I have solved my microphone problems

[Tdarcos]

I have a standard dual jack headset (which Jonsey was nice enough to pay for, thank you!) that the microphone works with my new Avatar computer (which now does not work (long explanation not needed here)) but the mic does not work with the Acer Aspire computer which I am typing on now.

I have a USB headset in which the mic doesn't seem to work at all.

In both cases the headset works and I can use it as a listening device, but the microphone doesn't work. To at least try to be able to communicate over Skype I fired up one of my Android tablets that has Skype installed as an app and that worked, although I find the means to use it kludgy and the sound might not be that good.

So while at the computer store yesterday, I got the idea to try hooking up a Bluetooth(R) headset. So I find they have a USB Bluetooth adapter, normally $19.95 marked down to $9.95, and a $13.95 Bluetooth headset, (sold for use with Bluetooth cell phones, but the sales clerk says it will work with any Bluetooth-enabled system.)

So I plug the headset into the USB adapter overnight to charge the battery. This morning the red light is off indicating it's fully charged so I unplug it. It's about the size of a hearing aid, fits into the ear and has an over-the-ear clip to hold it in place. I install the bluetooth dongle, set it up and it seems to be working. So, I go to connect the headset/earpiece. You normally turn it on by holding the single button for three seconds until the blue light flashes, but to enable discovery, you hold it for 8 seconds until the light alternately flashes blue/red. In the "scan for devices" window it sees the headset, and I enable the connection.

In control panel, I enable the Bluetooth headset as a microphone, then I go to Skype's settings, and I enable the headset as the default microphone. I call Skype's Audio Test Service, and when it asks me to talk, I do, and after it plays back I hear my voice. Success!

Then I'm looking over my receipts, including the automatically printed duplicate ones Micro Center generates when something you bought has a rebate, and it turns out the USB dongle has a $5 rebate too. Sweet!

The only "problem" is that as long as the headset is recognized by the computer it's "live", rather than on stand-by as it normally would be when connected to a phone but not in use. The talk time per charge is 5 hours, the stand-by time is 150 hours, so the solution is to turn it off when not using it.

Now I'll see if either of my cell phones support Bluetooth. Probably not - they're cheap phones - but I can check, anyway. That would be a nice feature.

So, for the moment I have elegantly found a solution to the problem of being able to be heard over Skype (or anything else on my computer including Audacity), so the problem is now solved.

Or at least until my computer figures a way to fuck me in the ass on this one, too.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

There is a 4% chance you will be ready to go for the next Don Rogers Show, though. You realize that, right?

[Flack]

I really wanted to be a dick but I'm tired so I voted that I only use it on my phone.

I bought this big ass tower speaker at Big Lots a year ago. This link says it's $40 but I found it on sale for $30. It's not as big as it looks; those speakers are only 3" each. The tower includes a radio, a headphone jack (for input), a USB port, a 30-pin iPod/iPhone connector, and bluetooth. I mainly bought it because I think everything I own that produces music can be connected to it. I had it in my bedroom for a while and then remembered that I don't listen to music in my bedroom. Now it's out in the garage, where it gets used frequently.

My car stereo also supports bluetooth. Whenever I get in my car it just starts playing songs in random order from my phone. The steering wheel controls allow me to skip and restart songs and adjust the volume.

So there you go.