Touring - Tech Question: Electronic Journals

Hello,

I'm leaving for my TransAm Tour in mid-May and want to keep a very detailed electronic journal. Hey, I might write a book about it. It's worth a shot. :) Anyway, I'd like to learn the best way of keeping the journal.

I definitely do not want to take a laptop, and am challenged technologically when it comes to the newer, tiny stuff like Palm Pilots, Blackberries, and such.

Here's what I'm looking for:

* Foldable keyboard. It may be small but not tiny, as I need touch-typing capability.
* Screen/device large enough for roughly 40-80 characters across.
* Operates on a rechargeable battery and electrical outlet.
* Decent amount of memory in which I can store a few hundred pages, or has the capability of downloading/saving the text to a PC/modem.
* Of course, has a text editor or word processor.
* Phone capability is not important.

Suggestions, recommendations, etc.? Thanks!

Wolfy

Humm I guess paper and pencil is too retro? At leat with a laptop you can back up to floppy so that if something goes wrong you stll have a copy.

Joe

You said you weren't looking for a laptop, but there are microlaptops that you might be interested in. One such beauty is the tiny Panasonic R3, which weighs only 2.2 pounds and gives up to 8.5 hours of battery life per charge (if you don't use heavy graphically intensive programs). There is no internal cd-drive, which further reduces size, battery life, and weight. As you can see in the picture in the website below, it's significantly smaller than a typical laptop. At least it would give you some typing space. EDIT: they are pricey though, but you can get one without the works that is still a wonderful machine for @$2000, maybe even less these days.

http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/panasonic-r3-review-018793.php

I will be getting one of these in June, along with a recharger and a 'floppy' solar panel (see below), which can be draped over the back of your bike to charge the batteries while you ride through the sun.

http://www.solarenergyalliance.com/flexible_solar_modules.htm
http://www.kooters.com/solar.html

Perhaps a PocketMail handheld unit will do. www.pocketmail.com

I know you said you'd prefer not to use Palm. What you describe though pretty well matches my Palm Tungsten E. With the use of inexpensive "Smart Cards" memory is nearly unlimited. You could get cards with maps, language translators and many others. Document swapping is easy and editing is a snap in several programs including Excel.

I know you said you'd prefer not to use Palm. What you describe though pretty well matches my Palm Tungsten E. With the use of inexpensive "Smart Cards" memory is nearly unlimited. You could get cards with maps, language translators and many others. Document swapping is easy and editing is a snap in several programs including Excel.

Thanks. Actually, I would definitely consider a Palm. When I wrote, "I am challenged technologically when it comes to the newer, tiny stuff like Palm Pilots, Blackberries, and such," I really meant that I don't know about them--not that I wouldn't try them. Sorry for the error.

What you describe about your Palm sounds really good. Is a larger plug-in keyboard available? Does the software come with it, like MS Word or Excel?

Thanks,
Wolfy

More on the Palm: I've had three and the rechargeble batteries failed on all three. I'm now looking for one that takes batteries.

I like the foldable key pad and the fact I can save maps, tourist web sites etc on the flash cards. My digital camera uses the same card so I can view pictures on a larger screen too.

A large folding keyboard is available. When I bought mine, a program called "Documents to Go" was on the CD. This allows PDF viewing, and MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel editing.

Create an account at www.blogger.com and then stop at public libraries every couple of days during your trip and enter your journal summaries in real time online. It's free, weighs nothing, and nearly every little podunk town (in the US) has a library or an internet cafe with computers. It also is a nice way to meet people you ordinarily wouldn't meet. Digital pics you can upload at internet cafes as well.

I never understood why tourers take laptops. Is it so they have something to type on 24-7 during a trip? The best journals don't contain all the little minutae --- rather they contain the essential moments and feelings and experiences, told in succinct and moving fashion. A journal is a series of short stories. For a good journal intended for public consumption, brevity is key, IMO.

Create an account at www.blogger.com and then stop at public libraries every couple of days during your trip and enter your journal summaries in real time online. It's free, weighs nothing, and nearly every little podunk town (in the US) has a library or an internet cafe with computers. It also is a nice way to meet people you ordinarily wouldn't meet. Digital pics you can upload at internet cafes as well.

