One of the online communities of Digital Location Independent Lifestyle Designing NuNomads that we are affiliated with online is taking a brief survey of the nomadic and wanna-be nomadic:

Do you ever wonder how many people out there are really location independent? Do you have questions about what they do for a living, how much they work or where they live?

Here is your chance to get answers to those questions.

Free Pursuits and Location Independent are hosting a survey about location independence and digital nomads. We hope you will help the community by completing the survey.

You don’t have to already be location independent to participate. If you’re an aspiring digital nomad or location independent, we also have questions for you.

If you identify with nomadic living or location independent work, you can take the survey here.

We'll be posting our take on the results on technomadia.com in a few weeks.

Thanks in advance for participating!

In case you missed our post over on technomadia.com about this...

The Digital Vagabond is sponsoring a "Roads Scholarship" this summer that will offer the winner a $1,200/month stipend towards a three-month cross country roadtrip adventure, culminating at Burning Man.

If you want to apply, applications are due TOMORROW!

Apply here, and come join us out on the road! *grin*

Exactly three years ago, on April 1st 2006, my nomadic wanderings began.

I set off without a clear plan, other than that I wanted to explore making nomadism a fulfilling life, and not a "trip" with some particular destination or end-point in mind.

I did have some intentions when I set off. I expected that within the first year I would have been to both Alaska and Baja, and that I would be soon heading off for some extended international travel and wilderness backpacking.

Amusingly - none of that has happened. Yet.

As I mentioned in my year one recap two years ago:

I've found that I strongly prefer a slower and more intentional pace of exploration. I like not needing to race to get somewhere, and instead focusing on enjoying where I am at and the people I am with. Alaska isn't going anywhere - it can wait till the time is right.

The one thing I did not expect when I set off was to find a life partner along the way. But as is often the case, if you do what you love and pursue your passions, the universe often conspires to help you. And by the end of my first year on the road, it was clear that I would have a partner sharing in my second.

Cherie proved to be just as willing to shed the anchors of stuff and place as I was, and after an extended trial run to determine that our paths really are so fully aligned, we committed to each other at Burning Man 2007.

The story of 2008 was building our "dream house" together. It even comes equipped with rainbows that follow us everywhere:



Right now, on my three-year-nomadic anniversary, we are camped on a beach just a bit north of Malibu. As I write this, I'm watching the oean waves crash through our back window over my love Cherie's shoulder. Yesterday we saw dolphins. I have a purring and playful kitten crawling around in my lap. My laptop is being powered by the light of the sun, and I've been using wireless internet to get work for a client done right here from the beach. We have a fabulous tech-filled yet comfortable home on wheels that is a joy to live in. We have a social calendar full of fabulous friends (old and new) ahead of us this week, and an intentionally vague and open ended route ahead sketched out for the next few months on the road. Life is good.

A fulfilling life indeed. And still no end in sight. *grin*

Cherie and I have been spending a lot of time working on www.technomadia.com - and there is a lot of great stuff to explore over there now.

One of the thing in particular that we've been most wanting to incorporate into our blog posting has been maps.

After a lot of late night experimentation with a lot of WordPress plugins of (ahem) varying quality, I think I am at last happy with the results I am getting from the Wordpress Geo Mashup plugin.

Click over to the main Technomadia blog page and check out how the maps now incorporate directly into some of the posts.

Even better, I have created a new page on the Technomadia site that tracks all of our geocoded posts, whether they have a map displayed within the post or not. This will allow folks to browse posts to "Tales from Technomadia" by geography as well as by timeline or category.

I think it is pretty cool. What do you think? Any thoughts or suggestions?

Let me know what you think - feel free to leave comments here or there. :-)

Attention world - we've just relaunched www.technomadia.com, and the new site looks gorgeous.

We worked with our friend Geoffeg on customizing the look and feel of Technomadia so that it wouldn't look like "just another Wordpress blog". I think he did a fabulous job, and we will be adding on all sorts of cool content and features in the coming weeks.

Going forward I will probably be doing more travel-related blogging over at Technomadia rather than here, but I will be cross-posting to LiveJournal for the time being.

Speaking of the weeks ahead, serolynne just posted our tentative travel plans for the next few weeks as we depart the SF bay area and start working our way south and east. You can read about our plans here.

It has been a great few months in the SF area, but I am looking forward to the view out the window starting the change a bit more frequently again. *grin*

Ever since we left Cherie's beloved Alma behind in Florida, we have been contemplating the possibility of someday finding a "trailer kitty" to join us in our traveling.

We knew that we would need to start with a kitten that we could raise to be comfortable with traveling, trailer life, and walks on leash. It felt wrong to try and force an older cat (like Alma) to adjust to life as a Catnomad.

But we weren't in any hurry. We figured when the time was right, the right kitten would find us.

I think perhaps we have been found.

Introducing Kiki:


My dear friend Martha, her boys, and her housemate Leslie have been raising Kiki, her near-twin brother Simon, and her sister Bear since they were still needing to be bottle fed. They found the kittens abandoned in their chicken coop, and they stepped in when the mother (presumably one of the barn cats) failed to return.


Simon, Bear, and Kiki take over Cherie's lap...

We stopped in to visit with Martha and crew in Oregon on our way up to Seattle this week, and we were instantly overwhelmed with kitten cuteness. Kiki was the mellowest of the three, and she seemed to instantly bond with us. When Martha offered to send Kiki with us for a trial run to Seattle and back, it was as if fate had spoken.

The first few days with Kiki have been mostly great. She is a very sweet tempered and loving little kitten, playful, and a great traveler.


Cherie and I have both fallen in love with our little bundle of claws and cuteness...

But every night around 9pm, there is a transformation... Kiki's tail starts to twitch at double time, her motor revs up, and she starts to bounce off the walls. And up our legs. And into our skin!!

