Internet Aboard

[El and Bill]

In our opinion, one of the greatest additions (and changes) to cruising aboard has been the development of the Internet coupled with a lap top (or blackberry device).

This technological advance has allowed a readily available link to the 'outside' world. Coupled with an Aircard (or similar link), high speed broadband linkage is now available for us almost everywhere (and daily getting more coverage). If we don't receive it today, cruising on, we'll probably receive it tomorrow. Now we have the world at our fingertips -- it can entertain or educate us. We can listen to NPR (and marvelous music or news updates), 'talk' with family or friends either directly or through e-mail, visit the library, pay our bills -- you name it. (We just took a geologic flight with incredible photos, over the Four Corners).

Some folks consider linking as becoming a slave to the Internet. But, others (like us) see it totally differently -- it is our 'servant' (or slave if you wish) -- we control it and it gives us incredible service. It has never interfered with a beautiful sunset or bird song -- but we can be 'together' with family, friends (including so many C-Brats), tilt back and listen to Beethoven on a quiet evening at anchor, stay in touch with weather fronts or the front in Iraq or plot our route for tomorrow and read about the history of the cruising area ... or ...

And all this in one 'little' box -- it can replace a zillion gizmos (or books) -- living on a small boat, it is a boon -- and one can use it as much or little as you wish, as you can with any servant.

 

[flagold]

We will simply have to be civil about this matter and agree to disagree. Oh, not about the Internet and all that, but Beethoven. Give me R.L. Burnside any day over that touring hack!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_IyQz_50IQ

 

[El and Bill]

Nuts! -- I'm going to be uncivil, and disagree with your agreement. No, not about the Internet and all that jazz, but --- Much as I love classical, this is the site to listen to for REALLY great music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgsC1WlAzWE&mode=user&search=

Oh -- you know the site? Whattdoya mean, "It's yours?" He belongs to all of us music lovers. OK -- let's just pop one, put our feet up on the transom, tilt back, and enjoy the sunset (and the marvelous music) together.

 

[rogerbum]

<stuff clipped>
Some folks consider linking as becoming a slave to the Internet. But, others (like us) see it totally differently -- it is our 'servant' (or slave if you wish) -- we control it and it gives us incredible service. It has never interfered with a beautiful sunset or bird song -- but we can be 'together' with family, friends (including so many C-Brats), tilt back and listen to Beethoven on a quiet evening at anchor, stay in touch with weather fronts or the front in Iraq or plot our route for tomorrow and read about the history of the cruising area ... <stuff clipped>

I think that whether the internet is your slave or you are a slave to the internet lagely depends on whether you're retired or not. Right now, I like to leave the net behind as my work as a sneaky way of leaking into my leisure time when I'm connected. Later on, when I'm retired, I probably feel the same way as you do. Then I'll be able to use the net to flaunt my retired life style to all those working stiffs (sort of like you do :wink: !).

 

[Sea Wolf]

Nuts! -- I'm going to be uncivil, and disagree with your agreement. No, not about the Internet and all that jazz, but --- Much as I love classical, this is the site to listen to for REALLY great music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgsC1WlAzWE&mode=user&search=

Oh -- you know the site? Whattdoya mean, "It's yours?" He belongs to all of us music lovers. OK -- let's just pop one, put our feet up on the transom, tilt back, and enjoy the sunset (and the marvelous music) together.

Nice music, but the recording could be a lot more professional, IMHO.

Is his music available in a quality studio recording where the vocal and instruments are clearly recorded?

Joe.

 

[JamesTXSD]

I whole-heartedly agree with Bill and El on this. There was some discussion on another thread about music onboard, and the computer is certainly our hub for music, podcasts, news, weather, photo archiving, and, of course, the internet.

