For those of you who don’t do Skype yet, now’s the time to give the service a try. They are offering unlimited free calls to anywhere in the US and Canada from now until the end of the year. International calls to, basically, any phone in the world, cost .02 Euros per minute. Unless you are calling Skype-to-Skype, which of course is free anywhere, anytime. Besides voice communication, the Skype connection offers IM, file transfer, video phone calling, and a net meeting function that supports up to 100 participants. And, of course, it’s all free. (La Cieca finds that Skype is particularly useful when taking notes while on a phone call, for example, while interviewing.)

La Cieca

James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.

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