with Lorelle and Brent VanFossen
There is a lot I could say about the tension and stress we are under, debating to stay or evacuate from Mobile and Hurricane Katrina. And then I saw this from weather.com. They say a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, this one is worth a single decision.
When we hit the road for more than a couple weeks, we used to have a notebook of papers we’d carry with us. There is a lot of papers you need to take with you when you take your life on the road and we’d rounded up quite a collection. Preparing to evacuate from Israel with the upcoming war with Iraq, we decided to lighten the load, literally.
We gathered up all the important papers in our life and scanned them all onto a CD. We still had to carry copies and originals of the most important papers, but now we had a lightweight, easy to carry, single item to haul around for those necessary but not “must have” pieces of paper. Our first CD was very simple, but now we’ve encrypted the information to make it harder to access if we lose the CD and it gets “found”.
The paperwork you need to have with you or available to you depends upon your life and lifestyle. If you are a property owner (cars, homes, property, rentals), you need to have paperwork like deeds, mortgages, and insurance papers. If you rent, then you will basically need a copy of your rental agreement and insurance. If you are a business owner, then you will need to add copies of your business documents to the list.
Why do you need all these papers?
Well, nothing may happen on your travels. Let’s hope so. But for those who are experienced travelers, you know that “things happen” and it seems like they tend to happen to you.
We’ve had questions come up about our car and apartment rental while we’ve been traveling. We’ve had issues with credit cards and banks and had to contact them and solve the problems on the road. We’ve had insurance claims on our property back “home” and had to deal with insurance companies dealing with the problem back home while we continued traveling. We’ve also been traveling and got stuck in places longer than planned and ended up doing our taxes from the road. Life goes on back home and with your paperwork, whether you are there or not, so having your key legal documents accessible by you on the road makes life easier for you, the traveler.
Why not leave them in a safety deposit box? Well, you can and should. But if you are going to be gone for months or years at a time, taking your life and camera on the road, leaving behind your property and assets, then you should have copies of the most important papers with you, just in case.
The old method was to leave them with someone who could access your safe deposit box and someone you could trust to handle your business back home, but it helps to have the most important pieces of paper with you, if you need it. You might never need it. With it all stored on a CD, DVD or flash drive, it slips into your suitcase and you don’t have to worry too much about the weight of all that paper. It also provides a safe backup, just in case.
There are two ways of storing your paperwork to CD. Your choices are to store the document image OR store the document image plus the OCR version. The first is to scan and physically store the document “image” to the CD so you can print out “original copies” of the documents you need. The second is to store two copies of the document(s), a document image plus the OCR (Optical Character Reader) version, which converts the documents into readable and editable text. The latter is good because it allows you to search easily through the text on the CD to find the information you need. Most good scanners will have both options in the software that comes with the program.
Scan the majority of the documents as black and white text. Save the high resolution color scans for your passport, driver’s license, and credit cards, items with photos and numbers. High resolution color scans create huge file sizes, so keep all your black and white paperwork scanned as black and white text to shrink down the file sizes. Save the image scans as JPEG (jpg) files with medium to high compression. For the most part, these documents will not need to be perfect replicas when printed, just readable. These should all fit onto one CD if possible, so keep the file sizes small.
As you scan and save your work, name the files what they are. Don’t try to hide the file names but make the names easy for you to recognize what they are. If it is the property deeds for your house, then call it the “Property deed for house on 123 Main Street” so you can spot the file quickly and print it out if you need it.
Put files in one folder with many subfolders. Break the information down into subfolders that specify the documentation categories. For instance, all vehicle papers together, and all medical insurance papers together, possibly then put in subfolders for each member of the family. If you need the information in a hurry, you can just look for the medical papers under “Medical” then the subfolder for “Sally” to get access to her medical papers.
Most major CD burner software has built in data encryption feature. You do not have to use the software that came with the CD burner on your computer, so if your software doesn’t feature encryption, try another.
We update this information to a new CD whenever there have been major changes in our life and paperwork, or every other year during tax time, when we are scrounging through paperwork anyway. We copy the still valid information to a new CD and add the new information, which shortens the time spent scanning and preparing your travel and life documents.
