Skype phones
Yesterday, I received several emails from family members who were concerned about a new bill, which the Danish parliment may pass. The bill is essentially about removing the protection of family names: If passed, the bill will make it easier to take a family name that is not your own (e.g. a divorcee can take/keep the family name of ex) and if enough people (1000) all have the same familiy name, that family name is no longer protected. By 'protected' I mean that other people cannot just buy a family name, unless that name is very common (e.g. the Danish 'Smith': 'Jensen'). The concern of my family and others, is that these two rules constitute a slippery slope, which will make almost any family name common and accessible to all. A protest movement has been started at www.mitfamilienavn.dk where you can read the details of the law bill, and maybe voice your concern by sending an email to the appropriate state department.Furthermore, I have been discussing Skype phones with my mother, sister and oldest brother. My sister lives in the US and the rest of us have recently started to use Skype or SkypeOut when calling her. I initiated the discussion as I will be moving soon and I am considering what telephone and internet subscriptions to get for the new place. I am considering the Skype phones because 1) They will enable me to call my sister and 2) The SkypeOut rate is competitive for calling mobile phones in Denmark. One of my ideas is to get a telephone subscription which will get me landline calls at a flat rate (i.e. subscription only) and then use Skype for calling mobiles. Should save us a bit of money.
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