Are You An Addict?

That's a loaded question and I'm sure many readers immediately reacted with a resounding NO! I'm not an addict. Well, I beg to differ. I'm going to suggest you're a rare person if you're not an addict.

Okay, let me clarify this a bit. I certainly hope you're not an alcoholic or drug junkie (either prescription or recreational drugs) or pornography. I also hope you're not addicted to gambling, sex, food and binge eating, smoking, binge shopping, life threatening adrenaline rushes, work (for an employer or, especially your own business) and similar. Alcohol and drugs, just plain BAD. Pornography is a controversial issue. The others, in moderation and as appropriate, meaning it doesn't jeopardize your family, financial security, home, physical being and so on, but you do some of these occasionally when it's reasonable and safe are probably okay.

Now, here is what I'm really talking about. Are you addicted to:

Facebook

Email

YouTube

Instagram

Pinterest

Twitter

Messaging

Texting

HSN

QVC

Netflix Binge Watching

Amazon Prime Binge Watching

Hulu Binge Watching

Vimeo

Mindless Reality Shows

You can add to this list as necessary for you personally.

Now, please don't kid your self or insult my intelligence by saying no to all of these. The reality is, that virtually everyone is addicted to at least one of these things and most likely more than one. And, worse yet, you may not even realize it. Most addicts, as I'm sure you're aware, are in denial. Some never accept their addictions and may suffer serious negative consequences many times as extreme as loss of family, financial ruin and even death. “Gees,” you say, “he's really serious about this isn't he?”

Yes! I am! This subject has been banging around in my head lately. What triggered this article was a blog post the other morning by a voice-over colleague from Las Vegas, Nevada. Dave made me stop short and think about the thoughts I mentioned that were rolling around in my noggin. He included a couple links to some very revealing thoughts on this subject. One of them included a TED Talk link. I read them and watched the TED Talk with great interest. If any of this may be ringing a bell with you, then read on.

The Land That Was

Tech Report: SiriusXM A La Carte Satellite Radio Service

Doesn't it really annoy you as you're traveling along listening to a country station playing all the great vintage artists and music you love or you're listening to a news report or an interesting talk show or a baseball game on your radio and you "run out of string." What I mean by that is you've crossed into the fringe range for the station or it's an FM station and you've passed to the other side of a mountain or a stronger FM station overrides the station you were listening to. 

I know it always frosted me when that happened. Public radio is a perfect example. You're listening to a really great Terry Gross interview on her "Fresh Air" program and you run out of range. So, you start looking for another public radio station to pick up the program, but the only other public station has a classical music or jazz program on. NPR, PRI, APR and the other public radio program providers are syndicators. That means the public radio stations that subscribe to their programming services can program the programs anytime or any day in their schedule. You may not find "Fresh Air" on anywhere else that day as you progress.

Tech Report: OnePlus One Smart Phone

The first thing most readers are thinking is, "What the heck is a OnePlus One Smart Phone? I've never heard of it." And justifiably so, I might add. Not very many people have heard of this fantastic piece of technology because the company, OnePlus, is only about two years old and their products (currently five) are not sold by any of the phone carriers, major or minor. While Amazon did have availability for a while, it is not currently available directly from them.

Inverter Reports: Thor TH400 and Bestek MRI10011

I have been buying and using all kinds of equipment, accessories and devices for my personal use in technology and in equipping my van, aka My McVansion, as an on the road, mobile tiny house. I've generally researched the items before making my purchases and, so far, I've made, what I would say are, excellent choices. It's time for me to share these items with you.

I have purchased two inverters for my van as seen in this photo. The inverters are mounted on a piece of plywood that covers my 8D8A 245 AH, sealed gel cell house battery. They are located in the storage area under my bunk. Both inverters came from Amazon after researching for best value and reliability.

Humanity from Space - A Human Odyssey

Okay, I know I recently posted an article about TV being one of the great "life thieves." And, I still stand by that. And, I'm still, hopefully, to a lot lesser degree than the population at large, getting better and better at not allowing TV to usurp my priceless time. But, alas, I'm still human in a world where hundreds of channels and thousands of hours of choices in (mostly, in my opinion) mindless drivel is beamed into our lives 24/7/365. I'm weak, but working at getting stronger.

My point is, I'm actually going to recommend you watch a TV program. A friend I highly respect and who is, by IQ, in the genius category and who is also, in financial terms, one of the, so-called, 1%, recommended this program to me. The title of the program is "Humanity from Space." It is what I am terming a PBS (Public Broadcasting) scihisdoc or to clarify, a science, history documentary. And, as with just about all Public Broadcasting programs, the research, the video, graphics, photos and production values are excellent. It's available in high definition, of course.

I can't give you all the information in the program, it's too comprehensive. I will tell you that of the estimated 200,000 years humans have populated this planet, this program explores the last 12,000 years or basically before there was any kind of formal civilization and societies consisted of hunting/gathering bands of nomadic humans.

