Twitter Twoubles Update
I’ve been working with the TwitterFeed.com folks about getting the problem with posting to Twitter figured out. They’re quick to respond and very helpful, so we should have this sorted out shortly.
Fall 2009 Update Downloads Top 1000 in First 24 Hours!
Wow. I’m impressed. I guess someone is reading the newsletter. We topped 1000 downloads before the first 24 hours went by. The server groaned and moaned a bit, but all has been going well so far. Hopefully it will taper off a bit now for the next few days.
Twitter Twoubles
We’re having a little trouble with the automatic feed of our posts to Twitter. It seems some make it and some don’t. You may see multiple or older posts on Twitter for a bit until we get it figured out.
New CoolRVToyz Site
The work is progressing on the new layout to CoolRVToyz. Now that we’ve migrated all the products over to the new web store at CoolRVStore.com, we’re working on making CoolRVToyz a blog and news site only.
At the moment, both the old site and new site are up and running. You can get to the old site at CoolRVToyz.com (with a Z) and the new one at CoolRVToys.com (with an S). Soon, both addresses will land on the new site.
Check out the new site and let us know what you think.
Get Our Articles on Twitter
Every time I post a new article now it will also show up on Twitter. If you want to get tweets when a new article is posted, just click the “Follow us on Twitter” graphic in the left side bar.
If you’re not tweeting yet, check it out. Twitter is the latest social networking phenomenon to go wild on the internet. It’s like sending short and to the point text messages (140 characters maximum) to all your friends, known as followers on Twitter. You can have the tweets from all your friends come in your email, or even on your phone.
All New Look For CoolRVToyz
CoolRVToyz.com is sporting a bright new look! Now that CoolRVStore.com, our new store web site is online, we can concentrate CoolRVToyz.com as a pure information site. Visit CoolRVToyz.com to read the latest articles from some of the best writers in the RV community.
If you’ve purchased our Ultimate RV Parks and Campgrounds Directory, you can now log into our store site using your old CoolRVToyz.com credentials to download your updates. Everything should be transferred to the new store site, but if you run into problems, let me know so we can correct any issues.
We’ve changed the Internet DNS to get CoolRVToyz.com to point to the new site, but that may take as much as several days to make its way all through the internet. In the meantime, to visit the new site you can go to CoolRVToys.com (with an “S” instead of a “Z”). Eventually, both links will bring up the same site.
New CoolRVStore Site Online
If you purchased anything from us recently, you’re already aware that everything is now done through CoolRVStore.com, our new store web site. This great new site is easier to use and will allow us to bring you more and better services in the future.
We’ve migrated all accounts over to the new site, so you should be able to log into the new site using your old CoolRVToyz account information. Once logged in, click MY ACCOUNT, and then click MY DOWNLOADABLE PRODUCTS in the navigation menu on the left. There is where you’ll find your free updates for download. If you have troubles getting in, please contact us at sales@coolrvstore.com and we’ll assist you in getting started with the new site.
Of course www.CoolRVToyz.com will still be around and will serve as our blog site. Come by and read the writings of some of the most interesting people in the RV industry. Oh, and I even write something once in a while too.
CoolRVToyz Ultimate RV Parks & Campgrounds Directory Fall 2009 Update is Here!
If you’re on our mailing list, then you’ve already seen the email. We always try to get the word out first to our mailing list subscribers to give them a head start. 
. The first few hours after an update puts a bit of a strain on our website, but so far we’re handling it with only minor issues. If you’re not on our mailing list, then here’s the scoop:
We’ve been busy this Summer!
Our Fall update is finally ready and we’re very proud of this one. Not only is it bigger, it is a lot better! Here are just a few of the new features available in this update:
- Over 10,000 new parks and services bringing the total well above 60,000 entries,
- Improved automated geocoding. We’ve contracted with StrikeIron for our automated geocoding and our entries are now more accurate than ever.
- Visual verification project is underway. We’ve had some very special custom software written that allows us to start visually verifying EVERY campground in our database. This project is going to take some time and we’re about 5% through all the parks with this release. Read more about this process below.
- More campground information than ever before. We now have CoolRVParkz.com fully operational and that allows the campgrounds themselves to start updating our database with tons of information. This release has a lot more information than any previous release. Read more about CoolRVParkz.com and what it offers below.
- Better information display for Garmin Nuvi 6xx and 8xx series GPS units. Now, all the same information the other Garmin units enjoyed on their “more” screen is also available to users of these great GPS models.
- Updates are now free for life! That’s right, no more expiration dates. Regardless of when you became a customer you can now log in and download your updates for life at no additional cost!
If you’re already a customer, log into our new web store at CoolRVStore.com today and get your free update.
If you’re not a customer yet, now is a better time than ever to get the largest, most accurate and most complete RV Parks, Campgrounds and Services Directory for your GPS and Trip Planning Software. Just go to CoolRVStore.com for all the details.
Is RVing in nature making you a better person?
