Guess who’s trying Google Voice?  I went to the Google Voice site (www.google.com/voice) about a month ago and submitted my email address, and two days ago I finally got that coveted invitation.  Now on to the review.

Bottom Line

I love Google Voice and plan to continue using it.  The features make it incredibly useful.  I suspect that, in the future, I’ll be handing out my Google Voice number instead of my home, work or mobile numbers.

What is Google Voice?

Google Voice used to be Grand Central, a unified messaging service.  The goal is to allow users to use a single phone number to manage all of your phones.  Google purchased the service and is offering it up for free.  Yes, as we’ve come to expect from Google, it is free.  Here are the primary features:

• You select your own unique Google Voice phone number.  You put in an area code and pick from available numbers.
• Enter your many personal phone numbers (home, work, mobile, whatever) into your Voice accout.  When someone calls your Voice number, Voice will ring one or several of your programmed numbers at once, depending on what you want.
• Voice integrates with your GMail account.  You can have calls from certain GMail groups ring only certain phones.
• If someone calls your Voice number and a human does not answer, it sends the caller to Voice voice mail.
• You can record many voice mail answer messages and assign then any way you like to individual phone numbers or groups.  For example, I set up one answer for numbers in my GMail “family” group and another for everyone else.
• Voice has the ability to transcribe your messages and deliver the text to one email address.  You receive an email with the time of the call, the name and number of the caller, and a transcription.
• You can access your messages through the web or any phone.
• Voice allows you to download voice mail messages in MP3 format.
• At any time during an incoming call, you can record the call.  Later you can download the file.
• Google Voice also manages SMS messages.
• Calls within the continental U.S. are free.  Overseas calls can be made at an additional cost.

What do I think about the service?

Things that work well:

• I got to pick a local Alabaster number.  After a little looking, I even picked a memorable combination of digits.
• Google Voice’s message interface is, as we’ve come to expect from Google, simple and efficient.
• Account setup took me about 15 minutes, including recording messages.
• My various phones ring as advertised.  Whenever someone calls my Voice number, my office and mobile phones ring simultaneously.
• Voice mail messages work well.  The interface shows all pertinent information, and the webrowser playback is clear.
• I get email messages whenever I have a message.
• Recording outgoing messages is simple.  Google Voice calls the phone you specify and you record your greeting over the phone.

Things that aren’t so great:

• The transcription service does not yield usable messages.  No doubt this will improve with time.  Here’s an example:
  • Message was:  “This is a test of your new Google Voice number.”
  • Transcription was: “this is a test that you’re them all i’m number”
• Assigning different anwers to numbers or groups of numbers appears to be buggy.

Things I haven’t tried:

• Accessing messages and account settings over the phone.
• Sending, receiving and managing SMS messages.

Privacy issues

No, I’m not a conspiracy nut who thinks that Google is trying to take over our lives.  However, before signing up for Google Voice, read the disclosure statements.

From the Google Voice privacy statement:

• You need a Google Account to access Google Voice. Google asks for some personal information when you create a Google Account, including your alternate contact information and a password, which is used to protect your account from unauthorized access.
• Google Voice stores, processes and maintains your call history, voicemail greeting(s), voicemail messages, Short Message Service (SMS) messages, recorded conversations, and other data related to your account in order to provide the service to you.
• When you use Google Voice, Google’s servers automatically record certain information about your use of Google Voice. Similar to other web services, Google Voice records information such as account activity (including storage usage, number of log-ins), data displayed or clicked on (including UI elements, links); and other log information (including browser type, IP-address, date and time of access, cookie ID, and referrer URL). Google’s servers also automatically collect telephony log information (including calling-party number, forwarding numbers, time and date of calls, duration of calls, SMS routing information, and types of calls).
• Google maintains and processes your Google Voice account and its contents to provide the Google Voice service to you and to improve our services.
• Google may send you information related to your Google Voice account or other Google services.
• Voicemail Transcription - if you use Google Voice’s voicemail transcription service, Google may transcribe voicemail messages into text and email and/or SMS the resulting text to the email account or phone number(s) designated in your user settings. Google’s computers process the information in your messages for various purposes, including formatting and displaying the information to you, delivering related links, backing up your messages, and other purposes relating to offering you Google Voice.
• We do not sell, rent or otherwise share your personal information with any third parties except in the limited circumstances described in the Google Privacy Policy, such as when we believe we are required to do so by law.
• You may organize or delete your call history, voicemail greeting(s), voicemail messages (both audio and/or transcriptions), Short Message Service (SMS) messages, and recorded conversations through your Google Voice account or terminate your account through the Google Account section of Google Voice settings. Such deletions or terminations will take immediate effect in your account view. Residual copies of deleted data and accounts may take up to 90 days to be deleted from our active servers and may remain in our offline backup systems. Call history for billable calls will remain visible on your account and be retained in Google systems for accounting purposes. Call history for billable calls will retained in Google systems for accounting purposes.

This cooking method is the same as the famous Boy Scout trash can turkey. For detailed information on the trash can turkey method, including great pictures on how to actually set up the oven, visit Trash Can Turkeys or The Trash Can Turkey.

