As always, I appreciate your continued support and don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter.

2010 Black Weblog Award Winner List

In the meantime…

I will return to daily blogging here on Jay Travels now that my summer vacation is almost over. In the coming weeks, new Travel Reviews – including my adventures in Thailand, Cuba, and South Africa will be published. In addition, brand new Travel Gadget Reviews, more Travel Advice and commentary and a ton of Traveler Spotlight profiles are on the way. 

Once you have finished voting, take a moment to look through some of the most popular articles and profiles on Jay Travels so far.

A Few of My Travel Reviews

---

Egypt »

Las Vegas »

Hong Kong »

US Reviews

World Reviews

Featured Articles

The Cost of Selling Your Soul for Money – Ritz Carlton’s ill-advised attempt to satisfy a bigoted customer. Needless to say, this didn’t go very well.

Do African Americans Travel? – Of course we do and here are a few excellent African-American authored travel blogs to prove it.

Tipping Etiquette When Traveling Overseas – Learn which countries tipping is considered offensive and how much to tip everywhere else.

Airline Passenger Bill of Rights – Shame airlines had to be told not to keep their passengers hostage; Jay has a few thoughts on how we be make this even better.

Stop Thief – Online Copyright Infringement – Rampant plagiarism of work on the Internet has gotten out of control. Learn to limit your blog’s exposure and fight back when your hard work is stolen!

Travel Advice

---

Top Ten Travel Tips – I have put together a collection of my Top Ten Travel tips and tricks collected…

Avoiding Travel Scams – Recognize and avoid these commonly used travel scams…

Planning an Overseas Flight – Airline strategies, airport rules, luggage tips and more…

---

See More

Travel Gadget Reviews

---

Amazon Kindle – Small and light-weight, the only way to carry 1,500 books…

Drift x170 – As helmet cameras go, the Drift x170 is one of the best I’ve seen…

Nemo 200 – A fairly capable universal underwater video camera housing, so long…

---

See More

Traveler Spotlight

---

Shena – - Enjoys spending time with friends and family and following the Kansas City Chiefs…

Greg – from “I’m Black and I Travel” feels travel opens your eyes, broadens your mind, inspires and it humbles…

Ellen – enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, singing in the choir and traveling…

---

See More

Destination at a Glance
Date of Trip	February 2008
Destination Good for	Shopping, Sightseeing and Culture
Best Time to Go	Spring-Early Summer
Currency/Conv. Rate	British Pound/ 1 USD = .51 GBP – Extremely Unfavorable
Good Way to Get Around	Rent Car: No	Public: Yes	Taxi: Yes	Walking: Yes
Appox. Trip Cost	Very Expensive
Speaks English?	English is Primary Language
Entry Requirements	Passport
Do it	Buckingham Palace London Eye Bullet Train (if coming from Brussels/Paris)
Skip it	London Bridge
Didn’t get to do	Tower of London
Would I Recommend	Yes
Overall Trip Rating

Trip Review (Click Thumbnails to see Full-Sized Images)

Here in America, the term Europe often conjures thoughts of England.  Not surprising considering America was a former English colony and both countries speak the same language (though many Yanks think the UK version of English is funny).  For Americans, the most recognizable and popular destination in England is London.

While on a vacation in Paris, I figured why not make my first trip to London a day trip via the Eurostar bullet train.  I was just as excited about riding on the bullet train as I was about touring London.  The United States leads the world in a number of things – but getting any significant infrastructure projects completed isn’t one of them.  Over 15 countries have bullet trains (defined as those rains that travel over 125 mph) – China is even investing 300 million into high-speed rail.  The United States won’t have any form of high-speed rail at least until 2015 – more likely 2020.   SMH – but I digress.

To get my first taste of what high-speed rail travel is like, I booked a 1^st class ticket on Eurostar’s Paris to London line.  The Eurostar trains rocket from Paris, London or Brussels in about 2 hours at a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph).  I realize folks in Europe/Asia reading this are probably wondering why I’m so giddy about a high-speed rail; you just have to understand there isn’t anything remotely like this in the US.  Flying is certainly faster than taking the train; however, the trip isn’t as scenic – though the Eurostar trains are similar to flying in terms of security and seating classes.

The Tourist Spots

Once in London, I hopped on the local train (commonly referred to as the “Tube”) to get around the city – usually putting me within walking distance of many popular tourist attractions.  Here are the attractions I took in during my day in London:

• Buckingham Palace – The official home of the Queen of England offers tours of the inside of the facility during the summer months (I was there in February).  All other times, tourists can look through the front gates as the guards do their thing in the courtyard every few minutes or so.  Outside of the gates are several statues and the royal garden.
• Big Ben – Probably the most recognizable landmark, Big Ben is the nickname for the bell inside of the clock tower of the Palace of Westminster.  The bell is rung/chimed several times an hour.  The lights around the palace allow you to take excellent pictures of the tower at night.  Take the tube to Westminster station and Big Ben will be right above your head when you exit.
• London Eye – Is Europe’s largest Ferris Wheel situated in downtown London.  Once you get through the 40 minute or longer wait in line, you enter one of 32 egg shaped see-through capsules.  The 30 minute ride provided excellent 360 degree views of London and the surrounding areas reaching a top height of 443ft.  Each glass capsule is air-conditioned and holds approximately 15-20 people.  Tickets cost £15 if purchased online; otherwise the tickets are £18 at the gate.
• National Maritime Museum – is actually a decommissioned English Naval battleship – the HMS Belfast to be exact.  It is permanently moored in the Thames River not far from the Tower Bridge.  In fact, walking along the river towards the ship (coming from the London Bridge) should allow you to frame the ship & the Tower Bridge in the same shot.  Tours of the inside of the museum are held daily and cost £13.
• London & Tower Bridge – Not many bridges in the world are famous enough to have a song about it – but if ever there was a bridge that didn’t deserve it – it’s the London Bridge.  This is… wait for it… a small concrete bridge that is not especially tall, certainly not pretty and absolutely no feat of engineering.  Seriously – WTF is that???  What is actually worth seeing (and what many tourist mistake as the London Bridge) is the Tower Bridge.  As bridges go, the Tower Bridge is actually worth seeing – both from the outside (especially at night) and the museum/walkway on the top of the bridge.  Since vessels have to notify the bridge operators 24 hours in advance, you can schedule your arrival just as the draw bridge springs into action using public lift schedule.  Taking pictures of the exterior the draw bridge is obviously free – the tour of the museum is £7.00.
• Madame Tussauds – Is a London max museum with pretty good depictions of famous people such as actors, athletes, musicians, heads of state or otherwise famous/infamous entities (to include non-humans like Shrek, the Terminator, etc.)  Tickets are £22.99 if purchased online or £25.54 on site.

A Few General Thoughts

Though the United Kingdom is part of the European Union, the Brits still use the British Pound Sterling as the method of currency.  At the time of this writing, the Dollar has gained significantly against the Pound; however, during my visit in 2008 the Pound held a 2:1 advantage over the dollar (one dollar equaled only .49 Pounds).  Even though I knew there wasn’t a 1:1 exchange of Dollar to Pounds – seeing a lunch menu item for “13” causes your brain to believe the meal is only a few more dollars than $13.  Except for the fact that 13 pounds is actually 26 dollars plus the credit card foreign transaction fee; I essentially paid $30 for lunch in a simple pub.  Dammit!

Anyway, the goal was to find a spot that sold decent traditional English fare.  I was really looking for a spot that made the Scottish Haggis dish (don’t ask me why), but wasn’t successful (I wasn’t into Twitter then).  I ended up taking in a good plate of “Bangers & Mash” (sausage & potatoes) and Venison Lasagna (Deer) – both pretty good.

Although expensive, it was cool to take a short trip in London’s iconic Hackney Carriage taxi cab.  On several occasions, I mistakenly thought the cab driver was going to kill me by driving down the wrong side of the street (vehicles travel on the left side of the street in England).

Final Thoughts

While this certainly isn’t an in-depth review of London, I feel it’s a pretty good overview of some of the more popular tourist attractions – which is okay, because I am a tourist.  While it was stereotypically cloudy with a slight chance of drizzle during my visit, it didn’t stop me from seeing some of the more popular London attractions.  Even though the city is extremely expensive, I look forward to spending more time getting to know the London beyond the tourist zones.  Until then – Happy Travels!!

Destination at a Glance
Date of Trip	June 2008
Destination Good for	Outdoor Activities, Family Outings
Best Time to Go	Spring-Fall – many attractions closed in Winter
Currency/Conv. Rate	NA
Good Way to Get Around	Own Car: Yes	Tour: Yes	Taxi: No	Walking: Yes
Appox. Trip Cost	Free to Fairly Inexpensive
Speaks English?	NA
Entry Requirements	Possible Parking, campsite and attraction fees
Do it	Hike/Skylift to the top of Mountain Lasershow Ride the Ducks tour
Skip it	Riverboat – kinda boring
Didn’t get to do	Not much
Would I Recommend	Yes
Overall Trip Rating

Trip Review (Click Thumbnails to see Full-Sized Images)

Growing up in Chicago, IL, there weren’t too many opportunities for me to go camping. Luckily, I was able to go camping on a number of occasions during my brief stint as a Boy Scout. Getting away from the ‘Concrete Jungle’ with my scout leader Mr. Wilson exposed me to a new way of life and new found skills such as CPR, sail boating, a survival techniques – skills I would have been unlikely to learn in the city.

