A cheap USB microscope for home, the class or the laboratory

Dr Brian Thistleton is an entomologist who I had the pleasure of working with while at the department that is responsible for small things that crawl, fly, bite and cause problems with crops. He is also an avid photographer and collector of technical gadgets that make work easier (or are just too much fun to pass up).

An entomologist is a zoologist who focuses on insects...

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VOIP, Skype and Landlines

I don't use roaming mobile phones when overseas and I thought I would try to use Skype which I use frequently for computer to computer conversations but not for computer to landline or mobile phones. So on our recent trip into South East Asia I decided to spend 16 dollars AUD on Skype credit which meant that I could call landlines for about 2 cents a minute. With hotels, fast food outlets and airports providing free wifi in Asia I was able to call friends and family in Darwin, Melbourne and Sydney on landlines and mobiles at will during the holiday which was for 12 days.

At the end of the holiday we still had only used less than 8 Australian dollars on phone calls.

I simply downloaded Skype to my iPad and if we were in a noisy location like Maccas, I would use the earphones and on all occasions the call was good, even to my Father who has a genuine hearing problem.

It is one of those things that you say to yourself, why didn't I do it earlier. People who receive the call have the same user experience they would if you were calling them from your house.