I’ve been working with the TwitterFeed.com folks about getting the problem with posting to Twitter figured out. They’re quick to respond and very helpful, so we should have this sorted out shortly.
Filed under: home/family on October 19th, 2009 | No Comments »
I’ve been working with the TwitterFeed.com folks about getting the problem with posting to Twitter figured out. They’re quick to respond and very helpful, so we should have this sorted out shortly.
Filed under: home/family on October 19th, 2009 | No Comments »
Wow. I’m impressed. I guess someone is reading the newsletter. We topped 1000 downloads before the first 24 hours went by. The server groaned and moaned a bit, but all has been going well so far. Hopefully it will taper off a bit now for the next few days.
Filed under: home/family on October 16th, 2009 | No Comments »
We’re having a little trouble with the automatic feed of our posts to Twitter. It seems some make it and some don’t. You may see multiple or older posts on Twitter for a bit until we get it figured out.
Filed under: home/family on October 15th, 2009 | No Comments »
The work is progressing on the new layout to CoolRVToyz. Now that we’ve migrated all the products over to the new web store at CoolRVStore.com, we’re working on making CoolRVToyz a blog and news site only.
At the moment, both the old site and new site are up and running. You can get to the old site at CoolRVToyz.com (with a Z) and the new one at CoolRVToys.com (with an S). Soon, both addresses will land on the new site.
Check out the new site and let us know what you think.
Filed under: home/family on October 15th, 2009 | No Comments »
Every time I post a new article now it will also show up on Twitter. If you want to get tweets when a new article is posted, just click the “Follow us on Twitter” graphic in the left side bar.
If you’re not tweeting yet, check it out. Twitter is the latest social networking phenomenon to go wild on the internet. It’s like sending short and to the point text messages (140 characters maximum) to all your friends, known as followers on Twitter. You can have the tweets from all your friends come in your email, or even on your phone.
Filed under: home/family on October 12th, 2009 | No Comments »
CoolRVToyz.com is sporting a bright new look! Now that CoolRVStore.com, our new store web site is online, we can concentrate CoolRVToyz.com as a pure information site. Visit CoolRVToyz.com to read the latest articles from some of the best writers in the RV community.
If you’ve purchased our Ultimate RV Parks and Campgrounds Directory, you can now log into our store site using your old CoolRVToyz.com credentials to download your updates. Everything should be transferred to the new store site, but if you run into problems, let me know so we can correct any issues.
We’ve changed the Internet DNS to get CoolRVToyz.com to point to the new site, but that may take as much as several days to make its way all through the internet. In the meantime, to visit the new site you can go to CoolRVToys.com (with an “S” instead of a “Z”). Eventually, both links will bring up the same site.
Filed under: home/family on October 12th, 2009 | No Comments »
If you purchased anything from us recently, you’re already aware that everything is now done through CoolRVStore.com, our new store web site. This great new site is easier to use and will allow us to bring you more and better services in the future.
We’ve migrated all accounts over to the new site, so you should be able to log into the new site using your old CoolRVToyz account information. Once logged in, click MY ACCOUNT, and then click MY DOWNLOADABLE PRODUCTS in the navigation menu on the left. There is where you’ll find your free updates for download. If you have troubles getting in, please contact us at sales@coolrvstore.com and we’ll assist you in getting started with the new site.
Of course www.CoolRVToyz.com will still be around and will serve as our blog site. Come by and read the writings of some of the most interesting people in the RV industry. Oh, and I even write something once in a while too.
Filed under: home/family on October 12th, 2009 | No Comments »
If you’re on our mailing list, then you’ve already seen the email. We always try to get the word out first to our mailing list subscribers to give them a head start. 
. The first few hours after an update puts a bit of a strain on our website, but so far we’re handling it with only minor issues. If you’re not on our mailing list, then here’s the scoop:
We’ve been busy this Summer!
Our Fall update is finally ready and we’re very proud of this one. Not only is it bigger, it is a lot better! Here are just a few of the new features available in this update:
If you’re already a customer, log into our new web store at CoolRVStore.com today and get your free update.
If you’re not a customer yet, now is a better time than ever to get the largest, most accurate and most complete RV Parks, Campgrounds and Services Directory for your GPS and Trip Planning Software. Just go to CoolRVStore.com for all the details.
Filed under: home/family on October 12th, 2009 | No Comments »
One advantage of the RV lifestyle is contact with nature. Compared with our brethren who dwell in stick-built mansions and commute back and forth to work in the city, we have a lot more time viewing, listening to, and breathing in the air of natural surroundings. Now comes a scientific study that says all that may make us better people.
A team of researchers with the University of Rochester say that exposure to nature not only makes us happier and healthier, it also helps us put greater value on personal relationships and community, and tends to make us more generous. To reach this conclusion, the team took 370 participants and exposed them to either nature, or to man-made environments.
Those in the study were encouraged to attend to their environments by noticing colors and textures and imagining sounds and smells. In three of the studies, participants were shown a selection of four images on a 19 inch computer screen for two minutes each. Half of the subject viewed buildings, roads, and other cityscapes; the other half observed landscapes, lakes, and deserts. The urban and nature images were matched for color, complexity, layout, and lighting. In a fourth study, participants were simply assigned at random to work in a lab with or without plants. Participants then answered a questionnaire assessing the importance of four life aspirations: wealth and fame (“to be financially successful” and “to be admired by many people”) and connectedness and community (“to have deep enduring relationships” and “to work toward the betterment of society”).
Across all four studies, people exposed to natural elements rated close relationships and community higher than they had previously. The questionnaire also measured how immersed viewers were in their environments and found that the more deeply engaged subjects were with natural settings, the more they valued community and closeness. By contrast, the more intensely participants focused on artificial elements, the higher they rated wealth and fame.
To test generosity, two of the studies gave participants a $5 prize with the instructions that the money could be kept or given to a second anonymous participant, who would then be given an additional $5. The second participant could choose to return the prize money or keep it. Thus, subjects had nothing to gain if they chose to trust the other participant, and risked losing their money.
The result? People who were in contact with nature were more willing to open their wallets and share. As with aspirations, the higher the immersion in nature, the more likely subjects were to be generous with their winnings.
As RVers, we don’t need to look at a computer screen to see nature. Many of us can simply look out the windows of our rigs, step outside the door, and we’re surrounded by real nature. The findings shouldn’t be surprising–after all, RVers are well-known for their concern for others and an appreciation of a simple lifestyle.
photo: R&T DeMaris
Filed under: home/family on October 5th, 2009 | No Comments »