Recalculating

Recently there was a segment on ABC’s 20/20 about the misadventures of three women in Death Valley.  It seems that they decided to go on an impromptu sightseeing trip through one of the worlds most desolate and dangerous places on earth.  I’ll refrain from all the details but suffice it to say they got lost.  According to 20/20 and these fearless explorers, the main reason they got in trouble was due to inaccurate direction from the dashboard mounted GPS.

If you are a regular reader of my musings you know that I have a love/hate relationship with my GPSbut that, as they say, is another story.  Learning of the plight of these women prompts me to remind you that if you have a GPS you do need to update the software periodically.  Just like printed maps must be updated, the innards of your Garmin or TomTom need to be refreshed. 

The amount of data resident in even the simplest GPS device is huge and as such there are bound to be errors.  These often get reported by customers and get fixed and are included in the updated information.  Information about new roads, speed limit changes, location of new businesses and even abandoned roads changes constantly.

Most all manufactures of GPSdevices offer updates.  Most are easy to install although some are a bit pricey.  For example Garmin, a leader in this industry, offers on its website updates for most all of its products.  For a one time fee of $90 you can get updates downloaded to your device for as long as you own it. For $50 you can purchase a single update.

Many of us have GPSapps on our smart phone.  In most cases the data for these services is automatically updated so you don’t need to be concerned about updating to the most current info used by Google Maps or Apple Maps navigation apps.

If you have a built in navigation systems in your car there are various ways to get it updated.  Some automakers will provide this service at the dealership while others provide updated software on a DVD that is inserted into the CD/DVD slot on the dashboard.  For updating information on your specific system, just look in the Operator’s Manual.  It’s that fat book that keeps falling out of the glove box when you are looking for those napkins you got at Burger City.

Updating your GPSshould make your next road trip safer and more enjoyable.  Now if I can just get that lady in my GPS to lose that attitude when she tells me she is “recalculating.”

Recalculating

Recently there was a segment on ABC’s 20/20 about the misadventures of three women in Death Valley.  It seems that they decided to go on an impromptu sightseeing trip through one of the worlds most desolate and dangerous places on earth.  I’ll refrain from all the details but suffice it to say they got lost.  According to 20/20 and these fearless explorers, the main reason they got in trouble was due to inaccurate direction from the dashboard mounted GPS.

If you are a regular reader of my musings you know that I have a love/hate relationship with my GPS but that, as they say, is another story.  Learning of the plight of these women prompts me to remind you that if you have a GPS you do need to update the software periodically.  Just like printed maps must be updated, the innards of your Garmin or TomTom need to be refreshed. 

The amount of data resident in even the simplest GPS device is huge and as such there are bound to be errors.  These often get reported by customers and get fixed and are included in the updated information.  Information about new roads, speed limit changes, location of new businesses and even abandoned roads changes constantly.

Most all manufactures of GPS devices offer updates.  Most are easy to install although some are a bit pricey.  For example Garmin, a leader in this industry, offers on its website updates for most all of its products.  For a one time fee of $90 you can get updates downloaded to your device for as long as you own it. For $50 you can purchase a single update.

Many of us have GPS apps on our smart phone.  In most cases the data for these services is automatically updated so you don’t need to be concerned about updating to the most current info used by Google Maps or Apple Maps navigation apps.

If you have a built in navigation systems in your car there are various ways to get it updated.  Some automakers will provide this service at the dealership while others provide updated software on a DVD that is inserted into the CD/DVD slot on the dashboard.  For updating information on your specific system, just look in the Operator’s Manual.  It’s that fat book that keeps falling out of the glove box when you are looking for those napkins you got at Burger City.

Updating your GPS should make your next road trip safer and more enjoyable.  Now if I can just get that lady in my GPS to lose that attitude when she tells me she is “recalculating.”

The End of a Love Hate Relationship

I have to tell the truth. There is another woman in my life. Don’t worry. My wife, a very understanding and open person, knows about her. This woman who has been with me for years has helped me so much. She is knowledgeable, precise, and articulate and has the patience of Job. Nevertheless, she can also be a source of utter frustration. In fact, I have decided that I am going to end my relationship with her. I would rather spend this time with a man.