Fast forward 20 years and a move to Atlanta, GA – I have an opportunity to do relive some of those good times camping right in my own backyard at Stone Mountain Park.

Stone Mountain Park

Just 16 miles (20min) from downtown Atlanta sits Stone Mountain Park – the five square mile plot of land that is Georgia’s most visited attraction. The park gets its name from the world’s largest piece of exposed granite – nearly 1000 feet high and 583 acres. Within this sprawling complex are several lakes, trails, activities and of course camp grounds.

In my mind, there are three types of camping the average 21^st century Joe will participate in – RV Camping (sorta cheating), Tent Camping with water/electricity connections nearby (a little less cheating) or so called ‘Primitive’ campsites which are nothing but a few feet for cleared dirt (old school if you will). No matter what you choose, camping can be an excellent weekend activity no matter your economic or marital situation.

What better way to bond with the family than to spend time outdoors at a campsite? For the fellas who scoff at the idea – keep in mind camping one of the few “wife approved” excursions where you and the fellas can stay away all weekend getting drunk and otherwise just being ‘men’. As for the ladies worried about bugs, bears, sleeping near the ground, whatever – just remember this is an opportunity for you to spend time with your man without the interruptions of phones, computers, and the like – plus it gets cold at night so you’ll have to get close.

Let’s Get to Camping

For a mere $30 a night, I reserved a campsite in the park that included water and electricity hookups on the site; site number “69” I believe it was. So Jay (aka Paul Bunyan) arrived at the site and immediately got to pitching the tent and starting the fire. Clearing out a relatively even 6×9’ space for the tent and setting up/moving the sleeping bags inside took all of 20-25 minutes. Next it was on to starting the campfire to replace the light source the setting sun had taken away from us and to get dinner started. Now I admit, most everything I learned while in the Boy Scouts some years ago came right back to me – except for starting a fire without matches. Not that I suggest wasting time on this as the sun is going down, it’s just my ego would have loved to say I lit my fire with a flint & steel. Alas, that wasn’t to be – so the lighter and a couple of ez-start sticks would have to suffice.

Fire started, now it’s time for dinner. The first night the plan was to make dinner fast and simple due to me arriving so late in the evening. So, Day 1 dinner was dehydrated vacuum packed Beef Stroganoff and Chicken Stew. I know, I know – Paul Bunyan wouldn’t approve – but he didn’t have to work all day and brave Atlanta traffic on the way to his dinner either! Just because dinner is quick, doesn’t mean it isn’t tasty – and both of these were off the chain. Just add boiling water, shake for 2 minutes and presto – dinner in a bag (lol).

The rest of the time camping I actually cooked real food – so bacon, eggs and grits for breakfast, hot dogs for lunch and salmon, baked potato and grilled corn on the cob for dinner. Of course there was the obligatory marshmallow roasting but without a doubt, the most amazing cooking achievement of the entire weekend was the …… wait for it…. Jiffy Pop!!! Properly cooking a platter of Jiffy Pop on a campfire – how gangster is that???? Popcorn, a lil libation and good company around a campfire under the stars – priceless!

Stone Mountain Park Activities

What makes camping at Stone Mountain Park so nice is the number of activities available to fill up the day you aren’t in the tent. The easiest (and cheapest) way to take advantage of everything the park has to offer is to purchase One-day Pass for $27. This allows you to go to all of the attractions (except for Ride the Ducks) without paying extra. Here are a few of the activities I was able to do during my weekend stay in the park:

• Laser Show – By far the most popular attraction at Stone Mountain Park, the Lasershow spectacular combines colorful lasers, surround sound and special effects into a 40 minute light show, precisely choreographed to music. The show is projected against the north side of the mountain and ends with a fireworks display. The show occurs nightly starting at 8 or 9pm depending on season. Cost is free.
• Hiking the Mountain – Guess the name says it all – but there’s a little more to do in the park than just looking at the mountain from ground level. Once at the top of the mountain, you can learn more about the history of the rock and see all the way to downtown Atlanta using the stationary binoculars. The views from the top of the mountain on a clear day are nothing but stunning! There’s also an added benefit of getting fit as you walk up/down the mountain (in fact many local athletes use the mountain as a training ground). In case you were wondering, the three men chiseled on the side of the mountain are Confederate heroes of the Civil War: Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee and Lt. General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson
• Ride the Ducks – The “Duck” vehicles are 1940’s WWII era US Army amphibious vehicles, meaning they can drive on land like regular trucks but also speed through most any body of water. The park has converted the Ducks into open-air tourist vehicles that are captained by specially trained tours guides. Costs $14 and includes a goofy duck quacking whistle.
• Old Car Museum & Crossroads – The museum has about 50 classic and antique vehicles all donated/purchased from within the state of Georgia, including a Ford Model-T, an original Tucker and a first run convertible 1960s Mustang. The Crossroads is a mini-city that contains a number of arts & craft shops, restaurants and performing artists.
• Sky Ride – There are two ways up the mountain, walking it or taking the Summit Skyride. The Sky Ride is a high-speed Swiss cable car with windows on all four sides providing up-close views of the Confederate Memorial Carving. The trip to the observation tower on the top of the mountain takes about 2 minutes and costs $9.
• Scenic Railroad – A full sized locomotive from the 1940s with open-air cars takes you around the base of the mountain stopping at a replica 1900s Georgian town (complete with Hey-Haw performances) and half-way up the mountain at the Crossroads. Takes about 45 minutes to circle the mountain and costs $9.
• 4D Theater – Pretty nice attraction which amounts to a 3D theater showing a customized 20 minute movie on some outdoor related theme (they switch the movie ever so often). The 4D comes into play when the seats move, you’re sprayed with water, etc during the show. Not sold individually, must purchase a Day Pass to enter.
• Lake Activities – There are Paddle boats, a Riverboat and fishing available at one of the many lakes in the park (no jet skis). You can also hike through any part of the 10 miles worth of trails.

In Closing

While it’s cool to stay at the Hilton and have everyone cater to your every need, it is just as awesome to have the feeling of accomplishment by roughing it yourself. Camping just feels ‘real’ – whether lying under the stars at night or the smell of charred firewood in the morning. Camping makes you remember how much we have become slaves to technology – as well as a feeling of accomplishment having survived without it. What’s the best thing about camping; it’s the complete 180 your lady friend does when she raves about how much fun she had after spending the month leading up to it worrying about bugs, bears and Bigfoot. I love it when a plan comes together.

Happy Travels!!

You’ve Been Douche Bagged

Welcome to the Internet Blogging 2010.  With most people understanding it’s not a good idea to send large sums of money to Nigerian Princes and you really shouldn’t click on that Viagra email – “Article Jacking” (I just made that up) is becoming the new sleaze bag way of generating revenue.  Website owners use a number of advertising platforms on their sites which pay them when users click on one of those ads – Google Ads being the most popular.  What most people don’t know is – even if no one actually clicks on an ad, the website owner will still get paid based on the number of times ads are displayed.  More page views, more money.

With this in mind, it’s easy to understand why someone steals and reposts content – it’s free money.  Someone Googles the keywords in your article, the thief’s site appears in the search results and the thief gets paid for visit.  Nice!  Frequently, the sites displaying your stolen content have no original content at all; they just display hundreds of stolen articles for the purposes of gaining advertising revenue.  No one is immune to this – really shitty blogs with no readers will get jacked just as much as popular and well written blogs.

In the old days, these types of folks would copy-n-paste parts/entire articles into their site – a simpler proposition when there were only thousands of blogs.  As there are now literally millions of blogs, it is much easier to steal this content in an automated fashion – using your own RSS feed.

What You Can Do

Luckily, you have the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) on your side.  The DMCA (or EUCD for folks in the European Union) is a set of copyright laws that, amongst other things – allows you as the content owner to initiate a “Takedown Notice”.  Once you provide notice of the copyright infringement, by law the offending party must remove the content.  In addition, sending the Takedown Notice is free!   The bad news is you are responsible for uncovering each instance of your content being infringed upon, the douche bag posting it and generating the takedown notice(s).

There are few ways to determine whether your content has been infringed (stolen) – the easiest is to simply do a search on your site name, article name, specific keyword or a combination of the three.  Companies like Copyscape claim to be able to search for your content across the web, but in my experience it didn’t catch several blatant instances that were in Google’s search results.  Another useful method is to use Google’s Blog Search engine – which usually gives much better (targeted) results than the general Google web search.  If using the Google blog search, sort the results by “last 12 hours” as this will limit the search results and make your article (along with the stolen version) easier to spot.

