Owner: The Wired Kayaker URL:http://www.wiredkayaker.com Join Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 21:20:10 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: This blog focuses on recreational Kayaking as well as other outdoor sports that the average person can enjoy. Nothing Extreme or incredibly advanced, just fun stuff for the recreational outdoor enthusiast. Site statistics:Click here
Buzzing around... 2007-09-26 08:58:00 My friend Andy is a big fan of remote control toys. He has had a couple of different ones including a remote control tank that actually fires pellets. He also has a few different Remote Control Helicopters around the house. He's flown them into the trees and roofs of the houses in the neighborhood. He's gotten much better though and I think he's starting to get the hang of it. It may be time for him to step up to a big time remote control helicopter.Hobby Warehouse,com is a site where you can order many different remote controlled products including helicopters, and for Andy, replacement parts. As far as an outdoor activity to do, remote control airplanes and helicopters are a great way to spend some time outside. I wonder if I can get one of the helicopters with a camera on it so I can take remote aerial shots. That would be very cool.Read my disclosure policy. You can make money with your blog too, click on the referral button.
QCC Kayaks on sale 2007-09-26 08:47:00 QCC Kayaks is a company that has American made kayaks of very high quality. I am trying to win one from Paddling.net. Paddling.net has a sweepstakes from time to time where they give away some fantastic prizes. But if I do not win there is always the $500.00 off sale at QCC Kayaks. The kayaks that they make are rather expensive but $500.00 makes the hit a little less intense. If you are looking to get into kayaking and buying your first kayak you should take a look at the guide to buying a kayak that as been set up over at QCC Kayaks. I know that I should have looked into that back when I was starting out. I just picked one out and went paddling. I was lucky and I like my boat but I think it is time to upgrade soon.Join the Blog Rush.
Kayaking as Therapy 2007-09-24 17:19:00 I've been thinking a bit about what kayaking means to me. When I spend time on the water I am at peace and truly enjoy my time. I look forward to being able to get out on the water. For me it is like a form of therapy. I get to spend time exercising as well as freeing my mind from worries and cares. I wonder if any drug rehabs or counseling facilities have thought of using kayaking as a method of therapy and rehabilitation. I'm certain that this would be a beneficial way to free people from their pressures and stresses even if for a little while. Read more:Kayaking
, Therapy
BenSpark's Photo-A-Day 2008 Calendar 2007-09-23 08:47:00 I decided to take 12 of my favorite images (13 actually with the cover) and make a 2008 calendar through LULU.com. I took a cue from the awesome Mark Eccleston and made my own 2008 calendar through LuLu.com. I am selling them for $15.00 each.Why that much? Well, Lulu production is $11.29 each, then Lulu also takes a $0.74 commission per calendar. I get $2.97 per calendar. However I am donating $2.00 from each calendar to help The Machinski Family.Becky Machinski went to high school with me, she got cancer and recovered, her husband Mike has cancer and is still in recovery, he has had 120 radiation treatments! with all that time treating cancer the money that they had dwindled to nothing. The family needs some financial help. Mike and Becky have 3 beautiful daughters and they have all sacrificed so much and need some financial help.My High School Reunion is November 24th and on that day I would like to present the Machinski's with a check for $200.00 from the sales of these calendars. Read more:Photo
, Calendar
Help Save Homes... 2007-09-23 08:42:00 Property taxes are out of control all over the country but they are terrible in Florida. Homes
that people have lived in for years are being assessed for crazy amounts of money. People are being forced out of their homes because they cannot pay these outrageous taxes.A Miami real estate company is trying to make a difference in people's lives and help propose the Portability of the Save Our Homes Assessment Cap. This is something that will help people keep homes that they have lived in and worked for their entire lives. Now that I have family in Floria I want to make sure that they aren't forced out over such unfair practices.
Postie Reporter - CollegeFest 2007 2007-09-22 07:53:00 This morning I rode in from the Attleboro Train station to Boston's South Station. I am a Postie
reporter for PayPerPost for the weekend at CollegeFest. I will be promoting PayPerPost and taking photos all weekend long. I will upload all photos to this Flickr Set called Postie Reporter
- CollegeFest 2007 and Photos will also be in a Zooomr Set called Postie Reporter - CollegeFest 2007. I will be updating The BenSpark, Twitter and Pownce throughout the day with my activities at CollegeFest.Here is a live UStream.tv Stream from CollegeFest 2007. I taped my web cam to my XShot to get it high above the crowd.Join the Blog Rush.