The woman in question is locked inside my GPS. There she remains ready at a moment’s notice to help me find my way. She has an Australian accent (I programmed her that way since it makes me feel cosmopolitan as I drive around southern Ohio), but that will soon change.

My decision to end this relationship comes after completing a recent road trip to the east coast. Don’t get me wrong, she was always there. She offered her directions. But her inflexibility is nothing short of maddening. Here is an example.

I have taken this same trip several times. Since it requires that I get to West Virginia, I have found that taking the AA Highway from Alexandria, KY to Grayson, KY, a diagonal route through Kentucky, is better than routing through Lexington or southern Ohio. She strongly disagrees. As I drove on the AA highway, she continued to try to get me back into Ohio. I think she may be “on the take” from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

I think that the most irritating thing about her is her patient but condescending tone. Her mantra “Recalculating …make a U–turn in .5 miles” is still burning in my ears. I figure that it is time for a change so I am going to let her go and program my GPS with a guy’s voice and see if that helps.

I think my wife will be relieved; she was beginning to question my sanity as I continued a dialogue, often heated, with “Sweetie.” That’s right; I do have to call her something. So I have to decide if my new best friend will be an American or not. Perhaps if I make him a German our relationship will be better. I don’t speak German. “Thanks for the advice, Günter, but I am taking the AA highway anyway.”

The End of a Love Hate Relationship

I have to tell the truth. There is another woman in my life. Don’t worry. My wife, a very understanding and open person, knows about her. This woman who has been with me for years has helped me so much. She is knowledgeable, precise, and articulate and has the patience of Job. Nevertheless, she can also be a source of utter frustration. In fact, I have decided that I am going to end my relationship with her. I would rather spend this time with a man.

The woman in question is locked inside my GPS. There she remains ready at a moment’s notice to help me find my way. She has an Australian accent (I programmed her that way since it makes me feel cosmopolitan as I drive around southern Ohio), but that will soon change.

My decision to end this relationship comes after completing a recent road trip to the east coast. Don’t get me wrong, she was always there. She offered her directions. But her inflexibility is nothing short of maddening. Here is an example.

I have taken this same trip several times. Since it requires that I get to West Virginia, I have found that taking the AA Highway from Alexandria, KY to Grayson, KY, a diagonal route through Kentucky, is better than routing through Lexington or southern Ohio. She strongly disagrees. As I drove on the AA highway, she continued to try to get me back into Ohio. I think she may be “on the take” from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

I think that the most irritating thing about her is her patient but condescending tone. Her mantra “Recalculating …make a U–turn in .5 miles” is still burning in my ears. I figure that it is time for a change so I am going to let her go and program my GPS with a guy’s voice and see if that helps.

I think my wife will be relieved; she was beginning to question my sanity as I continued a dialogue, often heated, with “Sweetie.” That’s right; I do have to call her something. So I have to decide if my new best friend will be an American or not. Perhaps if I make him a German our relationship will be better. I don’t speak German. “Thanks for the advice, Günter, but I am taking the AA highway anyway.”

"Getting There' Fun with a GPS

Summer is quickly approaching. Kids will be out of school, and with any luck, the folks at Exxon will show a bit of restraint with gas prices. For many, after a year’s hiatus, the summer road trip may be in the cards. In days gone by, loading up Fido and the kids, after making sure that the old “Chev” is working properly, used to be about all you needed to do in order to be ready for that trip to Aunt Esmeralda and Uncle Otto’s house at the lake. Oh, you may have stopped by the local filling station to pick up one of those free road maps. Yes I said “free.”

Finding that “free” road map may be harder than finding gas for less than $2.50 per gallon. Instead many of us will rely on a GPS unit to get us to our summer fun spots.
GPS or Global Positioning Satellite technology has been with us for many years. Once a pricey option for high end automobiles, the units have become much more functional and compact. Some connect to a lap top while others can fit in your pocket. Of course you can still get them installed as a factory option in about any model of car.

Over the years I have owned two GPS units. The first one was a very early model with a postage stamp sized back and white screen displaying very simple graphics. Most recently, my wife gave me a new pocket size model that has a large color screen, and enough navigation features to guide an aircraft carrier. The model I have even “talks”, giving directions as we drive. (Since you can choose the type of voice and language, I selected a woman’s voice with a British accent. It makes me feel a bit continental as I drive to Columbus.)