Kitten claws are SHARP! *ouch*

I can totally relate with this hilarious video now:

Fortunately she seems to respond well to a little bit of time-out in her carrier, and usually it isn't long before the sweet little Kiki is back.

Tomorrow is the next big test. How well will Kiki handle a day home alone while Cherie and I are off working with a client? We'll see...

Into the Wild tells the true story of Christopher McCandless and his tragic quest to challenge himself and rebel against modern society by journeying alone and almost entirely unprepared into the deep Alaskan wilderness in the summer of 1992.

There is a lot I admire about Chris. He went to extremes to break free from the formulas and maps that define modern society, and my heart definitely identifies with his rejection of "stuff" and the pursuit of adventure that was driving him.

But I totally reject his methods. In the end, Chris proved to be a reckless and self-centered dumbass, and though the movie does not show it - his death could have been easily avoided.

Chris graduated from Emory University in 1990, and rather than head off to law school like his family expected, he donated his life savings of $24,000 to charity, and he set off driving west, abandoning his parents and sister, never to speak to them again.

After many adventures along the way he reached Alaska in 1992, where he journeyed into the wilderness with little more than a book about edible plants, a rifle, and a 10lb bag of rice for sustenance.

It was tough living off the land. He did manage to hunt and kill a moose, but he did not know how to preserve the meat and it rotted on him. Before long, he was starving. And when he tried to escape by retracing his steps, he discovered that the shallow river he had waded across early in the season was now a raging and impassible torrent, trapping him.

He lasted a bit over 100 days, living in an old abandoned bus for shelter.

Hunters found his body, his journal, and his cameras full of undeveloped film just two weeks later. His final journal entry: "I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!"

The movie (and the book it was based on) surmised that Chris would have made it had he not accidentally eaten poisonous berries. But no evidence of fatally poisonous berries were ever found in the area, and the more likely scenario is that Chris simply starved to death - expending more calories to find food than he got from eating it. When he was found, his body weighed less than 70lbs.

The movie makes no mention of this - but when I went to read more about Chris and the controversy around his death, I was shocked to discover that there was a hand-operated tram over the river less than a quarter mile from where Chris had found himself trapped and unable to cross. If he had only had a detailed map, he would have been able to walk out to safety.

Just a tiny bit of preparation would have saved him.

*sigh*

The movie dramatizing Chris's life is really good though. It stars Emile Hirsch, and he does an amazing job portraying Chris and the changes he undergoes. The movie was a labor of love for director Sean Penn, who also wrote the screenplay. The location shooting is fabulous, and the beauty and magic of the wilderness is thoroughly captured.

I just wish the movie hadn't tried so hard to make Chris into a heroic figure, when in truth he was more tragic than not. That side of his story was left mostly untold.

Still... A very beautiful, and thought provoking movie. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 4 stars

Note: I am curious to check out a new non-Hollywood documentary about the Christopher McCandless story called The Call of the Wild. To make the movie, the filmmaker physically retraces Chris's journey from a more objective and less hero-worshipping angle. The "Debunking" page on the documentaries website is where I learned a lot about just how misleading the Hollywood drama version had been.

One of the other chores I've needed to handle in California was getting a new storage unit.

I've been keeping my extra "stuff" (including books, media, seasonal clothes, and Burning Man gear) at the Self Storage 1 on Otis St. in downtown San Francisco for years now.

When I lived (almost literally) across the street, having my storage unit so close was great. But getting into and out of a storage facility in downtown SF with limited access hours is NOT compatible with our current nomadic life. Paying $133 / month for a 5' x 8' space whose prime feature is a "convenient" downtown location just isn't worth it.

Just before Burning Man, serolynne and I searched out a new storage unit in Sacramento - with the goal of finding something cheaper, vastly easier to access, and close to our Sacramento home base of Lindsay and Sean.

The first place we checked out was a U-Store-It on 16th Street, just on the northern fringes of downtown Sacramento. The place was old and run down, but they had a narrow 5' x 15' drive-up non-climate-controlled space cheap ($79 / month), and it was very conveniently located. I had some misgivings, but in the pre-Burning Man rush I did not have time to do my typical (overly) extensive researching of other options, so we went with it and used it as a place to unload things that we were not planning to bring to the playa - such as all my paramotoring gear.

After Burning Man, I became increasingly displeased with the poor customer service from U-Store-It. Finding the office unattended during supposedly open office hours was the final straw for me, and I spent a day tracking down a better storage option.

What I came up with was Extra Space Storage on 30th and B street - only a tiny bit further away from Lindsay and Sean, and located in a much better area of town. When we arrived to check it out, my only thought was disbelief. This place is amazing! It couldn't be any more different than the typical dingy storage units I have encountered - they even had granite counters in the lobby!.

The 3000 B Street Extra Space Storage facility is a new building, opened just a year ago. It is bright and clean, each unit is individually alarmed, and the staff has proven to be fabulous, friendly, and helpful. And for just $89 / month we are getting a climate controlled 10' x 10' space that has such a high ceiling that it practically has double that capacity.

Needless to say, that very afternoon I ditched U-Store-It and we moved my flying gear over to Self Storage One.

But that was just the small move.

Yesterday was the big moving day, and it was a long one.

We got up at 6:30AM, drove to the Millbrae Caltrain station, took a train into SF, walked to the Budget Rent-A-Truck yard, and spent the first half of the day loading up our one-way rental at Self Storage 1.

Gads - despite being nomadic and committed to shedding my physical anchors, it is very clear that I still have WAY too much stuff!

But there wasn't any time for purging, sorting, or organizing - we just loaded up the truck as quickly as we could.


