Cheap calls internationally mobile to mobile

Via Josef at United Diversity

Ever wondered what the best way to make international calls from your mobile is?

Well, the answer is Dialstation.

There are lots of ways to an initiate a call (including a facebook app coming soon) but the one I’ve personally found most convenient is to simply text a contact from my address book to Dialstation.

Say, for example, I want to call my Dad in Spain. Both he and I only have mobile phones and he has never even used a computer so voip is out of the question for now.

Normally, (unless I buy international calling card, dial and massive long number, enter and code and then enter my dad’s number, the call from a UK mobile to a Spanish mobile costs me a bomb. This has led to me not speaking to my dad much.

Now, with Dialstation, calling my Dad on the cheap is as simple as texting one contact from my address (my Dad’s) to another (Dialstation).

After texting my Dad’s number to Dialstation I almost immediately get a call (from Dialstation) that appears to be from my Dad (his name comes up on my screen as if it were him calling).
Moments later, my Dad receives a call that appears to be from me (my name comes up on his screen).

In effect Dialstation is simply making two local calls and connecting them up over the internet.
Dialstation is simple, cheap, effective, AND founded on principles of economic democracy.
I love it!

Dialstation was built using free software by our friends at Telekommunisten, a company wholly owned and controlled by the workers and organised as a “Venture Commune“.

UD Gathering

A quick update on Commons Creation.

Commons Creation is now a project of United Diversity. Officially. A good move I think as I can see how some people may have become confused about the connections...

UD/Commons Creation are organising a gathering of members and any other interested people on December 15th in London.

I will post up the flier once I have heard more from Josef.

Creating a Commons

So the funky people at United Diversity launched a(nother) world changing initiative in January this year. I happened to be at the launch where Josef talked about the Commons Creation.

The idea behind Commons Creation is very simple - if we all pool our resources collectively then we can make much better use of them and our shared knowledge/energy thus work better together to make a betetr world. Founding member Josef's aim has always been to organise and participate in a bio-diesel tour to Spain, taking in all the cool eco- world changing projects and communities and to end up in Buenache, Spain to build a small eco-village.

A group of people known as the Commons Creation Collective have been paying into the Commons Fund since January this year in order to build up the resources and now 8 months on it looks like we are about to acquire some land.

Things are slowly moving forward - if you want to know more about Commons Creation go here.

Break is officially over

So, having had a break (of sorts) over the summer my mind has wandered back to what I can/should be doing next.

After the last screening, Steven from Quaker House emailed to say that he would be interested in doing some joint awareness/cash raising this Autumn.

So, break is officially over!

Am off to do some research and send some mails to people.

Watch this space!

One down, one to go

Film Screening went well…in the end.

In the end a motley crew consisting of parents, a local group from Westminster, some activists, a traveller, a barman, a Quaker and some random people there for a quiet drink and nothing more gathered around the screen to watch the movie. I left my crib cards at the office and so forgot to say what I intended but it went ok – people weren’t really there to hear me speak.

Steve from the Quaker Peace Society came along to talk about their peace-building mission in Northern Uganda which was interesting. He and I had a good chat afterwards about how we might be able to cross-promote each others events or do one together later on in the year.

We received donations of around £50 that I’ll be splitting between War Child and Invisible Children but it was never about the money really, I wanted to make an impact and the story does that for itself its just getting people there that takes the hard work.

So, went better than expected. Am still slightly disappointed by the no-shows but hey, it felt good to have reached people randomly that don’t already know about these things. Maybe it will spur them on to find out more and get involved. The barman thought the movie was really powerful and wanted to know about the work too.

It's all good :)