Yep. No need to lug around all that electronic gear. One BF member a couple of years ago used Bikeforums itself. He simply stopped in at cafes and libraries as suggested. You can read about his trip in this thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=32082). Unfortunately, I think he hosted the pictures on a website that wasn't so permanent so they're lost from his posts.

Create an account at www.blogger.com and then stop at public libraries every couple of days during your trip and enter your journal summaries in real time online. It's free, weighs nothing, and nearly every little podunk town (in the US) has a library or an internet cafe with computers. It also is a nice way to meet people you ordinarily wouldn't meet. Digital pics you can upload at internet cafes as well.

I never understood why tourers take laptops. Is it so they have something to type on 24-7 during a trip? The best journals don't contain all the little minutae --- rather they contain the essential moments and feelings and experiences, told in succinct and moving fashion. A journal is a series of short stories. For a good journal intended for public consumption, brevity is key, IMO.

I agree with your description of an enjoyable journal to write and read, but unless you are a superior typist, the library method is not practical. I updated my crazyguy journal nearly daily using the Pocketmail device, which worked great, but if I had to rely on public libraries, I could never have kept-up. Most libraries limit you to 30 minutes and if you need to check email or other things, there is not enough time to keep a journal up-to-date.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/journal/?handle=loa2004


There are several journals on the crazy guy site that describe in detail their electronic choices, check them out. Greg

I think a Walkman with record function and voice activated switch, would be useful because you can enter your thoughts and impressions as you are riding. Leave the typing till the tour is over. The Toshiba e830 has a bigger screen with better resolution than the Palm, and it can be used sideways when using the folding keyboard. However the Palm has an easier interface for moving documents to your desktop computer.

hey check out www.centralasiabikeride.com these guys kept the most up to date techno gadgetry on their trip from Turkey to Hong Kong including dynamo hubs that charged the whole lot.

agree with the 'anythng-but-a-laptop-or-electronic-device' idea. Murphy's Law rules with them. Something will happen and you will be out big money. Paper-pen-pencil and the library idea are best.

Use a microcassette recorder and leave the typing for after the trip. Uploading ongoing commentary is a burden that will dilute your enjoyment en route. Disconnect. Detach yourself as much as possible. Just hang the recorder by a neckstrap and speak--don't write--your real-time feelings. Don't wait for them to evaporate, buried by those that follow.

Ongoing writing is fun for the reader to follow, but I've found that going through the journals on crazyguy is just as pleasurable. Don't attach much importance to getting the news out quickly. You will write more and better once you're home, once the entirety of the experience has metabolized. The poet Miller Williams advises "Write, drunk; revise, sober." Make your "drunk writing" the words spoken into your recorder. Your voice--laughing, serious, choking back tears--will count for a thousand words at the utterance of each new awakening.

Lew

I kept a paper/pen journal every night in the tent - if I don't write that day, I won't do it - but the coolest trick I found was that my digital camera has a microphone, you can record 30 seconds of sound attached to each picture, or more in a non-attached file. So i would take a picture and talk about it.

It's a Pentax Optio S, last year's model - but I bet most cameras have this feature.

Cheers,
Anna

I never understood why tourers take laptops. Is it so they have something to type on 24-7 during a trip? The best journals don't contain all the little minutae --- rather they contain the essential moments and feelings and experiences, told in succinct and moving fashion. A journal is a series of short stories. For a good journal intended for public consumption, brevity is key, IMO.

I'll try and answer this, but it's only me personally. First, I'm not some "purist for purist-sake" camper, who only brings what he needs just for the sake of being romantic, minimalist, or primitivist. If the John Burroughs approach works for you, go for it! I respect that ideal greatly. But for me...

I happen to like toys and gadgets and I love to play with them in environments that aren't stale, like living rooms and offices are (or, for that matter, public family parks). In any case, I'm all for taking any sort of diversionary item you feel like if it makes the trip more fun for you--this includes violins, cameras, books, chess sets, minilaptops, iPod, collapsible easel and oils, etcetera. I'm not sure if this explains the question very well though. I tried.

