The DigitalRV Blog

While out shopping the other day I came across things I didn’t know I needed. Truth be told, I didn’t need them, but somehow they always end up coming home with me!

At Staples I found the San Disk Mobile Mate SD+. Long name for a compact device. This USB 2.0 device can accept many digital media cards (normally used for digital photography). Cards that can be used with the Mobile Mate are SD, mSD, MMC, RS-MMC, & TF. If your digital cameras use any of these types of memory cards, you can use the Mobile Mate! And I’d advise you give it a try.

What’s so special about this little device. It is a super compact memory card reader. No flash or glitz, just a compact card reader. At 3 inches long, 1 inch wide, and .5 inches thick, it’s a super compact card reader that you can stow anywhere. Easier than many larger card readers I’ve seen on the market.

The Mobile Mate came in under $20.00. Not bad in comparison to other card readers either. Best of all, it works well! Not much else to say about this straightforward digital peripheral!

Even if you’re not on the road full time, going digital makes sense.

Just today I was convinced even more about the value of doing transactions over the Internet. For those of you who don’t know, or haven’t paid attention, the cost of a stamp is going up again for 2006. I’ll admit up front, I didn’t know. It’s not like I pay attention to the news (several hours a day on my XM, news searches in the morning, etc.).

So if you weren’t aware of the rate hike, now you are.

Each month companies that send me bills keep pushing me to automatically pay, or pay over the Internet. I do conduct some transactions over the net, and now I’m thinking hard about covering most transactions via the net. My service providers (phone, cell phone, utility companies) all offer incentives (10% off, $10 back, and so on) if I switch and pay electronically. I haven’t been offered any incentives to keep popping stamps on envelopes…..

For those on the road, conducting business electronically seems like the way to go. No worries about mail forwarding to make sure your insurance is paid up. Did your postal mail all make it to your current location? All that can be put aside, and instead you can log on, cover your obligations, and get back to enjoying your mobile life.

After many days of sitting at the computer, putting up the blog, installing and figuring out the forum, and checking into what’s been happening with the book so far……I’ve given myself most of the day off.

So, what does a tech junkie do when not using tech all day? I went to Staples to get some envelopes, mailed out some photos that had been ordered from me (I have lots of moose and loon photos from my favorite trips), and then I went to the Mac store. Ok, not so much a day off.

The Mall wasn’t too crowded today, but the Mac store was. They had the check out line roped off like an amusement park ride! People were lined up out the door. And behind the register were bins of IPods. Guess we know what the top selling product at Apple is still!

I poked around and looked at the Video IPods for a minute. I still don’t think I could watch a program on them. But there was that “gadget junkie” temptation. I resisted the urge though. My IPod is a 40GB IPod Photo. Plenty of space, useful for backups, and for off loading my camera when I’m out. So I don’t need a Video IPod.

After the Apple store I swung by the Comp USA, just for giggles. Not as busy as Apple, but the Best Buy parking lot was full. Everyone out trying to get the after Christmas sales I suppose. For those looking for new tech for your RV, this might be a good time if you can tolerate the crowds. If you’re a Class A or B owner, why not pull your rig to the retailer of your choice and make a day of it.

A new digital camera review will be up shortly. I’m also looking into whether or not we can get a firsthand look at Garmin’s new 7 inch screen GPS units. Exciting stuff. XM radio built right into the GPS. A gadget fan’s dream come true!

Ok, after some additional tweaking the DigitalRV.net Forum is up and operational! It will still require some more work, and input from users. That’s where readers of this blog come in. If you’ve got questions or ideas about being a Digital RV’er please pay the forum a visit, and become a member if you like.

If you haven’t read or ordered the book yet, that’s ok. The forum is free to anyone who’s interested in the subject. So, the computer novice to the hardcore Digital RV’er is welcome on the new forums. I hope you enjoy the new feature, and return often to add to everyone’s knowledge.

The past few days have been nothing but work. Since the launch of the book & site I’ve been scrambling to add more to the site to make it more useful for all readers.

I’ve been reviewing different CMS programs (Content Management Systems), Blog Software (and I selected Word Press), and Forum Servers. My web hosting company probably thinks something big must be happening with my account. Load a new server, install a new database, test, take down the database, remove the server files, do it again. That’s been the experience since the night before Christmas.

Well, after more than 12 hours of testing stuff yesterday I’ve finally settled on a new forum server. Yes, there are dozens of forums on the net focusing on RVs. And I’ll leave them to what they do best, general RV information. The new forum here will be covering all topics relevant to being a, “Digital RV’er”.

That’s where the readers come in. I’m just starting to structure the forums. I’d love any input potential users would like to offer.

The new forum link will be posted on this blog later today. At that time, feel free to take a look through the forum, and think about how you’d like topics to be structured. Your input will directly affect how the forum turns out.

While I sit here on my home G5, I’m offloading holdiay photos to my laptop. Yesterday I spent the day with family. I’ve got a new little niece & nephew, and several photos and videos of them now. Incredibly enough I didn’t sit down last night and start working with the files. I gave myself a few minutes off to play Atari instead!