Portable models start at about $100 and go up from there. You will be surprised at the features that are incorporated into even the most inexpensive models. Here are a few things to consider when buying a GPS unit:

Make sure that it can be updated. Most have a USB connection that allows you to periodically connect with the manufacturer’s web site to download updated information. Since roads, new businesses and attractions are stored in the GPS, you want to make sure you have the most current ones. You don’t want to find out that the gas station you were counting on, and the GPS indicated was just over the next mountain, is no longer there.

If you are going to use the GPS on a bike or while walking, make sure that it has settings for that use. The scale and sensitivity is different for use in slow moving vehicles or walking than it is while driving on an expressway.

If you are going to use the GPS on a bike or while walking make sure that the internal battery has adequate life.

Go with one of the major manufactures like Garmin® or TomTom®. They both put out very good products and have good customer support.

Finally, if you do get a GPS, play with it while walking or in your own backyard. When you first get it and use it in your car you will be tempted to watch that little screen more than the road. Better to look at that semi slowing down in front of you than the neat graphic on the GPS.

"Getting There' Fun with a GPS

Summer is quickly approaching. Kids will be out of school, and with any luck, the folks at Exxon will show a bit of restraint with gas prices. For many, after a year’s hiatus, the summer road trip may be in the cards. In days gone by, loading up Fido and the kids, after making sure that the old “Chev” is working properly, used to be about all you needed to do in order to be ready for that trip to Aunt Esmeralda and Uncle Otto’s house at the lake. Oh, you may have stopped by the local filling station to pick up one of those free road maps. Yes I said “free.”

Finding that “free” road map may be harder than finding gas for less than $2.50 per gallon. Instead many of us will rely on a GPS unit to get us to our summer fun spots.
GPS or Global Positioning Satellite technology has been with us for many years. Once a pricey option for high end automobiles, the units have become much more functional and compact. Some connect to a lap top while others can fit in your pocket. Of course you can still get them installed as a factory option in about any model of car.

Over the years I have owned two GPS units. The first one was a very early model with a postage stamp sized back and white screen displaying very simple graphics. Most recently, my wife gave me a new pocket size model that has a large color screen, and enough navigation features to guide an aircraft carrier. The model I have even “talks”, giving directions as we drive. (Since you can choose the type of voice and language, I selected a woman’s voice with a British accent. It makes me feel a bit continental as I drive to Columbus.)

Portable models start at about $100 and go up from there. You will be surprised at the features that are incorporated into even the most inexpensive models. Here are a few things to consider when buying a GPS unit:

Make sure that it can be updated. Most have a USB connection that allows you to periodically connect with the manufacturer’s web site to download updated information. Since roads, new businesses and attractions are stored in the GPS, you want to make sure you have the most current ones. You don’t want to find out that the gas station you were counting on, and the GPS indicated was just over the next mountain, is no longer there.

If you are going to use the GPS on a bike or while walking, make sure that it has settings for that use. The scale and sensitivity is different for use in slow moving vehicles or walking than it is while driving on an expressway.

If you are going to use the GPS on a bike or while walking make sure that the internal battery has adequate life.

Go with one of the major manufactures like Garmin® or TomTom®. They both put out very good products and have good customer support.

Finally, if you do get a GPS, play with it while walking or in your own backyard. When you first get it and use it in your car you will be tempted to watch that little screen more than the road. Better to look at that semi slowing down in front of you than the neat graphic on the GPS.

Looking to 2009

Last time I reported on the predictions I made about a year ago concerning electronic products and services that would be developed during 2008. As we begin another year I am going to go out on a limb again and put in writing my 2009 predictions. Perhaps with some fresh batteries installed in my LED powered crystal ball, I’ll get more right than wrong.

Much to my consternation as a manager of a broadcast TV station, I don’t see the upcoming analog TV broadcasting shut down as going smoothly. For sure, the majority who are using cable or satellite services on February 17th will find that the event will be a non-event. Nevertheless, there are still many people who receive TV over-the-air using an antenna who are looking at this change as a sort of Y2K non-event. In other words they don’t need to worry about it. When they wake up on Wednesday morning, February 18th, and “Today Show” is not there they may feel differently. Look for the days and weeks following the cut off to be a great time to be in the antenna and digital set top TV converter business. Seriously, if you know someone who may be unaware of what they need to do - perhaps the elderly lady at church or the nice old man down the street - ask if they need help getting a converter.