In my particular case, there are actually three utilitarian reasons for getting the setup I wrote about above:

1. I'm going to need a laptop, since I'm one of the lucky few who will be combining my everyday work with my passion of cyclotouring. That is, I'm going to be working via satellite connection and making my living remotely as part of my job, and my employers are thrilled about it, but not nearly as much as I am.

2. As an amateur naturalist, it will help me to work on my cataloguing and researching of the various geological features, fauna, and wildlife in any particular location I am in. That kind of access to the information available on the web will prove very useful to me in the field; plus, I can upload pictures and keep my photocard perpetually ready to shoot more. My digital camera has excellent video also, and I wouldn't have to be intimidated by filesize where I might never use it in the field.

3. I can type faster than I can think, and a daily journal is definitely necessary to me on the road. I'll still take my sketchpad to write in too, of course, but the editing ability of a computer is the best, and I don't get pencil cramp or runaway thoughts.

As for these things breaking, that's the breaks, and that's what warranties are for. And what good is a laptop if you're not going to be mobile with it? Ken Kifer said that in all his history of cyclotouring he only fell 7 times, and none of them damaged any of his laptops, which he packed smartly. I have so far been about as lucky, and I am a safe rider and a smart camper. I'll take my chances, like I always do. :)

EDIT: Also, I hear some talk of "lugging around" this stuff. Hehe, the laptop/solar system I linked to weighs about 3.5 pounds between both units, maybe 4 with any additional stuff. I think I can hack it, but it will be tough going, I tell ya. ;)

The Psion/Teklogix Netbook Pro is a good one for typing stuff in on the move.
It weighs 1.1kg/2.5lbs and has a 2xAA battery backup as well as the rechargeable.
http://www.psionteklogix.com/public.aspx?s=com&p=Products

The poet Miller Williams advises "Write, drunk; revise, sober." Make your "drunk writing" the words spoken into your recorder. Your voice--laughing, serious, choking back tears--will count for a thousand words at the utterance of each new awakening.

Lew

That's a great quote, and it rings true for me. Thanks your for your microcassette suggestion. I've considered it before, but you've put me over the edge so it will be my passenger. And I'm considering a Palm or similar device for when I really feel like writing. Thanks!

I'll try and answer this, but it's only me personally. First, I'm not some "purist for purist-sake" camper, who only brings what he needs just for the sake of being romantic, minimalist, or primitivist. If the John Burroughs approach works for you, go for it! I respect that ideal greatly. But for me...

I happen to like toys and gadgets and I love to play with them in environments that aren't stale, like living rooms and offices are (or, for that matter, public family parks). In any case, I'm all for taking any sort of diversionary item you feel like if it makes the trip more fun for you--this includes violins, cameras, books, chess sets, minilaptops, iPod, collapsible easel and oils, etcetera. I'm not sure if this explains the question very well though. I tried.

In my particular case, there are actually three utilitarian reasons for getting the setup I wrote about above:

1. I'm going to need a laptop, since I'm one of the lucky few who will be combining my everyday work with my passion of cyclotouring. That is, I'm going to be working via satellite connection and making my living remotely as part of my job, and my employers are thrilled about it, but not nearly as much as I am.

2. As an amateur naturalist, it will help me to work on my cataloguing and researching of the various geological features, fauna, and wildlife in any particular location I am in. That kind of access to the information available on the web will prove very useful to me in the field; plus, I can upload pictures and keep my photocard perpetually ready to shoot more. My digital camera has excellent video also, and I wouldn't have to be intimidated by filesize where I might never use it in the field.

3. I can type faster than I can think, and a daily journal is definitely necessary to me on the road. I'll still take my sketchpad to write in too, of course, but the editing ability of a computer is the best, and I don't get pencil cramp or runaway thoughts.