Shelburne Farms Photowalk 2007-09-21 22:03:00 I finally put together my photowalk gallery for the trip to Shelburne Farms
last week. I decided on about 40 images that I liked. I added them to a Flickr Set and then uploaded one to the group I started New England Photowalking. I usually post photowalks on The Benspark but because this was an outdoor activity I figured that this would be a great blog to showcase the photowalk.If you are unfamiliar with photowalking it is a term to mean going out walking around with the sole intention of taking photos. That's it, take tons of photos improve your skills and have a great time.Start here with the map of the photowalk. this was captured using my GiSTEQ PhotoTrackr. What a great device for Photowalkers. Automatic geotagging.Join the Blog Rush.
Cooking in the wild 2007-09-21 13:58:00 The other night I went out to dinner with my Aunt and Uncle. Over the years I have hiked and snowshoed with them all over the Northeast. And when we go on our trips my Uncle Wayne brings the best food. It could be because we are totally wiped out by the end of the day and anything tastes go at that point but I do know that I like it. The food may not be prepared on fancy pots and pans like those of berndes cookware but we get by. On one trip through the woods in the winter we even had salad. Salad in the winter after hiking all day. Yep we did it. And it didn't freeze and go mushy or anything. I am looking forward to taking the little one out into the woods for gourmet food in bags. Anybody have a favorite camping recipe?
Wired Kayaker at Blog World Expo 2007 2007-09-20 12:01:00 So, I am going to go to blog World
Expo and will most likely be attending PostieCon while I am there as well as doing a road trip with the guys from FuelMyBlog. Oh and I also have a baby on the way. The due date for the baby is October 20th. I am hoping for a bit of an early bird for selfish reasons, I want my two weeks with the baby before I head to Las Vegas. It is bad enough I'm going to be there for my 2nd anniversary. I'm going to have to hit it big when I get out there so I can make it up to her.I think most of my plans are going to firm up in the next few weeks, I am excited and fortunate for some opportunities. There is a great contest being done by FuelMyBlog and Blog World Expo right now where they are giving away a free pass to Blog World Expo. since I am already going I am not entering. But I want to tell you how easy it is to enter. First of all you need to write a post that states "If I win fuelmyblog's prize and win the ticket to go to BlogWorld Expo, I would like to Read more:Wired
Back in the Day part 2... 2007-09-20 08:09:00 When I worked at Cape Cod Kayak back in 2001 I spent a lot of time in the shop talking with people about the different boats. My boss Kim encouraged me to become a rep. At the time I was uncomfortable talking to people that I didn't know and would never have dreamed of going into kayak shops to talk to kayak shop owners about products. I thought about so many factors and psyched myself right out of even trying. I'd have to get a truck and buy many truck accessories including a ladder rack to use to transport the boats or other gear.Now in a twist of irony my job is and has been for the past year to go and talk to potential customers about software. I travel all over the country and give presentations. I guess if I had taken a chance on that sort of career long ago I probably would have done okay with going out and meeting new people and telling them about products. Live and Learn.
International Talk Like a Pirate Day 2007-09-19 07:04:00 One of my favorite days of the year is International
Talk Like A Pirate
Day. This is a day to get out there and show the world that you have Pirattitude! This year I am celebrating by hosting a contest over on my Blog The BenSpark (kinda sounds like a name for a ship don't it). I'm giving away a copy of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. It would be a great addition to your pirate DVD collection. You can enter Cap’n BenSpark’s International Talk Like A Pirate Day, Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest DVD Giveaway Contest.Just follow the instructions that I wrote up over on the BenSpark. You have about a week to enter.Help me Get Paid to Blog for a Year! Please Vote.If you liked this post Please Click a button.
Back in the day... 2007-09-19 06:39:00 When I used to work for Cape Cod Kayak I would often have to load up the truck. There was a trailer that had tons of space for multiple kayaks and we used that often when we had a large group. But for the most part we would load the boats into the truck and on the ladder rack and we'd be good to go.I miss those days when we loaded up to go on water. I wanted every day to be like that but unfortunately weather doesn't always cooperate. So many times I had to be in the shop. I should have enjoyed my time int he shop but all I wanted to do was get on the water. Some days I would trade anything to be back in the shop learning about kayaks and selling them to people.