I have found that I really don't spend more time on the internet since I retired, I just use it anytime I want (instead of after work hours). For those of us who have traveled for extended time for years, there are three things that have made life SO much easier while away from home: cell phones (yes, we started with a bag phone years ago), ATMs (sure beats traveling with travelers' checks), and absolutely the wireless broadband that allows us to stay connected. Besides being able to stay in touch with family and friends, we can pay our bills (no longer is it a concern to have our mail forwarded expeditiously) while on the go. Everything goes on a credit card, but we no longer have to have someone at home to pay it or forward the bill. We have let almost all of our magazine subscriptions expire since we can get the latest news with the click of a mouse. Route planning. FREE nav charts!! You can even do a search to see where fuel will be the least expensive on your route ahead. I am not a slave to the computer/internet - it has allowed us MUCH greater freedom.

Y'all can discuss music all you want... just give me some Radio Margaritaville on Sirius or Eric Stone on my iPod, and I am "cruising" no matter the location.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[Gene Morris]

Bill & El;

I've looked at different means to get internet while cruising or on the road. Everything that I have seen seems to be expensive and limit in coverage. The internet sites that we looked at were vague and confusing. Please elaborate on the hardware and services that you find useful.

Thanks
Gene & Margaret Morris

 

[JamesTXSD]

Bill & El;

I've looked at different means to get internet while cruising or on the road. Everything that I have seen seems to be expensive and limit in coverage. The internet sites that we looked at were vague and confusing. Please elaborate on the hardware and services that you find useful.

Thanks
Gene & Margaret Morris

Hi Gene and Margaret,
I'm not trying to horn in on your question to Bill and El, but I see that they are not on right now. Wireless broadband is actually quite simple: you need a computer with a PCMCIA or ExpressCard34 slot and a wireless broadband card; that's the hardware. Then you get service from your cell provider; we use Verizon. The cost is $59.99/month (if you already have cell service, $79.99 if you don't). Then to use: click on "connect" and start surfing. That's it.
We have had coverage almost everywhere, coast to coast (Lake Powell was one exception). Near population areas, you will likely have broadband speed, in more remote areas, it will be National Access, but still better than dial-up.
For less than $2/day, I get all the access I want... on the road, in the boat, in my house, cruising, at anchor. We dropped our home DSL (and the phone line), so the cost difference is nil.
Check with your cell provider to see what they offer.
If you only use your computer at your home, DSL or cable modem will be less expensive and faster... if you want to have internet access when you are out and about, this is one solution. HTH.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[thataway]

We all have our prospectives on life--and ours was that we went cruising to "get away from it all"--and succeeded. Long before ATM's Internet, or even GPS. We did have a few hundred books and tapes aboard (CD's didn't exist until the end of our voyage--and were both expensive and limited at that time -only 20 years ago). How much and how fast the world changes.

I have always loved the out of doors--be it back packing or sailing. As I got older, I modified what I did based on my physical capability--but still love the out of doors. This afternoon, I was lying on my back tightening bolts for the swim platform on Frequent Sea for quite some time--I watched a number of birds, including an Osprey with a fish in its tallons. Far more fascinating than pulling up a screen which blurrs my vision for hours!

My thoughts are I go on the boat to get away from the internet. But that is just my view. What we did find when cruising, is that the more ties that folks had to land, the less satisfying the cruising experience was, and the shorter they stayed out.

Back in 1983 we sailed along with a 120 foot sailing yacht--complete with captain and 6 crew--the owner bought and sold diamond and gold mines--and had the first satellite systems I had seen on a boat--and he was the most misseriable of all of the cruisers we met. He couldn't keep a crew. He invited us aboard and then asked Marie to cook for him!--I don't know if he had rudiments of the early internet aboard, but it is quite likely.

Other than keeping in touch with family, I personally don't have use for the internet when cruising. I see the internet as being intrusive into our life. Read some of the Pew internet studies or Stanford's "Clean Slate" white paper on the internet. We are being tracked and invaded--sure I live with it when I am home--especially when I have physical disabilities which prevent my doing more active things. But I see the internet as taking over our lives--and not all as a good thing. But again--we all have our prejudices....

 

[El and Bill]

Gene and Margaret --

Jim B sure summed it up well -- we have a Cingular Aircard, he uses Verizon, and there are other services to choose from as well --they are easy to install and use, just as Jim said. And like Jim, we have no home DSL or land-line telephone.