As for these things breaking, that's the breaks, and that's what warranties are for. And what good is a laptop if you're not going to be mobile with it? Ken Kifer said that in all his history of cyclotouring he only fell 7 times, and none of them damaged any of his laptops, which he packed smartly. I have so far been about as lucky, and I am a safe rider and a smart camper. I'll take my chances, like I always do. :)

EDIT: Also, I hear some talk of "lugging around" this stuff. Hehe, the laptop/solar system I linked to weighs about 3.5 pounds between both units, maybe 4 with any additional stuff. I think I can hack it, but it will be tough going, I tell ya. ;)

Thanks for your interesting response to my question. I too type faster than I think, so I need fast editing capabilities. As I said previously, I will also bring a microcassette recorder for use when I don't feel like writing/typing but want to keep my thoughts and ideas on track.

What about a PDA with Windows Pocket PC? Anyone have toured with one of those?

This is cool, cause this is an aswer to my questions as well. I was looking to tour with my laptop, for no other reason but being able to write on it and use a WIFI cafe, down load my pics form digital camera, include friends and family in on the trip and keep a running account for the folks I meet on the road that will be interested in seeing where I've been and how I am doing. Letters are great but they take a while to arrive.
I am in the romantic part of this idea as well, it is this idea of sitting in a cafe on a rainy day transcribing my scribble in a journal to the Net.
I have traveled with a Palm and the folding keyboard, and broke a Palm as well. It will still need a connection to download and save to a PC or phone. I never did get it to work over the phone line/cell.
It's cool to be able to haul your job with you. I suppose all of us tourers also dream of being another Cassidy or Kerouac, Maughaum, and starting on out journey in a new career. I'm thinking along those lines. When I read a post that says one of the books brought on tour was a book on touring, well, that sparks interest and hope. The reality is the Barnes and Nobles Travel section, while there isn't a lot of books on bicycle touring, maybe it isn't because they aren't being written it could be that there isn't a market for them.
I am still interested in writing and online journal or a blog, it will be part of the trip. they are also hosted here.

I have traveled with a Palm and the folding keyboard, and broke a Palm as well. It will still need a connection to download and save to a PC or phone. I never did get it to work over the phone line/cell.


When you and others say they broke a Palm, what broke? The screen? Some other part of it? They seem to be such a compact little package with a certain degree of toughness. In fact, the folding keyboard looked at 18 months ago seemed much more fragile an affair.

I am thinking Palm with keyboard for some touring I am planning to do soon. But I've also got to watch the money situation as well.

My screen broke. I was going downhill with an open pocket it slipped out and fractured the display. Since I have a case that should protect my replacement. I haven't tested it out yet.

I took my Palm (Handspring Visor actually) on my last tour and also commute daily with it. This is an old model now, but to be honest I wouldn't necessarily recommend a much newer model. The grayscale screen, normal batteries and cheapness are all features not drawbacks. It runs about a month on a set of AAA's which easily lasted my two week last year. With a set of high milliamp re-chargeable it would last even longer and would be re-chargeable by whatever (solar, modified dynohub, etc). The grayscale screen is fine for text and minimizes battery use. Finally it is so cheap that had I broken it, I could have easily replaced it. I used this to keep a log but still used pen and paper for a journal. I may have foregone the journal if I had a foldable keyboard. Additionally I kept a number of eBooks on it which were a nice supplement to the real books I brought.

I'm not sure whether to revive this thread or the other one on PDAs and PocketMail, but... here goes with a revival.

I have considered all my options and being cheap and mean at the best of times, I've decided to opt for a PocketMail device and a 12-month contract.

Reasons:

1. The total cost of delivery for the PocketMail and the 12-month subscription was only around AUD$290. Delivery ~AUD$10; Pocketmail hardware ~AUD$129; 12-month email subscription ~AUD$149.

2. I checked out the Palm and iPaq stuff. I think I could have gone overboard with the Tungsten T5 but I think that was around AUD$650 (even on eBay). Impressive. But really, what was I going to use it for? Journals? Yep, overboard. Plus there is an offer on at the moment for a keyboard, worth AUD$99... but it's messy coz you've got to claim it like a cashback. And it DOES look and feel fragile (I checked it out at a shop).

3. The Pocketmail provides email access with mobile or landline phone anywhere in Australia (mobile maybe not, but landline wherever there's a booth or pub phone). Oh, sorry. Anywhere in Australia AND North America. I have a pay-as-you-go mobile that's still going strong after 4-1/2 years (!!!!). It's not viable in North America, but so what? Really, what else do I need?