PhotoKayaker, Check out his stuff... 2007-09-18 16:42:00 Earlier I posted about a blog called paddling with a camera. The blog is run by a guy called PhotoKayaker and what an appropriate name. I love his photos. He has some excellent stuff
. After I discovered his blog through Blog Rush I left him a comment about it. Come to find out he discovered my blog first and even linked to me on the 10th of September. He calls it Speedlinking and he writes a tiny blurb about a couple of blogs that he has found. Very cool.I poked around and PhotoKayaker is a pretty amazing guy, he's been kayaking for a long time and is an excellent photographer. Definitely someone I will be watching online and learning from. I added paddling with a camera to the list of outdoor bloggers. Go pay him a visit.Help me Get Paid to Blog for a Year! Please Vote.If you liked this post Please Click a button. Read more:Check
Host a Purple Party... 2007-09-18 08:41:00 September 21st is World Alzheimer's Day. I have been seeing advertisements on TV for the Memory walks that are being done to raise money to fight the disease. But that is not the only way that people can raise money for World Alzheimer's Day. You can to pull together a group of people to do a walk and you can host a PurpleParty
.What is a Purple Party? This is a "socially responsible" party that can be hosted to generate more awareness of World Alzheimer's Day as well as awareness of the Alzheimer's disease. The main purpose of the party in addition to raising awareness is to motivate your team and also raise funds. The Harrah's Foundation will be matching the funds raised dollar for dollar during the month of September. If you want to generate more donations then register your party at actionalz.org and this will allow people who are going to the party or who cannot make the party, to make donations online. You can also make your own online information page for your party.The Act
The rush of water? No, it is a Blog Rush... 2007-09-18 07:55:00 I don't consider myself a bandwagon jumper but I guess that is what I have done. I jumped on the bandwagon for Blog Rush. This is a new service that bloggers can sign up for free to exchange links with many other bloggers and blogs. Some people are not thrilled with the idea of Blog Rush but already I have found a blog that I like.I joined Blog Rush yesterday afternoon after I had seen more and more posts about it. So many posts that I had to check it out. I went to the Blog Rush website and watched their intro video and the idea sparked something in me. I would love to increase the readership of each of my blogs and I do like finding new blogs to learn about. So I monitor what types of posts are coming up on the Blog Rush widget and today I found one for kayaking and photography!The blog is called paddling with a camera and the link is for Photokayaker. That is what I want to do on my kayak, I am going to be exploring this blog a bit more for great tips and idea for photography on th Read more:water
I do like to vacation.. 2007-09-18 07:40:00 When I go on vacation my friend Peter is incredulous that I want to do active things. To him vacations are all about sleeping late and doing next to nothing. Well, I can do that at home. While I am on vacation I want to get out and enjoy the place where I am staying.I want to have a nice room at a hotel or one of those Condo Hotels because of all the extra amenities that I am looking for. The place has to have a pool. If it is on the water then even better. I want to be able to go kayaking when I travel. I love getting out on the water in many different locations. If the place has kayak rentals or free kayaks for use then even better. On our honeymoon Allison and I went to Aruba and we kayaked with a tour, that was a lot of fun. We would certainly go back there again for a fun trip like that. I would also like to get down to Florida near Key west and do some kayaking in the mangrove trees, I had better get a new camera for Wired Kayaker podcasts before I end up doing that. And I cannot
Shelburne Farms 2007-09-17 07:50:00 Yesterday Allison and I revisited Shelburne Farms
in Stow, MA. We were there for an event through Allison's Sorority Alumni group. It was Allison & I, Amy & Ryan & Mason, Beth, Megan, Rachel & Didi.I blogged about the day and some of my photos over on The BenSpark and I have a bunch more photos to post. But here I wanted to talk about the farm itself.Because this blog is about going out and dooring outdoor activities I am going to share with you a secret for a great day with the kids. This event will make memories and help you bond to them in special ways.Take your family Apple Picking. Think of it as a fantastic day of multitasking. First off you get some delicious apples that are good for you. You pick them directly off the tree and can even eat them as you walk around. So you get some grocery shopping out of the way and you get the family to help. Second, you can use this idyllic setting to take photos of your family. I watched the two kids with us as their eyes lit up over and ove
