Tag Archives: RVillage

April 2023 News: AI/ChatGPT, Editing w Google Photos, Google Calendar reminders, RVillage


Image

  April 2023 / Issue 188  / Archives
This Geeks on Tour monthly newsletter will always be free, but we also have a premium membership with perks like private Zoom meetings, eBooks, tutorial videos, and complete classes. Our premium members support us, making everything we do possible. It’s $58 yearly or $68 for one year only.
What’s up with Jim and Chris – the Geeks


The waterway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
March

At the beginning of March, we were still traveling in Indonesia. The photo above comes from Bali. It’s called Garuda Wisnu Kencana. Wisnu is the god, sitting on his eagle-like steed called Garuda. Imagine the statue of Liberty, now make it a third bigger! You can see this statue from the plane! It was quite impressive. We completed our travels and arrived home mid-March. We’re happy to be home for a while.

Classes 

You can see all classes from past months on our Classes page. We presented 1 class during March:

Live YouTube shows
We did 2 of our Sunday Live “What Does This Button Do?” shows:

In this newsletter:

As usual, we have an eclectic mix of smartphone and technology tips for you.
  • Can Artificial Intelligence like ChatGPT plan your next trip?
  • Using Google Photos powerful editing tools
  • Magic Eraser video
  • Google Calendar Reminders
  • How to get your RVillage Map now that RVillage is closed


Geeks on Tour Member

  • Thank you to our premium members for supporting us and making this newsletter possible! If you learn something from us, and you’re not a member, consider joining us now.
Click Here to Join
What’s coming up – Our Calendar April and May

The Geeks are staying pretty close to home for a while.

We have one rally in Georgia and some Florida presentations.

Let us know if you would like a Zoom presentation for your group.

April

May

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, click on the bell for notifications, and Like us on Facebook.

That way you’ll get notified when we go live.

And we’re getting closer to 10K subs!


Ask the Geeks

Ask the Geeks Q&A forum. Anyone can read the forum, only members can ask questions. This is a valuable benefit of membership. Join Today! Here are some recent discussions

  1. Email Deletions
  2. Icon on Some Photos
  3. View Selected Photos
  4. Face Detection Results are Gone

If you’re using Google Photos under the free 15GB plan, you’re missing some powerful editing tools

If you use Google Photos and you’re struggling to stay within the 15GB Free storage allotment. Stop Struggling! Bite the bullet and pay $2/month. That gets you a Google One subscription with lots more than just the storage. Included in the plan are some WAY Cool editing features like Dynamic, Magic Eraser, and Background Blur.

Read More

Play this video to learn how to use Magic Eraser

Google Photos Magic Eraser Tutorial Video 791

Can Artificial Intelligence like Chat GPT plan your next trip?

Every techie worth their salt is writing about the Artificial Intelligence tool called ChatGPT. In February I wrote about using
ChatGPT to write poetry! Now that we’re back home and thinking about an RV trip, I decided to ask it to plan a trip for us. It doesn’t actually make your reservations or give turn-by-turn directions, but I find it quite useful in giving me an outline of where to go. The key is in learning how to talk to AI Chatbots.

Read the article here.

How Google Calendar can keep you from missing an event by setting your default notifications.

I’ve been using Google Calendar to notify me of upcoming appointments ever since I started using a smartphone, and yesterday I found it especially useful. I want to make sure that all of you know how to set the default settings so that you get a
notification before any upcoming event.

I had completely forgotten about my Yoga class at 10:30. I also completely forgot about a dinner party we were going to at 6pm. Because of my default settings in Google Calendar, I get a ringing automatic notification an hour before any
appointment. Whew! I made it just in time. Thank you Google Calendar!

Read the article to learn how

How to get your RVillage Map now thatRVillage is closed 

RVillage shut down, disappointing many RVers, but you can still get your places data and make a map.

Read More

Leave us a Review

Have you learned something from Geeks on Tour?

If so, we’d love to get a review from you. Click the link below and you should see a right sidebar with all Geeks on Tour stuff, scroll down a bit and you should see Reviews and Write a Review.