4. Unless I could access a modem coupler, I couldn't have that sort of "anywhere" access and versatility UNLESS I got the Pocketmail cradle for Palm devices, which just adds to the cost -- I'd have to get the Palm device to fit!

5. The software structure is simple as chips. You could say it's 1980s style. Suits me. I grew up with it (I was doing remote data transfer for publications.. long before... well, before the gurus got on to it and created the internet), and acoustic couplings and stuff like that. And best of all, it doesn't have MS emblazoned anywhere on it.

6. The Palm and iPaq stuff had "Word and Excel" somewhere. I don't need them when I'm touring. I've had enough of them at work. Word in particular has made me, as a former journalist, lazy and slapdash. It will be good therapy to compose and write at night in the wilderness without Mr Gates looking over my shoulder and giving me constant advice!! Note: The screen is backlit.

7. I bought the device really to keep in contact with people who are really dear to me. It is not meant to create webpages. Webpages I can create from source code in Notepad and Internet Explore (argggghhh) at any cafe or library. I can write the text, including the code, outline the design on paper and translate in next to no time in the cafe or library.

8. PocketMail doesn't on-pass hotmail emails, currently my main form of personal email contact. So what? The ISP I end up deciding to use for a webpage will include a POP3 email anyway, and THAT can be handled for PocketMail onpassing.

9. The PocketMail device is compact, comes in at 500 grams, has a reasonable keyboard four a touch-typist (I presume, but I'll know when it arrives).

10. It RUNS ON TWO AA BATTERIES. Holy moly -- I can get two 1000mA rechargeable AAs and run it forever!!! And I am looking at building a solar-power battery charger.

11. Its light weight is a real attraction -- small and light enough to go in the handlebar bag. I resisted the urge to "upsize" with leather or waterproof satchels and batteries with a fast charger because I am cheap and mean. A small AUD$5.00 drybag will take care of the wet, and I don't need to ponse around with leather.

12. PDAs have varying levels of power consumption and aren't powered by AA batteries, but by... what? I didn't even bother to find out. Colour screens consume a lot of power, too. They do have heaps of memory (but you pay also for additional memory). You can swap camera cards with some. I don't have a digital camera yet, and I will take this into account. I figure that my ISP or even hotmail and PocketMail can take care of the picture files I create as well.

13. I can't handle attachments on the PocketMail. So what? It does notify if there is an attachment on any particular email; therefore I know what to look out for at the next cafe/library stop.

14. The screen is pretty small, and has a limited number of lines to create and edit. Oddly, thinking about what I am doing *right* now (on the BF message box), it actually has more lines of text!!! Cool.

15. It's cheap. Did I mention that before?

I sourced information about the effectiveness of this device from Jamie's site, but also before that I kept track of his experiences with crazyguy's site. The selection wasn't made on a whim today or last week. I have been investigating this for around 18 months (in fact, since I went to Europe for PBP in 2003). But the discussion here sort of prompted some action and closer inspection of options in various shops. Budget was a prime consideration.

I'll keep in touch with how things progress, although that depends on where I am at any particular time!!! ;)

I actually upgraded from my old Sharpe TM-20 to the new Pocketmail Composer this winter. I had the opportunity to use it quite successfully during my tour last weekend!

Although I didn't actually measure this it does feel lighter then the old unit. You can also type in much longer emails with this device too. Batteries on the old Sharpe lasted a long time before replacement so I just stayed with normal batteries for the unit.

It is possible to create a script that receives an email and then basically have the script create a new web page for you whenever an email is received. That's what Crazyguyonabike.com does and I did something similar this weekend as well. Right now my script is very simple but as time passes it will likely evolve past what it is today.

Other then a sun burn, a sore butt and mildly tired legs my first tour of 2005 was a success! It was a lot of fun, got me back on the bike and let me once again enjoy the countryside.

http://www.bicycletouring101.com/BreathIntro.htm

I purchased the annual contract this time around. I like having the ability to go on tour and update a tour log for friends to read without needing to do a last minute scramble to get service going again.

