Talk and talk and talk and talk ...

It's a small world and a global village and the continent ain't as big as it used to be and people like to keep in touch.

I moved to New York back in twenty-ought-four and most of the people I wanted to keep in touch with (if they weren't where I live) were back in Canada. I didn't have a landline but I had a decent cell phone deal with amazing long distance rates to north of the 49th parallel, so sweet that when the provider realized it's sweetness and the work-arounds some people from Canada were attempting, they shipped that package ... well, it wasn't long for this world.

So what kind of deal is there to be had if you live in the US and want to call Canada or any other part of the US for free and other parts of the world for cheap?

Google Voice sets you up with a custom number, and free texting and voicemail to other parts of the US and Canada. You can access it from your Gmail or Google account on your computer but if you don't want to sit in front of your computer to make free calls, plenty of mobile phones allow you to download the app and take it with you.

All you need is a data plan and with so many flat rate data packages for phones and so many areas with free wifi, you don't have to be held to the long distance minutes of your mobile plan. Simply, through the app on your data network or wifi it turns calls from the US to other parts of the US and Canada into local calls.

But maybe they put it better.