For years I've resisted getting an iPod and joining the hip and trendy crowd. For two years, I've had a second hand mp3 player that cost about $29 when it was new. It had no music on it; I used it solely for listening to The Survival Podcast, The Berkey Guy Radio Show, and Dave Ramsey. I saw no need for an iPod, because I seldom listen to music.
The other day, my mp3 player gave up the ghost. I figured I'd get another cheapo player and be back in business. Between my wife and the salesman, they talked me into an 8GB iPod Touch
. Overnight, I've turned into a techno geek... this thing is amazing!I downloaded my wife's playlist, about 200 songs in a matter of minutes. The last time I downloaded music, Napster was still legal and it took about an hour a song over dial-up. I used the video camera today to film our nephews winning the district titles for their weight classes in HS wrestling. I'll soon figure out how to post to You Tube and then do some product reviews and show & tell sessions.
From the App Store, I've downloaded some free ones of a prep and survival nature. I've got interactive versions of a the SAS Survival manual, a 50,000 page medical guide, and even a flashlight. The flashlight emits a glow that is enough in extremely dark environments to find your way around or at least find a real flashlight.
It can be used as an e-reader as well, and I've downloaded free versions of Swiss Family Robinson and The Last Man. I hear from Jerry Ahern that the entire series of The Survivalist will soon be available for e-readers, and I can't wait.
I used ear buds with my old mp3 player to listen to my podcasts, but it got tiring. A few months ago I got a FM radio adapter to play the podcasts through my truck radio. With the iPod Touch, I can have it in my shirt pocket and it is loud enough to not need earbuds or any amplification.
I think this thing will be a real asset. I hope to find many more useful (and hopefully free) apps, and I'll periodically talk about them here.
If you have been resistant to technology like I was, you might be pleasantly surprised. You might also keep information on it that can save your life.
I'm doing something similar with my Droid. I found an Android app for the US Army Survival Guide (which I've got on hardcopy at home). The description specified that the manual was downloaded to your phone and not kept on a server somewhere.
ReplyDeleteYou should also be able to download some sort of map. I found local county emergency services maps & stuck them on the phone as well. These are in a pdf format but there are free programs that will allow you to view the files. Lists of the local radio freqs might be helpful too.
I do think the free navigation apps are great but you need to remember that most if not all of them keep the actual map data on a server somewhere. If you don't have a viable signal you don't have any map to work with.
Steelheart
Yeah, DH got one last Fall. got ton's of books downloaded on it. One problem though is if we get hit with solar flare or EMP it"ll all be fried! got to have hard copies of those great reference books!
ReplyDeleteSteelheart - great idea on the maps. I need to check on that. I'd need to have them saved because it only accesses the web when I'm in a WiFi spot.
ReplyDeleteCherlynn - roger that on the hard copies. Another thought is that when I eventually upgrade, maybe get an iPhone, or a bigger iPod, maybe keep the pertinent stuff on this one and put it and a charger in a farady box with my spare radios.