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Newsletters
Nothing in this site is copyrighted -- I'd be honored if you'd reuse anything you find here for your website
In January 2003, I decided to start producing a periodic newsletter Retirement Tips and RV Stuff. Below, you'll find a copy of the newsletters to date. If you'd like to get on the distribution for the next newsletter, send me email at rjhoffman@yahoo.com.
Table of Contents
If you're looking for a specific topic in one of the old newsletters, the Search box on the right will find it for you. It will also point you to other references to the topic throughout the website.
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Retirement Tips and RV Stuff Newsletter
Issue 2006.07 Jul 2006
Publisher, Bob Hoffman - rjhoffman@yahoo.com
Back Issues at - http://www.retirement-tips.com/newsletters.html
PRIVACY STATEMENT: This newsletter's email addresses are never sold or otherwise made public.
If this is too long to read in the email, go read it at - http://www.retirement-tips.com/newsletters.html.
If you're receiving this by email and don't want it, just email me and I'll take you off my distribution list.
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NEVER WITHOUT INTERNET ACCESS!
Each month, I keep notes on interesting things I bump into, with the intent of considering them for the newsletter. During the last month+, I've accumulated a list of 14 topics! Probably more than I can reasonably fit into one newsletter. Since it's already August 6th and I'm only doing the July newsletter now, I guess I'll hold a few of those over and do an August newsletter in a couple of weeks. My POINT, however, is that despite that large number of topics, I'm going to chat here about one that's not even in my "interesting things" list - Aircards! Why? ... because I'm excited about the one I got last week!
As you may have gathered if you've been staying alert, I'm pretty sold on WiFi. In fact, I work with WiFiRV, installing WiFi in RV parks every chance I get. However, I'm currently staying at the Space and Rocket Center campground in Huntsville, Alabama for about a month, and there ain't no WiFi here! What's more, it's run by NASA and I've been unable as yet to convince them of the value of getting it here. They have it in the Business Center at the Marriott Hotel that's right across the campus from my campsite, but they're charging $10/day for it! That's above my level of tolerance of the amount I'll pay to stay connected.
Well, I made it through the first two nights without internet access. I've been working during the day in an office with a connection, so can take care of email, etc., then, but one still has things one would like to do in the evening - like check personal email, play Poker, etc. I've found that it's much like being without a cellphone, when you've grown accustomed to having one with you at all times - it's very uncomfortable! So, about the third day, I decided I'd like to do something about the problem. I checked with Cingular, who I have my cellphone service with, to see what options they had for me. INTERRUPT - For those of you who aren't familiar with my writings on how to stay connected while RVing, visit InternetOnTheRoad.com and you can read all my suggestions on the subject. What it boils down to is that, if you want fairly continuous access to the internet while travelling, you've got choices including satellite, on-campsite phone, WiFi, PDA, Webphone, Wireless Card (Aircard), or other Wireless Handheld Devices. For my money, the Aircard looks like the best deal monetarily, if you want continuous access and you're not overly hung-up on speed. I've found my Aircard to be about 3-4 times faster than dialup and significantly slower than most Broadband services.
So, we're back to trying to find the best deal on an Aircard. Now, these deals will obviously change over time, but here's how things were August, 2006. Cingular charges $200 minus a $100 rebate for the card and $60/month for unlimited access. Since I really hate rebates and try to avoid them as much as possible, this one didn't turn me on at all. I went down to Verizon and found that they give the card free and also charge $60/month for unlimited. I signed up immediately. I later saw a Sprint ad on TV, offering the card for $49.95, so I'm thinking that maybe I got the best deal - for a change. I think they all use the same Sierra card and all are offering about the same speed, so it looks to me like the only variables are cost and coverage. I've heard from several people that the coverage on Cingular ain't great (might be better, now that they've merged with AT&T) and that Sprint pretty much only works near Interstate Highways. They all three also (HERE'S THE BAD NEWS) sign you up for a 2-year contract, so this isn't a great option for someone (like me) that isn't on the road alot. I still did it, though, because I'm tired of trying to search out WiFi whenever I go to camp. I've long since decided that I won't be using those "dialup in the clubhouse" options anymore, so it's pretty much been WiFi or nothing. By the way, the Aircard also has a WiFi option and will notify you if there's a WiFi HotSpot around, so you can use that higher speed if you like.
Bottom line - I'm very pleased with the Aircard. I've checked email, played games, downloaded some files around a megabyte or so, did some website updates (like this newsletter), and played a streaming video. Right now, I've got a Poker tournament playing in the background, while doing this newsletter. According to the Stats option on the Aircard, I've used 12 hours in the last 4 days, so if I'm here a month, that may be somewhere around 90 hours. I think I may get my value out of it in this month alone. At Marriott prices, 30 days would be $300, so that will pay my $60/month for 5 months. Whatever, I'm happy!
