Yesterday we drove back down to the TechnoGeek Learning Rally at Paradise Oaks RV Resort in Bushnell, arriving just as they were beginning their afternoon sessions.
The first class was on smartphones, and Chris and Jim Guld covered both Android and iPhone operating systems, with lots of tips and hints about how to get the most out of these high tech toys. I am on my third Android-based smartphone, and I knew that the phone was capable of a lot more than I would ever be able to get out of it. But you’re never too old to learn and I’ll be darned if I didn’t learn a thing or three!
Did you know that if you hold down the search icon on the bottom right of most Android phones and say “navigate to” and then name a destination it will take you right to your mapping program and route you there? Did you know if you hold down that same search icon and say “note to self” and say something like “pay phone bill” it will mail that message right to your e-mail address? I do now, because I went to the TechnoGeek Rally!
Here is Chris doing what she loves best, sharing her knowledge of all things geek.
We skipped the next class session, using the time to run into town and stop at the post office to mail out an order, then drop off a bundle of sample issues of the Gypsy Journal at an RV park there that gets a lot of traffic. Then we returned to Paradise Oaks and sat in on an informal rocking chair session that Jim Guld and Phil May were leading on internet on the road. And I picked up an idea or two there too.
Terry sat in on a seminar on managing files and folders in Picasa, and told me afterwards that it was well worth the time and helped her understand some things about her computer. Neither one of us are computer geeks, but we do make our living with our computers and probably do more on them than most people do in the course of a week, or month, or year. But we’re still learning and everything we learn makes our lives a little bit easier and makes us a little bit more productive in our work.
When the last class session was over we spent some time with Phil May looking at a couple of items we would really like to have. Phil and his pretty wife Tracey run TechnoRV and carry all kinds of goodies and gadgets to make your RVing life easier.
We’ve been considering LED light fixtures that slip right into the tube slots for our existing fluorescent ceiling lights, and a Rand McNally RV GPS. I’ve got a Garmin Trucker GPS, which is very good and helps us route our trips over roads suitable for a vehicle our size. But the Rand McNally unit is specifically designed for RV use and includes a lot of specialized information like RV friendly WalMarts, campgrounds, RV service facilities, and routing information for big rigs. There is also an accessory available for the GPS that gives live traffic updates. I haven’t decided whether to get one or not, but a lot of our readers have asked for a review on the GPS, so I’m mulling it over.
When we left the rally, we met JC and Bev Webber for dinner at a place called Catfish Johnny’s in Lake Panosofkee. We had a nice time visiting and talking about the fulltime RV lifestyle, but we all agreed that we could have chosen a much better place to eat while we did it.
Back at the motorhome, I uploaded my new book, Highway History and Back Road Mystery II, to the Amazon Kindle bookstore, and it should be live sometime today. It’s a collection of over 50 little-known historical tales, oddball mysteries, and unique locations we have found in our years wandering America’s highways and byways.
Thought For The Day – Tell me, what do you plan to do with your one precious life?
