weather at a very young age. He was also an avid insect, reptile, and amphibian collector and tree identification enthusiast, but decided to pursue his greatest passion and began studying meteorology at the University of Oklahoma in 1998. Reed photographed his first tornado in October 1998, and was addicted to extreme storm chasing ever since. Every spring and summer season, he travels from the Mexican Border to Canada striving to photograph tornadoes from extreme close range (within 1/8 mile), often driving more than 40,000 miles during the spring and summer. His infamous reputation was achieved when he videotaped an F5 tornado from underneath an overpass on May 3, 1999 while it was bearing down on his location. Reed has more recently become interested in hurricane chasing as well, and documented Hurricane Katrina from "ground zero" in the fall 2005 with Simon Brewer (Stormgasm), lost Simon's car to a 20 foot storm surge, and had to hitch-hike back to Oklahoma. Notable tornado intercepts include the May 3, 1999 F5 tornado in Moore, OK; the Manchester, SD wedge on June 24, 2003; the May 4, 2003 tornado outbreak in southeast KS; and sustaining a direct hit from an F0 tornado in southern Minnesota. Reed has made several television appearances to share his storm chasing escapades, including CNN with Wolf Blitzer and Paula Zahn, Good Morning America with Dianne Sawyer, the Leeza Gibbons Show, Real TV, and World's Most Amazing Videos. Reed graduated with a Bachelors Degree in meteorology in 2002, Masters in 2005, and is currently working towards his PhD in meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. His research interests lie mainly in the field of applied climatology, focusing on energy consumption/temperature connections, and minimizing weather-related risk in the agribusiness sector. Additional interests include oboe performance, weight-lifting, basketball, golf, and hockey. Reed will chase storms until the day he dies!
Reed Timmer
Reed Timmer
Title: Storm Chaser
Age: 27
Stormchasing Since: 1997
# of Tornadoes Seen: 215
# of Hurricanes Seen: 6
Closest distance from a tornado: 0 meters
Reed was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI, and became interested in extreme weather at a very young age. He was also an avid insect, reptile, and amphibian collector and tree identification enthusiast, but decided to pursue his greatest passion and began studying meteorology at the University of Oklahoma in 1998. Reed photographed his first tornado in October 1998, and was addicted to extreme storm chasing ever since. Every spring and summer season, he travels from the Mexican Border to Canada striving to photograph tornadoes from extreme close range (within 1/8 mile), often driving more than 40,000 miles during the spring and summer. His infamous reputation was achieved when he videotaped an F5 tornado from underneath an overpass on May 3, 1999 while it was bearing down on his location. Reed has more recently become interested in hurricane chasing as well, and documented Hurricane Katrina from "ground zero" in the fall 2005 with Simon Brewer (Stormgasm), lost Simon's car to a 20 foot storm surge, and had to hitch-hike back to Oklahoma. Notable tornado intercepts include the May 3, 1999 F5 tornado in Moore, OK; the Manchester, SD wedge on June 24, 2003; the May 4, 2003 tornado outbreak in southeast KS; and sustaining a direct hit from an F0 tornado in southern Minnesota. Reed has made several television appearances to share his storm chasing escapades, including CNN with Wolf Blitzer and Paula Zahn, Good Morning America with Dianne Sawyer, the Leeza Gibbons Show, Real TV, and World's Most Amazing Videos. Reed graduated with a Bachelors Degree in meteorology in 2002, Masters in 2005, and is currently working towards his PhD in meteorology at the University of Oklahoma. His research interests lie mainly in the field of applied climatology, focusing on energy consumption/temperature connections, and minimizing weather-related risk in the agribusiness sector. Additional interests include oboe performance, weight-lifting, basketball, golf, and hockey. Reed will chase storms until the day he dies!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
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