Now, what about all those topics I've got notes on ... How about the fact that July was the 50th anniversary of Eisenhower's signing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 that made the Interstate Highway system possible? Thanks, Ike! Where would our travel be these days without them? Where would RVs fit? Where would Sprint phones work? I remember taking a long round-the-USA trip in 1962 and seeing very few big highways (divided and two or more lanes on each side) other than in California and Texas. Did you know the government allocated about $2 billion per year for 13 years? Wow! Lots of money in those days.
And, have you heard about the $2.5 million RV? Possibly the most expensive RV currently available, other than those custom jobbies that some celebrities have.
And what about Carl's Corner, Willie Nelson's biodiesel fuel, and Evergreen Renewables? If you have a diesel and plan to be near one of the BioDiesel outlets anytime soon, you might want to check it out. To learn more, just do a search on "Evergreen Renewables."
Finally, I bumped into an RV travel log with some amazing photographs. It's the website of Dave and Barb Jenkins. Click Here for More.
July Travel: Sitting around, using my surgery as an excuse to do nothing. Then, on the last day of July, I got a call wanting me to come to Huntsville to do a little on-site consulting, so here I am.
Read on for notes on my latest site updates, some words about how I'd make some money if you guys would buy something off the website, IOTR News, Faux News, and wrapping up with my Ramblings on whatever occurs to me between now and then.
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LATEST SITE UPDATES
- Four new chapters in My Travel Log:
73. From Canada to Mexico ... and Back - Part III : The Altons in Mexico saga continues from Chapters 69 & 7174. From Canada to Mexico ... and Back - Part IV : Continuing from Chapter 73 ... they're nearly back in the USA!76. I Am The Greatest! : It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super- .... hmm ... GBH ... a little bird story. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
FEATURED WEBSITE
- www.AliensToVegas.com : This is a Powerpoint presentation with sound, telling all about the book that Al Wulff and I have published. Yeah, I guess I'll keep talking about it until more of you buy a copy.
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TRYING TO MAKE A FEW BUCKS
Here's a list of some interesting products, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out here.
- 50+ ways to get to the internet when you're on the road! Read'm at Internet On The Road.
- Amazon Books : Buy from Amazon through this link and I get a couple of bucks -- Click here to check them out.
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out here.
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All you need to know about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out here.
- Earn Money While You Camp! Join WiFiRV as an affiliate, either a lead generator (tell us about campgrounds that need WiFi) or a sales representative (assist in the selling of WiFi systems). Go to my Internet On The Road (IOTR) / WiFiRV page http://www.wifirv.com/assoc/iotr/ to learn how you can earn hundreds for a few hours work.
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FAUX NEWS
As mentioned previously, go to http://www.fauxbyjoyce.com/ and click on the flashing NEW signs to check out Joyce's water color painting. Not the latest, greatest, due to laxity on the part of the webmaster, but enough to give the viewer a taste of her work. During August, you can view her paintings live at the Cocoa Public Library.
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INTERNET ON THE ROAD (IOTR) NEWS
The only big news I've noted this month in the WiFi area is a Computer Business Online article entitled "Florida offers free Wi-Fi for motorists" and it starts with "The Florida Department of Transportation is installing 50 to 60 Wi-Fi hotspots at turnpike plazas, rest stops, welcome centers and truck weigh stations on interstate 95 and other major highways in the state." They then go on to say that it's going to be free to the users as well as to the state, and that the company installing the system will make their money from advertising. hmmm ... seems there were a bunch of companies on the internet a few years ago, intent upon "making their money from advertising", but they all went broke. One wonders how this little experiment is going to end up. They also say they plan to have put a 30-minute time limit on users - if you have only 30 minutes to check your email, etc., how much time are you going to waste clicking on banner advertisements? ... we'll see ...
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RAMBLINGS
Not much on my mind to ramble about. I updated my RV Blog this month with an article about How Do You See RVs? It's got a WebPoll at the end, if you'd like to go express your opinion.
Now here's a wierd thought for you. Have you ever thought you'd like to do something that would really help someone else? I think about that now and then, but haven't really come up with anything earth-shaking yet. I guess I might have helped someone along the way in my 30+ years in the computer field or helped some newbie RVer with some of my website info, but I mean really, really do something really important for someone. I heard a thing on the TV recently about a website called Donor-Match.org. If you'd be willing to donate an organ, you can go there and read about people who need organs. Then, you can contact them and give them the organ. I'm not talking about after you die. I mean now! There are some organs, like a kidney, that you can give to someone now ... someone who will die if they don't get one.