Big is not always better. Look for electronic products to continue to shrink in size. Nanotechnology will be a hot area during 2009. The ability of engineers and designers to pack into very small packages a host of applications and machines is nothing short of awesome. Especially in medicine, there will be introduced a whole generation of small machines designed to be implanted in the body to perform some task of diagnosis. This miniaturization will also allow mobile phones and mp3 audio devices to get smaller with storage capacities ballooning.

Speaking of storage. Look for the cost of all digital storage to continue to go down. Once only the province of data centers at P&G or GE, disk drives measured in terabytes will be available in stores in the $100 price range.

GPS technology will continue to be integrated into all sorts of mobile devices. Keeping taps on the toddler in the park, the teen at the mall or Fido in the back yard will continue to be easier with small homing devices. Look for more mobile phone networks to adopt a clone of the iPhone tracking software that allows iPhone users to see where friends and colleagues are located at any given time. Yes, you can turn it off.

Mobile video will also get a push this year. As broadcasters finish the conversion to all digital transmission, some will begin to use a portion of the signal to send video programming to mobile and hand held devices. The technology has been in test mode for about a year and will be rolled out in some 20 markets nationwide during 2009. The adoption by consumers of this technology will be based on how well broadcasters can fashion programming that is appropriate for the small hand held screen. Also, I see the adoption of this technology as geographically dependant. For example, in New York or other cities that have the majority of commuters using public transportation, the ability to watch a news program while sitting on a bus or train en route to or from work would most likely be a viable service. I think the jury is still out for other applications and the willingness of consumers to pay or advertisers to embrace.

One of the outside influences that may slow down the distribution of these and other products and services during the coming year is the flagging world economy. Already we have the major manufacturers like Sony, Samsung and LG announcing cuts in exports to the US and other major markets. The “gee whiz” products will most likely not get the attention of a consumer base concerned about mortgage and car payments.

In 12 months we’ll see how I did. Happy New Year!

Looking to 2009

Last time I reported on the predictions I made about a year ago concerning electronic products and services that would be developed during 2008. As we begin another year I am going to go out on a limb again and put in writing my 2009 predictions. Perhaps with some fresh batteries installed in my LED powered crystal ball, I’ll get more right than wrong.

Much to my consternation as a manager of a broadcast TV station, I don’t see the upcoming analog TV broadcasting shut down as going smoothly. For sure, the majority who are using cable or satellite services on February 17th will find that the event will be a non-event. Nevertheless, there are still many people who receive TV over-the-air using an antenna who are looking at this change as a sort of Y2K non-event. In other words they don’t need to worry about it. When they wake up on Wednesday morning, February 18th, and “Today Show” is not there they may feel differently. Look for the days and weeks following the cut off to be a great time to be in the antenna and digital set top TV converter business. Seriously, if you know someone who may be unaware of what they need to do - perhaps the elderly lady at church or the nice old man down the street - ask if they need help getting a converter.

Big is not always better. Look for electronic products to continue to shrink in size. Nanotechnology will be a hot area during 2009. The ability of engineers and designers to pack into very small packages a host of applications and machines is nothing short of awesome. Especially in medicine, there will be introduced a whole generation of small machines designed to be implanted in the body to perform some task of diagnosis. This miniaturization will also allow mobile phones and mp3 audio devices to get smaller with storage capacities ballooning.

Speaking of storage. Look for the cost of all digital storage to continue to go down. Once only the province of data centers at P&G or GE, disk drives measured in terabytes will be available in stores in the $100 price range.

GPS technology will continue to be integrated into all sorts of mobile devices. Keeping taps on the toddler in the park, the teen at the mall or Fido in the back yard will continue to be easier with small homing devices. Look for more mobile phone networks to adopt a clone of the iPhone tracking software that allows iPhone users to see where friends and colleagues are located at any given time. Yes, you can turn it off.