As I said, the program is very comprehensive. It keynotes the pivotal events in human societal development from the hunting/gathering bands, through the Agrarian Revolution. This event caused a massive change in humanity and was where civilization, as we refer to it was born. It then proceeds to the Industrial Revolution and the massive changes in the course of human events it brought about. The Information Age was next and again, created massive change. And, of course, now we are in the Digital Age.

All of these changes included or were actually caused by technological invention and advancements. And, along with these advances came changes in how humans lived in the societies that were evolving. This is when the birth and creation of cities and urban life began. The requirements for housing, governance, commerce, transportation, etc. also began to take form. 

The thing that startled me to some degree, yet, didn't necessarily take me by complete surprise was how long it took to get to where humanity finally "took off," so to speak. The technological advances and the order in which they fell into place led to our present state of humanity and civilization. All of this actually occurred in such a relatively minute amount of time in the 12,000 year journey. The statistics at the end of the program were amazing. I was aware of some of them, but my mind was boggled by others.

So, if you have a desire to understand the world we live in today and what the future holds, I strongly recommend you find a local PBS station that has this program on their schedule. You may especially find this an important information if you value whatever personal freedom you currently have, because retaining our personal freedom will likely be much more difficult in the future. 

I, in fact, went to the PBS Web site and streamed the program in full HD. The screen may have been a bit smaller on my laptop than the average home LCD, hi-def, flat screen TV, but it was just as amazing and the sound was great, too.

Try this link and see if it takes you there: "Humanity from Space"

Things Are Looking Up For My McVansion

If you look over the fence, below and left of the street
 number, 12501, you can see My McVansion's roof.

Today is the eighth day My McVansion has been undergoing "treatment" for its "heart attack." I admitted it to One Stop Engine Rebuilding a week ago Tuesday. Wednesday of last week, the master engine surgeons began the procedure of disassembling and rebuilding from the basic engine block up, a completely rebuilt "heart" (engine) for My McVansion. Eight days after they began, the heart of My McVansion is firmly seated in its cavity in the front of the patient.

For all practical intents and purposes, the engine is almost all new except for such things as the engine block and the camshaft. . . READ MORE

Photo-of-the-Week #190 The Land of REAL Illegal Aliens, Walmart, Roswell, New Mexico, December 2014

I think this photo is pretty self-explanatory. Roswell, New Mexico has made quite a big thing about an event that occurred in 1947. A flying saucer supposedly crashed on a ranch outside Roswell (about 60 miles or so outside Roswell). There they found the bodies of extraterrestrials, obviously, depicted as the lanky green men painted on the windows at the Walmart Supercenter at the north end of Main Street. Are these real "Walmartians?" . . . READ MORE

Pimping - Oops, Make That - Primping and Prepping My McVansion For The Next Major Trek.

Well, as the old saying goes (from Robert Burns poem), "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." And that's true of my plans to be on the road heading west by October 1st. I had a project from a very long-term and very good client come in about 2 months later than it was supposed to. So, while I could have managed the project on the road, I was dealing with at least one new vendor and that made me a bit more wary.

During parts of the summer and the fall, especially during this two month delay in my departure, I've been getting little things done on the van, making a few changes and modifications and so on. It's like having a house and a vehicle. There's always something that needs to be done. The only difference here is that the house and the vehicle are one and the same. And, as I had some extra time, I'm doing some of the projects I planned for a little further down the road. . . READ MORE

Ten Things That Will Disappear In Our Lifetime

A friend sent this to me this morning. Let's face it, it's no surprise. You and I have been watching this coming. Our world is constantly changing and certainly digital technology has been leading this change. We've probably seen the greatest change since Y2K, the turn of the millennium.

Remember how we feared that airplanes would fall from the sky, cars and trucks would end up in huge pile-ups when traffic lights got out of sync, our money would not be available or completely disappear from our bank accounts, etc., etc. at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2000? Well, it didn't happen, well not that way at least. But, there has been serious change since that date. 

Some of us older folks may actually view this as an "assault" on institutions, services and traditions we never imagined would disappear. But, I'm positive that the people who were around before the steam engine, the train, the telegraph, telephone, light bulb, combustion engine and automobile, photography, motion pictures, etc. had the same thoughts. They never thought the day of the stage coach, horse and buggy, candles, kerosene lamp, Pony Express (which was short lived), messengers on horseback and so on would disappear either.

Well, it's our turn. This is happening in the U.S., at a pace that's almost dizzying, where much or most of this change is originating. Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part on how we adapt to them. But, ready or not, here they come. So, take a look at this list and let me know what you think. Are you accepting them or are you letting go, kicking and screaming, as they are torn from our aging hands? 

1. The Post Office

Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.

2. The Check

Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with check by 2018.  It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.

3. The Newspaper

The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.

4. The Book

You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the literal pages. I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes.  I wanted my hard copy CD. But, I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. And think of the convenience! Once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book.

