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Mar
14
2010
Google Drops Bomb On Slab City ConversionsPosted by Jim in Rants & Raves, tags: internet, Slab CityHuh? Bear with me.
Bright blasts on the horizon were big last night, and close enough to thump the ground. But the blast took about nine and a half seconds to be heard. Quick, do the math. Sound travels at the approximate speed of 1,100 feet per second. With blasts seen about 9.5 seconds before being heard that puts bombs just 10,450 feet away. Divide that by by 5,280 feet in a mile and you have very big bombs exploding 1.9791667 miles away. And what on earth does this have to do with Google, you ask? In doing a simple search for the speed of sound and how many feet in a mile, I discovered that Google is indeed going to take over the world! Before long, every web page visited will be tracked, logged, analyzed, stored, and marketed to accordingly in Googledom. With the search engine’s recent makeover, users have new powerful search and sorting options. They also have a responsibility to their own users for not passing encoded googlinks capable of tracking who knows what viewer history information. Which is exactly what you will do when simply right-clicking to copy an URL now from Google search result links. Check it out for yourself. What do you think all this means?
So, that big bomb Google has dropped? No more absolute url copying for direct links to search results. Right click to copy a link and you now get a Googlurl encoded with plenty of tracking voodoo. What’s more disturbing yet? It was dropped by a stealth bomber… It means this: Roll over any Google search result link and the browser status bar shows the actual url. At least Firefox does, on my Mac. And that’s pretty sneaky if you ask me. Not until a link is copied will the truth be told. If you prefer to defy assimilation, here’s what to do: beneath Google search links a partial URL for the result is included in small green type, with no hyper link. Select that and copy if you don’t care to be part of the machine. Apparently this has something to do with outbound SERPs. More like outright usurpers if you ask me. Check this Razzed blog for further Google outbound link tracking analysis. And try to pay attention where you’re sending people with your copied links. I sure will now.
Mar
11
2010
Come Party in Texas with the Cool Kid RVers, 4/22 – 4/26Posted by Rene in Attractions, Dream, tags: friends, fulltime, gathering, nurvers, party, rally, RVing, texasIt’s time for the annual NuRVers Gathering of Friends!
Come join us in Gonzales, Texas in April for good times and great people! Last year’s inaugural gathering was a blast, we know this year’s will be even better.
Mar
10
2010
A Windy Wait for Culinary Delights in Borrego Springs CAPosted by Rene in Best of, Dream, Good Eats, Local Flavor, tags: Boondocking, Borrego Springs, California Desert, Farmer's Market, Good Eats, produce
We also want to visit the Borrego Springs Friday Farmer’s Market one more time. The local farmers have the most luscious selection of produce, including this weird, local Cherimoya fruit that I’ve never seen before (which is odd because I’m a SoCal native!). I think I’ll crack open my wallet and try it. It must be good if it’s that spendy, right? I also want to stock up on the local Fuerte avocados. They only appear in wintertime, and you can’t get them anywhere else because they don’t ship well. You’ve never had a great avocado until you’ve had a Fuerte.
Jim, meanwhile, is having fantasies about the locally grown tri-tip he saw last week. Maybe he can share it with Wyatt. Anyone else care to indulge in carnivore ecstasy, feel free to stop by. We’ve been in Southern California longer than we anticipated, but even I, a recovering Angeleno, will admit that the south end of the state has great winter weather and the best produce in America. Borrego Springs is a funky, neat little town. I told Jim that maybe we should consider buying a cheap piece of land here to winter in. But then he reminded me; this is California. Nothing’s cheap. And with Moonbeam running for governor, the State’s really in trouble now! We’d better get out soon before we get taxed for breathing.
Mar
06
2010
Just like riding a bike…Posted by Jim in Making Money, Our Story, Work, tags: dogs, graphic design, income, Jerry, three legged dog, Tripawds.com, WorkWhenever I go MIA around here, it usually means I’ve been wrapped up is some major project – one that probably has something to do with three legged dogs. This time is no different.
It was fun designing all these new graphics, and it felt good doing it for something I am passionate about, without some client breathing down my neck telling me to make the text bold and red. Oh, wait … the type on our new Tripawd Power design is bold and red! Well, not really… it’s Cooper Black actually, and more of a crimson. But there I go digressing, here’s the link if you want to talk about typefaces. I would like to think this represents some of my best work. But that’s not saying much considering I haven’t done any real graphic design work since we sold our business nearly three years ago. But it is a nice feeling knowing that I still got it – if I ever really had it, that is. And it goes to prove that graphic design is like riding a bike, in more ways than one. If you think you may have lost the touch, just jump back into your favorite Adobe product and start pedaling. And if your chain falls off and you just can’t get it to work right, call a professional. Anyone need a logo?