Me and my "extra stuff", loaded into a 16' Budget rental truck...

The afternoon was spent driving to Sacramento, and then handling the hot and sweaty chore of unloading. By the time we dropped off the truck at 6:15, we were exhausted.

Fortunately, the Amtrak ride back from Sacramento is the ultimate in relaxation. I love traveling by train, watching the lights flow by... The gentle rock of the train is so soothing.

The final leg on BART from Richmond back to Millbrae wasn't nearly as relaxing. We made it home and crashed into bed just before midnight.

Thank you to my dear Cherie for putting up with such a full day of hauling around heavy anchors!

Now my next storage related chore is to spend some time organizing the new storage unit, and engaging the services of the Purge Genie to help me sell off and/or shed a lot of it.

The goal is to set up a space that has stuff not just stored, but organized and accessible. We will have bookcases full of books to check out, movies in a media rack, seasonal clothes hanging in a wardrobe, and Burning Man gear awaiting use next August.

I will also be leaving my paramotoring gear stored here. I haven't flown much at all over the past two years, and most of the other pilots I know and places that I am comfortable flying are in the Sacramento area.

Hopefully I'll manage some flying time soon... :-)

One of the chores I had been dreading post-Burning Man had been the need to start aggressively marketing the awesome little Tab Clamshell that has been my home for much of the past two years.



At first, I thought selling her was going to be easy.

I had several people express strong interest in my Tab this spring, and one friend was even "85% certain" he wanted to buy it and I held it for him for several weeks before he eventually backed out.

Soon all my informal leads had dried up.

Beginning in June, with our Oliver on the way, I began advertising my Tab widely around the Internet. I got several promising leads, but none of them panned out. Most of the interest came from the west coast (and Tab was first in FL and then St. Louis, MO), or from people who had disagreements with their spouses over the importance of air conditioning...

Some other folks were "hugely interested", but they needed to wait for other trailers or boats to sell first, or they were just not yet in a financial position to buy.

Soon all my leads had dried up, and with the rush to move into our Oliver and get west I hadn't had much time to do any more marketing.

We left the Tab sitting surrounded by much larger RV's in a consignment lot when we departed St. Louis, with no prospects on the horizon. Even the consignment lot manager was skeptical that anyone in the area would be willing to buy such a small trailer, but she was willing to store it and display it through the winter.

It was looking like it would be a long haul...



There is something a little bit magical about the Black Rock Desert however.

Heading home from 12 days without connectivity at Burning Man, I discovered that I had three voice mails waiting from a man in Santa Fe who was interested in buying my Tab as a birthday present for his wife. I was instructed to call back ASAP, and to not disclose any details in any answering machine messages about what I was calling about. He said he would take the lack of a call back as an indication that the Tab had already sold...

I called him as soon as we reached Reno, but only got his machine. Several days passed, and his lack of a return call lead me to believe that he must have moved on.

But then - he called!

He had NOT gotten my message because he had been spending a long weekend at his hanger where he was working on a kit plane, and he had been discussing with his hanger-neighbor that he had been hoping to get a return call from "a Chris Dunphy in St. Louis..."

His hanger neighbor RECOGNIZED my name, and told him he knew me!

It turns out that his airport neighbor is my college girlfriend's father! I had visited him once in Albuquerque years ago, but I have not spoken to either him or his daughter in nearly a dozen years!

This small world moment was enough to prompt the buyer to try calling me again, and the thread of connection and serendipity allowed us to establish instant rapport.

By the end of our first conversation he had agreed to buy my Tab for my full asking price, site unseen. His wife is an artist, and she was looking for a small simple trailer to take out into the desert to be her artist's retreat. My solar-powered Tab was perfect for the job.

Wow!



I could hardly believe that my good fortune in this sale was real. I've been pinching myself all of the past two weeks, waiting for some catch or hiccup to emerge. But nothing did.

He even trusted me enough to send me a cashiers check for the full amount in advance before I mailed him the title.

Yesterday afternoon, he showed up at my parent's place in St. Louis after a roadtrip across the country. He hitched up this morning, and my Tab is now on its way back to its new home in Santa Fe.



My Tab is soon to become an artist's desert painting retreat...

I could hardly imagine a better home for my baby.

*grin*

Yesterday dawnd invited us to come watch her sing in the Rhythm Society Choir's quarterly performance. She had playfully suggested that attending was the "price" for camping the past few days in front of her house - but I have heard Dawn sing before, and arm twisting would not have been necessary to entice me.

I expected the typical folding chairs, a stage, and a clear division between the performers and the audience.

Instead - when we arrived, we found yoga mats and cushions set up in a circle around a fruit basket to symbolize the harvest. There was no separation in the circle between the choir and the guests, and to my surprise I realized by the music in front of each mat that the audience was welcome to join in and sing as well.

I only found this description of the event in my email archives afterwards:

The choir will sing a few songs, invite you all to join in for some, and allow time for spontaneous sharing of those gathered, Quaker style. As such, this isn't a traditional concert, but rather a contemplative sharing space for all gathered, with a thread of choral song throughout.

It was a wonderful experience - a mix of listening, singing, sharing, meditating, and silent contemplation. The music ranged from traditional to spiritual, and serious to playful.

It was totally unexpected, and unlike anything I have experienced before.

The realization of the uniqueness of the event really struck me, and this is what I was called to share with the group:

Three weeks ago on Sunday afternoon we were in Black Rock City, preparing to venture out to watch the Temple burn, concluding a week at Burning Man.

Two weeks ago, we were camped above the fabulously bizarre International Camel Races in Virginia City Nevada.

A week ago we were wandering through the crowd admiring a 40 foot long "World's Largest" tamale while listening to mariachi music at Sacramento's Tamale Festival.

And this Sunday, I am singing with a choir.