5. The Land Line Telephone

Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they've always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes.

6. Music

This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It's the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who would like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates are simply self-destructing. Over 40% of the music purchased today is "catalogue items," meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book, "Appetite for Self-Destruction" by Steve Knopper, and the video documentary, "Before the Music Dies."

7. Television Revenues

To the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they're playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated down to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it. It's time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.

8. The "Things" That You Own

Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may simply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system. 

So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. 

That's the good news. But, will you actually own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big "Poof?" Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.

9. Joined Handwriting (Cursive Writing)

Already gone in some schools who no longer teach "joined handwriting" because nearly everything is done now on computers or keyboards of some type (pun not intended)

10. Privacy

If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That's gone. It's been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7, "They" know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates and the GoogleStreet View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. "They" will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again and again.

My Personal Thoughts On The Changes

I can honestly say that I've dealt with items 1 through 8, accepted them and adapted. I do have to admit that it did take me a while to adjust to some of them. Of course, the Post Office is still with us, but for the few things it's still good for, I can see it being reduced to probably 10% to 25% of its current size and handle only the absolute necessities.

I don't miss the check or reading a newspaper (and getting black newsprint all over my hands - and remember, I started my entrepreneurial career as an independent newspaper delivery boy at age 12) and the book (remember, I was a book publisher for about 12 years and I still don't miss it). I gave up the landline telephone toward the end of 2008 when I was finally back down to only one line for the first time in decades.

Music, I don't miss it because there are so many ways to access it digitally, today (again, remember, I recorded it, produced vinyl records on my own custom label and cassettes and even a few CDs during my long career). Television, once again, I'm perfectly happy accessing anything I want of that nature on the Internet (remember, I have a masters degree in TV & Radio and I was actually involved in the establishment of some of the earliest cable TV systems in New Jersey). Stuff, #8, I can't say how happy I am to have eliminated so much stuff from my life and how I'm still working hard at getting rid of so much more of it.

I guess I'll adjust to #9, but, even though my handwriting is something atrocious, there is still something personal and distinctive about cursive writing for personal notes and signing something. Of course, since we don't actually have to physically sign much of anything anymore, I guess it really doesn't matter. Some of the people alive today may very well be the last to use that form of communication.

Now, #10! That's the one that really gets to me. In this day of growing threats of terrorism, crime and incivility in our society, the idea of being viewed and surveilled (probably a new word that will be added to the on-line dictionary in the near future) virtually all the time, when we are in public, does unnerve me. Worse, yet, is the fact that we need to cover the video cameras on our computers (or disable them) because the government and other nefarious individuals and organizations can turn them on remotely and enter the sanctity of our homes and spy on us for whatever reason they choose, good or evil. The Internet is, for the most part, a very positive thing. But, there is always a dark side.

But, who knows, soon you'll enter a men's room or ladies room, a locker room in a gym and just about any other place you can think of and expect someone, perhaps, even a voyeur to be spying on you. We already have a massively intrusive scanning system that sees through our clothes at airport security check points. That same technology mounted in mobile units can actually look through the walls of commercial buildings and homes. But, then again, heck, I was installing cameras in the elevators of a very large apartment complex in Fort Lee, New Jersey next to the George Washington Bridge. I could sit in the lobby of the complex with the security guard and watch all kinds of shenanigans going on in the elevators. Oh yeah, that was in 1965. 

All we will have left . . . that which can't be changed . . . are our "Memories."

So, how do you feel about these changes? You've seen my views. Share your feelings and thoughts. 

The Apparent Demise of Millenicom

Boy, wasn't that a shocker about Millenicom? Something very unsettling there. I used the word "apparent" in the title of this article because no one knows what really is going on and if Millenicom might move in a new direction.

Since Millenicom is a no contract wireless data reseller, there is no guarantee that any or all of Millenicom's customers will stay with Verizon and for those who do, will they be bullied by Verizon? I guess we'll find out the answers in due time. Millenicom is pretty silent on the whole thing though I've heard (hearsay) they've let their staff go. So, I guess they don't have enough business left to sustain full-scale operations.

I am still with AT&T, so I'm not personally impacted by this change, though I could have been had I followed through on my plan to set up a Millenicom data account. Here's the story and the rationale I used for staying with AT&T. . . READ MORE

Photo-of-the-Week #156, Home #4, The Birth of My Ham Radio Hobby, Clifton, New Jersey, September 2013

This Photo-of-the-Week Marks the 156th such post in this series of photos and I don't believe I've missed a week since I launched it. However, this will be the last post of this series after three years. The Photo-of-the-Week series moves to my Travel blog that you'll be able to access by clicking on the "Traveling" tab above. So, "the beat rolls on" just in a slightly modified manner.

This photo is of the fourth home my parents owned, three of them were in my hometown of Clifton, New Jersey. There were two other places we lived prior to the homes they owned, but they were rental properties. The homes my parents owned represented the post-WWII emergence of a growing Middle Class in the U.S. The American Dream was to own a home, have a nice car (eventually, two cars and, in our family, we eventually had three). This was the house we moved from, on the mountain in Bloomingdale that was my favorite, when we returned to Clifton .