You also aren’t limited to CDs. The new flash drives can store several gigabytes of compressed data. You probably won’t need more than 512 MB and those are easily available and relatively inexpensive. A flash drive or thumb drive is about the size of a Pez dispenser and easily tucks into your luggage or pocket. They connect to any USB port without special software. They are immediately recognized by Windows as a hard drive so you can drag and drop files from within File Manager or any program, as if it were another hard drive or floppy on your computer.
CDs are typically limited to 700 MB. DVDs are over 4 gigabytes, and flash drives range from 125 MB to a couple gigs. For weight and size consideration, consider choosing a flash drive.
Having a CD or flash drive of your personal information makes it readily available no matter where you are traveling. But what if you want to store more or will be traveling in areas where computer and Internet access are very convenient? Then consider online storage.
Online storage is like having a hard drive on the Internet. Priced by size, you can set up an online storage account with a variety of online storage and backup services companies. With a username and password, you can access your files from wherever you are at any time of the day or night. You can even backup your whole computer or store your most precious digital photographs, writing, documents, and email. While some of these online storage companies promote storing of images, most of them will accept any form of digital file.
The best part of using online storage is that you don’t have to worry about losing the CD or flash drive while traveling, or having someone take it. It doesn’t add weight to your luggage and you know where it is at all times.
Again, the list of your essential paperwork may be different depending upon your lifestyle and the length of travel, but here is a good general overall list of paperwork you should consider preserving and carrying with you when you go.
From the above list, scan and make copies of everything. We stored two sets of copies (papers and CDs) with two sets of relatives, separated geographically. A third set and originals we left with people we could trust in Israel before we left. They put it in their safe deposit box, as did our relatives. Your originals should be in a safe deposit box with access by trusted person or relative pre-arranged with the bank.
With the CD, we then choose the most critical originals and copies to carry with us. These travel with us no matter where we go (again, your list may be different):
The contact information is typed out on two pieces of paper and the file is also stored on the CD. This original information is needed in case you lose or have your passport, travelers checks, and/or credit cards stolen, and in case you are arrested or held for questioning. You have to prove who you are to the officials.
We travel with our cat frequently, so we always have to go through international vets to get approval for transporting our cat across international borders and on airplanes. We have to have the animals medical history with us on such trips.
Lighten your travel document load by scanning the important papers and leaving them behind and only traveling with the CD and your most important documents.
Amazon.com’s A9.com Project Team is mapping the United States. Riding With the Urban Mappers tells of how this team of experts developing “block-view technology” which A9.com began this spring, allowing users to “virtually stroll city streets to get directions and identify local businesses.”
The group travels via two utility trucks with a video camera on top, and has photo-mapped 20 major American cities (about 30 million images) as part of “an aggressive rollout, capturing, by their estimate, storefront images for 1 million of the 14 million small businesses in the United States.”
The goal is to create a “Yellow Pages pedestrian view” for users to find their way around. With buildings as landmarks in addition to street names, how can you possibly get lost?
The photography technology behind this is amazing. A “consumer-grade digital video camera”, running constantly, feeds the images a laptop computer at 30 frames per second. This is, they say, good enough for image stills to create the “A9.com Möbius strip” of images, which, when compiled, will present a 360 degree view of the area. The laptop is connected to portable hard drives for additional storage, and a GPS helps to log locations. A gyroscope is attached to the truck’s accelerator, which “helps determine relative position where satellite line of sight is unavailable.” This invention calculates time and speed between recorded GPS points, helping fill in the gaps called “GPS urban canyons.”
This is taking digital photography to new heights – well, at least to street level heights.
While we will be watching closely, I spent long hours last night packing up the inside of the trailer and this morning we’re attacking the outside, replacing the hot water heater that is leaking and packing up to head out. Where? Where else?
Away from the hurricane.
Hurricane Katrina is now pretty much confirmed to be heading our way. It still might push over a little further to the east, which would be good, but the odds are that the push will push it over Mobile, Alabama, even more.
So we are getting ready to hook up our house and head out again. I’m voting for due west – Texas. Brent has other ideas. His other ideas took us right into the path of the storm when it followed us north to Memphis with Hurricane Dennis, so maybe I can convince him to move straight west this time.
Unfortunately, he was supposed to be in Atlanta on Monday and Tuesday for a conference meeting, but I think that’s now going to be postphoned.
