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

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

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

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

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

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.)

• Washington State Parks:
  . Alphabetical List
  . Online Reservations
  . Parks Maps (downloadable as PDF) 
• Oregon State Parks: Reservations 

• Recreation.gov (state & federal parks; online reservations [replacing some other services]; weather; other info; a new iOS app).
• USDA Forest Service (national forests, etc.): ReserveUSA 
• U.S. National Parks Service: Online Reservations 

• RV Park Reviews: Comments about parks both public and private. Phil likes this one.  NEW 06 August 2013 
• Washington State Parks Foundation: "Preserving and enhancing habitat and outdoor enjoyment for current and future generations."
  
• Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
• Bureau of Land Management, U.S. DOI  (BLM, Department of the Interior)
• U.S. Forest Service links: The Mountaineers web site.
• Experience Washington (WA State Tourism site)
• Oregon State Tourism site
• National Park Foundation: Get some free publications, esp. about going to beautiful places on the "B" list, tourism-wise. NEW 06 July 2013 
• National Parks Conservation Association: A sort of online magazine. NEW 22 August 2013 
• Washington State Tourism Visitors' Guide NEW 07 August 2013 

• Camping.com
• DexOnline.com (commercial & public campgrounds)
• GoCampingAmerica.com
• List(s) on NWSource 
• MilebyMile.com: Road maps & conditions, and RV travel itineraries. 22 March 2008
• GORP.com
• WesternWashington.com
• Washington Camping and Service Network
• RVN4Fun.com (sales, rental, links): National Parks | Travel by State
• Wildernet
• Camp the World
• Camping World 
• Free Campgrounds (or nearly free) 
• Free Campsites 140419 

Mark_

06 July 2013

130822

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