Most of these things were not planned for far in advance, and came about just from trusting in Nomadic Serendipity.

You never know where the river will take you, or what amazing things are in store when you just trust in it.

The diversity in our lives is amazingly wonderful. That right there is my favorite thing about nomadism.

Camp Nomadia is rapidly coming together, and serolynne and I will be headed out to the playa in just a few days - stopping in Reno Thursday night and arriving in Black Rock City on Friday.

The man burns in just 10 days!

CAMP NOMADIA LOCATION:
We are located this year at 4:30 & Edsel. If you are going to be in Black Rock City this year, come by and say hello. Our new Oliver should be parked close to the street and it will be easy to find:



CAMP NOMADIA EVENTS:
Due to transportation and logistical issues, we have decided not to host the Giant Settlers of Catan game - but we will have a "Wheel of Fortune" game display and a giant slot machine to entertain passerbys, created by some of our campmates.

Our main camp events will be the three Nomadic Happy Hours. As a reminder, here are the details:

Nomadic Happy Hour - Tuesday & Thursday, 4pm - 6pm. Sunday, 3pm - 5pm - Camp Nomadia @ 4:30 & Edsel

The vision of Camp Nomadia is to bring together as many cool nomadic spirits as we can to share stories, resources, passion, and community.

To foster nomadic community, we are hosting a Nomadic Happy Hour on Tuesday and Thursday (4pm to 6pm) and Sunday (3pm to 5pm).

Come and stop by - whether you are a current nomad, future nomad, wanna-be nomad, part time nomad, domestic nomad, international nomad, technomad, lowtechnomad, former nomad, land nomad, rail nomad, backpacking nomad, open water cruising nomad, friend of a nomad, or you just want to be around nomads.

Bring some food or drink to share, and come mix and mingle. Tour a few truly mobile homes. Learn what it is like to live full-time on the road. Ask questions. Swap stories.

Or just come hang out and meet some cool folk.

Please stop by, and spread the word to your nomadic friends.

I have no idea how many people will be showing up at each of these happy hours, but I do know that a documentary film producer working on a project about people pursuing their own take on personal freedom plans to attend to meet us. Coolness!

MAIL ME:
Finally, it would be great to get some mail on the playa this year. I've never used the Black Rock City Post Office before, but this US postal address should work:

Seeder (aka Chris Dunphy)
Camp Nomadia
4:30 & Edsel
Black Rock City, NV 89412

Let me know if you would like me to send you a postcard from the playa, and I will try to get one sent out for you - email me your address if I don't already have it. I think the BRCPO even has their own special postmark!

I can almost taste the dust already... *grin*

The past few months have been a blur.

It was just mid-May when serolynne and I first started to move full speed ahead towards going nomadic again. Ever since, I have been deep in a whirlwind of preparation, to-do lists, Oliver customization, purging, packing, moving, and more.

During this time, Cherie even managed to sell her house in Florida.

The past month in particular has been overwhelming. I do not think I have ever been this far behind on email and other people's LJ's. (My apologies!)

And now... The preparation phase is behind us, and we are in motion once again. It is time to get back to living the life that we have spent so long designing.

The universe has been giving us plenty of reminders of why we do this too. The interesting people, places, and experiences are what make it all worth while.

Yesterday, at a rest area just outside of St. Louis we met a husband and wife trucking team towing 40k pounds of frozen chickens from Georgia to Oregon. We swapped stories, and showed off our Oliver. She had been a bank vice-president, and he had been a bank vault installer. And now they cris-cross the nation together with two adorable dogs in tow. Absolutely fascinating people!

And today, at a Camping World in Council Bluffs, Iowa we met another young couple who have been full-timing in a 38' Airstream since 2001. We swapped tours - they loved our Oliver, and I loved how they had beautifully outfitted and decorated their Airstream. They even had a fresh herb garden growing inside! Even more impressive is that they average $0.02/gallon for the veggie oil fuel that they burn in their truck, mostly gotten from Chinese restaurants.

I always love encountering other nomads, particularly ones who are viewing it as "life" and not "retirement". We swapped contact info, and sketched out plans for reconnecting down the road - perhaps up in the Pacific Northwest.

Right now we are camped in "downtown" Vermillion, South Dakota. The beautiful city park here provides free camping, including power hookups and even a dump station. Few commercial campgrounds are as beautifully kept and as well equipped.

Just a stones throw away the County Fair is underway. We walked over for dinner from the 4-H food booth, to check out the small collection of carnival rides, and to watch kids shoving pigs around a ring. (They were being judged, but I'm not sure on what...)

We spent the rest of the evening strolling through this beautiful town, and catching up on the simple joy of at last being HOME again.

In the morning, Cherie will be walking down to the City Hall to get her South Dakota drivers license.

We will probably stay here another day - perhaps riding our bikes to Nebraska, or maybe checking out the demolition derby at the County Fair in the evening. I've never been to a demolition derby before. I wonder if it will be as incomprehensibly fascinating as the kids pushing pigs?

Soon we will be heading west again - meeting friends in Vegas next weekend, and Burning Man the weekend after that. Who knows how many other adventures we will encounter along the way too.

And then in September, we get to the final item on the to-do list:

"Spend a month chilling, with minimal kinetic energy!!!"

Ahhh, I can't wait!!!

We left serolynne's house in Indian Harbour Beach yesterday, very likely never to return.

Hopefully her house will sell long before we ever make it back to Florida, and we've left it empty enough that she should have no need to return for any closing or final cleaning.

The past few weeks have been a frenzy of selling stuff and Goodwill runs.

We have loaded up our Tab, and we are migrating north.