Once you have identified the URLs serving your stolen content, follow these steps to get it removed:

1. Using the domain name of the URL hosting your content (e.g., imadouchebag.com), perform a Whois Lookup.  In the results, you are looking for the line that says “Name Server:”
2. Usually, the “Name Server” taken from Step 1 will tell you the web hosting company.  For example, the name server for imadouchebag.com could have something like “NSXXX.HOSTGATOR.COM” in the field.  In this example, it’s pretty easy to see the web hosting company in this case is Host Gator, LLC.  If you can’t tell who the host is looking at the Name Server, you can perform a Name Server Lookup to get the owner/IP address.
3. Send the Web Hosting Company a DMCA Takedown Notice informing them one of their customers has infringed on your content.  The contact information is usually on their site or you can use the “support” email address.  Here is a Web Host DMCA Template (in Word 2007 format) I created you can use.
4. Finally, send a Takedown Notice to Google to get any URLs removed from all Google search and application properties – including page cache.  You can use the Google DMCA Template (in Word 2007 format) I created.

Google and most web hosting companies require you to mail or fax any Takedown Notice requests.  If you don’t have a fax machine, use Faxzero to fax the two Word documents above for free.  Some folks suggest sending the offending website owner a takedown request – something I strong recommend you not do.  You are more likely to have your email address sold to spammers than you are having your stolen content removed.

Thoughts on Preventing Copyright Infringement

It really isn’t possible to prevent someone from stealing your online work – not very well at least.  There are a number of JavaScript tools than prevent right-clicking or copying any text on your page; however, these tools are easily defeated by anyone with a minimal level of skill.  Also, most content isn’t stolen via Copy-n-Paste anyway – it’s stolen directly from your RSS feed.   Of course you could disable your RSS feed or only include summary information in the feed – but that would have a greater negative impact in terms of growing your audience than the positives of eliminating theft would solve.  Finally, you could pay people like Copyscape to ‘monitor’ your site and act on your behalf; but I have a hard time believing this is worth the effort if their search apparatus does such a poor job identifying infringement in the first place.

This brings up an interesting question – should you even bother removing stolen content in the first place?  Sure sending Takedown Notices are free to do, but it does take time and effort.  I know many people don’t use any advertising platforms on their blogs, so the loss of revenue is not an issue.  While that may be true, the presumption is you write your article with the intent of someone actually reading it.  Loss of traffic means fewer people are reading your content.

With that in mind, I personally take the following approach to combating copyright infringement;

• When I find an instance of infringement, I’ll first determine if the article is copied in its entirety and if there is a link back to my site.  In a strange way, this kind of infringement  is somewhat helpful – as it builds link backs necessary for search engines page ranking (albeit very little).  If on the other hand, there’s no link or it’s more than just an article summary or the site quality is obviously trash (most are) and I’m not in the most pleasant mood ever (and I rarely am) – then it’s time to open a can of whoop ass.
• I place the “Jay Travels” copyright logo at the bottom right of every picture on this site.  Yes, it can be removed – but it’s just easier for douche bags to get someone else’s images than to Photoshop mine (the locked front door theory).
• The “Jay Travels” logo is embedded on the bottom left corner of every video on this site, as well as those videos on YouTube.  This way, when video aggregators pull my video from YouTube – the viewer knows where it came from because the brand is always visible.  Now the Douche Bag is working for me.
• I use a robots.txt file that tells Google, Yahoo, Live, etc. not to index any content in my /video or /image directories.  This doesn’t hide the files but it means my video and images never show up in search engines – just the pages in which they are viewed in display.  You can go further by preventing any browser/service from accessing any image/video on your site externally by modifying your .htaccess file (advanced users only)

I don’t bother with changing the RSS feed, copy-n-paste JavaScript or any other nonsense – the benefits are small and the time required too great.  So that’s it – hopefully this article will prove helpful to those that have or will encounter this situation.

And to the current and future digital content thieves – stop acting like Douche Bags!!!

Important Note: This article is about online copyright infringement – not Defamation or Trademark Infringement.  If someone writes on their site you are a “jerk” – you cannot use the DMCA to get that content removed.  In addition, if someone uses your logo not associated with copyrighted material and not fair use, you cannot use the DMCA to have it removed either.  An example of Trademark Infringement is if “McDowells” from the movie ‘Coming to America’ started a burger website.  In both of these cases, you will need to utilize other tools (attorney) to have the content removed.  I point this out because Google will likely deny all DMCA notices that are actually Defamation/Trademark infringements.

Seems the ultra luxury hotel/resort chain the Ritz-Carlton has found itself in the middle of a disgusting and quite possibly illegal allegation.  According to USA Today (by way of the Naples News), the Naples, Florida Ritz-Carlton location “accommodated” two British guest’s racial requests.  Here is an excerpt from the USA Today article:

“The couple identified in the lawsuit arrived as guests on Feb. 28 and specified their preference to not be served by “people of color” or with “foreign accents,” the story says. Notes from the hotel’s computer system said as much: ”As per Mr. (hotel managing director Edward) Staros, this couple is very, very prejudice(d) and do like like (sic) ppl of color or foreign accents”…”

No company can control the thoughts and biases of its customers, so it would be unfair to criticize the Ritz-Carlton for the mere fact that a bigot entered one of their establishments.  Furthermore, any company can be susceptible to that “one bad hire” – you know, the employee that has gone so far off of the reservation that their actions in no way reflects the values of the organization as a whole.  That said, it appears the situation the Ritz-Carlton finds itself in is a result of a systemic failure and/or an institutional problem.

If the allegations in this case turn out to be true (and no one from the Ritz-Carlton is disputing them thus far), consider the chain of events which lends credence to an institutionalized problem:

1. Upon first hearing of a customer’s despicable and possibly illegal request, the company ‘honored’ it and removed the first employee from their paid responsibilities to this customer.
2. 7 other employees were informed to follow the ‘service’ provided to this customer.
3. To ensure other employees were clear as to this ‘service’, references to the statement were typed into the company computer system associated with this customer.
4. At least two individuals from the company’s management team (unnamed supervisor and Director Staros) were aware of and if not promoted, certainly did not stop this behavior.
5. This type of behavior has happened in the past.

…Allegedly

They typed this into the computer?????  Really???  Cause when I go to work and a customer says “I don’t wanna talk to no damn Women”, the first thing I can think of is to type that little nugget into our internal systems so that all of my employees get the message.  Seriously??

And all of this for what?

“The Customer is always right” – so we should make the customer happy at all costs.  Probably not the exact motto of the Ritz-Carlton, but surely pretty close.  Certainly an excellent motto to follow – right up until the point where you don’t follow it.  In a nutshell, employees/management appeased a bigot to ensure continued patronage of their business.  Let’s assume for sake of argument the bigoted couple spent 20k on their stay at the Ritz-Carlton; is that worth the losses in overall revenue due to bad publicity from these actions?  Was this couple’s money worth demoralizing their workforce?  Will it be a good trade if the Ritz-Carlton is fined by the State of Florida, federal government or loses/settles the impending lawsuit?   I doubt it.

According to the company’s statement, the British couple is no longer welcome at a Ritz-Carlton establishment.  Well that’s fantastic.  Here’s what I didn’t hear from that statement – “our dimwitted management team (Director Staros & unnamed supervisor) will be entering retraining, fired, demoted, given IQ tests, etc. – and (most importantly) we are reviewing our corporate polices to ensure we have the proper customer/employee standards and compliance oversight”.

This post isn’t to fight the employee’s battle; he has an attorney and that process will play itself out.  The battle I’m fighting is an obvious lack of leadership which fosters an environment that at least two people in management and 7 other employees were aware of this ‘request’, did nothing to stop it and so brazenly aimed to support it they typed the damn instructions in the computer – allegedly!

You cannot shame anyone into using good judgment, particularly those that had to be told (sued) this was ridiculous in the first place – it has to be worth their while financially.  To that end, I have included the contact information for the Ritz-Carlton and its parent company Marriot International below.  I for one will be publically letting them know this behavior is unacceptable and will be showing my displeasure with my dollars until the systemic issues have been resolved.

But I digress, the point here is many things in life are best done with others and riding a motorcycle is no exception.  One of the more difficult things to do while riding motorcycles in a group is talking to other riders.  It’s not that much easier to talk to your passenger who is only 6 inches behind your head due to the noise from the engine/exhaust.  It gets a little old having to lift your helmet off of your head just to say – “turn left at the next light”.  Wireless communications devices designed specifically for motorcycle riders solve this problem by providing a hands-free method of communication with other riders and your passenger.  This review will focus on one such system – the Chatterbox Helmet Communication System.

Design

The Chatterbox is designed for either full faced or open faced motorcycle helmets.  The installation for either model is about the same – the unit is attached to the outside of the helmet, speakers are wrapped around the inside of the helmet under the padding and the microphone is placed on the front-side of the full-faced helmet or attached directly to the Chatterbox for the open-faced model (sorta boom mic style).  Once the Chatterbox is attached, it does not feel much heavier than without it – though it certainly ‘looks’ pretty bulky.  Still, the Chatterbox is definitely a head turner and a conversation starter.

Once the unit is installed on your helmet, the next step is to select one of the 22 channels you’d like to communicate with other riders.  Since you are communicating over radio signals, you cannot have a truly ‘private’ conversation with another rider; however, changing the default frequency and the fact that not everyone has the device provides some level of privacy (not that you generally trade spy secrets while riding a bike anyway).  If you prefer to randomly meet people as you ride, you can keep the default frequency setting.  Note: All riders have to be on the same frequency to communicate with each other.  Once the frequency is set, you’ll need to ‘tune’ the device using the VOX Sensitively adjustment knob (also serves as On/Off switch).  In short, the higher you turn the dial, the more sensitive the microphone is in-terms of auto-activation.  This dial is useful because it prevents the microphone from activating automatically due to wind noise at higher speeds.

