Help

My Pictures Online: New System

Search This Blog

04 December 2012

Our New Casita Travel (Camping) Trailer



Several months ago, we began thinking ahead to Cindy's retirement--and about how we would like to travel among these great United States (and Canadian provinces) on an extended basis. Pop-up trailers are not so good for this kind of travel (although plenty of people do use them for that) because of the inconvenience of the format:

- No access while on the road.
- Roughly an hour to cycle up and then down.
- Only a tent between you and cold or heavy weather--or bears! (Really.)

The benefits of the form are unmistakable: Despite the small footprint when closed, they can seem unexpectedly large when open. In good weather, all of the walls "disappear", because everything opens to screens.  In cool or wet weather the large side windows admit a lot of light and view.

They are great. However, we knew that we would chafe at the inconveniences, so we began considering a _next camper_.

We knew that we wanted the usual amenities (hot, pressure water; forced-air furnace; air conditioning for travel to places where heat and humidity are issues; real head with shower; good-sized refrigerator; twin bunks; all in a small package that is easily towed and parked. The sleeping arrangements are very important to us, and because not very many people like that style--there were none like it on the used market--we ordered one from the factory in Rice, TX.

Casita manufacturer:

Ours is a 17' Liberty Deluxe, which means that its interior has a split galley and a real head with stand-up shower; twin bunks can be converted into a king bed or a very large dinette.  We believe that by converting the entire sleeping arrangement to dinette it may be able to dine _eight_; six would be easy.  Enclosed head compartment, stand-up shower.

Its dry weight is only a little more than _Walden_'s (note that it has far more tankage); it tows extremely well.

They would have delivered it to our home, but going half-way for it seemed like more fun; Phil. R. and I drove to Crescent City, CA, for the handoff. There are pictures.

Casita Handoff Trip with Phil, to Crescent City, CA:

We will miss using the name "Walden" for our place of away-from-home refuge, because of the literary and other associations that come with that name. However, we are going to move on. (Nothing has come to mind just yet. "Casita Royale" and "Eggstended Vacation" just don't seem quite right.)

We'll see.

Mark_
11:42 04 December 2012
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

06 November 2012

Another E-Mail Scam

A friend just received an e-mail message from Comcast saying that his credit card had been declined on attempting the automatic payment that keeps him connected. It included a convenient link to where he could provide the information needed to guarantee uninterrupted service.

This friend was smart enough to call the telephone number in his personal address book--instead of using that very convenient Web link--so that Comcast could assure him that there was no such trouble.

What makes this one even more scary is that one of the data being requested was his social security number. Linking the two might have permanently unlocked his identity to some terrible person.

Interesting that that same friend had recently lost control of his credit card number--without having actually lost control of the card itself. He had done nothing wrong--nothing out of the ordinary--but had he not noticed the trouble soon after its occurrence, he might have been out quite a sum of money.  (The malefactors had already charged hundreds to it.)

At present, there seems to be no reason for concluding that the two incidents are related. There is so much criminal activity of this sort that it is inevitable that we might encounter more than one attack over short periods of time.

(And now I must go double-lock my doors and close my drapes. Not sure what I'll do when night falls....)


Mark_
13:31 06 November 2012



Posted by at
Labels: ,

11 September 2012

Flash on iOS Devices


To view some Flash (and other presentations not normally viewable on iTouches), make a bookmark with this as its code (named anything such as "FlashOnTouch"):

javascript:h=document.getElementsByTagName('head')%5B0%5D;if(!h)h=document.getElementsByTagName('body')%5B0%5D.appendChild(document.createElement('head'));h.appendChild(document.createElement('script')).src='http://iosflashvideo.fw.hu/iosflashvideo.php?r='+Math.random();void(0);

No "http" or anything other than the above, all on one "line".

When presented with a page whose content will not display, invoke that _bookmarklet_ and see if it helps.  (It causes a "translator" server to intercede, I believe.)

This may not be a universal solution, but I have seen it work.

(From this web page: iOSFlashVideo.)


Mark_
16:38 11 September 2012
Posted by at
Labels:

29 May 2012

Rachael, from Member Services (Scam!)


A persistent scam involving telemarketing calls from "Rachael, from Member Services" has continued to be active despite official attempts to stop it. I have just received one of these calls.

It's a minor inconvenience, of course--I always disconnect as soon as I realize that I am hearing a recorded message--but it's also illegal, and irritating in principle--because all of my telephones are registered with the national Do Not Call list.