So we’re debating but the odds look like we’re hitting the road again.
If you like to see, and I mean REALLY see a place before you visit, major sites and search engines want your attention. They are all rolling out aerial maps in different forms.
Google recently released their Google Earth free mapping service which offers three dimensional maps with satellite photos and maps. You need to download software, unfortunately, to access the full service. For the “full” free version, you will need a new style computer with 200 MB to 2 GIG of hard drive space to install, depending upon your configuration and needs. Their other online map service is also still available.
Microsoft just introduced a service called MSN Virtual Earth that combines street maps with aerial photographs from airplanes and satellites. If you need a visual map to get you around town, they intend to be your destination first. MSN also allows wireless Internet users to have their location “plotted for them on a map based on their proximity to wireless access points or based on their Internet IP address”. That is very exciting as it ties together the wireless computer user with location.
Amazon.com’s A9 Search Engine offers street- level photographs of businesses.
There are other paid and free sites for maps and satellite photos, but sit back and watch the photo map war between the big guys. No matter what happens, I think all us travelers are going to benefit from this.
FreedomRoads, the nation’s largest RV retailer, today announced that it has created an arm of the company named Miracle Miles that will provide funding to charitable organizations. It is projected that Miracle Miles will distribute in excess of $1 million per year. Miracle Miles will be an associate-driven and administered organization which will encourage expansion of participants to include associate families.Miracle Miles already has entered into formal relationships to provide support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital(R) and the international relief organization World Vision based upon fixed dollar grants per RV unit sale. In addition to the company donation, customers buying RVs will be given the opportunity to contribute.
The monies directed to St. Jude will fund treatment as well as leading edge research for children with cancer and other catastrophic illnesses. A program is being created with World Vision using Miracle Miles donations to provide clothing to poverty stricken children in the United States. Miracle Miles will also provide funding for the RVDA’s Learning Center. In addition, the organization will accept applications from other qualified charitable groups.
Weather affects the nature photographer and travler by either offering dramatic weather situations and light to photograph in, or by hampering the excursion. Either way, you need to get out in the weather if outdoor and nature photography is your passion.
We have some articles to help you with photographing weather and photographing “in the weather” on our site and here are some other sites to help you weather the storm and things to know before you go…
All of us could take a lesson
from the weather –
it pays no attention
to criticism.
North Dekalb Kiwanis Club Beacon
Photography and specialized nature photography magazines serve to provide us with information and inspiration. We are always studying, learning, reading, and researching, learning from stories and photographs. We study how a story and images are combined to create an overall picture of a place or animal. We learn to see what other photographers see and when we are photographing the same subject or place, we work hard to see it differently.
Magazines on nature, photography, and nature help us to expand our knowledge and abilities and bring us a constant stream of information to help us stay motivated and inspired. These are some of the photography magazines, especially nature oriented magazines, that we continually refer to and read. And some we’ve been published in, so that shows you they know a good thing when they see it. ;-) Enjoy.
We have now made it easier for you to get these wonderful books through Amazon.com. If you don’t see the link or picture of the book, hit your REFRESH button or the F5 key to reload the page. If you have a comment or recommendation to us, please let us know below.
We are always learning to see “what the others are up to”. We learn by studying the work, writing, and photography of others. We watch trends in styles and stories and are always on the lookout for a new idea or story resource. These magazines help us keep up with our specific nature photography industry and interest.
As nature photographers, we are constantly learning about nature and natural subjects. This helps us to improve our photography and understand behaviors. The more we know about our subject, the better our chances of finding them and capturing great photographic images.
Whether you are buying a camera or just want to stay on top of what is going on in photography, these magazines will keep you up-to-date on the latest, hottest, and bestest information on photography in general.
A unique historical “picture”, more like an online museum or exhibit, of photographic images of pre-cinema, optical toys, photography, early film, and what is known as “conjuring arts”, can be found at Early Visual Media: The History of Visual Media.
This is a unique opportunity to really peep into the past through a historical perspective of early vintage visual media and their usage. More than 70 web pages are filled with images from the past efforts to create photographic slide shows, videos, and early films. Fascinating.
Ghost images, stereoviews, nudes from the first attempts into nude photography, post cards, travel photography, fairground and freak shows, and some of the earliest photographs.