 If you like this newsletter, please forward it on to your friends! You might want to remove the Unsubscribe information at the bottom of the page. That will prevent one of your friends from Unsubscribing
you.
If you received this issue forwarded by a friend you can subscribe to get your own copy delivered to your in box – it’s free. You can also visit
the archives of past newsletters. If you’ve learned something from us along the way, we’d love a Google Review from you!
Geeks on Tour, 411 Walnut St. #4816, Green Cove Springs, FL, 32043, USAUnsubscribe   |   Change Subscriber Options

Your Travel Map with RVillage

If you’re a traveler, you probably love maps. I love to have maps of where I’ve been and we teach how to make these maps using Google My Maps. But, if you are an RVer, and you use RVillage.com, it’s a lot easier. RVillage automatically creates a map of everywhere you check in. Here are the Geeks on Tour maps from RVillage for the last 4 years. Notice the date selection boxes at the top left of each map.

map2014map2015

map2016map2017

Use RVillage to Check in at every stop

If you’re not familiar with RVillage, it is a free membership website and mobile app. The primary purpose of RVillage is for RVers to connect with other RVers as we travel. You do that by checking in with the program whenever you park at a new RV park or other destination. You will see the other RVillage members who are there, and they will see you. Then you can exchange messages and perhaps schedule meetups. Who knows, you might be parked right next to each other! RVillage makes the introduction and you have a new friend.

Just a couple of clicks makes the map

Whenever you check in to a new place, RVillage makes a note of that as a map entry. To see your map:

  • Open RVillage and be sure you’re logged in, either the website or the app
  • Go to your Profile
    on web: click the round icon with a face or other photo in upper right then View my Profile
    on mobile app: tap the 3-line menu and then My Profile
  • View your places
    on mobile, you’ll see a menu item for “My Places”
    on web, you’ll see an icon for My Places
    RVillage places
  • You should now be seeing a map with all the places you’ve ever checked in. Options to limit the dates shown are found under the drop-down list “All Places”

If you want to send someone the map of all your places, you will see a link to share below the map. To get maps limited by dates, like my samples above, I just took a screen shot.

What if there are some stops missing because you forgot to check in? Just above the map, you’ll see a link to “Add a Place.” That allows you to add a location and a date, then refresh the map. You can even add places anywhere in the world.

RVillage uses the map for keeping track of all the members, not just you. Watch this video to see how you can find other people, using clubs or interests along with maps.

Interested in learning more about RVillage? Check out their Youtube channel.

March 2014 Newsletter: RVillage, Google+ Auto Backup, Jim’s Galaxy Note 3, Allstays Camp and RV, Learning Picasa

Geeks on Tour

Monthly Issue # 77 March 31, 2014                                                    www.geeksontour.com
Newsletter Archives ‘ Become a Member ‘ Facebook” All Videos ‘ Subscribe

— Geeks on Tour is member supported.  We do not take advertising or receive funding from any other source. This FREE newsletter is made possible by our paid members.  Member benefits include access to over 260 tutorial videos and a members’ Q&A Forum.  Join today

If you are already a member, THANK YOU – we love answering your questions in the forum.

March in Florida

Pictures from February

Do you blame us?!  While winter is still raging in the rest of the country, we hang out in Florida and even get to indulge in our favorite pasttime – Kayak Diving.  It’s lobster season too so we go out on the reefs off of Fort Lauderdale beach and caught our dinner!  Here’s a video on Youtube of Jim G. and Jimmy L. catching lobster and showing how it’s done!

In addition to Fort Lauderdale, we also spent some time in northern Florida at Ginnie Springs and Orlando on our way coming and going to the FMCA rally in Perry, Georgia.  See all our March photos on our Web Album, or read our personal travel blog for March.

By the way, our pictures, Blogs, Web Albums, maps, and videos are all examples of what we teach.  If you’re a traveler, we teach you how to plan, preserve, and share your travels.  It makes the experience that much more enjoyable to get creative on the computer and share your travels with friends and family.  

New Tutorial Videos in March include Google Maps and Smartphone topics.  Check ’em out at Recent Videos.

new videos

Share: Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn StumbleUpon

Calendar: Coming up in April/May

  • April 2 7pm: Sarasota PC Users Group – Cloud Computing
  • April 6: SLOBytes Computer Club – a remote presentation on Cloud Computing
  • April 9 1pm: Cascades User Group in Port St. Lucie – Cloud Computing
  • May 2-6: FMCA International Area Rally in Lebanon, TN
  • May 10-11: Escapade pre-rally workshops on Windows 8, iPhones/iPads, Android
  • May 12-17: Escapade in Goshen, IN
  • May 28-June 8: appearances in the Quad Cities – Moline, IL / Davenport IA

For more details, see our website Calendar. 