At first, it sounds really strange. Don't they have Government organizations for that? Well, they have lists for organs from people who offer to donate upon their death, but nothing for live donors. You also might think that this is some sort of organ-selling scheme, but it's not. No money is allowed to be paid. They had a guy on the TV show that had donated a kidney to a lady that had been on the transplant list for 4 years and would've died within months if she'd not received his kidney. He had just been invited as an honored guest to her grand-daughter's wedding and received a standing ovation from all her relatives. She wouldn't have been able to see her grand-daughter's wedding, if it hadn't been for him. Touching, eh?
This is probably one of those ideas that I get now and then, but ultimately don't get around to acting on them. It sounds like a really great thing to do, but not sure I'm up to it. Are you?
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
Permanent Mailing Address: R. Hoffman, 1033 Jacaranda Circle, Rockledge, Florida 32955.
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Retirement Tips and RV Stuff Newsletter
Issue 2006.08 Aug 2006
Publisher, Bob Hoffman - rjhoffman@yahoo.com
Back Issues at - http://www.retirement-tips.com/newsletters.html
PRIVACY STATEMENT: This newsletter's email addresses are never sold or otherwise made public.
If this is too long to read in the email, go read it at - http://www.retirement-tips.com/newsletters.html.
If you're receiving this by email and don't want it, just email me and I'll take you off my distribution list.
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MISHMASH
Last month, I went on and on about my Aircard. I'm not going to prattle endlessly about it this month, but do have just a few more words for those who might be considering one. I used it everyday/night while in Huntsville, and later in Guntersville, and was quite pleased with it. As I said last month, it's significantly faster than dialup, but slower than my home DSL. I was able to easily download 5MB files, played online games and only got disconnected a few times, updated my websites, and of course emailed. All seemed to work great, although a couple of the disconnects at inopportune moments during Poker games were somewhat disconcerting. Joyce even used it once, while I drove down the interstate. She was able to play a couple of games of Spades, but then found that it gave her a headache to concentrate on the display while moving. I think it might be okay for checking email while moving, but maybe not for extended activities. I'd recommend one for anyone who plans to be traveling extensively, doesn't mind signing up for 2 years, and isn't particularly needful of real broadband speeds.
Now, on to mishmash! Is that still a word? Aha! 'Tis! According to Merriam-Webster, it's a hodgepodge or jumble, "a mass of things mingled together without order or plan". Yup, that's what this is.
During the month, I came across several facts/websites that I found interesting, so here they are in no particular order.
From Chuck Woodbury's newsletter, a really neat drivein RV park. This park actually has a drive-in movie screen, visible from most of the 102 campsites, where they play classic movies for the guests' enjoyment. Read about it at http://rvtravel.com/publish/news/rvdrivein.shtml.
Also from Chuck, visit http://mobilemag.com/content/100/354/C9288/ to check out a really expensive European RV that has a compartment where you can fit your sports car (if it's of a type that's small enough). I guess that beats towing it, getting it all dirty and scratched, etc.
Did you know that you can get your photo on a real postage stamp - or whatever photo you'd like to have on the stamp? Check it out on www.photopostage.com. I say "whatever photo", but it seems they've started censoring photos sent in, because some were "off-color" - can you imagine anyone doing something like that? ... haha. Maybe you'd like to put your RV on a stamp ... or your grandchild ... or whatever.
Here's a tip that I got in the email, along with a bunch of others: "Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on it's own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away." Well, as luck would have it, Tobi, our Tibetan Spaniel, came in one day with a tick hanging on, so we tried this. I couldn't find a cotton ball, so used a napkin instead. The tick didn't get "stuck to the napkin" as promised. We swabbed him several times .. seems he should have drowned ... then ultimately pulled him gently off. There's been no apparent infection, so I guess we did ok. So much for those neat home remedy tips we're always getting. I'm sure some probably work like magic, but this one didn't seem to.
Real neat rainbow at http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/firerainbow.asp.
Bored? Looking for something to get addicted to? Try "parking a car" online - you use the arrow keys to aim the car and the space bar is your brake. It's at http://www.107.peugeot.co.uk/peugeot.swf. I did it in 38.9 seconds on my second try - first try, I smashed into other cars. I didn't go on, but I understand that there are multiple levels, where obstructions are put in your way. Kind of neat ...
August Travel: Spent the month in Huntsville and Guntersville, Alabama. I enjoyed it ... Joyce was stir-crazy, but visited all of the nearby malls to soothe herself. We had a blowout on the inside rear tire in Montgomery and used our travel club insurance - did you know it costs $244 to get a tire changed? Wow! Glad we decided to pay that $89/year for the travel club.
Read on for notes on my latest site updates, some words about how I'd make some money if you guys would buy something off the website, IOTR News, Faux News, and wrapping up with my Ramblings on whatever occurs to me between now and then.