Every home we lived in brings back vivid memories. For those people who grew up in only one or two homes, memories may blur into a continuum. But, since we moved fairly frequently, each home is like an era unto itself. This split-level house actually had four levels. There is a basement below the living room, dining room and kitchen on the right side of the house. That basement has special significance to me.

So, what are the memories I have for the three years we lived here at 40 Manor Drive? First, we returned to Clifton just in time for me to start junior high school at Woodrow Wilson Jr. High (7th through 9th grades). I also acquired my newspaper route and began my "entrepreneurial" career in this house. I delivered the evening newspaper for The Herald News six days a week to 108 customers and collected payment for the papers every Saturday morning. I became quite active in the jr. high Baptist Youth Fellowship that I eventually became vice-president and then president of. This began my leadership opportunities.

The space to the right of the garage was unfinished when we moved into the house, so my father built in a recreation room (as they called them back then), a half bathroom and a laundry room in that space. When he built the laundry room, he set it up so that I could also use it as a darkroom for my fledgling photography hobby. In the back yard, to the right of the house, behind the large shrubs, my father set up our first, of two, large, above ground swimming pools that provided for a lot of summer fun.

My bedroom was above the family room, (the double windows on the second floor over the double windows of the family room). It was in this bedroom that my interest was peaked and my amateur radio hobby was born. We had, from somewhere, acquired an old console radio, dating back to the later 30's or 40's. I believe it was a Philco. I managed to cram that big old radio into my closet, straightened out a coat hanger and turned it into an antenna. I would sit and swelter (from the heat created by all the vacuum tubes and transformers) in that closet for hours listening to shortwave radio stations and ham radio operators around the world. I also began reading the Tommy Tomkins stories SOS at Midnight and CQ Ghost Ship. Tommy was a fictional high school senior and ham radio operator who used his hobby to solve mysteries. These books probably launched more young teens into ham radio during the '60s than almost anything else.

There was a ham radio operator, Jack Nixon, W2IMG, who lived about 15 minutes from our house by bike. Jack was a science teacher in a neighboring town. He was also the person who helped me get started and administered my first two amateur radio exams. I was 13 in 1958, just shy of my 14th birthday, when I took my Novice exam. The license arrived from the FCC right after I turned 14 and I was issued the call sign WV2FMT (changed within a year to WA2FMT when I upgraded my license). I still carry that call sign, WA2FMT, to this date, 55 years later. 

There was really no room in my bedroom for even a small ham radio station, so my father took about half of the basement under the living room and built in another room that he designed as my "Ham Shack." The rest of the basement was workshop. I even had my own extension telephone in my ham shack. Back in the 50's kids didn't have their own extensions, so I was an anomaly. My father ran antenna cables and a control cable to the roof and to the back yard. On the roof he installed my 2-meter (144 MHz) beam antenna and my 15-meter (21 MHz) beam antenna along with the rotator to turn the antennas toward whomever I was in contact with. In the back yard, I had a 40-meter (7 MHz) long-wire, dipole antenna. This gave me the capability of communicating locally, throughout the U.S. and around the world. This was pretty heady stuff for a 13 or 14-year-old kid back in those days.

Thus, while house #3 was my favorite house, House #4 really was the launching pad for, pretty much, my entire future. The ham radio antennas are long gone. The truck farm that bordered our backyard when we moved into the house was sold while we lived there and developed into more homes. The swimming pool is also long gone (at least as far as I could see from the street). But, I know the recreation room, half bathroom and the laundry room, where I developed film and enlarged black and white prints from my early photography days, are still there. I know the bedroom over the family room where my interest in shortwave and ham radio was conceived is still there. And, I'm reasonably sure the "ham shack" in the basement, although repurposed, is very likely still there, too.

The house is a different color now. I've been wracking my memory trying to remember what the original color was. I think it was brown. Otherwise the house and the neighborhood appear to look pretty much unchanged. However, while I'm sure most or all of the people who owned the homes along Manor Drive have since left the Earth, my memories are still very much alive and legion 54 years later. 

Photo-of-the-Week #151 Taking Care of Our Own, New VA Medical Center, Lake Nona, Florida, January 2013

Two photos this week because one couldn't begin to show the immensity of this hospital complex. It's heartwarming to see that the government is supporting our millions of military veterans. As a Vietnam era Air Force veteran myself, it is reassuring to know that the government is not forgetting or casting aside those who have voluntarily or involuntarily raised their hand, taken "the oath" and committed their lives to defend the American way of life.

