Topic Tuesday #151 2015/06/09 "Mobility - The Urge To Travel"

Topic Tuesday #151 2015/06/09 "Mobility - The Urge To Travel"

Do you ever have the urge to do something that you haven't done in decades? I have found myself day dreaming. I want to travel. I want to see the country and meet fascinating people. I do not want to fly, that has become too stressful and expensive. I don't want to stay in hotels, though they are often fabulous, they are also too costly and inflexible in many ways. No.. I have a somewhat crazy idea to buy a travel trailer. 

I have a van that can tow 3,500 lbs. I'm not buying a truck just for this idea. I will use what I have and make it work. I have 2 children. If I plan on taking them, which I certainly do since camping is an American family tradition, I need room for them to sleep. If I want to take my significant other, then I have more berths to allocate with more offspring. I essentially need to look at a sleeping capacity of 6. The criteria of tow weight and number of bodies narrows down what I can look at significantly. A nice, snug fit: 184BH | 2015 JAY FLIGHT SLX  

There are a plethora of options out there, including the styles that pop out beds on the sides. Those models have more space, but have more moving parts. I grew up playing around in an old Winnebago (Brave Style). I have fond memories of that experience, but more than that, I see more potential. Should I go down this route, I want it simple, no setup beyond stabilizing. I want to open the door and be in a little home, or an office. This is not just a camper, this is a mobile command center, at getaway, a den, a club house - with a kitchen. I like this model because of the flow.

I have many aspirations. One day, I would like to just be mobile. Go wherever and setup and be home away from home. I fantasize about podcasting and writing from my mothership, being my own master. Wireless internet and cloud services have made staying connected an easy proposition. It could work. I could be doing it right now, and you would never know! 

Dare to dream.

But, as dreams go, this is quite an affordable option. Brand new, one of these is under $15,000. My van will be paid off soon, and this, this could be toddling behind me on my way to the next grand adventure. 

What do you think? Is camping your thing? Do you have dreams to escape the rat race? 

Topic Tuesday #144 2015/04/21 "Before ReAsonCon 2015"

Topic Tuesday #144 2015/04/21 "Before ReAsonCon 2015"

http://reasonnc.com/

Friday I am traveling to a conference. There will be hundreds of  driven individuals like myself. Hundreds of men and women to talk to, to share ideas, and cross promote our projects. I have prepared as well as I can, without inducing panic attacks and undue stress. This has been planned for months. I have business cards, car magnets, a pocket recorder for those interviews that are bound to happen, battery packs for my phones and computers, Excedrin, Wi-Fi hotspot, and of course my hotel room. I do not know how I'm going to get a show out this week, and I don't want to miss it.

This conference is veiling my mind thoroughly. I was racking my brain trying to come up with a Topic Tuesday post, and all I could think of was rebranding the Topic Tuesday section of the webpage to better reflect what this blog has become. Perhaps I should just make it "Topic Tuesday". Perhaps I should meld it with "Cowen's Corner" and the headings and meta tagging will serve to keep it separate. Should I do that before the conference Friday?

See? Overwhelming.

BUT! It is good stress. I am forced to refine my efforts and focus on usability, discoverability, and making the overall experience something that visitors want to repeat.

I'm also using my tools in new ways, which makes them show their true strengths and weaknesses.  For Instance, I am currently typing this on a my $80 Winbook tablet with a Bluetooth keyboard shell from , and a Logitech Bluetooth mouse.. It is a full Windows 8.1 computer with a full USB port and it takes the same charger as all my other accessories. This will serve as my data entry device while at the convention. Hopefully it works well. I will have a full Dell laptop just in case, but I will try to work with this little fella.

Thusly, next Tuesday, I will have plenty to say about the experience, and reviews of my kit.

In the mean time, I would like you all to chime in and tell e if you think I should change anything with the website or the show in total.

Have a great week, until next time.

Topic Tuesday #99 2014/06/10 "Optimism"

Topic Tuesday #99 2014/06/10 "Optimism"

Optimism.

op·ti·mism ˈäptəˌmizəm/ noun

1: Hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.

I am, generally, a rather optimistic person. Take my recent trip that I am currently in the midst of as an example. I did not book accommodations ahead my trip, hoping that I could get things done quickly and turn and burn back home. When that didn't happen, I checked in for only one night. I am hopeful again that I can get things done in enough time to make the eight hour drive in the same day. 
I did plan ahead though... I brought enough clothes for a prolonged trip. The moral of the story is no matter how optimistic you are, it can't override the Murphy's Law of reality. Things go wrong, ALL THE TIME; best to plan ahead. 
So, though I proclaim to be an optimist, perhaps that is just being optimistic of my own pragmatic approach to reality. Plan for the worst, hope for the best. 

Have a great week. And may luck always favor the bold and prepared.

Update: I'm looking for another hotel room, preferably with double beds so Murphy, and his law, can sleep in another bed.