If you have the X1 Bluetooth model, you can link your cell phone, MP3 Player or motorcycle GPS; otherwise, you can connect a $3 mini-stereo cable from your MP3 player’s headphone jack into the Chatterbox’s audio input jack.  If you attach the optional $80 passenger kit, your passenger will be able to talk and/or listen to music during the ride.

The Chatterbox is also water-resistant – which comes in handy during any unforeseen rain showers.  There is a large LCD display which shows battery strength, current channel, the mode and more.   Finally, though this must seem obvious – the Chatterbox requires a helmet!  You nuts rolling without a lid in Florida (or any non helmet law state) will need to actually put on a DOT helmet to participate in this goodness.

Features

Here are some of the noteworthy features of the Chatterbox Helmet system:

22 channel hi-fi noise reducing headset with coverage up to 5 miles Automatic voice activation and manual push to talk modes Bluetooth wireless connection (X1 Bluetooth model) Supports Full Faced and Open Helmet designs Supports passenger communication via optional kit Water resistant design

That fact that the microphone system is auto-activating is absolutely imperative – the last thing you want to be doing on a motorcycle is fumbling around with buttons or knobs.  Simply speak into the microphone and the system automatically activates – muting any music coming from the AUX/Bluetooth.  I’ve ridden with a number of female friends who have either never been on the back of a sportsbike or were apprehensive about the riding on one.  In every case, being able to comfort and talk them through what is happening on the bike make it a safer and more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.  The Chatterbox also includes a wired handlebar voice activation contraction that allows you to manually turn off/on the microphone system.

The X1 Bluetooth model adds wireless connectivity which lets you connect your cell phone, MP3 player or motorcycle navigation system.  Not so sure talking on your cell phone is the wisest thing to do while riding a motorcycle, but one less wire for your MP3 player while riding is a good thing.  Note that there isn’t Bluetooth connectivity to your passenger – they will still need to be connected via the wired $80 passenger kit.

Performance

One of the selling points of the Chatterbox is the ability to communicate up to 5 miles with another rider.  While I will admit I haven’t tested the 5 mile claim, I have tested the product in the 3-5 block range while moving and without line-of-sight.  Under these conditions, the Chatterbox worked flawlessly – no interference, dropping of connection or static (though wind-noise from the other person’s microphone is possible).

This brings me to one of the items that require a bit of practice to get right – the VOX dial and controlling auto-activation.  Since the microphone is noise activated, excessive wind noise coming through your helmet can activate the microphone and cause very loud whooshing sounds in your ears.  The stronger the wind noise, the more you’ll need to decrease the microphone’s sensitivity using the VOX dial.  In the beginning, it can be tedious to continually turn the VOX dial up/down while you are riding; but as you become used to the device and what it takes to activate it using your own voice – you’ll settle on a setting that doesn’t need to be changed beyond extreme conditions.  One other thing in terms of voice activation; I’ve noticed the microphone does not always work well with female voices, particularly those with squeaky or soft voices.

Although the device is full-duplex, there can be some clipping when speaking to other riders or even your passenger.  Although unlikely, a few times I’ve ridden past a supermarket and heard “cleanup on aisle 7” or similar blasting through my helmet (many commercial PA systems use the frequency your Chatterbox may be tuned to).  This really isn’t an issue since it happens fairly infrequently and only lasts for as long as it takes you to speed past the store.  I’ve also gotten caught in the rain on several occasions and didn’t have a single problem with the unit because it is water-resistant.

The Chatterbox comes with a Ni-MH battery, though I’d prefer the increased battery life of a Lithium-ion battery due to the strain talking/music/Bluetooth has on the system. Using Bluetooth to listen to music definitely drains the battery faster than using a wired mini-stereo jack.  The only other complaint I have is not enough riders have a Chatterbox – so you’ll rarely get to talk to anyone other than your own crew or passenger.  This may or may not be an issue and it’s certainly not the fault of Chatterbox (though the unit is quite expensive).  Again, being able to talk to your passenger while riding is a worthwhile feature all by itself.

In Closing

Aesthetics aside – the product works as advertised.  While it may take some time to dial into the correct auto-activation setting, once you get it down the unit is pretty much no maintenance.  While the lack of a Lithium-ion battery, the size and the steep price can be a little off-putting, what you get in return makes up for it in my opinion.  I can listen to music or talk on my cell phone (not that I’d want to) while riding solo.  The fact that I can communicate with my passenger – who can also hear the music is even better.  Talking to my buddies while riding with the Chatterbox eliminates the need to remove my lid making us all safer and more productive riders.  Oh – and it’s just damn cool!!!

Note – The manufacturer makes smaller versions of the Chatterbox systems pictured in this review; however those models lack the LCD display, a few features and range of communication.

Happy Travels

This should be fun – a little Muay Thai boxing, Elephant trekking, sea-kayaking, scuba diving and more.

Catch you soon!

Destination at a Glance
Date of Trip	September 2009
Destination Good for	Shopping, Watersports, Sightseeing
Best Time to Go	Year round – but Fall may be best
Currency/Conv. Rate	Australian Dollar/ 1 USD = 1.16 AUD – slightly favorable
Good Way to Get Around	Rent Car: Yes	Public: Yes	Taxi: Yes	Walking: Yes
Appox. Trip Cost	Fairly Expensive
Speaks English?	English is Primary Language
Entry Requirements	Passport & $20 Tourist Visa
Do it	Take pictures from Manly Ferry (Sydney) Surf & Sand on Bondi Beach (Sydney) Great Barrier Reef (Cairns) Wine country tour (Melborne) NRL/AFL game (Multiple Cities)
Skip it	Paying $300 to walk up the Sydney Harbor Bridge
Didn’t get to do	Cricket Match and Hot Air Balloon ride
Would I Recommend	Absolutely
Overall Trip Rating

Trip Review (Click Thumbnails to see Full-Sized Images)

There’s no way around it – the flight to Australia is a bitch.  Even if you take a non-stop flight from the west coast, you are looking at 15 hours on an airplane.  I’m not complaining too much since I almost blew the entire trip due to my idiot mistake (incorrectly thought an Australian Visa wasn’t necessary).  The lesson here is to always verify entry requirements with the US State Department no matter what any other travel site says.

Moving along, the plan was to hit three cities within the 8 days I was in the country.  How do you visit three wonderful cities in 8 days – it’s called planning my friend.  My itinerary included Australia’s two largest cities – Sydney and Melbourne, as well as arguably its most famous landmark the Great Barrier Reef (via Cairns).  Although I certainly would have loved to go into the Great Outback, I’ll save that for next time when I can devote 3-5 days to the experience.

I jumped around from city to city using Australia’s excellent discount carrier JetStar Airlines.  On the whole, fares on JetStar were extremely cheap – usually cheaper than Virgin Blue and Qantas.  Unfortunately for me, I was lugging an extra bag full of my scuba diving gear and the Nemo 200 from city to city.  In the US, you simply pay a flat fee for extra bags up to a certain weight/size.  On JetStar, you pay by the kilogram!!  So instead of $50 I would have paid for my 47lb bag on a US carrier, I ended up paying over $200 – each flight!!!   Holy Sheet – I hadn’t felt so violated since my last prostate exam… :o(

During my visit, the Australian Dollar (AUD) was nearly on par with the US Dollar; but I was a little surprised how expensive everything seemed to be.  Granted, things are usually more expensive near tourist destinations; but even locally resourced items like seafood weren’t what you’d call cheap.  In 2008, Sydney and Melbourne were the 16^th and 36^th most expensive cities in the world – though they had fallen quite a bit in 2009 due to the world recession and associated dip in travel.  Just a heads-up for those thinking about taking a trip to Australia.

Finally, no matter what city I was visiting the people were extremely pleasant and willing to engage in any subject.  So nice in fact that I started to wonder if they were up to something (only an American from the big city would think such ridiculous thoughts).  By the way, I just love listening to Australians speak; seriously, who doesn’t just love the Aussie accent?

Sydney

Sydney – the largest city in Australia and the first stop in my three city tour.  Here are some of the highlights.