Mobile video will also get a push this year. As broadcasters finish the conversion to all digital transmission, some will begin to use a portion of the signal to send video programming to mobile and hand held devices. The technology has been in test mode for about a year and will be rolled out in some 20 markets nationwide during 2009. The adoption by consumers of this technology will be based on how well broadcasters can fashion programming that is appropriate for the small hand held screen. Also, I see the adoption of this technology as geographically dependant. For example, in New York or other cities that have the majority of commuters using public transportation, the ability to watch a news program while sitting on a bus or train en route to or from work would most likely be a viable service. I think the jury is still out for other applications and the willingness of consumers to pay or advertisers to embrace.

One of the outside influences that may slow down the distribution of these and other products and services during the coming year is the flagging world economy. Already we have the major manufacturers like Sony, Samsung and LG announcing cuts in exports to the US and other major markets. The “gee whiz” products will most likely not get the attention of a consumer base concerned about mortgage and car payments.

In 12 months we’ll see how I did. Happy New Year!

Leave Some Technology At Home This Summer

It’s that time of year again. Fireworks are sounding, the sun is shinning and vacations are on our mind. Even with $4 plus fuel, many of us will take some time off and go away on vacation. Technology is a blessing and a curse for those who want to get away from it all.

For sure the convenience of booking travel and accommodations on the Internet can take some of the hassle out of vacations. Web services like travelocity.com® and priceline.com® can provide some deep discounts. Most airlines offer online boarding passes cutting the time you need to spend in lines at CVG. You can even prepare your baggage tags on line.

If you are driving, MapQuest.com® can provide very good directions as well as travel time. You can plan a trip based on a variety of preferences. For example, if you don’t want to travel on Interstate highways, MapQuest will take that into consideration. If you don’t care about tolls or Interstates, but only want the quickest way to your destination, you can ask MapQuest to plan accordingly.

The proliferation of GPS devices is almost unbelievable. Some of the hand-held models have more navigation power than the first Space Shuttle. While I have found some strange routing for certain trips, for the most part they are very accurate. I am not a fan of that ever-patient little women inside the GPS that absolutely can’t get upset no matter what knucklehead mistake I make when driving. Wouldn’t it be neat if she muttered few expletives after you passed the exit for the fifth time. No one is that patient!

I am going to recommend that you not use some technologies on that next get away. I saw a new term recently in a blog authored by Robert Roy Britt that I though was very indicative of the downside of all this technology. His term is “technotether.” He defines technotether as our inability to ignore that ringing cell phone. Our addiction to the BlackBerry® and other electronic personal assistants is another example of this affliction. Perhaps the most egregious is our need to check our email. These technologies have expanded the work day and the work place. The addition of wifi service on some commercial flights has penetrated the one place that you could not get email. Britt contends that we are “tethered” to these technologies and in many ways it is not healthy.

Let me make a suggestion. Don’t check email while on vacation. Bring your cell phone but don’t call back home or to the office. Don’t check office voice mail. Leave a message telling callers that you will not be checking it. I figure if the President of the United States is looking for me he won’t leave a voice message anyway. His minions will find me. For heavens sake leave the blackberry in its charging cradle for a week.

For the first day or so you will experience withdrawal. After that you will be amazed how much more restful vacation turns out to be.

Leave Some Technology At Home This Summer

It’s that time of year again. Fireworks are sounding, the sun is shinning and vacations are on our mind. Even with $4 plus fuel, many of us will take some time off and go away on vacation. Technology is a blessing and a curse for those who want to get away from it all.

For sure the convenience of booking travel and accommodations on the Internet can take some of the hassle out of vacations. Web services like travelocity.com® and priceline.com® can provide some deep discounts. Most airlines offer online boarding passes cutting the time you need to spend in lines at CVG. You can even prepare your baggage tags on line.

If you are driving, MapQuest.com® can provide very good directions as well as travel time. You can plan a trip based on a variety of preferences. For example, if you don’t want to travel on Interstate highways, MapQuest will take that into consideration. If you don’t care about tolls or Interstates, but only want the quickest way to your destination, you can ask MapQuest to plan accordingly.