Q&A Forum

Some Geeks on Tour members tell us that the Q&A forum is worth the entire cost of membership!  Here are some of the topics that have been discussed this month. Anyone can read the forum, only members ca ask questions.

  1. Getting Photos from Google+ to Picasa Web Albums for editing and printing
  2. Adding pictures to Blogger
  3. Opinion on RVTripWizard
  4. Printing a CD Cover with Picasa
  5. Google+ Hangouts
  6. Posting Photos to Blog with Live Writer
  7. Best Laptop Computer

RVillage.com

RVillage

It’s called RVillage.  It’s for RVers, but we pronounce it like Our Village, a social network just for RVers. Now, before you immediately say, “I don’t need another social network” check out the special features RVillage.com offers.  Each one who joins RVillage can easily ‘check in’ whenever you pull into a new RV park, and when you do, you get an icon on the map so friends can easily see where you are.  You can also join all sorts of special groups within RVillage. …

Read More

Google+ will Auto Backup all the Pictures from your Computer

Image

I’ve been using Google+ Auto Backup for the pictures on my computer for a couple of months now.  Once you understand it, and use it appropriately, it is wonderful.  You never have to worry about losing a picture ever again! They’re all in the ‘Cloud.’

However, there are some very important things to understand:

  1. If you let it back up your full size pictures, you will probably need to pay for more storage.  If, however, you change the default size to 2048 pixels, you get unlimited Free storage from Google
  2. If you have a limited, metered, Internet connection this will be using it up.  You may incur substantial charges, and probably won’t want to use Auto Backup at all.
  3. It’s not really a “Backup” in the traditional sense of the word.

The full article will explain more …

Read More

Must Have App: Allstays Camp and RV

Allstays Camp and RV

We’ve run into so many people who already have Allstays Camp and RV, that we won’t spend much time telling you all the details.  Suffice it to say, if you travel the USA or Canada, and you camp or RV, this is a Must Have App!  It has a price tag of $9.99 – and it is well worth it!  

You can visit theAllstays website and search all the campground listings for free, but if you want to be able to look at your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet and find the best place to park, where you are, the Allstays Camp and RV app is the way to go.

Read More

Update on Jim’s Note 3

Galaxy Note 3

I chose the Note3 for its screen size and cool features. It is so big, it rivals my Nexus 7 tablet. I find the Nexus 7 being relegated to the bedroom. Some people refer to this form factor as a “phablet,” or phone-tablet. The feature list for this device is extensive, almost mind-boggling, and I am enjoying learning all about it.

So, how do we learn about technology? I start with a web search. I read the manual. The manual for this device is 184 pages in pdf format. I copied it to a folder on OneDrive so it is accessible on all my devices for reading anytime, anywhere. There are tons of learning resources on the web, too. Some good, others not

Read More

Learning Picasa the Easy Way

Image

Some people want a book.  They like to read instructions, take notes and make highlights.  They need to be able to skim information they already know, and be able to go back and quickly refer to instructions. Other people don’t want to read.  It’s tedious and not clear enough. They want to sit back and watch a video that shows exactly how something is done.

Our Picasa Beginner’s Guide book has both.  It is a 66 page printed book with written instructions and screen shots.  Read thru the printed material, and when you need more, you will see a reference to an online video that you can watch to see exactly how the procedure is done.

RVTravel.com

RV Travel Newsletter by Chuck Woodbury

Current Issue

Join Geeks on Tour!

That’s all for now. We hope you learned something. Your next issue will be next month. Any questions, please visit our forum. If you like this newsletter, please forward it on to your friends! If you received this issue forwarded by a friend you can subscribe to get your own copy delivered to your in box – it’s free. You can also visit the archives of past newsletters, 

Happy Computing!

The Geeks on Tour website is an online learning library for Travelers who want to learn to use their computers and mobile devices for managing digital photos, making blogs, using maps and other online resources. Anyone can watch our free videos, read articles on our Computer Tips for Travelers Blog, sign up for our free monthly newsletter, or Picasa weekly tips. A small fee makes you a ‘member‘ and you can then view any of our 230+ video tutorials on these subjects in our Learning LIbrary.

Geeks on Tour

Sincerely,

Geeks on Tour

jimandchris@geeksontour.com

Follow: Follow Me On Facebook Follow Me On Twitter