• Sydney Opera House – One of the most photographed buildings in the world, the massive structure is actually six separate venues.  The Opera House sits at the end of a peninsula in Sydney Harbor.  There are a few excellent vantage points for taking pictures of the Opera House.  The easiest is directly across Sydney Cove on a free viewing platform.  This platform provides a street level view of the West side of the Opera House.  Another vantage point is from the Sydney Harbor Bridge – which provides somewhat of an aerial view of the West side and portions of the rear (harbor facing) side of the building.  Perhaps the best view of the Opera House is to jump on the Manly Ferry for the 30-minute round-trip ride to the city of Manly.  For $6.40 each way, the ferry not only gives you stunning views of all three sides of the Opera House, but the best pictures of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the entire downtown Sydney skyline.  Catch the Manly Ferry from the Wharf #3 in the Sydney Cove.
• Sydney Harbour Bridge – Another iconic Sydney landmark, the Sydney Harbour Bridge sits just west of the Opera House.  Tip:  If you take the Manly Ferry, you can fit both the Opera House & bridge in the same frame.  As I mentioned earlier, the bridge is an excellent place to take photos of the Opera House and the Sydney Skyline.  There are two ways to take pictures from the bridge, one free and the other not so free.  The easiest and cheapest way is to use the pedestrian walkway along side regular automobile traffic crossing the bridge.  While there are pylons and a gate covering the outside of the walkway, the gaps are large enough to take photos (Note, there is a tower near the South entrance which provide less obstructed views for about $9 entry).  The second method is to climb to the top of the bridge’s arches through a company called BridgeClimb.  When I visited Sydney in September 2009 the climb cost $300, but it appears new climbs & pricing were introduced in October 2009.  According to their website, there are varying types and durations of climbs which cost anywhere from $188 to $258 based on time of day and season.  If your goal is to take pictures, skip the high price and walk along the bridge.  On the other hand, if you want to get over your fear of heights or take advantage of one of those once in a lifetime opportunities – by all means go for the BridgeClimb.
• Darling Harbour – A major tourist restaurant and attraction area covering both sides of its namesake harbor.  Depending on where you are staying, it’s either a 10 minute walk from the downtown area or a short monorail ride to the entrance.  The area includes almost 40 restaurants (from fast food, bars and high-end) and multiple attractions, including an entertainment center (bowling, Laser Tag, etc.), Aquarium, IMAX theater, casino and much more.
• Sydney Tower – As the tallest structure in Sydney, the Sky Tower provides 360 degree panoramic views of downtown Sydney with no obstructions from nearby hotels.  For $25, your ticket includes access to the enclosed observation deck and entry into the OzTrek movie/ride experience.  For an addition $40, you can step onto the Skywalk – the outside platform nearly a 1,000 ft in the air.
• Sydney Rocks – The ‘Rocks’ is a historic shopping district a short 5 minute walk west of the Sydney Cove.  While certainly a tourist trap, the distinct sports souvenirs, arts and crafts mostly provided by local vendors.
• Bondi Beach – Bondi Beach is about a 10 minute cab ride from downtown Sydney and is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike.  Besides miles of beautiful sand, Bondi Beach draws surfers of all skill levels.   As I enjoy trying new things, I figured this would be a great opportunity to learn to surf.  So I signed up for the surf experience with Let’s Go Surfing.  Targeted towards those with no previous surfing experience, this class attempts to train and get you up and surfing in two hours.  So how was my surfing experience???  Well, it was less like surfing and more like “Jay fall-go boom” – over and over again.  It was absolutely ridiculous.  At least I was able to eat at a nice Bohemian restaurant while I nursed my bruised ego back to health.
• Sydney Fish Market – While watching the “Australia” episode of Bizarre Foods one day, the host took a tour of Australia’s largest seafood trading market – the Sydney Fish Market.  While the market certainly sports some exotic seafood, it did not feel as grand as it seemed on television.  My guess is Bizarre Foods got a special VIP tour of the facility – as a good 60% is not accessible to the general public.  In any case, if you are staying in an apartment or hotel with a kitchen, you can take a tour of the market, signup for a cooking class and purchase your dinner all in one place.

…Continued

Now that all of the freezing weather is a distant memory, it’s go time baby!!!  Luckily, the current economic conditions and its effect on the travel industry means there are still plenty of spring travel deals available.

Here are a few suggestions to get away and recharge your batteries after such a devastating winter.

Spring Break – Partying

• Miami – No surprise here – fun, sun, hot weather and hot women/men.  No need for a passport or to deal with customs in order to get this wonder beach location.  While not a huge watersport destination, just about everyone is wearing their bathing suits and the parties don’t stop.  For a little change of pace, get away from Ocean Drive for a while and head to Little Havana, Ft. Lauderdale or even Key West.
• Cancun – If getting out the country is your thing – you can’t beat the sun and fun of Cancun.  Spring is the best time to go to Cancun, as the summer brings intense heat, significant rain and possible Hurricanes.  Watersports are plentiful – kayaking, parasailing, snorkeling, scuba diving and miles of beach are all excellent ways to enjoy yourself in Cancun.

Spring Break – Family

• Camping – What better way to bring the family together than a camping trip?  Whether you Tent camp and cook/roast marshmallows over an open flame, stay in a mini-camper/RV or a luxurious log cabin complete with Jacuzzi, big-screen TVs and even Internet access, camping can be an excellent time to reconnect with the entire family.
• Grand Canyon – Speaking of camping, the Grand Canyon is an excellent place to camp out with your family.  Even if you don’t want to camp in the Canyon, the stunning views, whitewater rafting excursions or a helicopter ride into the canyon are well worth a trip.  A short drive to the Hoover Dam is also a worthy add-on.

Beach

• Panama City, FL – If you just want to relax on the beach or participate in some form of water activities, Panama City Beach is an excellent Florida destination.  No longer the “Red Neck Rivera”, Panama City is becoming the destination of choice – not just for folks living on the East Coast but from the Mid-West and Southwest regions as well.
• Bahamas – If beaches, culture and warm & friendly people are your idea of fun – look no further than Nassau Bahamas.  Whether you need a $37,000 a night private island of your own or a more budget friendly all-inclusive beach-front experience, the Bahamas have you covered.  If fishing is your thing – the Bimini Islands Bahamas is the way to go – offering up to 30ft clear visibility into the sea and some of the best big game fishing in the western hemisphere.

Romance

• Washington, DC – Spring is the time the famous cherry blossoms bloom in and around the District.  Take a stroll along the Tidal Basin in front of the Jefferson Memorial with your lover or take a truly intimate walk through the National Mall at night.  Washington, DC now has a ton of excellent restaurants and nightlife options to keep you busy.
• Hawaii – These wonderful strings of islands are still struggling to recover from the current World recession – which means excellent opportunities for all travelers.  The beautiful landscapes, marvelous sunsets and excellent watersports still exist – there are simply fewer crowds and less expensive to do now.  How can you beat that?

Singles

• Singles Cruise – Decades ago, one could not get away on a vacation by themselves without being looked upon as an outcast or with pity.  Times have changed and there’s an entire travel market specifically designed for single travelers.  This spring, take a 3-5 day “Singles Only” themed cruise with Royal Caribbean or Carnival from popular post like Florida or California.
• Las Vegas – While Vegas isn’t necessarily the best place to visit in the winter, it is certainly a worthy destination for your Spring Break dollars.  Las Vegas is much more comfortable in the spring than in the summer – summertime temperatures can get well above 110 degrees.  As for things to do in Las Vegas, the list is pretty extensive – including the ‘normal’ gambling and stage shows – to the lesser known but equally fun indoor skydiving, dune buggy adventures and the Gun Store.

Out of the Ordinary

• Scuba Diving – There’s nothing like scuba diving – the feeling of weightlessness along with some the most spectacular scenery available on this earth.  Upfront costs can be steep (certification, mask, fins, etc.); but after you ‘dive in’, Scuba Diving is a relatively cheap hobby – about $50-$75 a trip.  Many beach resorts – like those in Hawaii, Florida, Bahamas, Cancun, etc. offer a ‘Discover Scuba’ adventure – which is essentially a 3-hour guided diving experience with the safety of an instructor.  Once you are hooked on diving by the Discover Scuba adventure, you can complete your certification in about 3 days – usually from the same resorts.
• Air Combat – This is an activity I just learned about and is now at the top of my gotta do list.  There are several companies that offer real dogfighting (aerial combat) adventures in either WWII airplanes or real F15 fighter jets.  After a 2-3 hour training session, you actually get to fly the plane – No previous flying experience is necessary.  Most of the companies that offer this are out west (Arizona & California), but many do traveling tours to various military and/or private airports.  If getting into the real thing isn’t your cup of tea, flight simulators may be the way to go.  Certainly expensive, but what can I say – you only live once!

Safety Warning – With all of the recent violence in Mexico, I cannot recommend many of the popular destinations – including Acapulco, Tijuana, or Mexico City.  Drug gang related killings are rampant and have begun to affect tourists (an American couple was recently murdered while putting their 1-year old in the back seat).  Because of this, the US State Department has issued a Travel Warning for the entire country.  My suggestion is to confine your travels to Cancun or nearby Playa de Carmen if you have a desire to go to Mexico.

Let us know if you have some Spring Break Ideas.

Happy Travels!!

Destination at a Glance
Date of Trip	November 2006
Destination Good for	Sightseeing, Photography/Videography, Outdoor activities
Best Time to Go	Anytime – though can be cold in Winter
Currency/Conv. Rate	NA
Good Way to Get Around	Own Car: Yes	Tour: Yes	Taxi: No	Walking: Yes
Appox. Trip Cost	Free to Fairly Inexpensive
Speaks English?	NA
Entry Requirements	Possible Parking and tour fees
Do it	Helicopter Tour Camping
Skip it	The Skywalk
Didn’t get to do	Tour of Hoover Dam power plant
Would I Recommend	Yes
Overall Trip Rating

Trip Review (Click Thumbnails to see Full-Sized Images)

The Grand Canyon is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States and is fully deserving of that popularity.  It’s one of the rare destinations that actually live up to the hype;  where the term “pictures just don’t do the place justice” actually holds true.  There are several ways of getting to the Grand Canyon – all depending on where you are starting from (fly vs. drive) and what park of the park you intend on entering (North vs. South Rims).  The most popular routes to get to the Grand Canyon tend to be flying into major city airports and driving to the park, like from Phoenix, Arizona for example.