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LATEST SITE UPDATES
- New chapter in My Travel Log: 77. From Canada to Mexico ... and Back - Part V : Continuing from Chapter 74 ... Through the USA to Canada!
- Finally updated Joyce's watercolors online - see notes in FAUX NEWS below.
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FEATURED WEBSITE
- www.HoffmanTravels.com : In case I forgot to mention it, I recently moved all the travel log info from the Homestead server, where RetirementTips.com is, to a new server space that I got from a friend. No big difference to the viewer, except now you can use the shorter HoffmanTravels.com to access it.
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TRYING TO MAKE A FEW BUCKS
Here's a list of some interesting products, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out here.
- 50+ ways to get to the internet when you're on the road! Read'm at Internet On The Road.
- Amazon Books : Buy from Amazon through this link and I get a couple of bucks -- Click here to check them out.
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out here.
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All you need to know about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out here.
- Earn Money While You Camp! Join WiFiRV as an affiliate, either a lead generator (tell us about campgrounds that need WiFi) or a sales representative (assist in the selling of WiFi systems). Go to my Internet On The Road (IOTR) / WiFiRV page http://www.wifirv.com/assoc/iotr/ to learn how you can earn hundreds for a few hours work.
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FAUX NEWS
As mentioned previously, go to http://www.fauxbyjoyce.com/ and click on the flashing NEW signs to check out Joyce's water color painting. And now, thanks to the webmaster finally getting off his duff, there are 30 of her paintings out there for your viewing pleasure.
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INTERNET ON THE ROAD (IOTR) NEWS
Nothing much to say this month, except that I camped at two RV parks in August, neither of which had WiFi, and both of which could have it very easily and fairly cheaply. I contacted the owners, but got no interest. I think people are so accustomed to saying no to anyone who sounds the least bit like a saleperson, that they don't even consider whether they're being offered something of significant value. How any campground owner could believe that in-coach broadband internet access isn't of value to bringing in more guests is beyond me! I've spent hours talking to the managers at a nearby resort that already has business-class DSL and won't believe that their guests would use a properly-installed and marketed WiFi service. Their feeling is that most of their visitors are either too old or too cheap to be using computers or are satisfied with their dialup service. I venture to say that very few RVers that I've met don't either use computers or have the desire to, and those that do would certainly rather have high-speed access in the comfort of their home, rather than having to walk to the clubhouse or office to use the free, public, limited-time access. Oh, well ...
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RAMBLINGS
I don't have any major topics to ramble about this month, so thought I'd talk a lttle about the value of having a website. I was at an art show in Huntsville, Alabama a few weeks ago and found some artisans that didn't have a website! I couldn't imagine having any kind of a business in today's competitive environment and not have a www.HeresMyBusiness.com website. To me, it's almost like having a brick-and-mortar store without a sign on the front. Websites generally don't create a business for you, but they do provide a place for people to go to learn more about you and your products. If I get a business card from someone and it doesn't have a website name on it, I genuinely wonder if they really have a valid business or it they're so new that they haven't gotten to it yet. I build websites for people for an origination charge of $50-$300, depending on the complexity of the content, then $10-$30 per month, again depending upon the amount of complexity and change in the month-to-month maintenance. Now, what business can't afford $30 per month for advertising?
One of the misconceptions about websites is that you can set one up and people will immediately flock to your site and buy your product. In my mind, that's not the purpose of a website. If you want to sell online, go set up on Ebay. The customers are already there, it's just a matter of choosing keywords that will bring them to your products. The websites that I build are intended to provide a place for people to point to let others know how to learn about them and their products, and to look for announcements on events, sales, etc. Also, I think just having a www domain name adds a certain amount of prestige to you and your business.
Now, why would someone who doesn't have a business want a website? Don't you have something you want to say to the world? When I started RetirementTips.com, I wasn't sure where it was going, but I wanted to record my travels and pass along my discoveries about RVs, retirement, and a bunch of other topics. Whether anyone else was interested, I thought it was worth a try and not too complicated or expensive. As it turns out, I've had a bunch of interesting contacts with people who found parts of my information worthwhile to them, plus I've learned a bunch from others who have emailed me after reading something on my site.
Another neat thing about having a website is that you can go back and read your own stuff and re-enjoy the moment that created the writings. I've reread my travel log adventures numerous times, each time reliving that chapter in my life and enjoying it nearly as much as I did when I originally lived it. This morning, I went back and reread some of the articles in my RV Blog and found myself really enjoying them. Another venture of questionable value, but if I enjoy it, so what if nobody else does? Actually, I noticed the hit-count there is 774! Wow! That many people have already read some of my wierd ramblings! Neat!