The proliferation of GPS devices is almost unbelievable. Some of the hand-held models have more navigation power than the first Space Shuttle. While I have found some strange routing for certain trips, for the most part they are very accurate. I am not a fan of that ever-patient little women inside the GPS that absolutely can’t get upset no matter what knucklehead mistake I make when driving. Wouldn’t it be neat if she muttered few expletives after you passed the exit for the fifth time. No one is that patient!

I am going to recommend that you not use some technologies on that next get away. I saw a new term recently in a blog authored by Robert Roy Britt that I though was very indicative of the downside of all this technology. His term is “technotether.” He defines technotether as our inability to ignore that ringing cell phone. Our addiction to the BlackBerry® and other electronic personal assistants is another example of this affliction. Perhaps the most egregious is our need to check our email. These technologies have expanded the work day and the work place. The addition of wifi service on some commercial flights has penetrated the one place that you could not get email. Britt contends that we are “tethered” to these technologies and in many ways it is not healthy.

Let me make a suggestion. Don’t check email while on vacation. Bring your cell phone but don’t call back home or to the office. Don’t check office voice mail. Leave a message telling callers that you will not be checking it. I figure if the President of the United States is looking for me he won’t leave a voice message anyway. His minions will find me. For heavens sake leave the blackberry in its charging cradle for a week.

For the first day or so you will experience withdrawal. After that you will be amazed how much more restful vacation turns out to be.

Whose face is on a one dollar cell phone?

There is a major credit card company running a series of ads on TV that depicts a crowded fast food line coming to a screeching halt because a single customer has the audacity to use cash to pay for the “Biggie Burger and drink.” Is cash a thing of the past? Well for many of us it may be.

Been to the local Biggs store recently? As part of an upgrade to the computerized check out lanes they have added fingerprint recognition to the credit card terminal. While at this writing they have not activated the system, it is only one of several technologies that are being used to speed up transactions and tighten security. A quick swipe of your finger on the reader and you are identified, your purchase is authorized and the money is transferred from your bank account to the store’s. Since your finger print is unique to you, security is enhanced. This technology, once the province of a James Bond movie, is becoming common place in daily life. There are other similar technologies that scan your retina to accomplish secure identification.

Some of you may already have a “speed pass” that can be used at several major gas retailers. This plastic card can be waived in front of the pump instead of using a credit card or cash. While we don’t have many toll roads or bridges in the area, many in other parts of the country use a system that scans cars and trucks as they move through the toll gate without stopping.

The lowly cell phone is another example. Today’s phone has already morphed in to a camera, MP3 player, GPS receiver, web browser and email terminal. Tests in the US and abroad make your personal cell phone a sort of “magic wand” of purchasing activity large and small. Rather than putting coins in a parking meter or soft drink machine, you just wave your cell phone in front of the coin slot, enter a personal code and voila, the drink appears or the minutes are added to the
meter and your banking account is debited for the amount. There no coins, bills, credit or debit cards.

The same cell phone may give you access to the ATM, the gas pump, the highway toll both and of course the local supermarket.

It seems to me ironic that our Federal government is concentrating on making our paper money more difficult to forge at a time when fewer and fewer of us even use the stuff. But what do I know?

Whose face is on a one dollar cell phone?

There is a major credit card company running a series of ads on TV that depicts a crowded fast food line coming to a screeching halt because a single customer has the audacity to use cash to pay for the “Biggie Burger and drink.” Is cash a thing of the past? Well for many of us it may be.

Been to the local Biggs store recently? As part of an upgrade to the computerized check out lanes they have added fingerprint recognition to the credit card terminal. While at this writing they have not activated the system, it is only one of several technologies that are being used to speed up transactions and tighten security. A quick swipe of your finger on the reader and you are identified, your purchase is authorized and the money is transferred from your bank account to the store’s. Since your finger print is unique to you, security is enhanced. This technology, once the province of a James Bond movie, is becoming common place in daily life. There are other similar technologies that scan your retina to accomplish secure identification.

Some of you may already have a “speed pass” that can be used at several major gas retailers. This plastic card can be waived in front of the pump instead of using a credit card or cash. While we don’t have many toll roads or bridges in the area, many in other parts of the country use a system that scans cars and trucks as they move through the toll gate without stopping.