Walk back through time and the development of photography and cinema in this unique online exhibition.
Yes, another hurricane is on its way. And wow, it’s almost the end of August and we are already into the “k” for hurricane names. Hurricane Katrina. That’s a lot of hurricane names used up this year.
Brent said, in that authoritative way he has, that they just keep going with the names at the end of the year, so if it was already December 31, “L” would be next. I corrected him, gently of course – you know how men are – that the names start alphabetically at the beginning of the hurricane season each year. It’s the weather experts way of providing a “count” by alphabet of each hurricane during the year.
“So we won’t have one named Zelda?”
“This year….with our luck, maybe.”
So Hurricane Katrina is now off the tip of Florida and heading “towards” us. The projects are that it will pass to the east, which is a good thing as the worst of the winds and weather are on the north and east. Unfortunately, the panhandle of Florida has been seriously smacked recently, so this is not a good thing for them. We’re just watching and waiting and wondering.
Right now, our plans are to stay here, but we are still ready to move with only a couple hours notice. We’ve been living packed up since the hurricane names hit “B” and it won’t take long to haul our home down the road. Again.
Traveling and writing about our travels, we’ve found some amazing books about various regions, the wildlife, habitat, and natural environment for our nature photography. Many of these books help you find the wildlife and understand how to get close for nature and wildlife photography, while others give you indepth views of the natural areas of these places. This is just the tip of the ice berg on regional travel books and we’ll be adding more as we go. Enjoy!
We have now made it easier for you to get these wonderful books through Amazon.com. If you don’t see the link or picture of the book, hit your REFRESH button or the F5 key to reload the page. If you have a favorite book you’d like to see recommended, please let us know in the comments below.
While the rest of the world is still waffling on their policy for dealing with hijackers, India adopts tough hijack policy that will allow it to “down hijacked commercial planes deemed to have become ‘missiles’ heading for strategic targets.”
The new law which will be introduced soon in India is an attempt to take away the debate over whether or not to shoot a plane down if it is judged to be in the hands of terrorists and hijackers and putting more people at risk on the round. According to India’s Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the new law will rule out giving into demands by hijackers and convicted hijackers will be sentenced to death.
Any plane will be declared “rogue” if it deviates from flight plans, refuses warnings and heads for a strategic target, and will be immediately escorted by military planes with the command to shoot down the aircraft possibly issued by the security cabinet, or if there is no time, the prime minister, defense minister or home minister, or appropriate high level senior officer will make the decision.
This tough policy may represent a more serious stance that may be taken up by other countries. In January, Germany and Poland introduced laws allowing them to shoot down hijacked aircraft as a last resort.
Moon Could Be Next Tourist Trap caught my attention. As a long time science fiction and outer space fan, growing up with the thrill of watching man walk on the moon, I was excited to think that I might be able to soon put the moon on my travel itinerary.
Ah, but sorry folks. right now, unless I start a massive campaign on this site and you all are in a very giving mood, it looks like my dream of a trip to the moon might not be in my life time. Price of round-trip ticket? $100 million US dollars.
Space Adventures, the company that pioneered “commercial space travel” by working with Russia to send rich tourists to the International Space Station, is planning tours of the moon to begin in 2008 or 2009. They will probably do circles of the moon at first, and then work towards actually landing on the moon within the next few years, if the first part works and pays off. There is already a waiting list for a trip that only 27 people have ever made before. If I could afford it, I’d be first in line.
The word “terrorism” finds itself scattered across our newspapers every day. It affects where you go and what you do, adding a new worry to an already stressed out world. Get rid of the stress of the unknown and find out what is going on.
The US government has set up an Emergency Email Network which sends out free email alerts to your computer, cell phone, or pager from local and national government sources. These will alert you to terror alerts, severe weather, local health emergencies, evacuations, and much more within the United States.
You can get more information on terrorist alerts and warnings from the National Department of Homeland Security and the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) at http://www.nipc.gov.
CNN also offers emailed “Breaking News” to keep you informed of potential trouble at http://www.cnn.com.
Here are more resources:
If you have a favorite site for monitoring international terrorism, please add it below to help everyone stay out of harms way or at least know what they are going into before they get there.