They're not for everyone, for sure, but good to know what technology is out there that might serve a purpose for some.

 

[ccflyer]

My $.02

There is a trade off accessing the internet by laptop and by cell phone. And while It's more than just the size of the screen, IMHO screen size and a keyboard will be the limiting factor in years ahead.

On a cell phone today you can surf the web, use it to watch your home TV via a Sling Box or order a pizza. Next month Apple with introduce the iPhone and the latest skinny is Google's got a bunch of apps waiting in the wings for the iPhone. Sure it'll be a bit slower than Sprint/Nextel but it'll make up for that in pizazz.

So while I'm still carrying my MacBook aboard, I hoping my cell phone will suffice in the next year or so.

Phil

BTW: NEVER carry your cell phone in your shit pocket within 100 yards of the water!

 

[DaveS]

BTW: NEVER carry your cell phone in your shit pocket within 100 yards of the water!

Sounds to me like an appropriate slip of the tongue....gotta love it! :wink

 

[El and Bill]

Roger --

How about early retirement? :wink

After the tour you gave us of your impressive DNA lab, surely you are working on creating a clone who could be out fishing while you're working. Or maybe a clone of those Bill Gates deep-pockets?

 

[rogerbum]

Roger --

How about early retirement? :wink

After the tour you gave us of your impressive DNA lab, surely you are working on creating a clone who could be out fishing while you're working. Or maybe a clone of those Bill Gates deep-pockets?

If I was going to create a clone it would be one that went to work while I went fishing!!!

 

[flagold]

Nuts! -- I'm going to be uncivil, and disagree with your agreement. No, not about the Internet and all that jazz, but --- Much as I love classical, this is the site to listen to for REALLY great music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgsC1WlAzWE&mode=user&search=

Oh -- you know the site? Whattdoya mean, "It's yours?" He belongs to all of us music lovers. OK -- let's just pop one, put our feet up on the transom, tilt back, and enjoy the sunset (and the marvelous music) together.

Nice music, but the recording could be a lot more professional, IMHO.

Is his music available in a quality studio recording where the vocal and instruments are clearly recorded?

Joe.

Joe: that was recorded with a cellphone.

Here's how to get his music:

http://www.fatpossum.com/

At the top right, "artists" select R. L. Burnside, and I would suggest:

Come On In
Mississippi Hill Country Blues
Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down

Other artists that are great:

T Model Ford (picked up the guitar at the tender age of 57)
Cedel Davis (polio left him playing an upside down Gibson 335 with a butterknife)
Asie Payton (turned down recording to drive tractors in the field)
Junior Kimbrough (ran the most famous Juke Joint in Miss.)

Out of all these, I think only T-Model is still living. For a real treat, try to catch "You See Me Laughin" sometime (usually on the Indie Film Channel where wine corksniffers like me and apparently the Fieros hang out). It showcases their music and much more.

 

[Sea Wolf]

Matt-

Thanks for all the additional links, information, and recommendations!

I'll spend some time exploring the treasurers!

Joe.

 

[SeaSpray]

Speaking of music -

My Sirius radio has died. Any of you Sirius listeners have a recomendation as to type of radio? I have an Xact I got at Costco several years ago. It was okay but always seemed hot when turned on.

Jim - do they play Eric Stone on Sirius - what channel?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[JamesTXSD]

Speaking of music -



Jim - do they play Eric Stone on Sirius - what channel?

Thanks,
Steve

Hi Steve,
Yes, occasionally Radio Margaritaville plays some Eric Stone. If you want to give a listen, check out www.boatsongs.com (Eric's site). It reminds me of Jimmy Buffett 20 years ago.

Regarding the Sirius, we have the Sportster Replay (which fits in a boombox as well as the car/home adaptor). We've had it several years, so I don't know if it's a current product.

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[oldgrowth]

If I was going to create a clone it would be one that went to work while I went fishing!!!

Roger – if I am not mistaken a clone is an exact duplicate. If that is the case, how will you know which is you?
________
Dave

 

[El and Bill]

Thanks for those great links, Matt --