These two photos only show the front, the back and a portion of the side of the complex that will not be open and operational for at least another eight months to a year. This depicts what I estimate about 25% of the complex and doesn't include several other buildings on the campus. It is, indeed, impressive. It's location, Lake Nona, is in the southeast quadrant of Orlando near the Orlando International Airport. Orland is a Florida city that continues to expand, exponentially, ever since Walt Disney arrived on the scene with the Disney World complex. This is a vast area that appears to be more of the land that once was the grazing range of large herds of cattle.

My only criticism, and I do have one, is how much taxpayer money has been expended in the architectural design and the construction of this design. Perhaps it wasn't all that much. However, knowing that creating very unique architecture is very expensive as is translating that design into a physical structure, especially when undertaken by any government agency, I feel sure there is a lot of money involved in this element of the complex. It is my thought that a modern, basic, functional, attractive complex without all the flare, could have been designed and developed, especially at this time when excessive government spending is a major point of contention. I doubt that a more cost effective design would have compromised the quality of medical facility or service provided to our veterans. Indeed, perhaps the equipment, medical facilities and ability to serve the intended individuals could have been enhanced with those additional funds, if not used for some other necessary government service. Or, I guess it just could have been saved and the federal budget reduced a little bit.

Otherwise, I'm sure this new complex will provide a huge universe of eligible veterans with the services they have earned and rightfully deserve. And, it appears it will be in the center of another diversified medical community based on the other organizations that have already built and opened new research and medical facilities adjacent to the VA complex.     

Photo-of-the-Week #149, The Ampex 200 Studio Audio Recorder, Phantom Productions Collection, Austin, Texas, October 2013

This week's photo of the week is for any of my audiophile, recording studio and Bing Crosby aficionado readers. This is the Ampex Model 200A audio recorder. It is the first American commercial studio grade audio recorder designed specifically to be used by recording studios and radio broadcasters. This recorder was released in 1948 making it 66 years old and still fully operational and able to produce broadcast and studio quality recordings.

On a personal note, this is only the second Ampex 200A I've ever seen and touched first hand. The other was in a small radio station in Mt. Airy, North Carolina, where it is still used. (A side note, Mt. Airy is where the late actor, Andy Griffith was raised and was the model for the fictitious town of Mayberry in the Andy Griffith, Mayberry USA TV show.)

The reason I brought up Bing Crosby's name is because Crosby, acclaimed as the most popular radio star of that period (TV hadn't really begun to build an audience in the late 40's), helped finance the development of the Ampex 200A recorder because he wanted to pre-record his radio program and not be bound by the rigorous time constraints of the broadcasting industry. The only high-quality recording medium of that time was disk recording and there were numerous disadvantages to using that medium as Crosby wanted to use the pre-recording idea. So, the first two Ampex 200A recorders, serial numbers 1 and 2 were delivered to the American Broadcasting Company in April of 1948. And, accordingly, the Bing Crosby show was the first pre-recorded, delayed broadcast radio show in the U.S. (Another side note, in the future, Bing Crosby also helped finance the development of the first broadcast video recorder with Ampex for the same reason.)

The recorder to the left of the Ampex 200A that is only partially visible is an Ampex Model 300, the next studio grade recorder in the Ampex line up. I am very familiar with the 300 and operated several 300's during my Air Force days in Washington, DC. I also had a custom modified 300 that was modified into a 1" tape, 8-track studio recorder in our small basement recording studio in Upper Marlboro, Maryland in the early 1970's. While I embrace and love all the flexibility and capability of digital recording, there is still a glamour attached to these old heavy, bulky "beasts" that those of us who used them will always miss.  

Photo-of-the-Week #146 - The Bass Pro Pyramid of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, October 2013

Not only is Egypt and Las Vegas famous for their pyramids, but Memphis, Tennessee has an iconic 32 story stainless steel and glass pyramid on the shores of the mighty Mississippi. Here is a shot of it I captured as I was crossing the Mississippi from Arkansas into Memphis on my recent trip to San Antonio, Texas.

The Memphis Pyramid has been the site for thousands to come and see basketball games and major concerts. Left vacant, Bass Pro, the outdoor camping and recreational retailer has taken over the facility and is turning it into a Super Store along with adding a hotel, restaurant and a marina as well as indoor rock walls, water falls and other camping/recreational delights. I believe the site will be opening sometime in 2014.

I took this photo while driving on the interstate right after crossing the Mississippi. I was probably traveling at somewhere between 50 and 60 miles per hour. I used my point and shoot Samsung camera to take the photo. When you're driving and sightseeing at the same time, you often have to forego looking at the sights in order to negotiate the traffic and stay alive. A reasonably fast digital camera (and a dash cam) allows me to review at a later time what I saw fleetingly as I travel the highways and byways. I love being able to stop the action even though I'm still in motion or I'm stationary and the subject is in motion.

Life On The Road In My McVansion

It's a Saturday morning in Port Charlotte, Florida and I've now been on the road with My McVansion for 27 days on this first trek of 2014. It occurred to me that, you, my loyal reader and follower of the "Living Free" blog might be interested in what life is like in My McVansion on the road over an extended period of time. So, this post is going to give you an idea of my current life on the road in my 50 square foot very efficient condo on wheels. 