Mar
01
2010
Save the Slab City LibraryPosted by Rene in Live, Rants & Raves, Simple Living, tags: Boondocking, CA, California Desert, library, Slab City
Sunday afternoon I arrived with some DVDs to donate, only to find piles of books thrown around, and an angry look on the face of Ron, the chief librarian. All of the doors to the place had also been removed, the sign had disappeared from the parking lot, and the book donation shelves were gone. He even took our Internut access away. I was stunned, and asked Ron, “Uh, what happened to the shelves?” His eyes were filled with rage as he said “I’m sick of picking up after people and their dog shit! I’ve had it! If they want to trash this place they can have it!”
Ron said, “It’s a self-serve library from now on. People can take care of it themselves. I’m done!” and he stormed out. Three years ago, Ron arrived just after the founder of the library died. He was enthusiastic about keeping it going, and moved in next door. He took the wheels off his motorhome, set up an encampment, and went about the business of becoming chief librarian. He’s done an incredible job. Every time I went there, new books had been shelved, more fun knicknacks appeared and the floor was always clean. But apparently the slobs around here made him snap. Or maybe it the 120 degree summertime temperatures. But last week he threw up his hands and surrendered. Now, this treasure is at risk of becoming just another trash heap in the last free place in America.
Today I made the “Save the Libaray!” sign and posted it inside, hoping that more people might care enough to stop taking the library for granted. Maybe we can change Ron’s mind about quitting. I guess I’ll have to wait until next year to find out what happens next. And if nobody wants the job, I just might apply when we return. What started out as a final trip to the Slab City Library yesterday has turned into a devastating discovery. This one-of-a-kind institution is on the verge of collapse.
Sunday afternoon I arrived with some DVDs to donate, only to find piles of books thrown around, and an angry look on the face of Ron, the chief librarian. All of the doors to the place had also been removed, the sign had disappeared from the parking lot, and the book donation shelves were gone.
I was stunned, and asked Ron, “Uh, what happened to the shelves?”
He looked at me with rage in his eyes and said “I’m sick of picking up after people and their dog shit! I’ve had it! If they want to trash this place they can have it!”
With my mouth hanging open I said “But….what’s going to happen here?”
Ron said, “It’s a self-serve library from now on. People can take care of it themselves. I’m done!” and he stormed out.
Three years ago, Ron arrived just after the founder of the library died. Ron was enthusiastic about keeping the library alive, and decided he would move in next door. He took the wheels off his motorhome, set up a permanent encampment, and went about the business of becoming head librarian. Up until now he’s done an incredible job keeping this treasure going. Every time I went there, new books had been shelved, more fun knicknacks appeared and the floor was always clean.
But apparently the slobs around here made him snap. Or maybe it the 120 degree summertime temperatures. But last week he threw up his hands and surrendered. Now, this treasure is at risk of becoming just another trash heap in the last free place in America.
I’m devastated. I love libraries, and I swear there’s nowhere like this place in America. It was founded by one woman who loved books, and when she died, the community of snowbirds and regulars kept her legacy alive by spiffing up this hand-built this oasis in the desert.
It’s killing me that we’re supposed to leave to check out Anza Borrego tomorrow. I don’t want to see this place disappear. This morning I made this sign, hoping that more people might give a crap and stop taking the library for granted. I guess I’ll have to wait until next year to find out what they chose to do. Maybe I’ll come back in January and take over as librarian.
Feb
23
2010
Spoonie, Where are You When Rhodester and Coffeesister Need You?Posted by Rene in Rants & Raves, tags: California, friends, Haight Street, roommates, San FranciscoOur San Francisco days have been on our minds. Yesterday would have been our friend Spoonie’s 49th birthday.
Those days are long past, and our old city friends like Kris (Spoonie) all fled for other pastures. Which sucks, because we just learned that two very cool friends of ours, Rhodester and Coffeesister, are in dire need of a place to live in San Francisco. They have to be out of their current place at the end of this week, and they have nowhere to go. Rhodester and Coffeesister Want a Place to Live, Now! Jim and I keep wracking our brains, trying to figure out if we know anyone who might have a room open in their house or know somebody who does, but we’re drawing a blank. So we’re asking you all to spread the word.
They’re looking for a room to rent, and they don’t need anything fancy. Wifi would be nice, as Dave works online. For now they’ll take what we can get as long as it’s in the City, and is accepting of their two very clean and awesome cats.