If you're an RVer, traveling around the country taking fantastic photos, and you don't have a travel log yet, get with it! Create yourself an online photo album and put it there for all to enjoy. There are a bunch of people in offices, unable to travel the country, but dying to read about others doing it. It allows them to dream about someday and confirms their hope that an ordinary person can do it.
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
Permanent Mailing Address: R. Hoffman, 1033 Jacaranda Circle, Rockledge, Florida 32955.
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Retirement Tips and RV Stuff Newsletter
Issue 2006.09 Sep 2006
Publisher, Bob Hoffman - rjhoffman@yahoo.com
Back Issues at - http://www.retirement-tips.com/newsletters.html
PRIVACY STATEMENT: This newsletter's email addresses are never sold or otherwise made public.
If this is too long to read in the email, go read it at - http://www.retirement-tips.com/newsletters.html.
If you're receiving this by email and don't want it, just email me and I'll take you off my distribution list.
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$4 Prescriptions!
Forget Mexico! Forget Canada! Just go to Wal-mart in Tampa! Starting this week, they have 291 generic drugs priced at $4 for a 30-day supply! That's just amazing!
I called my friend Al Wulff in Tampa yesterday and got a phone number of a Wal-mart there. I phoned and learned that they have a list online at http://www.walmart.com/pharmacy. Go there, scroll down to where it says "Generic Drug Program", and you'll find a list of mini-priced drugs and locations where they're available. I don't know how they're doing it, but I think it's great!
The plan is to start in Tampa, then branch out to other locations around the country. I read today that Target is doing the same thing, starting in Tampa.
I've heard many people criticize Wal-mart, how they take over an area, run mom's and pop's out of business, cause traffic jams, etc. However, as long as they've got the lowest priced, high quality goods, I'll keep shopping there. There are certain things I only buy at Wal-mart - cokes, meats, diet breakfast drinks, computer printer cartridges, cameras, and many other items. Currently, I visit Wal-mart about 2-3 times every week. Luckily, we also have a Super Target right across the road from our Super Wal-mart, so when something is temporarily out of stock at Wal-mart, I go across the street. I've been pleasantly surprised the few times I've shopped at Target. Their prices are competitive and they aren't nearly as crowded. They say out-right that they're determined to stay price-competitive with Wal-mart, so who knows what the future may bring? I still shop mostly at Wal-mart, because I know the layout of the store, but I may change in the future if Target can think of some extra that Wal-mart doesn't have and that I need.
Another thing I like at Wal-mart is the obvious training that their workers have. When you ask for something, they don't just point, they walk with you to wherever it is, even if it's way across the store. I've really appreciated that several times. Few things more frustrating than looking for an item, knowing it's right there somewhere, but can't find it.
Enough about Wally-World - I really just wanted to spread the word on the drugs, in case anyone hadn't heard. Can you order by mail? I don't think so. I think you either have to drive down to Tampa, call someone there that you know, or wait until they expand the program to a location near you.
September Travel: Made a little 2-day WiFiRV trip over to Winter Garden to visit a park there. Next week, I'm leaving on an extended trip, mostly for WiFiRV, visiting campgrounds in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Looking forward to getting out and wandering around a little. Maybe I'll even take some photos and put them in the Travel Log, if I bump into anything special.
Read on for notes on my latest site updates, some words about how I'd make some money if you guys would buy something off the website, IOTR News, Art (formerly Faux) News, and wrapping up with my Ramblings on whatever occurs to me between now and then.
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LATEST SITE UPDATES
- What have I been doing all of September? Not working on my websites, that's for sure. No new Travel Log chapters, no .... hmm ... I did write something in my RV-Blog ... had to go look. I wrote a piece "Is the Gas War Working?". I think it really might be. I've noticed recently that every time Murphy lowers their price, others soon match it - another effort to stay price-competitive with Wal-mart? Might be. I just noticed $2.39 on the beach, same as Murphy was last week, then stopped to fillup at Wal-mart/Murphy and found $2.34. Great!
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FEATURED WEBSITE
- www.BeverlyPinyerd.com and www.ArtByBobbiBrown.com : These are two websites that I've just started for two artist friends of Joyce. Just a few artworks there now, but many more to come. If you'd like to be kept informed of updates, just sign their guestbooks.
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TRYING TO MAKE A FEW BUCKS
Here's a list of some interesting products, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out here.
- 50+ ways to get to the internet when you're on the road! Read'm at Internet On The Road.
- Amazon Books : Buy from Amazon through this link and I get a couple of bucks -- Click here to check them out.
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out here.
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All you need to know about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out here.
- Earn Money While You Camp! Join WiFiRV as an affiliate, either a lead generator (tell us about campgrounds that need WiFi) or a sales representative (assist in the selling of WiFi systems). Go to my Internet On The Road (IOTR) / WiFiRV page http://www.wifirv.com/assoc/iotr/ to learn how you can earn hundreds for a few hours work.
