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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

DEL TO DO BAJA 1000 PRE-RUN WITH BFG

DEL ALBRIGHT DOING BFGOODRICH TIRES TEAMBFG BAJA 1000 PRE-RUN.
Del Albright Blog, 10/21/2013

#teambfg of +BFGoodrich Tires has invited me to be part of the pre-run for the Baja 1000, and then to be involved in the progress of the real race in a few weeks.  The SCORE International Tecate Baja 1000 is the most famous, historical off road race in the world, I think.



BFGoodrich Tires has a phenomenal track record for winning tires in this desert-bouncing, high speed, endurance rated, off-road marathon competition.  I get to add my landuse perspective while getting to know the famous names behind the race; but more importantly I get to experience first hand why we love this sport and these types of races.  The dust, the glory, the speed, the fear, the challenge and the fun will be in my tool bag very soon!

Stay tuned as I add my experiences, thoughts and adventures with BFG on the social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

More on SCORE International here: http://score-international.com/.
More on BFGoodrich Tires here: http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com.
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Del

Thursday, October 17, 2013

CONTEST OF TWEETS FOR #TEAMALBRIGHT

FUN CONTEST: TWEET #TEAMALBRIGHT AND WIN GOODIES

A Hashtag (pound sign) provides world-wide tracking of posts, grouping of messages and a searching tool in messages for key topics. #teamalbright is what we use for our Del & Stacie internet presence -- Team Albright.  So here's our contest: Tweet #teamalbright (use Twitter and use the hashtag) with what you like about what we do, or what you think is unique, and WIN goodies if we select your Tweet.

Contest ends Monday, 5 pm, October 21st.  Winners will be selected based on originality; if your tweet makes us smile; and some arbitrary pulling out of the hat.  This is just for fun (and to see how well this Hashtag stuff works). Winners will get to choose from three prizes:


 1.  Autographed poster of Team Albright, 5x7 or 8x10.










2.  Autographed copy of our Landuse and Volunteerism book, mailed free to your doorstep.

 








  3.  Bag of stickers and decals (swag).  We'll pull a bunch from our partner/sponsor box of goodies and send them to you for your collection (or your kids).  ;)

So TWEET away; Tweet #teamalbright and say something that will catch our attention.  I will follow your Tweets using the Hashtag from Hootsuite and Twitter.   Thanks, Del


Saturday, October 12, 2013

FIXING STUFF ON YOUR OWN

 SELF-HELP IN THE MODERN WORLD;
FIXING JUNK ON YOUR OWN WITH INTERNET HELP -- ESPECIALLY YOU-TUBE.

By Del Albright, Blog 10/12/2013

Lately I've accomplished some repairs I never would have tackled years ago because I'm not a fixit type of guy.  Yes, it's about the Internet -- YouTube, Bing.com, Wikipedia and forums.

The trick to figuring out just about anything is learning the right search terms and where to look.  Don't look in a forum where the participants spend more time flaming each other than providing good info if you want reliable (and friendly) help. Don't look in Wikipedia if you want to repair your RV water heater.  It's all about knowing where to look, and what to look for.


It takes a little practice and some visualization (common sense thinking).  I learned how to check an alternator on a good forum that had a thread for my vehicle (and reasonable, knowledgeable people).

I learned how to fix the pilot-light water heater in my old hunting trailer from YouTube. It took a while to find the right search terms, but once I did, BINGO, I was watching a guy fix the same water heater on his 1970's something trailer just like mine!  Step by step fixit instructions and even bench testing of components.





Did you know that not all battery chargers are alike?  And that if you spend the money on a modern, good charger, you get a lot more than you ever could have expected in battery life?  Yup.  I learned that from some experts at Optima batteries and a few reliable forums.

For an RV (or even an off-road rig), battery condition is one of those critical components that can sure mess with your success if it's not working right.  So from a few forums and on the job training, I now make sure all my batteries are in good shape and properly managed  -- not just charged.

OH, and let's not forget computers!


The other day I was ready to make my desktop computer into a mailbox!  The Visual C# Command Line Compiler had stopped working (or some such error message that would NOT leave me alone).   And let's not forget to mention my Network Adapter that would not connect to the Internet unless I Disabled and re-Enabled it, EVERY morning.  Larger hammers were showing up in my office!!!

The solution was a HELP desk from Windows in this case, with a user community thread.  A soft boot with all Microsoft stuff disabled fixed the problem -- but I had to spend a hour looking for the solution.  Actually, the soft boot fixed both my problems with this potential mailbox.

The real bottom line for me is that YouTube wins top honors.  You can find a good video on about anything you need to do on this amazing video sight.  Yes, there is still junk mail out there, just like on Wikipedia, so you have to be a bit diligent in double checking sometimes.  But overall, I've found the fix more often than not on YouTube and I recommend you learn to make this site your friend.
http://www.youtube.com

Del
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Wednesday, October 2, 2013

WHO IS BRC AND WHY JOIN?

WHO IS BLUERIBBON COALITION (BRC) AND WHY JOIN THEM?
By Del Albright
10/2/2013

Landuse is not about miracles; it’s about consistency, professional staff, and hard work. While it might be the key to long term success, you can’t substitute enthusiasm for experience. If you want to do the job right, join with those who've been there, seen it, done it and have proven they know how to help you get it done from experience.   That is BRC; and that is why I advocate for it to be your first stop in joining outdoor advocacy organizations.

Don't get me wrong; I will always ALSO advocate for you to be part of your local club; your regional or state association, and your sport-specific nationwide outfit. But when it comes down to making sure we have influence in national politics where decisions are made (Washington DC), and a partner with oomph that will work alongside our local/state organizations, it's BRC.

BRC is the national grassroots leader in helping to save trails and keep off-road sports alive and well – all sports and all trails.   Like an umbrella organization, BRC champions responsible access at all levels in all areas of the USA, working with all forms of modality like 4x4, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, dune buggies, side-by-sides, ATV’s and anything else you can think of.  It encompasses the sports of off-roading, hunting, fishing, photography, skiing, snowmobiling, exploring, adventure travel, and anything activity that relies on access to lands and waterways.  Everyone in outdoor sports should be a member of BRC as their first step in getting involved in keeping a sport alive.

A key thing that sets BRC apart is their full time, professional, trained and competent staff supplemented by volunteer Board of Directors and professional career landuse advocate contractors, all dedicated to making sure we have a future in off-road sports. It is the professional staff and that experience coming alongside to help its members and member organizations that make BRC the ‘big dog’ in saving off-road sports.
  
Del