September Rallies
We've been busy. I won't go so far as to say we've been working hard, because we subscribe to the notion that when you've found what you love to do you never have to work! But, we have been very busy doing what we love - teaching technology to travelers. Read more about the Escapade Rally.
Calendar: Coming up in October
For more details, see our website Calendar.
Hang Out With Us
Did you know we have a Geeks on Tour Google+ page? If you're on Google+, check it out, give us a +1 and add us to your circles. Then you will be notified when we have a hangout. Hangouts are a cool way to see and hear each other as well as share our computer screens. It's a high-tech meeting room you can use anytime, anywhere. On our last hangout we met Rolland Lawrenz. Rolland has been following Geeks on Tour for quite some time and loves the idea of traveling and teaching at the same time. He teaches iPads / iPhones and such by scheduling 'Ask Away' sessions at local (Seattle) Starbucks. hmmm - what a cool idea.
Forum Topics
The Q&A Forums on the Geeks on Tour website are a great place to discuss the topics we cover. This is where we answer our members' questions. Anyone can read the forums, you need to be a member to post. Here are some topics of interest:
- Uploading Edited Pictures from Picasa to my iPad
- Unable to open Email picture attachment
- Feedburner for Blogs
- Delete a Facebook Account
- How to Format Lat/Lon for Streets and Trips
- Identifying duplicate pictures in folders
TechnoGeek Learning Rally
 Yes! We're doing it again. Phil and Tracey from TechnoRV and Jim and Chris from Geeks on Tour are teaming up to deliver the most learning, the best food, and the most fun of any RV rally you can imagine. Watch the video of the first TechnoGeek Learning Rally to see what I mean!
You will learn about cameras, computers, smartphones and more at this week-long event in Bushnell, Florida December 2-8. See the Rally Page for all the details.
A Free RVing Newsletter
Learn about RV camping, RV travel, RV news and much more. This newsletter is now in its eleventh year of continuous weekly publication by Chuck Woodbury. In the current issue you will learn about Chuck's travels, including an RV Park within sight of the Statue of Liberty, RV News about fuel prices, new BLM campgrounds, RV Recalls, RV Shows, and overnight parking rules. Also included is expert advice on high tire pressure, overheating 30Amp plugs, and RV Holding Tanks 101. And that's just a start! Subscribe now. If you get a chance, let them know the Geeks sent you!
Must-Have Smartphone Apps
Silence Mode Timer:  If I've missed a call from you this month it's because we've just finished a month's worth of presenting seminars where you need to turn your phone to silent. I dutifully press the buttons on my phone so it will only vibrate and not ring. Then I forget to ever turn it back on!
Hey! There's an App for that. On my Droid Razr, I've downloaded a free App called SilenceModeTimer. Now,when I turn my phone to silence mode, I get a pop up window prompting me to tell it when to turn sound back on.
On an iPhone, you're not allowed to program system functions like phone ringing, so I don't know of an app that can do this without jailbreaking your phone. If you do know of a way to accomplish this on an iPhone, please leave a comment.
 Passport America: If you travel by RV more than just a few weeks a year, a Passport America membership is a must. With Half-Price discounts at hundreds of RV parks, the $44 annual fee is quickly justified. And the Passport America smartphone App makes it oh-so-easy to find those parks, even while you're on the road.
Just view the state map of where you are, and you will see a little icon of every Passport America Park in the State. Click on an icon and you'll see the details, phone number, website, directions, cost, etc. Like what you see, just touch 'Get Directions' and Google Navigation will take over from there if you're using an Android Smartphone. The app is available on Android and iOS phones and tablets.
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RVer's Favorite Destinations Plotted on a Map at FMCA Convention
 For the last several FMCA conventions, Jim has provided computer support for an interactive session named RV Destinations
. People attending the sessions share their favorite destinations from their RV travels, and Jim finds those destinations using Google Earth. Now you can have the results! If you click on the map at right, it will take you to Google Maps with all the data as live markers.
If you use Google Earth on your computer, you can download the Google Earth .kmz File to your computer, then double-click it to open up Google Earth with all the markers listed in your Temporary Places with a heading of IN12 - for the FMCA Convention in INdiana 2012.
The IN12 destinations recommended by our fellow RVers include: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Cherry Hill Park, Crater of Diamonds State Park, Colorado River State Park, Johnny Appleseed Park, Lost Colony ... and many more. Just click on the map above to see them all.
How You Can Share Destinations in a Map Like This
If you use Google Earth, you too can package up all your favorite destinations and share with friends.
- First make sure all the placemarks you want to share are being shown in your Google Earth viewer.
- Turn off any and all layers that are not necessary
- File ->Email ->Email View: This is the step that will package up all your placemarks and create a .kmz file out of them. Use the email dialog box to send it to whoever you want, including yourself.
- When your friend receives the email, they can download the .kmz file to their computer, then open it and view your places in Google Earth.
- If you want to share it using Google Maps, there's another step. If you have something like Dropbox, you can save a copy of the .kmz file on the web. Then, give your friend the URL to that file. They can then go to Google Maps and paste the URL to your .kmz file into the Google Maps Search box.
OR,
you can paste that URL into a Google Maps Search Box. When you see all the placemarks showing, click the Link icon  at the top of the My Places list and copy the link to your map.
Past FMCA RV Destination Maps:
If you don't use Google Earth, it's even easier. Just go to Google Maps and login with your Google account. Create your placemarks in My Places and save the map. Then you can click on the link button to share your Google Map directly.
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Use Gmail for One In-Box, Multiple Addresses and Devices
Here's the question: Can you look at your email inbox on your phone, your computer, and your iPad/tablet and be seeing the same thing? Can you delete an email while using your phone, and it will be gone when you look at email on your computer?
If you answer 'Yes', then all is well. If not, then you've got some work to do. It's called device independence aka Cloud Computing. Your email experience should be the same regardless of what device you're using - phone, computer, or tablet. It can be done and it should be done. There are many ways to do it, we think the easiest is by using Gmail for your inbox. Yes, that means you have an email that ends in @gmail.com, but it doesn't mean you have to use that address. You just need to use the Gmail software for your aggregate or universal inbox.
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