~Jamie N

Ya just gotta love an Express Post Overnight Satchel for getting a new toy into your hands 24 hours after ordering it. Well, 36 hours, actually.

The PocketMail Composer arrived this morning. It's small... like not much bigger than a scientific calculators. I'm not sure my buffoon fingers will cope with the small keyboard, but we'll see. The more I delve into it, the more I like the simplicity. Time will tell...

I'll be activating and playing tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Hi Rowan
How are you finding the Pocketmail?
I am after a cheap device for my trip that will allow me to
1. Write using a keyboard whenever the mood takes me (eg in a coffeeshop or campsite) and not only when I am sitting in a library or Internet cafe
2. Easily transfer text to a PC or online journal (without mucking about with cables, software, mobile phones etc)
3. Use batteries (ie not have to find a powerpoint to charge)
This seems to be the only device short of a laptop I have seen that can do all this
Just wondering if you have found any negatives to it?
Also do you know whether if you sign up in Aus it also allows toll free access in the US as well, or do you have to sign up separately???

About the only negative is that the keyboard is a little on the small side. If you are used to touch-typing, you may need to modify your keystroking!!

I haven't got into a tour situation yet -- that happens in July -- but I've done a few messages and sent them to the PocketMail account and to another individual. It's all very, very good. You can't do attachments, or receive them to the device itself, but they are notified and held on the PocketMail site.

You can also transfer messages from another personal non-PocketMail site, except fro Hotmail which doesn't support the format. Any service that supports POP3 and another type I forget right now can have emails diverted and received into you PocketMail.

There's also a restriction on the use of digital mobile phones in being able to transfer the data when sending/receiving, but PocketMail has some advice on this, especially if you are intending on purchasing a mobile when you go to the US.

It really is a tiny, simple device and the simplicity is what attacts me. I'm looking forward to using it in the field.

If you want to set up a journal, PocketMail now provides that facility (a blog that you can direct familly and friends to) and Jamie Noble has plenty of advice on using it for the crazyguyonabike site -- plus Neil Gunton, the site host, has a detailed set of instructions for using it.

You can send updates on your ride, and when you get a chance, upload pictures from your camera to add to the site.

The unit comes with two ordinary alkaline AA batteries. It switches off if not used after three minutes, but saves the data. The claim of three to four months use from the batteries seems as though it might be realistic.

I've made up a a bubblewrap bag and will be getting a small drybag to keep it in. PocketMail make the point it is not waterproof. The casing also is plastic, so needs protection from shock. And the floppiness of the hinged sender part underneath is a bit disconcerting at first until you can see the two small spring-loaded hinges in there.

A bit of preliminary practice is needed, too. The chatter when connected and transferring data seems to go in segments. After a bit of use, you get used to waiting for the LEDs and audio alerts to let you know everything is finished.

As to call cost, this is something I am not clear on. I gather your account, if in Australia, requires access through the Australian 1800 number, which means dialling the international codes and therefore the cost of the international call for however long it lasts (and that depends on the amount of material you are sending). You may need to explore this further, as I will when I go to North America later in the year.

In addition, there is a limit on the length of emails that can be received into the unit, although extra long emails are not insurmountable -- they can be divided and received as separate files.

Hope that helps.

Hello,

I'm leaving for my TransAm Tour in mid-May and want to keep a very detailed electronic journal. Hey, I might write a book about it. It's worth a shot. :) Anyway, I'd like to learn the best way of keeping the journal.

go for the laptop.

im in the same exact situation... i ended up buying a small, lightweight and cheap little laptop (the averatec 3250).. i purchased an aluminum case for the it so it doesnt get smashed in the trailer. what sold me on the laptop i was just dont wanna deal with a palm device or pocketmail seemed kinda dinky for how i wanna use it. i knew if i didnt bring the laptop i was gonna get really frustrated dealing with pocket devices.. im the biggest internet junky around, i wanna write lengthy posts and upload them later when i find a computer thats connected to the web. im as excited to write about my transam expiereince as i am to actually ride it.

i got a smaller/lighter tent and sleeping bag and ive made a couple of sacrifices with my gear to justify bringing a laptop on tour...

-mike
http://chickenlips999.crazyguyonabike.com