Both my photos & videos were shot with one of Canon’s latest toys, the SD550. Not to worry, a review will be up on the site shortly.

While I was shooting stills and video with one of Canon’s smallest digital cameras, my brother-in-law was shooting with his new Canon DV camera. No, we’re not a high tech family, it’s usually just me.

All in all it was a great day, and we got to capture the memories digitally. Hey, sounds like something from the book.

Tonight I spoke with my sister & her husdband. They were working on connecting their new DV camera to the TV to watch and see how the camera performed. I could hear my brother-in-law fighting with cabling in the background. Something wasn’t working, and no audio was heard when playing their video.

So, while you can capture those moments, it might take a few minutes to access them! That always seems to be the way. However, you should not despair. Simply hand the instructions to cooler heads and spend a few moments on the phone. While we talked, my sister looked at the book again, connected to the TV, and Voila, video & audio.

Always read your instructions. Even when you do, sometimes it still doesn’t work. That’s when you should take 5, heat up a pretzel, and find some root beer…..

After a great day of rest and family visits I’m sitting down at the computer again. This time, instead of pouring over copy from my book, or pondering web site layout, I’m now trying to figure out how to market “The Digital RV.”

While this past weekend’s initial response to the book & site were both terrific, there are still many more people to reach. Sure, many RV owners use the Internet to research their rigs, chat with other RV enthusiasts, and check in to some of the most popular travel forums on the web. But there are many RV owners who don’t use the web, and they’re the folks the book could really help. So, now I sit down and figure out how to reach them!

I’ve had some great suggestions from friends & recent visitors to the site. Thanks to everyone for all the e-mail contacts over the weekend. If I haven’t gotten back to you yet, I will. Just sorting through a very full inbox!

So far I’ve started looking into print advertising and other web sites that cater to RV owners. One of the best suggestions I’ve received so far was to contact the RVTravel.com website. Not only do they have an informative news letter, but they also have an online RV Bookstore. That would be a great place to begin.

While you might think this all isn’t too relevant to readers, think again. You’re reading about this on a blog, which is an interesting an easy way to use the Internet to reach many people. And what I’m writing about is a book that has been created with digital technology, and is published through an online “print on demand” publisher. If that doesn’t give you a few ideas about how powerful digital technology can be for you while on the road I don’t know what will.

I’ll be looking forward to getting back on the road this spring, and updating the site from the road. If you’re curious to see how well digital technology works from the road, go check out Rich Luhr’s Tour of America. Blog updates, magazine management, and more are being accomplished while travelling the country, and it’s all happening right now!

While I wasn’t planning on posting anything today, I couldn’t resist. A present spurred the post, so I thought I’d share.

Growing up in the 70’s & 80’s all things “digital” were relatively new. I was only 10 when Atari put out their home game console, and wow did I want one. Remember Atari? I sure do.

Well, one of my sisters gave me a trip down memory lane today. An Atari console, with 40 games built in. When we returned home from the holiday visit I plugged this little gaming console in and took a look through.

Today games look so close to “real” it’s spooky. The Atari games I looked through today definitely don’t look real at all, but they’re still fun! I’ll be sorting through what’s on the console over the next few days, and maybe even post a little more about it. Maybe some side by side screen shots from a Playstation 2 vs. Atari. That would be fun!

While the “revived” Atari games are interesting, I wouldn’t include such a setup in my RV. I can still fit a great deal more in my laptop alone. But if you’re looking for a trip down memory lane……

I forgot to mention a favorite read, and a great spot to check out another blog from an RV’er on the road. Check out Tour of America when you have a chance. Make sure to check out the blog, as there’s always something new!

After a busy day split between web updates & Christmas prep, I’m calling it a day!

Since digitalrv.net launched a little early, I’ve been playing catch up, and making myself do some double duty! Today has definitely kept me busy.

This morning I found, researched, and installed the current blog you’re now viewing. The blog software is WordPress, and it was actually relatively simple to install. The hosting company I use did not have any Blog software installed, so I had to put one on manually myself. Since I’ve never installed software on my hosting server I was surprised at how simple Word Press was to deal with! If you have your own web site, and want to manage your own Blog, Word Press is worth taking a look at.

If you don’t have your own web site you’re still in luck. You can also host a blog for free at WordPress or Blogger. Both programs are simple to use, even for Internet Novices! In the book I detail creating your own Blog with Blogger.com. Down the road I’ll be sure to post more on Word Press, just to provide you with more options.

After working out my Blogging needs today I decided to do a little more with web updates for the main site. A new “Useful Links” section has been added. These are links to companies and web sites that I’ve found great mobile technology, or great RV information on. Over the next few weeks the links page will definitely expand beyond its current size. As I update the pages, I’ll note it here on the Blog as well.

Have a Merry Christmas. I’ll be back on the site after the holdiay, but tomorrow will be a day away from my mobile technology!