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ART (FORMERLY FAUX) NEWS
I just decided to rename this section from Faux News to Art News, since Joyce is not doing any faux work anymore. Since she's decided that climbing ladders is no longer an activity she wants to enjoy, she's been really concentrating on watercolors. As mentioned previously, go to http://www.fauxbyjoyce.com/ and click on the flashing NEW signs to check out several dozen of Joyce's watercolor paintings. Coming soon: A total revamp of the website to put more emphasis on watercolor and less on faux.
Did I forget to mention that Joyce's watercolors are for sale? If you see anything on the site that you'd be interested in buying, email Joyce for info on size, price, etc. Some have that info included and some don't. Also, if you have a topic, pet, or whatever that you'd like an original painting of, just let her know. How do we handle shipping? Well, we haven't had to yet, but I'm sure we could figure that out. As much traveling as we do, we could probably drop your purchase off at your front door.
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INTERNET ON THE ROAD (IOTR) NEWS
I realized last month that I've spent all my time in this section talking about WiFi and ignoring the other methods for getting online while you're traveling. Sorry about that, but WiFi seems to be where most of the news is these days. Maybe I should change the title to WiFi news, but who knows? ... I may have something to say about satellite or some other mode in the future. But not this month ... I discovered something interesting this past week. I was contacted by a user at the Outdoor Resorts Melbourne Beach RV Resort, where we have an installation. He had two laptops, an older HP and a newer Compaq, and couldn't get a really good signal with either. The Compaq was good most of the time, but he wanted to leave the HP in his park model when he returned to his home in Maine, so it was important to get the HP working. Both had the internal WiFi card and antenna that are included with most of the newer laptops.
My discovery was that the SMC card I talk about on my WiFi page is much stronger than either of the internal antennas. Go to www.internetontheroad.com/ and click the WiFi button to read about some of the WiFi cards that I've tried, including the $90 SMC with antenna. We connected it to the HP without the external antenna and it provided an EXCELLENT signal, compared to the LOW signal being received with the laptop's internal antenna. I've wondered for a long time how the internal antennas compared to the externals and now I know. Big deal to me .. maybe not so interesting to you ... LOL. Also, I tried the Motorola $42 card that I'd bought at Wal-mart and it didn't improve the signal much at all. Interesting, eh?
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RAMBLINGS
This month I'm going to ramble a little about neat websites that I use. What brought this up was when I asked Al Wulff about the Wal-mart in Tampa. He told me about www.yellowbook.com/, where you can find just about any business in any location in the USA (I guess it's only USA - don't know for sure). Really a neat website! I found over 50 Wal-marts in Tampa!
Another I talk about a bunch is www.Snopes.com/. Whenever you get an email warning you about anything from viruses to men lurking in parking lots to drugs being smuggled in babies, go to Snopes and you can bet he'll tell you whether it's true or false. If it's false, he'll usually have gobs of information on how it got started, if any of it is true, and show you the exact email that you just received. It's amazing how you very seldom get one of the alarmist emails that he hasn't already got info on. I've found 1 or 2, but that's about all - in those cases, I passed them along to Snopes and he/she thanked me and included them. My niece suggested that maybe he starts the emails himself, then naturally has the notice about them posted by the time you receive them ... haha .. she was joking ... I think.
One that I use almost daily is Merriam-Webster Online. It has a dictionary and thesaurus and is another of those sites that never fails me.
A popular type of site for those who are new to the internet are those that have explanations of the abbreviations you see in emails, chat rooms, and this newsletter ... LOL. There are several, but one I just saw in Woodbury's newsletter is the one at Web-Friend.com. I even learned a new one - DH=Dear Husband. Used in forums by wives talking about things their husbands do.
Of course, if you want links to RV sites, you can go to RetirementTips.com and click on "Fantasmagorical RV Links" or go to my RV6.ORG site, which lists the top six RVing websites (IMHO).
Enough for this month - got to go pack the RV for my FL-MS-LA-TX trip.
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
Permanent Mailing Address: R. Hoffman, 1033 Jacaranda Circle, Rockledge, Florida 32955.
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Retirement Tips and RV Stuff Newsletter
Issue 2006.10 Oct 2006
Publisher, Bob Hoffman - rjhoffman@yahoo.com
Back Issues at - http://www.retirement-tips.com/newsletters.html
PRIVACY STATEMENT: This newsletter's email addresses are never sold or otherwise made public.
If this is too long to read in the email, go read it at - http://www.retirement-tips.com/newsletters.html.
If you're receiving this by email and don't want it, just email me and I'll take you off my distribution list.