One advantage of the RV lifestyle is contact with nature. Compared with our brethren who dwell in stick-built mansions and commute back and forth to work in the city, we have a lot more time viewing, listening to, and breathing in the air of natural surroundings. Now comes a scientific study that says all that may make us better people.
A team of researchers with the University of Rochester say that exposure to nature not only makes us happier and healthier, it also helps us put greater value on personal relationships and community, and tends to make us more generous. To reach this conclusion, the team took 370 participants and exposed them to either nature, or to man-made environments.
Those in the study were encouraged to attend to their environments by noticing colors and textures and imagining sounds and smells. In three of the studies, participants were shown a selection of four images on a 19 inch computer screen for two minutes each. Half of the subject viewed buildings, roads, and other cityscapes; the other half observed landscapes, lakes, and deserts. The urban and nature images were matched for color, complexity, layout, and lighting. In a fourth study, participants were simply assigned at random to work in a lab with or without plants. Participants then answered a questionnaire assessing the importance of four life aspirations: wealth and fame (“to be financially successful” and “to be admired by many people”) and connectedness and community (“to have deep enduring relationships” and “to work toward the betterment of society”).
Across all four studies, people exposed to natural elements rated close relationships and community higher than they had previously. The questionnaire also measured how immersed viewers were in their environments and found that the more deeply engaged subjects were with natural settings, the more they valued community and closeness. By contrast, the more intensely participants focused on artificial elements, the higher they rated wealth and fame.
To test generosity, two of the studies gave participants a $5 prize with the instructions that the money could be kept or given to a second anonymous participant, who would then be given an additional $5. The second participant could choose to return the prize money or keep it. Thus, subjects had nothing to gain if they chose to trust the other participant, and risked losing their money.
The result? People who were in contact with nature were more willing to open their wallets and share. As with aspirations, the higher the immersion in nature, the more likely subjects were to be generous with their winnings.
As RVers, we don’t need to look at a computer screen to see nature. Many of us can simply look out the windows of our rigs, step outside the door, and we’re surrounded by real nature. The findings shouldn’t be surprising–after all, RVers are well-known for their concern for others and an appreciation of a simple lifestyle.
photo: R&T DeMaris
Should health issues keep you off the road?
In our travels and contacts, we meet folks who practically sit on the edge of their chairs as we talk about RV experiences. Sometimes they sigh, because they feel that health problems prevent them from partaking of the lifestyle. Think of the pills, the doctor visits, the therapies. On the other hand, think of sitting at home, dreading the coming of winter, knowing that the dark skies and cold days will chill your bones. Like it or not, the older we get, the more most of us struggle with health issues. Does that mean the RV lifestyle is out of reach?
Granted, some have health issues that really do “ground” them. But on the other hand, some who’ve taken the plunge and worked around the obstacles have found that RVing, far from being out of reach because of health problems, has actually helped them have a more positive outlook on their problems, and in some cases, actually decreased their health problems.
We’re moved to comment on this, as yet another RVer with a chronic and serious health issue has been profiled in the media. Years ago, Harvey Wells found out he had kidney trouble. He managed to work his way through it, but things got worse, and in 1988 Harvey had a kidney transplant. Life was pretty good, until 2006, when the transplant failed, and Harvey found himself making three times-a-week visits to a dialysis center. Dialysis appointments definitely put a hang-up on any RVing for Wells and his wife. Harvey reports that while the dialysis kept him alive, it also left him tired and worn out.
Two years ago the picture changed. Harvey got a portable dialysis machine for his own use. Rather than head off to a regional center for his sessions, Wells plugs into his home machine six times a week. More sessions per week, true, but each of those sessions was shorter than when he had to go into a center. And now for Harvey, his “home” sessions are where he parks it. That is, Harvey, his wife, and two grandchildren are now engaged in a cross-country motorhome trek, seeing sights, hitting football games, and spreading the news about his new freedom. He adds, doubling up the number of dialysis sessions per week has actually helped him feel more energetic.
Yes, it took some planning, and no doubt a lot of cooperation with doctors, but Harvey is having a ball. Other friends of ours too, are looking to getting out on the road. An older couple, he who struggles with internal issues that mandate twice monthly injections at the doctor’s office, and she who doesn’t ever know when her energy level will leave her needing the comfort of home, are now preparing to make a snowbird journey to the southwest. By working with his doctor, the gentleman has secured the necessary medications and the training to self-administer. For her, having the motorhome with them is unlike traveling in a car and “moteling it.” If her strength departs her, their own motorhome being readily available simply means staying put “at home on the road,” taking it easy until her body feels ready to go again. And with the clear days of the southwest, we’ll wager easily that her “up days” will probably far outnumber the “down days” she’s struggled with before.
Don’t let the pains and problems of health cause you to think that RVing is out of the question. Question your doctor, tell them what you’d like to do, find out if there’s a way. You’d be suprised how many doctors recommend travel to a healthier climate when the possibility exists.
photo: R&T DeMaris
