FW: The FP Room: Meeting with Ken and Laura Brody

[Mike Schwartz-PC Support & Services]

> If this is the same iVocalize as from <http://www.ivocalize.com> (and the
> screenshots look identical), then according to the website:
> 
>     Cross Platform: supports Windows, Mac OSX and Linux
> ---+
> | Kenneth J. Brody        | www.hvcomputer.com |

	When John first introduced the ivocalize thing last year, around
Christmas time, I thought it was going to be the greatest thing since sliced
filePro files (IE qualifiers... <grin>).  I mean, what could be better for a
filePro developer than having some of the best minds in the business "on
tap" 24 x 7 ? 

	Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out that way for me.  At home, I
don't have a private office, where I can close the doors and isolate myself
from the rest of the family.  As a matter of fact, my office is in the
dining room, which is right between the kitchen and the family room.  So
there is constant traffic through my office. 

	At first I had the filePro room coming through the speakers on my
PC, so that I could listen in on the conversation whenever anybody talked,
no matter where I was in the house.  

	Well, that didn't work, because the other family members (especially
my wife) didn't want "strange voices" coming out of my computer all day
long; especially when I was working in my shop, in the basement, or not in
my office and forgot to shut down the ivocalize.  (I did try to assure my
wife that nobody in the filePro room could hear what was being said in the
house, unless somebody pressed the CTRL key down on my computer.  However, I
don't think I fully convinced her...) 

	So, I switched to a headset.  However, the headset was uncomfortable
to wear for long periods and it kept me "teathered" to the computer.  And,
when I walked away from the computer, ivocalize would still show me logged
on, but I wasn't really listening in.  Frequently I would sit down at my
computer after a short break, but forget to put the headset back on.

	Since I am a consultant, I am frequently working at customer sites.
This means I am running into similar problems at those sites.  I am usually
not in a provate area, where I can tune into the iVocalize, except for a
couple of cases where I have to work from the back room or wiring closet.
(In one case I have to use a desk in the spare storage room/bathroom, so I
have to vacate whenever somebody wants to use the toilet...)

	So, my question is:

	What methods and equipment have the rest of you come up with to
overcome these problems?  

	Have you found comfortable wireless headsets (with microphones) that
allow you to move around the office and still stay connected to Ivocalize?
(I hate to wear a full padded headset over both ears when I'm working in a
client's office.  It makes it looks like I'm listening to music or watching
TV, instead of concentrating on their programming.)

	Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

	By the way, our local Novell/Linux users group will be ending its
meeting at about 9:00PM eastern on Tuesday evening, so I will try to log in
from our meeting place, Fox Valley Lutheran High School, so that the other
25 or so Novell system administrators will be able to see how ivocalize
works.  Several of them are former filePro users, or know about filePro.  I
thought this would be a GREAT way to show a few more people that filePro is
still alive and well!   

     At the risk of overcrowding John's ivocalize server, I would like to
suggest that some of the other people who will be attending the meeting try
and invite a few friends over.  For example, at a couple of my customer
sites, there other (fairly novice) filePro programmers.  I'm going to try
and talk them into having a "pizza party" at their place of business, so
that they can all log in using just one computer and at least listen in on
the conversation.

	I should note that at a couple of these places, filePro is
considered a "dead horse"; just kept in place as a "legacy system", so I
hope that a couple of you might mention vital business apps and new things
that you are doing with filePro!  

Thanks!

Mike Schwartz