Materials for the trash can oven:

• “Seasoned” 10 gallon metal trash can (I bought mine on-line at Tractor Supply Company, search for trash can or bird seed can)
• Plenty of heavy duty aluminum foil
• 10 pounds of high-quality charcoal (Match Light works well)
• Wooden stake (2″ by 2″ by 30″ long UNTREATED  - Note: Pressure-treated lumber contains toxic chemicals - don’t use it)
• Level place to set everything up.  Keep in mind that this will scorch the ground where you set up, so avoid manicured lawns.
• Hammer
• Tongs for handling coals
• Heavy leather gloves

Materials for chicken preparation:

• Two 5-pound frying hens
• One pound of thick-cut bacon
• Favorite poultry seasoning (I used Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning I found at Publix)
• Oil or cooking spray
• Disposable latex gloves
• Silicone elastic bands (I bought mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond) or other method to truss up the chickens
• Toothpicks (uncolored)

Other items:

• Clean towel to wrap around and remove  finished chickens
• Serving pan
• Plenty of time and patience

Preparing the oven:

• Check out the pictures at The Trash Can Turkey.  It will help you understand the directions.
• Note: The trash can is inverted for this project.  When I refer to “top,” I mean the closed metal portion that is on top when the can is upside down.  ”Bottom” refers to the open end that is in contact with the ground.
• First time you use your brand new trash can: Zinc vapor is toxic.  Before cooking anything in your trash can oven, you must first “season” the can to remove the zinc.  Build a bed of hot coals.  Place the can on its side on the coals and rotate it a bit every few minutes.  You want all sides of the can to be exposed to high heat.  Avoid inhaling any vapors coming off of the can during this process.  Continue to rotate it a little every few minutes until your bed of coals is consumed.
• Place two layers of heavy duty aluminum foil on the level, scorchable area you have prepared.  This is the floor of the oven.  Place the trash can upside down in the center of the foil.  The foil should extend at elast six inches past the lower part of the trash can all the way around.  Press down on the can to make a circle indentation in the foil.
• Remove the can.  Drive the 2″ by 2″ by 30″ long stake through the center of the circle in the aluminum foil and into the ground until the protruding top of the stake is about two inches below the top of the trash can.
• Cover the stake with foil.  Make a loose wad of foil, about three inches in diameter, and wrap it on the bottom of the stake.  This will keep the chicken from sliding down the stake during cooking.
• Using the inverted  lid from the trash can as a bowl, fill the lid with the 10 pounds of charcoal and light.  It will be ready in about 15 minutes.

Preparing the chicken:

• Put on latex gloves.
• Remove first chicken from package.  Remove giblet package and discard (or use for something else later, if you so desire).
• Cover chicken with a light coat of oil or cooking spray.  This helps the seasoning adhere.
• Rub a generous coating of seasoning on the chicken.
• Slide chicken onto the stake “head up.”  Slide it down until the bottom of the chicken comes into contact with the aluminum foil wad at the base of the stake.
• Repeat for chicken number two.  Slide it onto the stake until the top of the chicken is about two inches from the top of the stake.  The chickens will overlap a bit.
• Wrap pieces of the thick cut bacon one at a time around the chickens.  Secure with a toothpick on each end.  Colored toothpicks leach their dye into the chicken, so you might want to use plain toothpicks.
• Finally, “truss up” the chickens using four to six silicone elastic bands or your favorite method.  This will hold the chicken together while it cooks.
• Clean up and dispose of the gloves.

Cooking the chicken:

• Wrap a single layer of aluminum foil around the open lip of the trash can.  This will make cleanup easier later.
• Carefully cover the chicken with the trash can.  Make sure the can is resting on that original circle (remember?).
• Use tongs to place a single layer of hot briquettes on the top of the can.  Space the briquettes about 1 inch apart.
• Shovel the rest of the hot briquettes uniformly around the bottom of the can.  The coals should be in contact with the can as much as possible.
• Check your watch.  You will let the chickens roast for 90 minutes on hot days and 120 minutes on cold days.
• Juices will leak out around the bottom of the can.  This is normal.
• After time has elapsed, rake the still hot coals away from the bottom of the can.
• Using your leather gloves, carefully remove the dangerously hot trash can and set aside.
• Resist the urge to start knawing on the perfectly cooked chickens.
• With gloves still on, wrap chickens in a clean towel, lift and remove.  The stake may come with it.  Place in serving dish.
• Remove stake, residual foil, toothpicks and elastic bands.
• Serve!

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Details…

When: Saturday, July 4, 2009 from 6pm until 9pm

Where: 504 North Grande View Trail, Maylene, AL 35114

• Google Maps
  
• Plain English: From Highway 31 in Alabaster, go south on US119 for 2.9 miles. At the old 119 Auto Sales sign and the Exxon, turn right onto Butler Road (County Road 12). Go 1.5 miles to the top of the hill and turn right into the Grande View neighborhood. Continue down Grande View Parkway for 0.7 miles (you’ll go through one stop sign) and turn right on North Grande View Lane. Take the next right on North Grande View Trail. Our house is the second one on the right.

What to bring: Salad, dessert or side dish and chairs.

IMPORTANT:  Please let us know how many hamburgers and hot dogs your family will want to eat by sending us an email (kelly@familydrake.com) or calling us at 621-7048, or fill in the form below and click Send.

We look forward to seeing you on July 4th!

Just for fun, watch the slide show in the blog post below for images from past July 4th fellowships.  Wow, the kids grow up quickly.

Kelly and David