While many of you are vandwellers (full-time or part-time) yourselves, this may not be a big deal for you, but for those of you who are future vandwellers, full-time RVers or just Walter Mitty types living the life vicariously through others of us who are out here, this may give you another peak into a unique lifestyle. And when I say unique lifestyle, I mean that each vandweller and full-time RVer is motivated differently, so each of our lifestyles will vary. You will relate to some more than others, but this gives you another taste of life on the road.

I also want to point out that My McVansion is not complete, yet. I have a number of things I still need to do and I'm learning of things I want to modify or add to my previous thinking and planning. So, this is going to be a pictorial of my life on the road in My McVansion. I hope you enjoy the tour and please feel free to comment.

So, here goes:

On The Surface

Here are some external photos of My McVansion parked at long time Living Free reader, Tommy Head's house in Port Charlotte, Florida. Tommy has been a vandweller himself, having built up his own custom van in which he ran up a couple hundred thousand miles. Currently, he has a 22-foot motorhome, a Mazda Miata and a beauty of a motorcycle. One of the most enjoyable parts of this lifestyle is meeting people who are of kindred spirit and who follow your exploits on your blog. The stories are endless and everyone learns something new.

Parked next to Tommy's house looking down the street.

Tommy's 22' motorhome dwarfs My McVansion

Bringing up the rear. Note the black shore power cord coming out of the right rear window.

Here's my entry. Notice the blue step (actually a plastic Pepsi 2 ltr soft drink carrier), a brilliant idea I obtained from another vandweller in Georgia, Cuzzin Dick. Also, I want to thank vandweller Marshall Ellgas for the nice clean vehicle I'm driving. Marshall pulled out his pressure washer and we cleaned those wheels up and gave My McVansion a much needed bath.

The Cockpit

Here is the nerve center or the bridge, if you will, of my micro condo on wheels. Lots of decisions made in the "Captain's Chair."

The Captain's Seat! This is the place where most of the important travel decisions are made. In front of the steering wheel is my cell phone/GPS mount. To the right is "The Hat," a vital part of the captain's uniform. Again, further to the right is the dash cam that documents all travels. On the sun visor is a Bluetooth speaker phone to keep my hands free. In the right passenger's seat is my travel box containing various items of importance with an extra seat cushion behind it and a Road Atlas behind that.  

The view from the right door shows the waste basket and a side view of the "power" module.

This view is from inside the van between the two cockpit seats. The "power" module allows me to power up to four devices off the 12 volt cigarette lighter jack or with the plug in modules I can power up to 8 USB powered devices. Most all of my electronics are powered off the van whenever the van is moving. Directly below the "power" module is a desktop charger for my spare cell phone battery so I'm virtually never without reserve power for communications.

And this little volume is "The Captain's Log." I also make verbal notations that are captured by the dash cam, but this little book keeps track of travel from point to point, fuel fill-ups and other important information I may want or need to recall at some future date.

The Interior Looking Toward the Rear Of The House Part of My McVansion

This is "home sweet home." This is a photo of the house section of My McVansion from just behind and between the two cockpit seats looking toward the rear. On the right (actually, the left side of the van) is the bunk. That's a 30-50 degree sleeping bag on the bunk. I've found this to be adequate, even in some temperatures approaching zero degrees Fahrenheit. If it's not warm enough, I simply add more blankets on top of it. At the foot of the bunk you'll see a green plaid, Irish wool throw blanket that is my first addition. To the left of the bed is my workstation. I'm using a folding chair in this photo, but it's still a little too large. I'm going to keep looking for exactly the right chair for this unique situation. On the left side (actually the right side of the van) are plastic drawers from Walmart for various office supplies and tools. I've screwed together two 3 drawer units and then secured them to the workstation desktop and the shelf over the wheel well. In front of the drawer unit. And, of course, you can see the computer on the workstation.

Here is another view of the bunk with the head of the bunk in the foreground and the sleeping bag with the green plaid Irish wool blanket at the foot and my green pillow at the head. You should also notice the black felt "black out" curtains I've installed. These are temporary and will eventually be replaced with a southwestern motif material that will also be used for the mattress cover. These curtains are removable. But, this is how My McVansion is set up for night time. That's my soft side attache case on the bunk along with a shirt and a great book Tommy has loaned me called Sensible Cruising: A Philosophic & Practical Approach To Cruising. This a really useful book and even though it was written for boaters, it directly applies to vandwellers and RVers as well. It's no longer in print and it's about 28 years old, but if I can find a used copy, I'm going to latch onto it. 

This is closer view of the office supply drawer units and in front of them is a small, carry around, plastic, portable file case. There are always some important papers you probably should have with you and this is my way of carrying those items. The window blockout on the right rear window of the van (as shown above) is actually a piece of plywood spray painted black on both sides. The forward, left "house section" window also has a plywood block out. It's located behind the food preparation counter.

