We live in a world that our grandparents probably couldn’t have even imagined. We can communicate all over the world at the speed of light. We can send emails, complete with graphics and sound, to any corner of the earth. With all of this technology, why are international phone calls still such a pain in the neck?

If you have tried to make an international phone call to one of the more remote corners of Europe, you know exactly what I’m talking about. You would think that international telephone calls to Poland, for example, would be a snap. Much of Poland, especially the places where I was calling, is an extremely wired and high-tech place. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, they have more or less caught up with the rest of the world. Although their international Internet access may be world class, international phone calls there are not.

The other day, I bought an international phone card to call one of my friends in Poland. He is there for the summer and I haven’t talked to him in a couple of months. There were a million different ways to make international phone calls. All of the cards had long lists of rates for different countries, so it was difficult to figure out which was the best one. After a few minutes of puzzling over them, I found the best international telephone card. I went home, ready to talk on the phone for a couple of hours.

When I tried to place my international phone call, nothing would work. I have heard that a lot of the cards for making international phone calls are actually made by the local mafias of foreign countries. Although I was skeptical of this rumor before, since I tried making international phone calls I am much more apt to believe it. It was absolutely impossible. The first time I tried, it told me that the number was wrong. The second time I tried, it told me that I had no money left on the card even though I had just purchased it. By the time one of my international phone calls connected, three hours had passed. When I finally did get my friend on the line, it was so grainy that I could barely hear him. Next time, I am going to try international phone calls with voice over IP. Anything that doesn’t run over the Internet is too unreliable to be worth the effort!

If you like to play Internet games, you are in luck. Each day it seems there are more and more sites added to the Internet that allow you to play games. You can find almost any game you can imagine and many games that you haven’t thought of. Lots of the classics are still there, along with newer versions that allow you to play the games you remember in a whole new way. You also have the option of playing Internet games with other people from around the world.

When I am stressed and need a break, I often play Internet games. Though I generally do not talk to other people while playing, I see that many people make friends this way. You may have a favorite site for Internet games and that may be the site you visit the most. I love to go to Pogo because we have a membership there and they have all the games that I like to play. The best thing about Pogo is that it seemed to work fast for me and always remembers my settings.

There are many, many different places for you can play Internet games and you don’t have to limit your game play to just one site. If you like sports, you can find a site devoted specifically to sports games and you can find many that offer fantasy leagues for any sport you fancy. You can also find Internet games that you may have never played before. People are always thinking of new games and you may find that your favorite is one you have not played just yet.

There are some Internet games, like the games on Pogo, that allow you to win money. It is somewhat like the lottery and that your chances of winning are very low. That does not mean you cannot win. Do not mistake this type of site with a gambling site, as you do not have to pay or wager when you begin a game. There may be a yearly membership cost to join a site that has these Internet games, but you do not have to pay if you don’t want to. For the most part, the membership enables you to view the site without advertisements, but you can still play the same games for the same prizes without paying the membership fee. I love to play these Internet games, but I have to be careful they do not interfere with my work.