An outing with your family... 2007-09-17 07:34:00 When I was a kid I remember going to the Providence Civic center for a circus or even the IceCapades. I also remember those cheap hand held toys that would make noise and lights and sounds when you pushed a button. We never got me one of those and with kid logic I thought I was missing out on something great. Now I know that it wouldn't have been in my best interest to have had one of those throw away pieces of junk.Back then it is very easy to get tickets, you'd go to the event and buy your ticket. We didn't have ticket agencies online so that we could reserve the tickets well in advance. You could call for tickets but it just wasn't as busy as it is now. Things like the IceCapades back then didn't sell out. Not like today with super tours like High School Musical. That is such a huge phenomenon that you better get High School Musical tickets online because that is most likely your best bet. I hear that this is a huge thing and I know my cousins are into the movie and would proba Read more:outing
A few changes... 2007-09-15 10:55:00 I need to change the description above because this blog is going to have occasional podcasts, well once I get a camera. Any sponsors out there wanting to help me out. One of the changes
around here is that I will be updating more often as I am now blogging for PayU2Blog and I received a ton of assignments right away, that is pretty awesome because Allison and I are trying to make enough for Allison to stay home with the baby. So I need to supplement our income with additional sponsored blogging.The quality of the posts will not go down, in fact I think it will get better because I will be on the lookout for things to write about that deal with outdoor activities and kayaking. If you know of an outdoor website or you have one of your own let me know and I'll write up a review for your blog. You can even hire me for a sponsored post on this blog. I know that there have been some spammers trying to get free links to their blogs and websites by leaving comments. If that is you don't thi
Going to Orlando 2007-09-15 08:42:00 It looks like I will be headed to Orlando
for a conference in February; this is a great thing because I will be able to accomplish a few things. First off, Allison and the baby (the baby is due October 20th, I'll make a big announcement when the baby is born) will be able to fly down to Orlando with me and then head down to her parent's place. Then I am going to schedule a week of vacation to stay in Florida. I have always loved Orlando vacations because Disney, Busch Gardens and Sea World have been some of my favorite vacation spots. I am also excited about getting to Orlando because I may actually be able to do a Wired Kayaker podcast with a cool guy named Ashley and being in Orlando is going to help me achieve that. Read more:Going
Gadget: XShot 2007-09-06 07:41:00 Kayaking is often a solo sport, at least for me it is. I head off in the morning and take my gear, load it into and onto the car. I decide where I am off to and then unload my gear when I arrive. I like to take photos. That is abundantly clear on my blog The BenSpark. And I take a ton of photos while I am kayaking, but I don't have many photos of myself when I go. That won't be the case anymore because now I have an XShot to take with me. I've been using my XShot for a few months now unfortunately not anytime while I have been paddling but it goes with me on my next trip. The XShot is an essential piece of equipment to have if you want to capture photos of yourself or yourself and your friends when you do not have someone to take the picture for you.The XShot is a telescoping extension of your arm that you can use to take photos of yourself as well as others and the background. The XShot extends to 37 inches. That means that 37 inches beyond your furthest reach can be achieved to ca Read more:Gadget
Wired for Pink... 2007-10-02 14:17:00 You might have noticed a bit of a color change around here. I decided to go Pink for October. Breast Cancer awareness is important to me as well as to Allison. We decided to get out blogs into a pink theme for the month of October. I learned about this project through Joana of Nanashi-Inc.net. So if you want to show your support for Breast Cancer Awareness for the month of October set your theme to Pink.Even though it is Breast Cancer awareness month, I have a project of my own to help raise money for a family whose whole lives has been affected by Cancer. I created a 2008 Photo-A-Day Calendar and I am giving 2/3 of the profits to the Machinski Family. My goal is to sell 100 calendars before November 24th and raise $200.00 to give to the Machinski family. Becky Machinski was a classmate of mine in High School and both she and her husband have both battled Cancer. Becky's Cancer is gone but her husband Mike is still battling Cancer and it has depleted their savings. I can't imagine ho Read more:Wired
Outdoor World Coming soon... 2007-10-02 14:12:00 At Gillette Stadium, they are building a number of stores. One of them is an Outdoor World
. The first time I ever went to one of these was in Missouri. It was amazing and huge, they had four floors and a restaurant on the top floor with a 35,000 gallon salt water tank behind the bar. It was huge and one of the coolest things I have ever seen on the road. The new store over in Foxboro doesn't look as big but the developer must have had a good realtor never-the-less. The spot is prime and the new complex looks to be a popular place when all is said and done. And now I will have a giant outdoor store to go to for me gear.