There was some space behind the drawer unit and the base of the workstation. I had been thinking about where I would store shoes. Well, guess what? Viola! This space is perfect for storing three pairs of shoes. 

This is my view when laying in the bunk. It actually reminds me of being in a small stateroom in some kind of boat. I personally find it very comfortable,relaxing and appealing with the rich wood and light burgundy cloth interior of the van.

The House Section Of My McVansion From The Rear Looking Forward

This photo is from the back of the van. In the foreground is the bunk on the left and the workstation on the right. Straight back are the black, felt, knock out curtains I used to separate the cockpit from the house section of the van. 

Once again, here is a clearer photo of the black out curtains separating the cockpit from the house section.

Here's a photo of the refrigerators on the right side of the van. It's secured with a bungee cord to keep it from opening while in motion. next to it on the left is a small electric space heater and on the right, inside the cabinet, is the porta potty. That's my backpack on top of the porta potty cabinet. 

Here is another look at the small, utility space heater. I only run it on the lowest of two power settings. It takes only a couple minutes before the van is warm and toasty. I may trade this for a smaller unit about half to two thirds the size and power requirements. 

Bungee Cords are our friends, especially if you're a van dweller. Here these useful, stretchy cords, are securing the Walmart plastic storage units I use for clothes, dry foods, utensils, basic kitchen essentials and miscellaneous other things. 

This is the food preparation and misc. work space counter I built. The Walmart storage units are below it. Directly under the counter you'll see my insulated grocery bag on the left under the counter and my blue and black windbreakers that fold into their own pockets and become small pillows on the right. On the counter top is a two gallon water reservoir with a spigot on the front. Once again, it's kept securely in place by another bungee cord. I got the reservoir at Walmart. Next to the reservoir is a black, 12 vdc clip on fan to help circulate air on warm nights. 

Storage A Plenty

Lots of under the bunk storage and there's a lot more than this. You'll notice my 12 vdc electric blanket that comes in handy on the occasional frigid night.

This is one of the cubbys over the cockpit. This one is over the passenger seat and houses sanitary and hygiene necessities.

This cubby is over the Captain's seat and holds extra toiletries, vitamins, first aid supplies and other similar items.

This is the area where the small 13" TV that came with the van resided until I removed it. It's in the center over the cockpit and houses paper towels, my Road Pro lunchbox stove and water heating pot as well as aluminum trays, plastic bowls with lids to store various foods in. 

There are four of these cubbies, two on each side of the van. The only one I've assigned so far it this one for the AA, AAA, C, D and 9 volt batteries. 

This is a large cubby and is in the center over the workstation in the rear of the van. There is still plenty of room in this cabinet, but it houses my stash of water crackers and my extra tea bags. 

This is the final area of storage. This is under the rear of the bunk and under the workstation. There's still plenty of room on the left under the bunk. On the right there are two plastic containers that store extra clothing (currently, winter clothing) in the lower one and misc. techy stuff in the upper one. To the right of the two stacking units is another Walmart storage unit. It has tools and such in it. Actually the bottom drawer is still empty. And, finally, to the right in the corner are larger tools, the dirt devil vacuum and other similar things.  

A Room With A View

You've seen this photo in an earlier blog post. But, here is the most awesome aspect of the Living Free lifestyle for me. I can have this view until I'm tired of it and then move on to another Room with a View location. This is the most enjoyable lifestyle I can remember in my lifetime. The world is outside my window. 

So, there you have it. a chance to see how My McVansion is accommodating yours truly and providing a magic carpet to explore the continent with and a comfortable home wherever I am. I hope you enjoyed the tour of my creation. However, what you have seen is not the finished product. There's still quite a bit more work to be done to My McMansion. And, now with several trips under my belt, I know of some additions and modifications I am planning to add to the other things I hadn't completed, yet. Of course, it will always be a "work in progress." Things like this always are.

Photo-of-the-Week #142, First Recording Studio, Thomas Edison Laboratory, West Orange, New Jersey, September 2013

In an earlier Photo-of-the-Week I featured a photo of the Thomas A. Edison Laboratory where, not only did the great inventor create most of his world changing inventions, but where my father also worked from the late 1950's until his death in the beginning of 1967. As I drove through West Orange, New Jersey by a GPS serendipity, I came upon what is left of the huge many block manufacturing complex that was Edison industries. The storage battery plant is now a derelict factory building covering an entire square city block 46 years later. The rest of the huge complex has been demolished and returned to other uses. However, the small, red, three story building that was Thomas Edison's personal laboratory and that housed his personal library and where most of his inventions were created (along with about four other smaller buildings) has been preserved by the National Park Service as a National Historic Park site.

Of the many wonders I discovered as I went through the laboratory building was what may be the first actual recording studio. This studio was where some of the earliest music recordings were recorded, most likely purely for experimental and demonstration purposes. This photo is that room inside the Edison Laboratory building. It doesn't remotely resemble a modern recording studio . . . because, back at this time of pioneering a new medium and industry, no one actually knew how a recording studio should be designed or look to carefully control sound for the best sonic fidelity. 