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Travel, Tires, and Tribulations
I just got back from a 3000+ mile trip and I'm wondering -- Is it just me or is it common for some little thing to go wrong with the RV every time it's used? We took a little 1500-mile trip in August and all was well, except for the blown inside right rear tire just outside of Montgomery, Alabama. Luckily, we found a good place to pull off the highway, called our road service, and got it changed in a couple of hours. Had a good spare, so bought a used tire later for $50 to use as a replacement spare. On this October trip, almost all went well, except when I drove into a gas station with a steeper driveway than anticipated and pushed the hitch up a little and bent the frame. My mechanic took a look and agreed with me that it was okay as-is; no apparent breakage or weaknesses, just the hitch has a little more angle to it than previously. Then, nearly at the end of the trip, coming into my sister's yard in Tallahassee at night in the rain, I cut the corner a little short, clipped the corner of her brick driveway border, and blew the outside left rear tire. Again, luckily, I was at my destination, lowered my jacks to take weight off the other rear tires, then called road service in the morning to put on my spare. When I returned home, my mechanic convinced me it was time to buy 6 new tires, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn that they were under $200 each -- I assumed they'd be in the $300-$400 range. Plus, I learned that the factory-equipped tires on my 8-ton (or so) RV were 4-ply, while the ones I was buying were 14 or 16-ply! What a difference! Since the tires on the little 5th wheel I had a few years back were 8-ply, I was really surprised to see 4-ply on the Class A. Based upon this discovery, I decided to go with the 6 new tires, hopefully the last I'll buy for another 5 years or so.
What's the point of all this? Well, it all brings up several questions. I noticed a while back that, every time we take Buckner's boat out, it seems like something breaks, springs a leak, or need some sort of repair (where repair=$$). I was thinking about what they say about a boat being a hole in the water that you pour money into, but now my RV is starting to look very similar. I'm wondering if others experience this, if I'm not doing proper maintenance, or if these are isolated occurrences that just happened close together. Guess I'll start keeping a record - not sure what the value of it will be, other than to satisfy my curiousity. I'm of course hoping to determine that I have more problem-less trips than I do problem-full trips. Email me, if you have views on this - maybe I should have put this in my blog instead to encourage feedback.
Another question regards tires. Am I correct in my feeling that 4-ply tires are insufficient for a large Class A? I've reviewed a couple of websites, but all I've found is weight ratings, etc., nothing about plies. I put a survey on one of Chuck Woodbury's forums, CLICK HERE if you'd like to go contribute your experience. I really wasn't even able to find out values for weight ratings (D, E, F, etc.) - I'm sure they're out there somewhere - I just haven't found it yet. Also, am wondering if number of plies even matters. Email me if you have any answers.
My other point is that it seems that every time I have some bad luck, there's always a good side to the story, I think I talked about this in my Retire and Travel - 20 Years Later, but since most of you haven't yet purchased your copy, this won't be redundant. I don't know if it's my good luck or just that I happen to see the bright side of things, but I always seem to have good luck when bad things happen. Over my 20-plus years of RVing, I've had about 6 or 7 blowouts, but each has happened at the best possible time. One time, I had just come through Birmingham heading North, got out onto the 4-lanes-wide-with-shoulders part of the highway, when the blowout occurred. When it happened, I had plenty of room to pull off and be clear of traffic. I thought about how bad it would have been a few miles earlier, when I was on the interstate in the middle of Birmingham, with no convenient place to pull off. The real biggie was when I lost a wheel bearing on my 5th wheel coming out of the mountains of North Carolina. I had just come through a series of squeaky, hairpin turns, some so sharp they had mirrors to allow drivers to see what was approaching. I'd been on a road with positively no shoulder for a good 50 miles, then finally saw a church parking lot where I decided to pull off and fix a sandwich. When I got out of my truck, a guy was walking up behind and said it was really fortunate that I'd seen him blinking his lights. Seems there was smoke coming from my back trailer wheel. Turned out to be a frozen wheel bearing - something that could have caused a great fire if I'd not stopped at that precise moment. However ... I just checked my book and I've got a whole section labelled LUCKY, where I talk this to death, including the Swansea flat tire, the desert stuck-in-the-sand, etc., so if you're really interested in hearing more, I'm sure you'll buy a copy of the book.
I made an interesting discovery on this trip! Did you know that your cellphone changes automatically when you travel into a new time zone? I didn't ... I was amazed, when I was resetting my clocks and noticed that my phone was already reset! Ain't technology amazing? I watched on the way back and, sure enough, right after I passed over the Chattahoochee River, it clicked back to Eastern time. Wow!
October Travel: As mentioned above. See also LATEST SITE UPDATES below.
November Travel: Who knows? Seems like there's something happening every month here recently. Much of my travel these days is supporting my WiFiRV sales work, which hopefully will pay off in the near future.