Last night we handed off Cherie's Prius to its new owner in Inverness, FL. Tonight we are visiting with friends in Atlanta. Tomorrow night we'll reach Hohenwald, TN. Wednesday morning we'll be touring the Oliver factory.

And then late Wednesday night we'll reach my folks place in St. Louis, where we will be storing our excess stuff and staging into the new Oliver.

We pick up the Oliver on July 25th.

Nomadism has begun again...

Mobile connectivity is essential to our life as technomads.

And over the past year and half, Sprint's EVDO service has worked wonderfully for us. We have gotten broadband speed all over the country, and it has worked so well that we have even been able to cut the cable modem line while living here at Cherie's house in Florida.

To connect we use a Novatel Merlin EX720 card, and to share the connection we use a small Cradlepoint CTR-350 WiFi router. This combination is small, portable, simple, power efficient, and it works amazingly well.

The reason that we chose Sprint last year was that it was the only nationwide carrier offering "unlimited" wireless data. At the time Verizon was also advertising "unlimited data", but was attaching fine print defining unlimited as "5GB a month".

(The New York Attorney General actually had to get involved to get Verizon to stop marketing 5GB as "unlimited"!!!)

Over the past year, Sprint won a lot of customers thanks to this "unlimited" policy, despite having inferior coverage. But the limits of "unlimited" have apparently now been reached.

Taking Verizon's lead - Sprint is dropping the easy to understand and consumer friendly "unlimited" and is now implementing a 5GB cap.


The new deal from Spint:
Here are Sprint's new terms, that we must either agree to or use as an excuse to cancel our two year contract:

Sprint reserves the right to limit throughput speeds or amount of data transferred and to deny, terminate, modify, or suspend service if usage exceeds 5gb per month in total or 300mb/month while off-network roaming.

*grrrrr*

How are we supposed to depend on our wireless connection for getting work done when it can be throttled down or canceled at any time without warning? The 300mb off-network roaming is particularly troubling, because there is not even a way to tell when you ARE roaming, and such roaming has always been free.

Sprint's cap is a "soft cap" - there is no charge if you go over, but there is also no certainty that your connection will not be cut off either. Install a major OS update and you could find yourself cut off. Get a lot of work in to do, and you could find yourself unable to do it. Etc...

There is no longer ANY option for a real unlimited usage connection from Sprint, even if you would gladly pay more for it.


Verizon's WORSE Deal:
Meanwhile, Verizon's "soft cap" is growing painfully and outrageously hard. Rather than having a rarely enforced threat of service cancelation if you exceed 5GB of usage, Verizon is now rolling out "overage charges" of $250 per GB.

Let me repeat: TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS PER GIGABYTE!!!

In other words - the first 5GB you use are around $14 each, but the 6th you consume is suddenly 18x more expensive. This is the sort of gouging that you typically see con-men trying to pull after a natural disaster.

For an example of how easily it is to consume this much data - we have been watching the TV series Torchwood (purchased via iTunes). One episode is around 600MB - which via Verizon's new pricing would cost us $2.00 to Apple, and $150 to Verizon to view.

Based on this math, to download the entire season will cost you nearly $2000!!! ($25 to Apple and $1810 to Verizon). This is one VERY expensive single click of the mouse!

Here are the details of Verizon's new terms:

Effective June 22, 2008, Verizon has now changed how overage charges will affect those who exceed their allotted (5GB) usage per month. The new implementation provides for:

• All plans are now subject to standardized $0.25/MB overage charge.


• There is now a temporary "usage limit" cap of $250 for monthly overage fees.


• All customers will only have three monthly bills subjected to a usage limit of $250. After the third bill to have the usage limit applied, there will no longer be a usage limit on the monthly bill, and the customer will be responsible to pay for all actual usage charges incurred on their monthly bill.


• In addition to the changes in overage charges to existing 50MB and 5GB plans, a new plan is being made available to customers who have used up all their 'usage limits'. This new "save plan" provides 10GB of data usage for $199.99/mo and the same $0.25/mb overage charge after the alloted data usage.

Insane.


AT&T's Capped Plans:
In the past year, AT&T's 3G HSDPA network has become a viable mobile data alternative to EVDO on Sprint and Verizon. But AT&T has a 5GB soft cap just like Sprint (and like Verizon used to):

The parties agree that AT&T has the right to impose additional charges if you use more than 5 gigabytes in a month. Prior to the imposition of any additional charges, AT&T shall provide you with notice and you shall have the right to terminate your service.

At the moment, AT&T is not charging for data over 5GB, and they are not enforcing their cap. But how long before they join Verizon in the gouging? I am guessing it is only a matter of time.


Alltel - The Last Bastion of Unlimited Data:
Alltel is the only nationwide wireless network that is still offering unlimited EVDO usage, for only $59/ month. But seeing as Alltel is in the process of being acquired by Verizon, my guess is that this offer will probably not be around for very much longer.

Even though the deal is likely not to last, Alltel is the only carrier with reasonable data plans. Because of this, we will probably soon cancel our contract with Sprint and switch to Alltel. At least we will have a few months before we have to cancel again and look for another alternative...


*sigh*

It looks as if the unlimited usage plans that have allowed wireless data in the US to thrive are soon to be a thing of the past. This is a shame. The wired Internet only took off once ISP's stopped billing per hour and offered unlimited use. With usage caps and outrageous overage charges in place, users will grow very wary of actually making use of all these wonderful fast networks that are being deployed.

Why have fast 3G wireless data if you can't actually make use of it?

Unlimited data. RIP.

When I gave up my place in San Francisco and began my nomadic adventures (over two years ago, wow!) - I hosted a House Cooling Party to celebrate my departure.

Now serolynne will soon be leaving her house behind, empty if not yet sold. Her house cooling party is tonight.