KayakPaddling.net 2007-10-02 06:41:00 Adam at Sea Kayaking Dot Net told me about this site called KayakPaddling.net. I am glad he did because this is a fantastic site for paddlers and open water kayakers. The site has Finnish and also an European English version.KayakPaddling.net is a great visual resource for kayakers with animated video instruction of many basic and advanced techniques. The English is a little strange at times but for the most part it is pretty easy to follow. The animated videos are excellent and the site is fantastically interactive. certainly pushing the limits of what the Internet can do to help educate and instruct. Overall an excellent site that you should certainly look into.Join the Blog Rush.Help Me Win a T-shirt or $500.00 from FuelMyBlog and SnorgTees.com. I could really use a new video camera so the podcast could start back up again.
On the water... (NOT) 2007-10-01 14:14:00 I have not been on the water
since before the fourth of July. I miss it, I really do and I feel like I have missed out so much on all the plans I tried to do all summer with this blog. Going longer than 28 days without being on the water is the same amount of time that people spend in drug rehabilitation. So in essence I have more than detoxed from being on the water, but instead of feeling better and getting a clearer head, I feel more scattered and missing my connection to the water. I hope to get back out at least one more time before the weather is to prohibitive for paddling.
Can I take a nano on the water? 2007-10-01 14:09:00 I certainly hope so because I could possibily win one from Tech Juicer. This post will give me two entries into the Tech Juicer: Win A Brand New 8gb iPod Nano In Any Color! Contest. There are many ways to get entries in this contest. I can get up to eleven entries because you get 2 entries per unique url and blog post. But if you live in Belgium, Sweden, Norway, UK, and the Netherlands you can get even more entries into the contest. If you live there you can send texts to certain numbers and get 4 entries per text, and with that you can get an unlimited number of entries. Wow.Join the Blog Rush.Help Me Win a T-shirt or $500.00 from FuelMyBlog and SnorgTees.com. I could really use a new video camera so the podcast could start back up again. Read more:water
Help me get a new camera... 2007-10-01 08:05:00 You might have seen that I have a message on my right sidebar. There is a big contest going on over at FuelMyBlog where I could possibily win $500.00 and I could certainly use that money to get a new digital camera that I can use on the water. I mentioned that camera below. The Sanyo E1 is a digital camera that is also waterproof and a digital video camera. If I can secure the $500.00 prize I would be golden for getting The Wired Kayaker podcast back on its feet, or at least back on the water.
Is the Wired Kayaker a Big Deal? 2007-10-01 07:15:00 I am a big deal blogger and deserve to win this funny t-shirt and win $500 because...I have not seen another one the water podcast before and I also got featured in my local newspaper. So I guess I may just be a big deal. Before you go thinking I have gotten a waterlogged swelled head let me tell you that I am just playing. I am not a big deal, I'm just a guy who brought his camera on his boat and started talking. And then that camera died. I'd love to get a new one so I can get back out there and film and $500.00 would certainly help me do that.There is this competition going on at FuelMyBlog where I could possibily win a T-Shirt or even $500.00 from SnorgTees.com.This is another one of those voting contests and in the last one I came in 4th. That is good enough to get me a T-Shirt this time around, but $500.00 would certainly be nice. So if you think I am kind of a Big Deal
or even if you think I am not and am just full of myself, please vote for me in this .Join the Blog Rush.Hel Read more:Wired
Kayaking with kids... 2007-09-29 11:16:00 On Thursday night as Allison and I took a tour of the hospital where I child is to be born my mind began to wander. I quietly walked by each healthcare cart that will hold a computer that will be used to monitor Allison and our new baby. I thought about the future and when I can finally introduce my child to kayaking.I am really looking forward to getting a tandem kayak so that I can take our child with us on the boats. First I will have to get a boat that has enough room to put the child, I don't say baby because I know I would be too nervous about taking a baby on the water, even if we just go a little ways off shore. I want to make sure that our child can swim and not panic in the water before we take them out there. So I figure a tandem kayak is in my future, just like a minivan is also in my future, but not today.I've read a few posts and comments and articles about kayaking with kids and I will check into these more throughout my child's life, but I will also offer my own expe Read more:Kayaking
Thinking about a camera 2007-09-28 12:44:00 I am thinking about getting a new video camera. I would really like the Sanyo E1 waterproof digital video camera. It looks great and there have been some very good reviews on Amazon.com for this camera. And the blue version is on sale today as well. But I can't quite justify a new toy at the moment.Do you know of a good digital video camera that is waterproof and has good quality images? Drop a comment here and let me know.Join the Blog Rush.
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