Of course, since I have been actively involved in the recording industry since 1963 when some of the early technology pioneered by Edison was still being used, this room was of particular interest to me. I sincerely doubt that the air conditioning duct, at the top of the wall in the photo, existed when this room was being used for its stated purpose. The room also wasn't designated as a recording studio, but as a recording laboratory, since in those days, everything was experimental.

I don't know if the piano in the room is original or there for the purpose of recreating the atmosphere. And, certainly, all of the gramophones on display were not likely there when it was being used for experimental recordings. I can't honestly say if this room existed in this condition when I visited the building when my father worked in it. I don't remember seeing it and I hadn't become involved in the recording industry, yet, so it wouldn't necessarily have caught my attention then.

But, here it is. Behold! One of the magical wonders to be found in a building where, perhaps, more world changing technological inventions and advances were dreamt by one of the most creative minds of modern time and turned into reality, touching the lives of every human being on this planet directly or indirectly to this day. My father touched these hallowed floors and walls and I made a career of an industry spawned here. 

Behold, Oz, er . . . Ed, the Great and Powerful

Okay! So, I'm pushing the envelope a little. But, I now have a great and powerful new energy source installed in My McVansion. Nope! This isn't Kansas, but I'll get to Kansas one of these days.

Here is a photo of the new 245 amp/hour, AGM (absorbed glass mat), deep cycle 12-volt battery now installed under the bunk in My McVansion. Believe me, it's a monster. It is about the size of three standard car engine batteries and weighs in at a hefty 158 pounds. No! I didn't load this in myself. As a matter of fact, I didn't load it at all. The folks at The Battery Mart in Winchester, Virginia loaded it in last Friday and yesterday, I took it back and had their technician put in the very heavy wiring from the battery and continuous duty solenoid under the hood to the battery in the bunk. This will allow the "house" battery in the bunk to charge whenever the engine is running. 

This other photo shows the new red wire from the battery positive terminal to the solenoid and the solenoid itself. This isn't rocket science. But, it definitely helps to have someone who knows what they are doing AND has the correct tools to accomplish the mission. 

This battery will be the main power source for everything in the "house" part of My McVansion. It will power most of my electronics including my computer and certain audio equipment. It will also provide 110 volts of AC current through the use of an inverter. The AC will power the small refrigerator and infrequently, the small microwave oven I've yet to acquire. I will be adding a 110-volt AC smart charger so I can charge the house battery when I have access to "shore power" (or external 110 volts AC). I'm not sure, yet, but depending on several variables and based on some on the road experience with this particular vehicle and living accommodation, I may acquire either a small gasoline generator or a solar charging system. Each has pros and cons. I'm actually more inclined to go with solar. The gas generator creates a security issue and a gasoline issue (I'd have to carry a spare can of gas and deal with transporting issues or siphon gas from the van's gas tank.

So Much To Do, So Little Time To Do It All

I know I've said this before, but it seems to be a universal law or something. Monday I'm awaiting a shipment from Amazon of some things I had hoped to have over the weekend to install and/or check out. So, that slows down my departure on Monday on Ed Helvey's Road Trek #1 of 2014. I had My McVansion out on the roads back in September and October and have been putting more work in on it since then. However, some of this unusual bad and very cold winter weather has hampered the process. So, there are a number of things that are not, yet ready, installed, checked out, whatever. This bothers me to some degree, but a fair amount of it I will be able to accomplish while I'm traveling. The things I can do on the road, I'll simply have to wait until I get back off the road to work on.

The word I get from most of the other RVers and vandwellers is that whatever kind of "rig" you have, it's always a work in progress. And so it is. The main thing I'm interested in on this extended travel is to put what is installed to the test and see what is functioning as anticipated from the planning and construction stage and what is not up to par or meeting expectations or just not working at all. Those will be the things I will change if I reasonably can during the trek or plan to work on as soon as I return from the trip.

This trip is basically to seek out some sun and warmth. I'm obviously going south. My first stop is on Tuesday and will be in (or actually just outside) Sparta, New Carolina to celebrate the New Years festivities with my grad school buddy at his mountain home. It is also a celebration of another kind since he and his childhood sweetheart are getting married after not seeing one another for about 43 years.

I'll hang around with them for a few days and then start making my way south visiting some old friends and meeting some new ones along the way. Florida is the ultimate destination. The other thing I'll be doing as I travel is working in the van. This will give me the opportunity to see just how well I've thought out and set up a work environment in the vehicle and then see how much productive work I can accomplish on the road.

So, I have no set timelines for anything on this trip. I'm just going to enjoy the experience, learn from it and return back to the base camp in West Virginia when it seems right. It could be a longer trip or a shorter trip all depending on how everything goes. Stay tuned for more trip details.