The lowly cell phone is another example. Today’s phone has already morphed in to a camera, MP3 player, GPS receiver, web browser and email terminal. Tests in the US and abroad make your personal cell phone a sort of “magic wand” of purchasing activity large and small. Rather than putting coins in a parking meter or soft drink machine, you just wave your cell phone in front of the coin slot, enter a personal code and voila, the drink appears or the minutes are added to the
meter and your banking account is debited for the amount. There no coins, bills, credit or debit cards.

The same cell phone may give you access to the ATM, the gas pump, the highway toll both and of course the local supermarket.

It seems to me ironic that our Federal government is concentrating on making our paper money more difficult to forge at a time when fewer and fewer of us even use the stuff. But what do I know?

High Tech Reaches the Two-wheel Set

I recently returned from a bicycle trip through Virginia and was surprised to see how electronic technology has permeated this seemingly low-tech industry. For sure, bikes have embraced space-age mechanical technology with frames built of high strength composites making them light and strong. That being the case, for years about the only electronic technology one would see among fellow riders was a speedometer. Things have changed big time.

Over the five days of my 300 plus mile trip, I saw several bikes equipped with GPS systems. These devices, about the size of a small cell phone have some powerful features. Instead of gathering speed information from your spinning wheel, it computes your speed using satellites. Why one needs to have that level of accuracy while peddling through Colonial Williamsburg is beyond me, but it is cool.

Using the GPS you can load in your planned daily route and the display will show you exactly where you are and how far it is to the next rest stop. Call me old fashioned, but when the heat index is hovering around 100 degrees, sometimes you just don’t want to know how far you have to go.

One other feature provided by the GPS is readout of your altitude. Again, my legs tell me that I am going up hill. Do I really need to quantify how much climbing I am doing?

Of course there were several riders carrying on phone conversations using
Bluetooth™ ear buds. It is somewhat disconcerting to ride up behind a solo cyclist who is babbling away with no one else in sight. Talking while riding a bike is as dangerous as driving a car under the influence of “Ma Bell.”

One of the great new beneficial technologies comes in lighting. Using LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) instead of regular incandescent light bulbs, bicycle lights are now brighter and battery life is extended almost exponentially. I have a tail light on my bike that has used the same single AAA battery for more than a year and I am sure it has been on for more than 200 hours. Likewise I have an LED headlight that can be set to strobe. The bright white blinking light grabs the attention of drivers who might otherwise fail to see my bike coming.

I leave at the end of the month for another bicycle trip in Iowa. Who knows what I might see?

High Tech Reaches the Two-wheel Set

I recently returned from a bicycle trip through Virginia and was surprised to see how electronic technology has permeated this seemingly low-tech industry. For sure, bikes have embraced space-age mechanical technology with frames built of high strength composites making them light and strong. That being the case, for years about the only electronic technology one would see among fellow riders was a speedometer. Things have changed big time.

Over the five days of my 300 plus mile trip, I saw several bikes equipped with GPS systems. These devices, about the size of a small cell phone have some powerful features. Instead of gathering speed information from your spinning wheel, it computes your speed using satellites. Why one needs to have that level of accuracy while peddling through Colonial Williamsburg is beyond me, but it is cool.

Using the GPS you can load in your planned daily route and the display will show you exactly where you are and how far it is to the next rest stop. Call me old fashioned, but when the heat index is hovering around 100 degrees, sometimes you just don’t want to know how far you have to go.

One other feature provided by the GPS is readout of your altitude. Again, my legs tell me that I am going up hill. Do I really need to quantify how much climbing I am doing?

Of course there were several riders carrying on phone conversations using
Bluetooth™ ear buds. It is somewhat disconcerting to ride up behind a solo cyclist who is babbling away with no one else in sight. Talking while riding a bike is as dangerous as driving a car under the influence of “Ma Bell.”

One of the great new beneficial technologies comes in lighting. Using LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) instead of regular incandescent light bulbs, bicycle lights are now brighter and battery life is extended almost exponentially. I have a tail light on my bike that has used the same single AAA battery for more than a year and I am sure it has been on for more than 200 hours. Likewise I have an LED headlight that can be set to strobe. The bright white blinking light grabs the attention of drivers who might otherwise fail to see my bike coming.

I leave at the end of the month for another bicycle trip in Iowa. Who knows what I might see?