Residual Sugar: A Sweet Glass Of Wine

May 16, 2012 12:09 pm

California, obviously, is the state most associated with wine production, but many people seem to think that it stops outside the Napa Valley. There are great places to sample wine all over the state, and Walnut Creek’s Residual Sugar is one of them. They take an interesting and environmentally conscious approach to serving wine, using a unique 32 tap cruvinet system to ensure bottles hold their flavor longer, as well as serving almost half a dozen wines from kegs. While kegs are typically used for beer, they actually work exceptionally well for wine, and you won’t be able to tell the difference. The atmosphere here is casual but classy, and there’s not an iota of wine snobbery to be found. Residual Sugar is all about appreciating and enjoying the flavors that tantalize your palate. If you get puckish, they have excellent cheese plates that pair very well with the wines.

Residual Sugar
1684 Locust Street
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
www.residualsugarwine.com

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Happy Mother’s Day!

May 13, 2012 10:05 am

Wishing all of the mothers a very happy and relaxing Mother's Day surrounded by the ones you love.

Category: What's Happening at Creekside Glen Tags: ,

What is Skype?

May 8, 2012 12:04 pm
Chances are you’ve heard about the voice-over-Internet service known as Skype, but do find yourself wishing you knew more about it? Read on to learn more about Skype’s history and many functions so that you can consider incorporating it into your online experiences:
 
An Overview of Skype
Skype is a Microsoft-operated service that enables you to communicate with others over the internet via voice, instant messaging, and video. You can call a user within the Skype network free of charge or call landline telephones and mobile devices outside of Skype’s network for a fee. Skype is particularly beloved for its videoconferencing features and its file-sharing capacities. It has become a popular service on corporate, government, education, and home networks, with over 663 million registered users worldwide.
 
Main Features of Skype
As a user of Skype, you will be listed under a Skype Name that others will use to find you in the Skype directory. You can communicate with fellow users via instant messaging or a voice chat feature that combines telephone calls with video conferencing. The instant messaging text chat service enables group chats, the use of emoticons, and the storage of chat histories. The video conferencing technology allows you to talk one-on-one with someone else or engage in group video chats. You also have the option of engaging in an audio chat without video features, with as many as 25 people able to participate in a single audio chat session. In addition, if you’re Comcast customer, take note of this cool development: in 2011, Skype teamed up with Comcast to bring its video chat service to Comcast subscribers by means of their home HDTV sets.
 
Background and History of Skype
Skype was established in 2003 by Janus Fris of Denmark and Niklas Zennstrom of Sweden. In spring 2011, Microsoft Corporation acquired Skype Communications and the company became incorporated as a division of Microsoft. Skype first rose to massive international popularity when Microsoft released the video calling featuring for iPhone, achieving a record of 27 million simultaneous online users. Since then, the number of simultaneous online users has continued to grow, with the most recent record as of spring 2012 being 35 million simultaneous online users.
 
Business Benefits of Skype
If you’re considering using Skype for business purposes, there are many good reasons to do so. Since Skype’s main purpose is to enhance communication between people, and communication is a cornerstone of business success, Skype is a service that can improve a company’s effectiveness in a variety of ways. Example: if you can’t afford to fly in applicants for an in-person interview, you can interview them via skype. Another great benefit of skype is that you can meet and collaborate with co-workers and partners from any location around the world – no need to fly somewhere so that you can be in the same room with them.
 
Payment Options For Skype
Skype offers several free services, including one-to-one video chats on your computer, instant messaging, screen sharing options, and Skype-to-Skype calls. You can also opt for a “Pay As you Go” plan that will let you make regular calls to phones via a Skype Credit service in which you store your credit or debit card with the company they charge you as use the phone services. If you’re going to make very frequent calls, and especially if you’re planning on calling abroad, a good option is to get a subscription (you’ll get the best rates if you opt for a three-month or twelve-month subscription). You can also opt for Skype Premium which, for a low monthly fee, allows you unlimited calls to any country of your choice, group video calling, live chat customer support, and a variety of other features. 
 

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