I filed a complaint on the List's web site, but while there learned yet another bit of somewhat disheartening news: Some scammers are calling people, claiming to represent Do Not Call, and offering to put your numbers on that very list that should prevent their calling you. Of course, two things would follow from your having given your telephone number(s) to these horrible people: You are not on the Registry despite your believing that you are, and a scammer has just gotten your telephone number(s) from your own lips.

From the Do Not Call page:
Scammers have been making phone calls claiming to represent the National Do Not Call Registry. The calls claim to provide an opportunity to sign up for the Registry. These calls are not coming from the Registry or the Federal Trade Commission, and you should not respond to these calls. To add your number to the Registry you can call 888-382-1222 from the phone you wish to register, or go click on “Register a Phone Number” in the left column of [the Registry's] page.   
Your registration will not expire. Telephone numbers placed on the National Do Not Call Registry will remain on it permanently due to the Do-Not-Call Improvement Act of 2007, which became law in February 2008. Read more about it at <http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/04/dncfyi.shtm>.

 It's all enough to make one feel more or less completely surrounded.

 (And this, doubters, is why we need big government.)
Mark_
29 May 2012
Posted by at
Labels: ,

My Volvo Tow-Car Sleeps the Big Sleep

A few days ago the engine-management computer of my aging Volvo workhorse threw a rod, causing everything to gently wheeze to a stop @ 293,700 miles. That is not actually a lot of miles for these cars, but because it had a 5-speed manual transmission instead of the automatic, the computer is rare and expensive. The car had enough other issues (some relatively minor but also somewhat expensive things all coming due at the same time), that the net value of the car fell rather suddenly from negligible to zero.  I had been thinking of making a change anyway, so I "declared bankruptcy" by donating it.

(The Tow-er, Towed.)

KING-FM is the beneficiary/victim.

I am somewhat prideful about the fact that I got my nine years of occasional very hard use without having to replace the clutch (or brakes, or tires), but I am surprised and disappointed about what actually did happen to take it off the road.

Oh, well.

The Volvo has been replaced by something that will tow Walden with ease--and will handle the next trailer, too.

(The New Tow-er Towers; this is tall--I am standing on the running board.)

Ford F-150 ("half-ton") with four-wheel-drive: It's pretty far from new, but seems all in very good condition. This truck may seem familiar to Ranger campers; it's very similar to Phil's.

After a period of thinking that the Pleasure-Way conversion van was just the thing--but failing to find one--we have decided to go with a truck & trailer. We are now looking for a Casita Liberty Deluxe 17'. In one way, the layout of that trailer resembles that of the Pleasure-Way model we had sought: the bunk is aft, and is convertible--usable either as two twins or a single king (or dinette). Because it lacks the engine and command areas of a van of only slightly more length, it may be just a little more roomy. Casita GRP ("fiberglass") trailers are physically simple and robust--like the Kent Ranger 20!

Until we have located the right one of those, we will continue using Walden.

Anyway, for a few days our big summer trip was off; now it is back on.

Excellent!


Mark_
28 May 2012
Posted by at
Labels: ,

26 May 2012

External Antennas for iPhone


Because cellular reception at my house has always been pretty poor, and because I frequently go to where it's even worse, I have always had external antennas for my cellular telephones: 

  • A large, no-compromise, "trucker" antenna designed for maximum efficiency (and maximum potential for poking someone's eye out; look at those ground plane spikes!).
  • A smaller--safer and easier to carry around--plastic antenna.
My phones have always had co-axial antenna ports hidden behind little rubber "navels".  However, my new iPhone 4S lacks this feature, and in fact doesn't even have an internal antenna (which is usually a metallic/foil thingy against the inside of the case).

Wilson is selling an inductive adapter for our iPhones, and I have bought one.

However:

Although they do specifically mention iPhones 4 and 4S, I am skeptical.  My understanding is that the internal antenna of a cellular telephone is usually a thin metal (foil) thing; this "passive" antenna connector would cover that antenna and capture its signal, sending it up a coaxial cable to the external antenna.  There would be considerable inefficiency in this scheme, but in theory the very much greater efficiency of the big antenna (compared to the original internal "patch") would offset the loss.

iPhone does not have that internal "patch" antenna; instead, its metal frame is the antenna, which means that the adapter would have no hope of "covering" any significant part of it; intimate association (close adjacency) is needed for this to work.

Despite my doubts, I bought it anyway; it was not expensive, and if it helps even a little while I am out camping in the woods or driving between cities, such help might occasionally be welcome.  I am actually rather skeptical.  Wilson does apparently know antennas in general, but I fear that they don't quite understand this situation.

(Note that this is entirely passive; there is no (powered) amplification.  Wilson's amplified system is the Sleek.)