I've had a lot of people over the years express interest in the idea of a house cooling party, so I'd like to share my "rules" for hosting such an event. Even if you are not hitting the road and intending to leave your house empty, this is a great way to get rid of STUFF and find it an appreciative new home.

What is a House Cooling Party?
The idea of a House Cooling is the exact opposite of a House Warming. I expect guests to come empty handed, and leave with gifts, plants, liquor, or food. In particular, I would love to pass on to friends the treasures that I don't want to store and which are too tough to sell, but which are too cool or personally significant for Goodwill. There will be all sorts of cool stuff up for grabs.

Party Rules:

1. Guests MAY NOT leave empty handed.


2. Take only things you will appreciate, or that you will gift forward.
   If you are an eBay mogul and think you can make a killing selling some of the random collectibles (Star Wars?), let me know and we’ll split the profit 50/50...


3. Take a lot! It feels good to see things pass on to good homes, especially to friends. Make me feel good - come early, and load up!


4. The only price: tell me what you take, and share with me about what good use it is destined for. Sign the PurgeBook before you leave - this will become a treasured keepsake.


5. HAVE FUN!

Special Bonus: Those who stay late and help clean up have dibs on taking what remains in the liquor cabinet.

Please use and modify these rules in hosting house coolings and/or purge parties of your own!

Camp Nomadia is starting to come together.

We've been listed in the 2008 Burning Man theme camp directory at BurningMan.com, and just today we submitted the following official camp events to be included in the printed and online "What / Where / When" guide.

Nomadic Happy Hour - Tuesday & Thursday, 4pm - 6pm. Sunday, 3pm - 5pm

The vision of Camp Nomadia is to bring together as many cool nomadic spirits as we can to share stories, resources, passion, and community.

To foster nomadic community, we are hosting a Nomadic Happy Hour on Tuesday and Thursday (4pm to 6pm) and Sunday (3pm to 5pm).

Come and stop by - whether you are a current nomad, future nomad, wanna-be nomad, part time nomad, domestic nomad, international nomad, technomad, lowtechnomad, former nomad, land nomad, rail nomad, backpacking nomad, open water cruising nomad, friend of a nomad, or you just want to be around nomads.

Bring some food or drink to share, and come mix and mingle. Tour a few truly mobile homes. Learn what it is like to live full-time on the road. Ask questions. Swap stories.

Or just come hang out and meet some cool folk.

See you there!

GIANT Settlers of Catan Game - Daily Open Gaming, Monday thru Saturday, 8am - 7pm

Play the strategy game Settlers of Catan on a 25-foot-wide board! Why play with resource cards when you can have resources? Form coalition governments and strategically build the city of your dreams! Get lots of hex in the process! Prove that the playa hasn't reduced your attention span to mere seconds!

A photo showing off the 2007 version of mega-Catan...

You can see more pictures and read more about the giant Catan game here. nasu_dengaku has created a thing of beauty indeed, and I am thrilled that he has decided to join Camp Nomadia (and that he is bringing his toys!)

The planning for Camp Nomadia is being discussed at forum.technomads.net. Anyone interested in camping with us or getting involved somehow is welcome to join in there.

And if you are going to be in Black Rock City at all this year, be sure to stop by and hang out with us at the Nomadic Happy Hour!

With our Oliver on the way and Cherie's house on the fast-track to sell, it is time to find a new home for my beloved Tab.



My uber-upgraded Tab is fairly unique in that it is actually able to run on solar for extended periods of time without resorting to a generator or shore power. The large 110W panel and 260 amp hour battery bank allow for comfortable off grid living in a trailer small and light enough (just 1500lbs) that most vehicles can tow it.

I've never seen any other trailer that is simultaneously so small and so autonomous.

The cute retro clamshell design is also a fabulous attention grabber and ice breaker.

The Tab is perfect for weekend getaways, festivals, cross country road-trips, and even extended living. It has been my home for much of the past two years, and Cherie and I were very comfortable living primarily out of Tab for seven months of cross country exploration last year. In all that time, we only had to plug in to charge the batteries a handful of times, despite our heavy laptop and internet usage. The electrical system and massive battery capacity worked wonderfully for our needs.

New Tab Clamshells seem to be selling for as much as $17k - $19k now, without any of my extensive upgrades. Mine is a 2006 model, and it is just over two years old. The only major options missing are the air conditioning (which takes up a lot of the interior storage) and the electric refrigerator (which uses too much power to run off of solar).

These are the technology and other upgrades that I have installed in Tab:

• Siemens 110w solar panel with panel tilting hardware


• Blue Sky Energy Solar Boost 2512iX MPPT solar charge controller


• IPN Pro Remote - solar control panel & battery monitor (w 500A shunt)


• 2x Trojan T-145 6V Batteries (260 AH Capacity)


• Xantrex Pro 1000W Inverter w 30 amp auto-transfer switch. The Inverter is wired to provide AC power to all internal and external power outlets.


• Interior Red LED Mood Lighting

The solar system revolves around a BlueSky MPPT current boosting charge controller, a 110W Siemens solar panel, and the fabulous IPN-Pro Remote which tracks amp hours and the precise amount of battery capacity remaining. The power is stored in two Trojan T-145 6V "golf cart" batteries, and turned into AC power by way of a Xantrex Pro 1000W inverter with an integrated 30 amp transfer switch.


The Tab is seemingly larger on the inside than out. The kitchen is of course largest of any RV in the world. The pantry area of the kitchen (the top cabinets) can be accessed from both the inside and outside of the trailer - perfect for late night snacks and breakfast food.


This view shows off the aluminum tongue box that I installed on the front of the trailer for extra storage. The tongue box was once dented, and there is still some visible damage where it was hammered out. The latch on the tongue box sometimes sticks a bit, but it is overall still fully workable.


