Nifty

I just upgraded to the newest version of Skype this morning... very cool, big improvement.

For those not familiar with Skype, it's an instant messaging tool (yes, another one) -- only this one works from behind almost any firewall, without needing any special configuration. It also has free peer-to-peer telephony. These features came in very handy when trying to contact my wife from overseas without spending a fortune, and when trying to chat with her at work, where she's unable to use AIM or MSN Messenger due to network restrictions.

The newest version includes encrypted chat and many other features designed to make IM more pleasant. I have not yet needed to use their SkypeOut feature, to call someone's telephone from my PC, but I like the idea. Overall, I rate it "pretty neat."