I hope my skepticism is misplaced.  We'll see.

Update: Now that my camping tow vehicle is an actual truck, I expect to permanently mount the trucker antenna on it.  The smaller external antenna will go into my gadget bag.


Mark_
26 May 2012
Posted by at
Labels: ,

26 April 2012

Ranger Bypass Surgery

Our friend Dick R. (_Gladness_) is recovering at home in Pahrump, after a fairly serious case of _heart bypass surgery_.

Apparently this _is_ the kind where they crack open the ribcage.

He says that he doesn't recall much about the procedure--if anything--but that the aftermath is unpleasant in the extreme. Coughing hurts, and jokes are no fun at all. He says that there is no way he could have managed without Cricket's help; he isn't permitted to lift anything heavier than a fork, and he would even be unable to rise from a chair without assistance. Even so, aside from those painful inconveniences, he feels okay.

The upside is that he has been told to expect to feel better than he has in years, and he is looking forward to riding his newly acquired BMW motorcycle.

Go, Dick!

Mark_
26 April 2012
Posted by at
Labels: ,

10 March 2012

RVing Resources Online: Parks, Campgrounds, & Reservations

Make a free account with the National reservations system to have it remember you.
(Most of these have not been checked recently.)




Mark_
06 July 2013
130822

Posted by at
Labels:

RVing Resources Online: Not Trailers


  • Pleasure-Way: Comfortable and pretty, but may not be suitable for rough roads.  
  • RoadTrek: Sleek and luxurious, but may not be suitable for rough roads.
    UPDATE: There is a 4x4 version.
  • Chinook 4x4: Baja & Quest. 
  • Airstream coaches: New models are based on the Mercedes/Chrysler Sprinter, which, although very nice, may not be suitable for rough roads.
    The old "B-Van" conversion (B-190) may be suitable for upgrade to 4WD. 
  • Great West Vans.
  • Leisure Travel Vans.
  • Sportsmobile: Off-road (4WD) van conversion; well equipped, seriously functional, and unpretentious.
    (These guys apparently did early VW Microbus camper conversions!)
  • Volkswagen Westphalia camper: Some of the later Vanagons came with a type of all-wheel- or four-wheel- drive. Lots of them are still taking their owners along moderately rough roads, but alas, VW no longer imports (U.S. or Canada) the most recent of their van-type vehicles, the EuroVan.
    Pictures of a very whizzy Microbus update have been displayed on the Internet--with a "transforming" camper version. I don't know the status, but I think I have heard that it has been killed. (I'm not certain that everything I saw illustrated was possible, anyway.)
    Update: Planned, then killed in 2005: Microbus Concept (Wikipedia).
  • Bigfoot: Molded fiberglass truck campers (as well as travel trailers).
  • Northern Lite truck campers. Similar to Bigfoot?
  • Lance truck campers. At one time their web site was quite nice.
  • Monaco Motor Coaches. Not Beavers or Prevosts, but nice. 
  • Tiger Off-Road RVs. Class C space on a Class B footprint.
  • UniMog: Odd-looking but extremely capable Mercedes military vehicle privately adapted to expedition RV use. Basis for (i.e., inspiration for) the MaxiMog*.
  • Xplorer Xcursion: An example. 
  • EarthRoamer: Perhaps the ultimate expedition vehicle; every little component is the no-compromise, no-expense-spared, best available. (May have been discontinued.)
    [I saw one! Extremely impressive! 05 June 2006] 
  • MaxiMog: Oh, wait--this is the ultimate expedition vehicle. 
  • Unicat: Or is this it? 18 June 2007 
  • Action Mobil: Or this? 18 June 2007
  • Terra Wind: I hardly believe it, and you may not, either.
Etc.

(Some of this may be stale.)

Mark_
19 April 2013
Posted by at
Labels: ,

RVing Resources Online: Vintage Iron (and Aluminum, and Wood!)