My journey started as an off-shoot of my Las Vegas trip via a full-day tour from a company called Pink Jeep Tours.  For $225 per person, the tour includes pick-up/drop-off at any Las Vegas strip or downtown hotel, personal guide, driver, all fees into the Grand Canyon (Skywalk not included) and a decent lunch (a $380 tour includes the Skywalk, pontoon and Helicopter rides).  So at around 8am, the company will pick you up at your in what else, a big Pink Jeep Cherokee.  I don’t generally care for Group Tours, but the maximum number of folks they will fit in the Jeep is 6-7 folks – so it’s not that bad.  Once everyone in your group is picked up from their respective hotels, the 45 minute or so haul to the Hoover Dam begins.

Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam is about 35 miles southeast of the city of Las Vegas and generates power for Nevada, Arizona and a good part of Southern California.  This huge hydroelectric power station was the largest concrete structure in the world when it was completed in 1936.  Via the Hoover Dam Bridge, you can see Lake Mead – the reservoir created from dam.  When I visited the dam, I noticed the so called “bathtub effect”; which is caused when water levels decrease in the lake, salt deposits are left on the sides of the rock walls that are bleached by the sun, turning them into the white “bathtub ring” around the lake.  While this is excellent for taking pictures, this is not so good for the water supply in Las Vegas.  Some estimates conclude that Las Vegas could run out of water in 2010 if the drought conditions do not change…Yikes!!!

Although my tour did not include a long stop at the dam, there are a few options worth taking note.  An interesting option is to take a tour of the Hoover Dam facility.  The self-guided tour includes several theaters detailing the history/current operations, displays, up-close and personal views of the power plant inside of the dam, an observation tower and a walk along the top of the dam.  Hoover Dam tour costs $30.

The Grand Canyon

After taking several pictures at the Hoover Dam, it was off on the 2-plus hour drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. 

Once there, the natural beauty and sheer amazement begins.  In a nutshell, here are my thoughts on the Grand Canyon:

• Activities – Rafting, hiking and camping are all popular activities at the Grand Canyon.  Several reputable rafting companies offer anything between 1-3 hour and 4-5 day rafting excursions through the winding valleys of the park.  Though visitors can hike and camp on their own without a guide, the US Park Service does not recommend it – especially for single day Rim-2-Bottom and back hikes.
• Viewing the canyon – There are several ways to view the canyon – each with its unique perspective.  The most popular (and least expensive) is to simply walk along the South Rim.  The South Rim provides excellent aerial and overhead views of the canyon allowing wide angle landscape shots, as well as detailed shots of formations, waterways, etc.  All of the pictures and video in this review were taken from atop the South Rim.  A different visual perspective is to take a helicopter tour of the canyon.  Not only do these tours provide near vertical views of the area, but many helicopters land inside of the Canyon (not all the way to the bottom) for excellent upward facing views.  Finally, the bottom of the canyon provides a truly unique perspective on the canyon – with the sides of the walls extending thousands of feet above your head – almost blocking out the sun.  Hiking or rafting in are the best ways to get to the bottom of the canyon.
• Skywalk – Opened in March 2007, the Grand Canyon Skywalk is a horseshoe shaped glass walkway 3,600 ft. above the canyon floor.  In my mind, the Skywalk is a double-edged sword.  On one hand, the views from the platform are just stunning (so I hear).  On the other hand – those are gonna be some very expensive pictures!  First and foremost, there’s a $32 fee just to get on the contraption.  This fee is above any other fees to get to the platform, such as park entry, parking, etc.  Beyond that, since the platform is made of glass – cameras, video camcorders and cell phones are banned from the Skywalk.  Permanent and stationary cameras are mounted on the platform and the pictures taken from them are available for purchase at the gift shop.  According to Wikipedia, the cost of a visit to the Skywalk is a minimum of $85 – and this is before the cost of any pictures.  Surely some nice views – but not $85 worth of goodness.

Old Cowboy Town

As I mentioned earlier, lunch was included in the Pink Jeep package.  After leaving the Grand Canyon, we were taken to a replica 1800s western town – the fake OK Corral I called it.    The replica town had a bank, stable and of course a saloon.  As we entered the town a gunfight broke out – lmao.  Guess someone was cheating at a game of cards and got thrown through a window and shot the F up; then the shooter gets into it with the Sherriff.   Luckily, the town also had an Undertaker.  Kinda cheesy – but in a good way.  There were also a few animals visitors could play with, including horses, cows/bulls, and goats.  Lunch was fine – sandwiches and beans if I remember correctly.  Obviously, whoever runs this town has agreements with tour operators to bring visitors to the grounds, so I’m not sure it is open to the general public.

In Closing

The Grand Canyon is one of those rare destinations that actually live up to the hype.  The almost unspoiled landscape is like nothing else in the United States – perhaps the world.  Whether camping, hiking, taking a helicopter tour or just standing on the South Rim – you can’t help but to take excellent pictures.  Skip the Skywalk – just too expensive in every way for not significantly better access.  Throw in a tour of the Hoover Dam – and you’ve got yourself an excellent time.

Happy Travels!!

‘Smartphones’ perform increasingly sophisticated functions beyond just making calls, including built-in multimedia functions, GPS Navigation and connectivity into corporate networks.  The attachment to the BlackBerry series of Smartphones has grown so strong that a new term ‘Crackberry’ has been introduced into the lexicon due to its owners inability to be away from the device for extended periods.  The point here is our mobile phones are no longer just for conversations – they hold our lives inside of them; so we demand more from these devices.  This review will focus on the HTC Hero/Droid Eris Smartphones offered by Sprint and Verizon Wireless respectively.

Design

The Taiwanese HTC Corporation produces the Hero and Droid Eris for the wireless carriers Sprint and Verizon Wireless respectively.  The reason I’m reviewing these two phones together is because they are essentially the same phone – with only minor aesthetic and hardware differences.    Both devices have a huge 3.2 inch 320×480 TFT LCD Touchscreen and except for the volume rocker, screen off/on, trackball, Back and Menu buttons – control of all other functions are performed via that touchscreen.  Whether this is a good thing or not is a matter of personal taste – some folks just prefer a physical keyboard to type certain messages.  To aid in typing, the phone vibrates every time the onscreen keyboard is pressed to let you know the press registered.  This is a nice usability feature, but it drains the battery faster and causes lags between when the key is pressed and when you see the command/letter on the screen.

It’s about time a phone manufacturer has listened to customers and stopped making phones that require special adapters to listen to the sounds from the phone.  Both devices include a standard 3.5mm headphone jack so you can use whatever headphones you already own – whether ear buds or full fledged noise canceling headsets.  Presumably to keep costs down, no carrying case or holster is included in the box; so you’ll need to shell out another $15-$20 to get a decent pouch or holster.  You can certainly carry the device in your pocket or purse, but the huge screen is a magnet for scratches and smudges.  In terms of functionality, both devices contain the standard feature set included with every Google Android phone – including access to the Google Marketplace, built in music/video player and web browser.

Both devices run Google’s Android Smartphone operating system, as well as, HTC’s SenseUI customized interface.  Because the Android OS is open source, owners of either device can customize the entire phone (such as removing carrier specific apps) if they choose – but risk voiding the warranty provided by the carrier.  Customizing the OS requires special administrative access to the phone’s operating system called “Root Access”.  Rooting is not something the average user has the ability to do – but it is a must have for many super geeks.  Generally speaking, owners root their phones in order to upgrade the version of the Android OS that comes preloaded on the device (both come with Android 1.6 – the latest version is 2.1).  Upgrading the OS generally adds new features, fixes bugs and increases device performance.

Finally, each device has a standard mini-USB connector for charging and/or transferring data between your PC/Mac.  Standardization means if you ever lose the cable that came with the device, you can use an existing mini-USB cable you already own or borrow one from a friend; no need to spend money for a replacement proprietary connector (are you listening Nokia??).

Features

Here is a quick rundown of the Hero and Droid Eris major features:

3.2″ 320×480 TFT LCD Touchscreen 3G EVDO RevA connectivity 5 Megapixel camera with auto–focus and video capture Up to 32GB microSD cards supported GPS and Visual Voice Mail Enabled Bluetooth® v2.0 + EDR and Wi-Fi 802.11 B/G Up to 3.5 hours of usage or 2 days of standby time

All of these features and specifications sound good on paper, but they also have several practical applications.  At a minimum, it eliminates the need to carry multiple devices when traveling.  Why carry a separate GPS, MP3 Player or eBook Reader when the Hero/Droid Eris can perform all three of these functions?

For example, say you are on a business trip in Seattle and need to get to a client’s site from the airport.  Simply turn on the GPS module in the Hero/Droid Eris and the included navigation software will give you turn-by-turn directions.  Say you will be flying to Houston for the weekend and needed to know the local weather and the best Thai Restaurant?  Both phones allow you to display a 3-Day forecast for almost any US city and several free apps from the Android market provide reviews and directions to restaurants by category.  If you are traveling overseas – the Hero/Droid Eris can serve as your MP3 player while in the air and assist as a language assistant, currency convertor and primary camera when you land.  Not trying to compare the Hero versus the iPhone or the Droid Eris versus the iPhone – but all of the features you see in the Apple commercials can easily be accomplished using either of these two devices.

