Having emigrated to Spain, communicating cheaply is a must. If you are not in the same country as the person you wish to communicate with then contacting that person can be very expensive. I need to contact people in the UK, Ireland and Spain and so some
ecopunkery is required.
Gone are the days when we were limited to long distance communication via letters and telephone lines. As with many aspects of modern life, the Internet has made it easier to communicate cheaply with people.
emailThe first email I sent was over the JANET (Joint Academic NETwork) in 1986. How many thousands of emails have I sent since? Many more than the letters I wrote as a child.
Email is my preferred method of communication. It costs nothing to send an email, particularly if you can get on the Internet for nothing, otherwise the cost is minimal.
However, there are times when you need to pin someone down and communicate directly. An email can be left unanswered. People change email addresses without informing others or they may neglect to read their email regularly.
Instant MessagingAn alternative means of communicating is through instant messaging (IM). There are many instant messenger applications. The most common is Microsoft's Live messenger. Google, Yahoo, Skype and Facebook all have instant messaging too. These IM applications offer you instantaneous communication for the price of your monthly Internet service.
And yet, people are not always beside a computer. Mobile phones have allowed people to be contacted when they are away from home or without access to a telephone line. However, mobile phones are very expensive to use. Calling from abroad or to mobile phones on different networks will certainly empty your pockets.
VoIPVoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. In the same way you can send email over the Internet, your voice can be digitised and sent over the Internet too.
You will have heard of Skype, which is an application of VoIP over a proprietary network. Skype offers calls, video conferencing and instant messaging. If all parties involved in a communication are using Skype software then the communication is free. Calls from Skype to a mobile phone or land line will incur a charge though that charge is much lower than a regular call as Skype routes calls in bulk so there is the economy of scale.
ring2skype
Skype also allows you to have an Online Number. This is a number you chose from a city that is most convenient to you. For example, if most of the people you communicate with live in London then you would choose a London online number (beginning with 020). People with London telephone numbers can then call you on Skype (no matter where in the world you are ) for the price of a local call within London.
However, Skype charges you for an online number. The current UK price is £11.50 for three months. A
free alternative is ring2Skype whereby you receive a number and an extension at no cost and can receive calls from anywhere in the world at no cost to you.
For example, if you are a student from London who has travelled abroad to study you can make use of
ring2skype. You would get a London ring2skype number and extension. Friends and family can now make local rate calls to your number and extension. Ring2skype make money from the fact that for each number they give out there are 990 extensions on the single line. Again, like Skype, there is the economy of scale.
You are not limited to one number with ring2skype so I have a number & extension for Madrid too. I can now be contacted online by people in the UK and Spain for the price of a local call.
The futureI am looking at getting a Skypephone and/or a WiFi phone. A Skypephone will permit me to communicate with other Skype users for free over a 3G mobile network.
A WiFi phone would allow me to make VoIP calls over SIP (to be discussed in future posts) through WiFi routers (rather than a 3G mobile network) to other SIP enabled phones and software phones.
In the future, all phones will be WiFi enabled and either free or very nearly free to use. They will sit in charging pods in your house and act as your house phone. When you go out, you will take the phone with you and it will become your mobile phone. As you roam around, you will be handed from WiFi hotspot to the next, always contactable. What a nightmare!
The easiest way to start going off-grid is by taking your battery powered gadgets off-grid (those that you really need and haven't already downsized into oblivion!).
The process of taking your home off-grid is never easy. Reasons for going off-grid include; not having a grid-supply in the first place, using so little electricity that you pay more in standing charges than for the units of electricity used or wanting electricity to be from an ethical source.
To downsize your electricity usage you need to be able to pinpoint where you are wasting electricity and for that, you will need a power meter to determine your daily usage.
I have often said that I'm against eating too much processed food. For a start, the processing adds to the cost of manufacture. The marketing too. Finally, and most importantly, the preservatives, colourants and fillers are doing you no good at all. 
No, I haven't gone barking mad. WWOOFing is a way of travelling the world, meeting new people and doing a little organic growing. In return, you get free accommodation and food.
Magic words that we all like to hear. Especially during the current situation with financial cut backs. We have to do what we can to save a few pennies. 
There is nothing I like more than a glass of orange juice. For breakfast, lunch or any other time when I'm eating.
Having emigrated to Spain, communicating cheaply is a must. If you are not in the same country as the person you wish to communicate with then contacting that person can be very expensive. I need to contact people in the UK, Ireland and Spain and so some ecopunkery is required.
"There is no such thing as a free lunch." And that is true when it comes to coupons.
My car (pictured) is not the most energy efficient although I made alterations to give it an extra 7 mpg. The car is a 1997 4x4 jeep, there are four seats, the rear ones fold down and leave a nice big carrying space. It's not a monster, it only has a 1.1 litre engine.
When I lived in London the thing that really got me down was the lack of greenery. Whenever I left London by train or plane, my face was pressed up against the window soaking in the green view. Instantly, I felt reinvigorated.
No, I don't mean nipping down to your local McDonalds for a burger. I refer to the sourcing of raw ingredients from as close to your home as possible (if not already growing them yourself) and preparing meals for yourself.
It's that time of year, when the sun is out and summer is approaching, that ecopunk switches from baking chocolate muffins to scones.
A day doesn't pass when an ecopunk isn't trying to save a little money here or there. Today's task is to repair a set of diy headphones.
To be honest, this recipe is not that different from my chicken curry recipe. Just choose whichever five vegetables you have available, anything that isn't leafy.