Some of our ancestors' camping rigs were interesting, some were beautiful, and some were both.  A few were just odd.
Mark_
13 September 2005
31 May 2012

Posted by at
Labels:

RVing Resources Online: Trailers

Trailers: Folding and Otherwise

Emphasizing the small & lightweight, with a single noteworthy exception.
  • Airstream: Beautiful, tasteful, shiny! Phil & Ann are very happy with their new, larger, AS, which has the bedroom (twins) forward instead of the usual aft; the dinette is aft, for a view better than that of the truck-bed.
  • Aliner: Interesting "A-frame" approach to the pop-up (i.e., folding) form. 
  • Base Camp: Hard-side pop-up similar to what Apache made some years ago. Their site is persistently down, so here are some owner pix. 07 March 2006.
  • BigFoot: Molded fiberglass trailers, both conventional and fifth-wheel. (And slide-in truck campers.)
  • Burro: Small white fiberglass; celebrating their 20th year in 2006; I might have guessed longer.
  • Casita: Small & lightweight, white fiberglass; may be suitable for rough-ish roads. The Jeep Wrangler may be able to pull this. Only the 17' model has full stand-up headroom; the others are a couple of inches or so less tall. The 17' might be my choice of the type.  Dick & Dorothy like theirs.
    UPDATE: Late 2012 we took delivery of our own Liberty Deluxe 17', Arcadia. We are quite happy.
  • Chalet: Interesting "A-frame" approach to the pop-up (i.e., folding) form. 
  • Coleman: There is a story, but I don't know it. We had a ton of enjoyment while using our 10' Santa Fe "pop-up", Walden. 
  • Eggcamper: White molded fiberglass--a lot of it.
  • Escape: Small, molded fiberglass, full stand-up inside. A lot of people are liking these.
  • Fleetwood: They built Coleman pop-ups, and retain some/most/all Coleman features. They have a couple of new "off-road" styles. Other stuff, too, including big trailers and coaches. These may be about the best of the type.
  • Forest River pop-ups. 
  • Go RVing Canada's list of "types" of RVs. This web site seems not as good as it once was; it once had a list of manufacturers.
  • Jayco pop-ups. (In Australia, too?  08 May 2009) 
  • Keystone Vantage: Large fiberglass travel trailer; very reminiscent of the Airstream aesthetic both inside and out. Nice.
  • Molded Lightweight Fiberglass RV web site: Links to several brands and info about small white trailers. AKA "FiberglassRV.com".
  • QuickSilver: Very lightweight pop-up; all aluminum and synthetics, no wood. Good ground clearance, but more primitive inside than some others. Also, its top is all-tent in place of the usual rigid roof. 
  • Scamp: Small white fiberglass. 
  • Small Trailers for Bugout: This guy may be a "survivalist" or a "prepper" or some such. Interesting comments, though.
  • Starcraft pop-ups. 
  • T@B: Teardrop style sold (but not built?) by Thor, who build Airstream and others. Cute and appealing, but small. 
  • Track Trailer TVAN folding trailer: Pops not so much up as out. This seems to be serious adventure hardware, and a twist on what is seen in Europe, apparently. Phil R. saw one recently in Australia, where they are made. Other models are pretty manly, too. (For a real thrill, check the price of the TVAN while sitting.) 08 May 2009
  • Viking pop-ups. 
Etc.

Mark_
19 April 2013
Posted by at
Labels:

RVing Resources Online: General & Miscellaneous Information

From my defunct _Ranger Keels & Wheels_ web page.


(Most of this has not been checked recently.)
Should I edit this in future, I would remake it with the current date.

Mark_
Posted by at
Labels:

16 January 2012

Linkedin Spam

A day or so ago I began receiving contacts from people on the social-networking service Linkedin (to which I do not subscribe). The first few wanted to use my picture, or somethingsomething, but today's got my attention to a higher degree: "Please stop spamming me with links to your business!"  Because this suggests that one's e-mail address has been hijacked (if not one's actual computer), I looked around for information. (Google: "linkedin spam".) Some of what Google found goes back to 2010 (or beyond).

I found several references to (this) new activity, including this from PCWorld: "Warning: Fake LinkedIn Spam Can Steal Your Bank Passwords". The spam came to my Apple eddress, which others have noticed: Is anyone else receiving LinkedIn spam...: Apple Support Communities. We hope Apple's mail servers or the MobileMe system have not been hacked. (Fairly scary thought.)

Oh--note also that some anti-malware software failed to protect Windows machines from this infection.

What isn't clear yet is whether the malware it installs can run on Macintosh; in the past, the bulk of this kind of thing was OS-specific (and therefore targeted only Windows). There are a couple of classes of code that can run on (virtually) any OS, though, so we'll be very careful not to click any links on such e-mails--not even on the unsubscribe (or in this case the "adjust...settings") links, which can lead to places you wouldn't want your browser to go.

In fact, it is a general rule that one should never unsubscribe using the link provided on an unwanted e-mail. Even if it seems to have come from a trusted source, a safer practice would be to use the unsubscribe link found on the source's own web site.

So, there is today's learned the hard way by someone else lesson. We shall consider ourselves lucky.

Mark_
11:57 16 January 2012
Posted by at
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)