The front area of the Tab is a bench seat with a sizable amount of storage hidden underneath. The toilet is hidden here, and it can be used in place by sliding the front window shelf back, or it can be pulled out and relocated. In two years, I think it was only used two or three times. The shelf above was an incredibly useful upgrade. It dismantles in seconds for transit, but while camped it provides valuable counter space and it also serves as a great monitor stand for movie watching. The back portion of the interior is a bed that converts into a table that can comfortably seat four for dinner.

Some other features:

• Tongue Box Storage w 20lb Propane Tank (slightly dented)


• Outside kitchen with two burner stove and sink


• 5 gallon fresh water tank & electric pump


• Thetford Porta-Potty (hidden in front cabinet)


• Propane Furnace


• 4 person dinette that converts to a bed


• Large double pane windows with screens and day / night blackout shades


• Custom front shelf - makes for great movie watching from bed...


• Large wardrobe closet and an amazing amount of storage space for a trailer so small


• Smoke, propane, and carbon monoxide detectors


• AM/FM/CD with inside and outside speakers... (Upgraded to allow for iPod or aux audio hookup)


• Filled with loving energy and good memories...

Trailer Condition: Our Tab has been well used, but well cared for and maintained.

The tires were replaced in the Summer of 2007, and they are in great condition.

The plastic wheel wells on the Tab had been installed incorrectly by the factory, and they eventually cracked and split open. I fixed the issue that caused the cracking, and have patched the wheel wells. Acknowledging the issue, the Tab factory sent me two brand new wheel wells that will go to the new owner for use in the future if you ever want to replace the currently patched parts.

I will be happy to discuss the full mechanical history of the trailer with any prospective buyers.


I am looking to sell her for $12,500. $10,500 (PRICE REDUCED)
The value of the electrical system upgrades alone is around $2000, not counting labor to install them. Based upon my research into other used Tab's selling online, this is a very fair price.

We have lots of photos to share, and are happy to answer any questions in depth about this trailer over the phone (408-667-9022).

The Tab is currently located in St. Louis, MO.



I've put a lot of my heart and soul into this sweet little trailer, and I really want her to go someplace where she will be loved and appreciated.

If you are interested or know anyone who might be, please spread the word and let me know ASAP.

UPDATE: The new owner picked up the Tab on September 24th!

We're spending a few days in Texas - staying with Cherie's brother.

Ah, TexMex food... My stomach is in heaven!!!

Last night after we landed we immediately headed to Chuy's for some awesome food and drink. Today we spent the morning meeting with a client in San Antonio (the official reason for this trip), and then the rest of the day on the San Antonio River Walk enjoying even more great food.

Tonight was incredible BBQ at the Salt Lick. It is easy to see why people drive for miles to eat here.



I think I am going to pop.

Tomorrow I will be spending the day with Cherie's brother Ken at the drop zone where he is a skydive instructor. If conditions are right, I might even manage a tandem jump.

Then more amazing food, I'm sure.

Saturday night we'll be checking out the live music scene in downtown Austin.

Sunday we will spend at Schlitterbahn, a water park that has been rated the "World's Best" for the past ten years straight. They apparently not only have water slides, but water coasters that shoot you UP hill! Oh, and they also have over three miles of leisurely tubing through lush landscapes...

We head back to FL on Monday.

I am excited to be able to spend some fun and relaxing time enjoying Austin and environs, Cherie's old home town. When we were here last year, we were so focused on buying a new Jeep and the other excitement that we hardly even had a chance to look around.

This time we are determined to have much more fun!

We just mailed off our deposit for our new Oliver Trailer.

It's now officially on the way - and I hope to soon be posting construction updates and photos from the factory.

I must say that I have been incredibly impressed by the sales and ordering process.

Over the course of the past month the Oliver's base price has increased, and several formerly optional features (like the 4" raised axel and larger tires) have become standard.

Because we first contacted Oliver just a few days before the price increase, they have been working with us using the older price sheet. But as we finalized the invoice today - they surprised us by letting me know that not only are we still getting the old base price, they are throwing in several of the formerly optional features for free.

Wow - what a class act.


Sherry and Paul were kind enough to let us take their Oliver for a test tow when we visited them two weeks ago. It towed beautifully with our Jeep Liberty Diesel, and we managed a bit better than 17MPG during our brief test.

It is looking pretty certain that by this time tomorrow, we will have placed an order for a custom-built Oliver Travel Trailer.

We've considered a lot of alternatives, and it really feels like this is the best choice for our next home.

Here are my thoughts on the other options we've considered:

Stop Nomading: I often get asked when I intend to stop living nomadically. My answer has always been that I would stop when it felt right, and right now it still feels like I am just getting started. I am looking forward to exploring slower paced travel, building a home jointly with Cherie, and crafting a truly sustainable and very livable life on the road. At the moment - there is no end in sight!

International Adventuring: At some point however, I would like to park the trailer and head out for some extended international travel. But not yet. Certainly not until Cherie's house is sold. And maybe a year from now the US dollar will be worth a bit more...

Cruising: Someday I would also like to do some extended live-aboard sailing, but again - the time doesn't feel right yet for me to (literally) get my feet wet sailing off into the sunset.

Stay in Tab: The cheapest and simplest option for us would be to stay in Tab, my home for the past two years. Cherie and I were amazingly compatible living in such a small space last year, but we knew from the beginning that it really wasn't suitable for two people living longer term on the road. To make our life on the road more sustainable - we would really like to have a refrigerator, a shower, a table separate from the bed, an air conditioner, and other little niceties...

Exotic Options: It is fun to fantasize about an Earth Roamer expedition vehicle, or cruising across the Australian Outback in the massive Wothahellizat (Winnebago meets Mad Max!), or living in an fantastical House Truck or House Bus. (Follow these links for some amazing pictures!)

