I Think That's Your PC Ringing

Your eyes locked across the rows of business class on an all-night intercontinental flight. Over small bottles of liquor, love arced through the recycled air. Cupid set the mood; it could be up to Internet calling to keep that spark alive.

It's time to rediscover Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP. A few years back the same kids that populated the ham-radio shack in college figured out that with a PC, an Internet connection and some software, you could stick it to The Man and get a free crackly phone line across the world.

Today, that line's much clearer and the phone call isn't totally free, but you have several plans and technologies from which to choose. If you've got heavy calling to make to faraway places, you'd be crazy not to take a look. If you're just curious about how it all works, the technology is easy to set up and you'll be calling in no time, but you probably won't give up the convenience of your plain old telephone. ...