Do you happen to know anyone in San Francisco who’s as kind, and has a place for this awesome couple to rent? Humor and good company is included with their deposit.
Feb
17
2010
Slab City Seniors Rock Our WorldPosted by Rene in Boondocking, Dream, Live, Local Flavor, Simple Living, tags: Boondocking, California Desert, RV lifestyle, Slab CitySlab City: love it or hate it.
One might assume that Slab City Lovers are younger folks on the fringes of society, but as our neighbor Bernie demonstrates, that just ain’t so.
He built this RV himself, handles all of his own rig maintenance, and is building a new cottage by hand back in Washington. A former HVAC repair man, he spends his afternoons lounging and riding his ATV around the desert. He and his wife have been vegan for the last 40 years. Bernie is 80 years old. His wife is 75. They’re just one example of the many reasons why we love staying at kooky places like Slab City. Because you just never know who’s going to rock your world here, like Don the musician.
Feb
14
2010
Love Letters From The HeartPosted by Jim in Live, Our Story, Rants & Raves, tags: love, marriageMy wife told me not to get her anything for Valentine’s Day. I suppose I should be thankful for that. “Let’s just send each other love letters,” she said. But it’s not like I can keep any secret shopping from her anyway, living 24/7 together in a 200 sq. ft. box. Nor can I get all crafty and surprise her with the type of personalized greetings I used to make with all our printers and graphic production equipment. So hear goes…
Feb
11
2010
Mission Accomplished, Once AgainPosted by Jim in RV Tech, Work, tags: Datastorm, internet, MotoSat, Repairs, satellite, warrantySo the new elevation motor for our F2 satellite dish finally arrived. Many thanks to Solar Mike for letting us use his address. But of course the package did not include any of the insulated Scotch Locks I was promised it would. Big surprise, it was hard enough getting a tracking number from MotoSat. “If you’re near a Lowe’s or home Depot…” the MotoSat tech started to tell me where I could get some Scotch Locks. I cut him off with a laugh, “Yeah, right!” A couple standard insulated wire connectors I had would have to do the trick. After a day of brief flash floods, and too many days of sharing our MiFi wireless internet connection, I was able to quickly and easily replace the motor set – thus completing yet another repair on our dish. All seemed well as the dish successfully completed its calibration. Then upon search, it returned a motor stall error, azimuth this time. Big Surprise. Sending the dish up again resulted in success. A fluke? Perhaps. But something didn’t seem right. When the dish went down, it’s azimuth was way off. While the D3 controller reported 0º azimuth, the dish was clearly out of alignment. After a couple more tests we could could not reproduce the error. So we are back online with good ol’ satellite 91 West – telling ourselves again that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Deep down we are hoping we don’t have another motor going bad, however, because MotoSat informed us of an interesting clause in their warranty agreement. All replacement parts are only covered under warranty from the original system purchase date. So the replacement motors – yes, motors plural – we have installed, are only covered until our original warranty is up. A date which is quickly approaching. As I said, big surprise.
Feb
07
2010
Serendipitous CoincidencesPosted by Jim in Live, Simple Living, tags: books, frugal, quotes, Slab CityOverheard at the Slab City Library: Champagne Living on a Beer Budget? … Hey, can I have that? … Serendipity in action. Funny how I kicked off the new year that way – remembering the old adage momma would often cite. And funny that this 1969 guide by Mike and Marilyn Ferguson for How to Buy the Best for Less came to my attention while boondocking for free among both shiny monster RVs and deep rooted old buses. As mother would also often question though, “Funny ha ha or funny peculiar”? Either way, funnier yet are various applicable quotes I turned to throughout Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget:
We choose to live like vagrants here for a while because it is much cheaper than the alternative of paying for comfortable amenities, and richness is measured in many more ways than wealth. Others live on the slabs out of need, all rich in their own ways.
It’s all about give and take, I say. What are you willing to give up to get what you want? And if you want freedom, for free, you might need to go without quite a bit. As most do here in Slab City, USA.
There seem to be many more people here this year. But you don’t see much of them, being rounded up in their safe little RV caravans as they are. Safety in numbers I suppose, among the regular miscreant vagrants, loving hippies, wandering loners and hobos.
What’s that make me then? Well, I’m not quite smelling like roses these days. And I gave up a lot to enjoy the beauty within. Yes you must look past certain filth, but I’m not spending a dime (out of pocket), and am rich in personal freedom and fixed in perfect reality. |
We feel right at home back in our same spot 
























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