Read on for notes on my latest site updates, some words about how I'd make some money if you guys would buy something off the website, IOTR News, Art (formerly Faux) News, and wrapping up with my Ramblings on whatever occurs to me between now and then.
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LATEST SITE UPDATES
- Travel Log Chapter 78 - Cruisin' the Coast - 2006: Back on the Mississippi coast, with some photos of Katrina's devastation.
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FEATURED WEBSITE
- http://www.rvingwithdogs.com/article_73.shtml : This whole Rving-With-Dogs website has great ideas for pet-owners, but this one about the new thumb-drive dogtags is really amazing. Check it out!
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TRYING TO MAKE A FEW BUCKS
Here's a list of some interesting products, some of which will make me a few bucks if you need them and buy them here:
- Camp at Half of What Everyone Else is Paying! No home park, no monthly maintenance fees, no long-term obligation, just pay the small annual fee and camp for half-price. Check it out here.
- 50+ ways to get to the internet when you're on the road! Read'm at Internet On The Road.
- Amazon Books : Buy from Amazon through this link and I get a couple of bucks -- Click here to check them out.
- Dream Lifestyles to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All about How to Get a Life By .... whatever .. you fill in the blank. Check them out here.
- Dream Jobs to Go! Great electronic books for $12.95 that download to your computer immediately. All you need to know about How To Break Into ... whatever is your dream job. Check them out here.
- Earn Money While You Camp! Join WiFiRV as an affiliate, either a lead generator (tell us about campgrounds that need WiFi) or a sales representative (assist in the selling of WiFi systems). Go to my Internet On The Road (IOTR) / WiFiRV page http://www.wifirv.com/assoc/iotr/ to learn how you can earn hundreds for a few hours work.
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ART NEWS
Joyce keeps painting and, every now and then, I get around to putting her latest works on her website. I did so this month. As mentioned several times previously, go to http://www.fauxbyjoyce.com/ and click on the Watercolors Gallery to check out several dozen of Joyce's watercolor paintings. OR, CLICK HERE to go directly to the Watercolors Gallery page.
If you see anything on the site that you'd be interested in buying, email Joyce for info on size, price, etc. Some have that info included and some don't. Also, if you have a topic, pet, or whatever that you'd like an original painting of, just let her know.
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INTERNET ON THE ROAD (IOTR) NEWS
On my 3000+ mile trip in October, I visited 8-10 parks and talked about WiFiRV at every one of them. Some are already WiFi partners and many are potential partners. I can't name the parks, however, since my WiFiRV manager thinks that our competitors might be reading this. If you're a competitor and you're reading this, send me an email! Maybe you'd like to transfer over to work with us!
Speaking of Wifi and RV travel, have you ever visited http://www.RoamingHotSpots.com? It's an idea I and some associates came up with, allowing RVers to BE a HotSpot. You set up a satellite dish to receive, then connect some WiFiRV equipment to send, then provide WiFi to your neighbors for a small fee, and you make a little money while surfing the net!
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RAMBLINGS
Since I rambled a lot in the intro, I'll just say a few choice words here.
I saw an ad this month for an article "Live Forever and Spend Money". Sounds good to me! I'd rather live forever and not spend money, but that doesn't seem likely. As I surmised, the article was about how to be able to spend more money and how to conserve your assets, etc. It pointed me to a Scott Burns write-up at webpage http://oamnetwork.com/?p=37. There's some info there, plus it refers to another article in the October issue of Smart Money that provides some interesting ideas. I read through it, decided I was doing the right thing, and didn't change anything in my portfolio. Not that I'm right, just a little lazy. I guess as long as the value of our meager investments are showing positive returns, I'm afraid to touch anything.
Our biggest concern right now is the topic of articles that continue to appear in the newspaper, telling about the falling housing market and rising home-owner costs in Florida. Allstate, our insurance company for many years, has decided to not renew us - no reason ... just too close to the beach, I guess. They've pointed us to Royal Palm Insurance, who I've never heard of, but may be stuck with. We have until January to figure that one out. Other than that, all is well, the RV still runs, the lawn is Green, we and the doggies are reasonably healthy, and the weather here in Florida continues to be fantastic. We've apparently (almost) made it through the hurricane season with no major storms. The season actually runs through the end of November, but I'm feeling pretty secure at this point. I haven't checked history, but it seems like the majority of major storms have been at the start of the season. I guess it's time to start thinking about candy for Hallowe'en and what to do for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. I, as usual, am ready to go to Quartzsite for the holidays. Joyce, as usual, isn't. So, that holiday activities question remains unanswered for now.
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Email rjhoffman@yahoo.com to sign up for the next newsletter, coming whenever I'm in the mood again.
Permanent Mailing Address: R. Hoffman, 1033 Jacaranda Circle, Rockledge, Florida 32955.