Performance

In a sense, call quality and data performance is closely tied to the carrier’s signal strength in the area in which you are using the device.  As this is not a review of the Sprint or Verizon networks – the performance section of this review assumes a strong signal while in the US and in Airplane Mode outside of the US.  This brings me to my first gripe about these devices – neither of them includes a SIM Card slot for International usage.  Since almost no country in the world uses Sprint/Verizon’s CDMA network band/frequency, you’ll have to pursue other options for using your phone while abroad.   For some unknown reason, many apps from the app store incorrectly require or assume that network access is available on the device at all times.  I’ve tried to use several apps from the app store while overseas and they either wouldn’t start or work incorrectly while in Airplane Mode.

While both cameras include a 5mp camera, they do not include a flash – so pictures in dim or dark light are a waste of time.  Also, since the trackball serves as the snap picture button, its placement seems to make the camera to wiggle when pressed – causing somewhat blurry pictures.  Assuming you can hold the camera steady and have good lighting – the devices take excellent pictures.  The built-in GPS receiver locks on to a signal in less than 20 seconds if using in the same geographical location and less than 60 seconds if you have traveled greater than 100 miles from the location of its last use.  I found the Sprint Navtec Navigation software as easy to use and accurate as any stand-alone Garmin GPS model I’ve used.  Verizon does not offer its GPS service free as part of the device; however, the free Google Maps application is included as part of the Android OS.

I’ve found that the battery life on these devices is pretty poor – I cannot go a day without the battery becoming close to empty.  This is because even if you are not talking on the phone – it is always in ‘use’.  When you associate a contact to their Facebook account, set it up to receive the latest Tweets or pull your email from your POP3/Gmail accounts – the phone must connect to the network throughout the day to receive this data.  Add in any Wi-Fi or web browsing on the device via the carrier’s 3G network – and you can see why battery life is an issue.

The big screen is nice, but like I said above – it is a magnet for scratches and smudges.  Both devices can connect to corporate networks – but an onscreen keyboard somewhat impairs typing long email messages.  For some reason there’s no way to automatically connect and poll Yahoo, AOL, or Hotmail email accounts on these devices – only Gmail, POP3 and Exchange Server are supported.  To view email from these other accounts, you’ll need to use the embedded HTML browser.  Finally, the speed of the devices could be improved.  Too many open apps and or network connections will cause the responsiveness of the devices to slow considerably.

In Closing

The Hero/Droid Eris are beautiful looking phones which can eliminate carrying around a separate GPS, Camera and Music/Video player making traveling less of a burden.  The large screen is easy on the eyes and the access to the Android market provides thousands of free or cheap applications to add functionality to the phones.  Both devices include the full suite of connectivity options, including 3G & 1X data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.  So long as you bring a mini-USB cable to charge the phone while on the plane or in your hotel room, the battery life issue should not be too much of a problem.  In the end, the HTC Hero/Droid Eris are technologically sound devices that can be an excellent addition to your travel arsenal.

Happy Travels!!

Why is it Important to Travel?

To me, there are two excellent reasons to travel outside of your familiar settings, even if it’s just to the neighboring state.  The first of which is gaining a better understanding of the world and how it affects your life locally.  Consider the following:

1. If you haven’t seen 6 and 9 year olds working in a Cairo rug factory, how could you think differently about purchasing these wonderful “hand-made” rugs sold in many malls and carpet stores across the world?  Many – if not most of the legitimately hand-crafted rugs are produced by Middle-Eastern/African children in a position which can only be described as slavery.
2. If you’ve never been to a real Socialist country (like many in Europe), how will you know whether the current US political banter regarding the use of the word equates to real Socialism – and whether it is a good or bad thing?
3. If you only listened to American news outlets – you’d get the impression Cuba is a poverty stricken country ruled by an evil empire where everyone is waiting for the next cardboard box to float across the ocean to Florida’s paradise.  If you had actually been there, would you find out the truth is Cuba has the second highest literacy rate in the world, near zero homelessness and an unemployment rate under 2%?

My point isn’t to advocate for awful child labor laws, Socialism or Fidel Castro; my point is that in order to make an informed decision (e.g. vote) on the issues (Trade Agreements, Health Care and Immigration Reforms respectively) that are currently affecting our country – it may be helpful to know a little about these subjects.  One excellent way of acquiring this knowledge is to travel and formulate your own opinions.  The reality is – if you rely on others to tell you what to think on these matters – you can’t blame anyone else for your ignorance (or the likelihood you will be manipulated into voting against your own interests).

The second reason and perhaps the more important reason is the world is a beautiful, ugly, exciting, relaxing, sensual, dangerous and wonderful place!  By experiencing other environments, cultures and customs – you will likely enhance your own life in some way; whether that be the memories of visiting an amazing location, learning a new language, becoming a better conversationalist – the list is endless.  The more you travel, the more you realize issues between nations are rarely the will of the “people”.  You learn that all over the world, people’s value systems are essentially the same – even if their economic/social conditions differ.  Finally, travel eliminates fear; fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering (okay, I stole that from Yoda – but you get my point).

The Black Travel Experience

As a demographic, African Americans have lagged behind others in the US due to decades of restrictions on free travel.  These restrictions have become ingrained into the minds of many Black folk – to the point that I know people who are “proud” they haven’t been anywhere beyond the city in which they were born.  The fact of the matter is, African Americans ARE traveling in greater numbers and it is important that we understand and embrace this fact – for ourselves and for the benefits we can receive from businesses catering to our demographic.

There is already somewhat of a change on this front – American Airlines has launched Black Atlas – a travel blog specifically geared towards African Americans.  American Airlines sponsors the site and the travel experiences are tailored to and provided by African American travelers.

In that vein, here are 5 excellent sites (in alphabetical order) I like that excel at describing their travel experiences using high-quality site designs and excellent content.

Fly Brother

Go There – http://fly-brother.blogspot.com

I’m Black and I Travel

Go There – http://imblacknitravel.com

Kiratiana Travels

Go There – http://kiratianatravels.com

Outdoor Afro

Go There – http://outdoorafro.com

Two Jet Set Divas

Go There – http://www.twojetsetdivas.com

There are many more blogs and travel sites dedicated to sharing the Black Travel Experience; these are just a few I like and follow.  Each is well written and provides ‘universal’ travel information – the authors just happen to be African American.

If you know of any other excellent blogs or travel sites – whether here in the US or abroad, let us know.  Also, I’d like to hear your feedback on the sites I’ve profiled above.

Happy Travels!!

Since most video cameras are not waterproof, most divers do not have a way to share their experiences with anyone who is not also a scuba diver.  In order to take video while diving – your video camera needed to be completely enclosed and protected from the water’s pressure.  These enclosures are called ‘Underwater Camera Housings”.   In the past, divers had to spend thousands of dollars to get an underwater housing – professional rigs can cost as much as $50,000.  Though the prices have come down a little; most are still in the $500 to $1,500 range.  This travel gadget review is focused on my experiences with the budget friendly Nemo 200 underwater housing.

Design

Underwater camera housings come in two flavors – those that can control the camera while underwater (mechanically or electronically) and those that can’t.   As you might expect, the housings that provide the ability to control the camera are the more expensive ones.  The Nemo 200 is a generic housing (not tied to a specific make/model) that does not allow the user to control the camera while underwater.  As such, it is a fairly inexpensive option for recording underwater video.

The first thing you notice as you open the box is the overall size of the Nemo 200.  This unit would not be associated with any use of the word ‘petite’.  That aside, the unit is well packed and comes with everything you’ll need to operate the unit – including an instructional manual.  The unit itself is made of PVC and stainless steel and coated with a very tasteful yellow and black color scheme.  Once you take out all of the parts, there is a mounting board with two holes pre-drilled designed to be used with your camcorder’s tripod mount (a screw is included in the box).  Once attached to the board, you can slide the camera into the housing using the guidance clips, place the o-ring and acrylic lens in place and seal the housing using the 3 latches on the unit.  Though the unit makes an excellent water seal out of the box, it is not “Scuba Ready”.

The primary act of scuba diving (aside from breathing) is the management of buoyancy, e.g., controlling your ascent or descent underwater.  If an object sinks like a rock when placed into water – it’s called negatively buoyant; if it rises to the top – it’s positively buoyant.  If it does neither, i.e., it sorta floats in suspended animation – it’s neutrally buoyant.  Because the Nemo 200 is positively buoyant out of the box, it cannot be used in a scuba environment until extra weights are added to make it at least negatively buoyant – preferably neutrally buoyant.  It would be too difficult for a diver to properly descend in the water – let alone film something – with such a large object pulling them back to the surface.  This means you will have to find some way to add non-corrosive and environmentally safe weight to the Nemo 200 before you take it out on a dive.

Also, because the front of the housing is essentially a large round plate of acrylic, you’ll have to go to a video store and purchase a sheet of color gels if you want to use a Blue or Green water filter.  An alternative to this is some camcorders (like Sony) have a screw ring around the lens that you can attach a true Blue/Green water filter.