We actually even found an intriguing bus conversion with a rooftop patio for sale cheap locally on Craigslist. Tempting....

But, while fun to think about, none of these options would be particularly practical. Parking issues, maintenance, and fuel economy would be just the start of the list of issues...

Bigger RV's: We also have looked at a few big motor homes over the past year. Some were bigger inside than some apartments - with three slideout sections, giant kitchens, and even washers and dryers! But they are hugely expensive, limited to freeways and major roads, and not city friendly. Also not fuel efficient, and they would require us to tow around with us some sort of other vehicle for actually getting around once we got somewhere. No thanks.

Roadtrek / Class B: The Roadtrek Class B (van style) motor homes on the other hand are a bit more of a practical size, and many people rave about them online. The van sizing allows you to blend in with neighborhoods - and parking and driving is a breeze. The diesel Roadtreks even manage to get better than 20 MPG. But when we actually spent some time looking inside a few Roadtrek models, we felt cramped and claustrophobic. Definitely not something suitable for long term living. And we would still be stuck needing some sort of local transport if we wanted to set up in one place for a while.

The Sportsmobile on the other hand is a bit more rugged, offering 4x4 options and a pop-up camper roof. I would love to see one of these in person. They seem to allow an incredible amount of customizations.

Class B+ / C-: The so called "Class B+" motorhomes (technically - they are smaller and more streamlined Class C's) strike a balance between the overly large RV's and cramped camper vans. The R-Vision Town & Country Touring Sedan and the Phoenix Cruiser are both rather compelling examples of this category. They seem small enough to provide practical transportation, but large enough to provide plenty of living space. But they still leave us lacking local transport once we arrive anyplace without carting along a scooter, or towing a car. *ugh*


A trailer just seems to be a better fit for our needs. I really like being able to unhitch and leave home behind, while still having our fabulous and fuel efficient Jeep for both local urban transportation and off road exploration. But what sort of trailer should we get?

Bigger Trailers: There are seemingly thousands of larger trailers out there, and most of them upon closer look prove to be poorly designed, cheap, and boxy. Most of them are also too big and heavy for practical cross-country towing behind our Jeep. No thank you. I like a trailer that is easy to pull, even off road and to out of the way places. A big trailer is just not a good fit for a full-time life in motion.

The Tada: This past year Thor came out with an oversized version of the Tab called the Tada. I have yet to see one of these in person, but the design really disappoints me. For one - they kept the same ceiling height as the Tab. 5'9" is fine when you only need to walk a step or two before sitting. But with the extra interior space of the Tada, I imagine that this will be a constant annoyance. Also - while the Tada does have a separate bed and seating area, it only seats two. The bed can not convert to a table! At least in the small Tab, we can have guests over with four around the table! Clearly the Tada is not a good fit.

Airstream: Airstream has an undeniably classic look. And there are models (new and old) that are small enough for us to tow. The so-called "Design Within Reach" model though really illustrates how Airstream has evolved to be style over substance - with more focus on a designer "ball wall clock" and a "Tom Dixon Designer Coat Rack" than on practical features. The Airstream Basecamp actually requires you to crawl over the bed to get to the kitchen, but it sure looks cool from outside.

Egads - I can't believe I just read this on the Airstream Ocean Breeze page: "Even when you're parked in the Black Rock desert, experiencing your first "Burning Man," you'll swear you can still faintly hear the surf pounding and smell a little salt on the breeze." *groan*

And of course, you pay through the nose for all those cheesy designer "ocean breeze" touches... No thank you.

Small Trailers: There are some very cleverly designed ultra-lightweight travel trailers on the market, but most of them are not enough of an upgrade from our Tab Clamshell. Great for a weekend getaway, but not much more. There are however several larger and amazingly well designed Lightweight Fiberglass RV's on the market, and these have always impressed me whenever I have seen them on the road. The 17' size seems like the sweet spot. Large enough to live in, but small enough and light enough to take anywhere. Most of these fiberglass RV's have proven to be amazingly durable as well, with plenty of them surviving a decade or more of regular use. Some popular fiberglass models include The Escape, Scamp, and Trillium. But in my opinion, two stand out above the rest...

Casita: When we first saw a Casita while touring the factory last year, we immediately began to imagine that a 17' Casita Spirit Deluxe would be our next home. The floorplan is great, and the Casita's are incredibly well built (compared with most other RV's we have seen). Everyone who owns a Casita loves it, there is a vibrant online community, and there are many awesome tweaks and upgrades and modifications to eventually implement. I find it to be an incredibly encouraging sign that even ten year old Casita's are selling used for nearly the price they sold new.

The Oliver Travel Trailer:
But then a few weeks ago I ran across the Oliver while starting to shop around for used Casita's online. The Oliver has the exact same floorplan as the Casista Spirit Deluxe, but it has been upgraded in almost every possible way. Sure, it costs more. But this is going to be our full time home, so it seems silly to skimp and then immediately need to dive into upgrades and projects to get a Casita even halfway to the level of an Oliver. The only downside of the Oliver is that the design is unproven -- it has only been on the market for a few months, and the factory is still tweaking things as they go. The Casita design has been proven (and mostly unchanged) for decades now.

But I really don't mind being a beta tester - particularly since the Oliver factory seems to be taking great care of all their early customers. As a current Casita owner wrote to me in the Oliver Forums: "Casita owners entertain themselves at night planning their next "mods"! If there had been an Oliver on the market when I bought my Casita..... well.... I wouldn't be camping in this Casita!"


I think we've considered all our options, and after seeing the Oliver in person this week - it just feels like the right choice for us.

Now it is time to spec out the electrical system and all the various upgrades we will want. Fun!!