Features

As I said earlier, you’ll have to add weights to the Nemo 200 to make it neutrally buoyant.  This can be done by strapping a weight to the underside or adding lead balls to the ballast tubes.  In addition, you can also add lights onto the exterior of the camera by attaching standard strobe lighting connectors.  Many of the expensive camera housings have the benefit of electronic or mechanical controls – but they are generally tied to a specific model of camera.  Buy a Sony today and upgrade to a Panasonic two years from now – you’ll have to shell out another $1,000 for a Panasonic specific housing.  Being a generic camera housing, the Nemo 200 will continue to be of use no matter what brand of camcorder you choose in the future.  Here’s a quick rundown of the Nemo 200 features:

Works down to 120ft (Recreational dive limit is 130ft) Can use with any DV or HDV camera with a tripod mount Can add external lights or self-powered internal monitor Sturdy construction No moving parts or electronics to damage

One of the benefits of having such a large housing is that it aids in taking steady video while underwater.  If you’ve ever watched someone’s home video and have become nauseous from all of the shaking, you’ll appreciate this benefit.  To further aid in taking excellent video, I added a self powered video monitor directly behind my camcorder on the mounting board.  Using the large back window on the Nemo 200, I can easily frame a shot while diving without worrying whether it was captured out of frame.

The Nemo 200 is manufactured by a small business owner out of the Miami area (we love supporting small business owners – don’t we???) who sells his products via eBay.  Don’t let the fact that this isn’t a major corporation give you the impression that there isn’t top-notch effort put into the product.  The very secure packaging, extra o-rings, ring grease, printed manual and a direct number/email address all speak to someone who stands beside their product.

Performance

I have to admit, finding the right size and amount of lead I needed to properly make the Nemo 200 neutrally buoyant was a pain.  Sure I could find 10lbs of weight – the problem is securing said weight to a circular object that is frequently submerged in salt water.  I finally settled on a combination of lead beads in the ballast tubes and two 3lb weights velcroed to the sides of the canister.  Cheesy – I know.  In the end, it took about 10lbs to make the Nemo 200 neutrally buoyant in salt-water (about 7lbs in fresh water).

I’ve taken the Nemo 200 into fresh and salt water – and once properly weighed – the results have been excellent.  I have not had any issues whatsoever with leaks.  The housing worked as advertised on all of my dives up to 60ft.  The below video shows two of my experiences with this video housing – the first part is the Great Barrier reef in Australia and the second is a Cenote in Cancun, Mexico.

There were a few things that became evident about the inability to control the camera while underwater.  Since there’s no way to control the record stop/start, zoom or any other function of the camera while underwater – you have to start the camcorder recording ‘before’ you get in the water.  This creates a good deal of ‘dead’ video – which is several minutes of useless video like walking into the water or waiting on the surface for the group to go down.  On my trip to Cancun, almost 20 minutes of dead footage was recorded before the actual dive.

Although it’s not likely to happen to everyone who uses the Nemo 200, two of the clips that hold the mounting board in place broke off.  Somewhat disappointing that these clips were glued/epoxied to the inside of the canister – though using screws could be dangerous.  Also, even when the Nemo 200 is neutrally buoyant, it is so large that it generally requires two hands to operate.  Though one-handed operation is possible – it becomes unwieldy – especially in waters with a current.  Finally, the microphone for your video camera can pick up sounds through the Nemo 200; however, it’s unlikely to be anything but the gurgling from your regulator.

In Conclusion

In the end, the Nemo 200 works as advertised.  As long as you understand its limitations, it can be a useful and fun product.  My suggestion is get it if you want to save money, not be tied to a specific camera model and don’t mind the travel weight and size (like if you drive or live near your dive spots).  If on the other hand you can’t stand paying the airlines another nickel to carry your bags, find something this large a little unwieldy or require some level of camcorder control while underwater – this is not the housing for you.  Your other options are to shell out the extra cash for a more advanced housing, use various digital still camera options or look into video cameras embedded into the scuba mask itself.

Note:  The manufacturer also offers two smaller versions of an underwater housing – though you lose a good deal of flexibility with respect to external lights, internal monitors and camera size.

Until next time – Happy Travels!!!

Destination at a Glance
Date of Trip	November 2008
Destination Good for	Shopping, Culture/History
Best Time to Go	Spring & Fall
Currency/Conv. Rate	Euro/ 1 USD equaled .56 Euros – Unfavorable
Good Way to Get Around	Rent Car: Yes	Public: Yes	Taxi: Yes	Walking: Yes
Appox. Trip Cost	Moderately Expensive
Speaks English?	Many – some signs in English
Entry Requirements	Passport Only
Do it	Capuchini Bone Chapel Ristorante del Pallaro Imperial Forums
Skip it	Awful breakfast and most lunch cafes The Vatican
Didn’t get to do	Inside Sistine Chapel (no pictures allowed)
Would I Recommend	Tour of Italy – not a Rome only trip
Overall Trip Rating

Trip Review (Click Thumbnails to see Full-Sized Images)

There’s probably no ancient culture talked about in our current environment more than ancient Rome – from books, television programs (Rome, Spartacus) or movies (Gladiator).  Luckily, many of the archeological locations referenced in these works are still standing; making a visit to Rome a good opportunity to see what all the fuss is about.  Rome has been on my Bucket List for as long as I’ve had one; unfortunately for me – it didn’t warrant its spot on the list.

Getting Around

One of the first things you notice as you drive into the city from the airport is how relatively small Rome is – at least the non-farm metropolitan area.  This is actually a good thing though, as it allows you to get to all of the interesting historic sites by a short taxi/bus ride – in many cases even walking.  In fact, if you do a little planning, you can visit all 14 of Rome’s frequently visited tourist attractions in a single day.

Oddly enough, Rome has a more “European” feel to it than an “Italian” feel.  If you closed your eyes for a minute and open them on any street without a tourist attraction – it would look no different than any other Western European city such as Paris, Brussels or Frankfurt.

There are hundreds of cabs in the city center – so getting from one site to the other is simple – if not expensive.   Due to the notoriously bad traffic, taking a cab isn’t necessarily a faster option than taking one of the many local tour buses.  These double-decker local tour buses essentially drive in a circle stopping at one of the 14 or so tourist attractions.  You purchase a 24hr pass which allows you to get on/off any stop in the route – with buses arriving every 20 minutes.  Most tour buses are equipped with multi-language commentary for each stop on the route and the headphones are usually included in the price of the 24hr ticket.

Finally, Rome has a simple train system that runs North/South and East/West – if you need anything in-between – you’re out of luck (sort of reminds me of Atlanta in that way).  My suggestion is to stay near the city center – any other area is a good ways away from most of the tourist attractions.

Historic Rome

While I did not visit all of the tourist attractions, here are a few of the attractions worth writing about.

• Colosseum – One of the more recognizable sites in the world, the Colosseum is by far the most popular tourist attraction in Rome.  I made the mistake of not getting there early in the morning and was faced with at least a 2-hour wait in line.  There are two ways around this – pay extra to be part of a tour or hustle your way to the front of the line.  After hustling my way to the front of the line, I was struck by how much the place needed a bath!   Seriously, I know the place is thousands of years old – but dirt and moss growing on the pillars?  On top of that, visitors are not allowed on the Colosseum floor or in the underground passages.  You are essentially confined to the 2^nd and 3^rd levels where you can take downward facing shots – of moss covered stone.  WTF?   At least they have a small museum on the 3^rd level – but if I’d waited two hours to see this crap I‘d been really mad.  One suggestion – the nighttime pictures of the Colosseum’s exterior are stunning – highly recommended.
• Imperial Forums – Not far from the Colosseum are the Imperial Forums – a series of public squares, temples and buildings.  Even though they are not surrounded by walls like the Colosseum, as a whole they are much better maintained.  Again, I’d suggest visiting at night to take some excellent pictures.
• Trevi Fountain – Another popular tourist attraction, the fountain was initially built as the end point to the Roman irrigation/water system (aqueducts).  Several strong looking Romans adorn the top of the monument – many on Pegasus looking horses.  Other than taking excellent pictures (at night again) – the in thing to do at the Trevi Fountain is to make a wish.  According to legend – throwing 2 coins into the fountain will lead to a new romance – while throwing 3 coins will lead to marriage or divorce (huh???).
• Pantheon – Built around 100 AD, the Pantheon was meant to be a temple to all of the gods.  It’s essentially a giant church – complete with Roman Catholic hems playing in the background.  I must say this place is grand; the pillars have to be at least 50ft high, the floors were very nice looking marble and the domed center is somewhat of an archeological masterpiece.  I’m not really a museum kinda dude – but pretty nice as these things go.
• Spanish Steps – A rather steep incline of steps right off of the Piazza di Spagna (many shops/cafes).  Allegedly, these are the longest and widest staircases in Europe.  Nothing special here folks – keep it moving.

The thing that was really annoying to me was the number of beggars around these tourist traps.  While no one comes close to the beggars in Egypt – the Romans are making a strong push for 2^nd place.  At least the Egyptians had enough sense not to touch you – these Son of a Guns obviously hadn’t heard of the “Ugly Americans”.  I happily provided a lesson.  Beggin Asses!!!

…Continued