Where I've Been

FaceBook has an endless number of applications to 'enhance' the user experience. Some are silly, some are plain dumb, and some are quite useful, and some are fun. One of the applications I like is called Where I've Been, and it acts as a virtual map with virtual pins that mark 'where I've been'.

To be honest, the app is not always perfect, and for me at least, it isn't always easy to get into, but at least it saves your progress automatically, and it does seem to improving over time. One of the excitements of travel, of course, is seeing where you've been, and just as important, where you haven't been. An application like this is fairly easy to use, although it is limited to facebook. There are similar apps with facebook, if you want to experiment, but I like this one best.

I have yet to research a similar program for desktop use, that you can share with everyone. I'm sure one is out there, and I will let you know. Meanwhile, if you can recommend something, let ME know.

It would be great to have a world map on your wall, and place pins in it to mark your places of visitation, but honestly, that would take a big chunk of wall space, and what if the pins fell out? Of course, if I leave facebook, or the power goes out, I can't access Where I've Been, but since it is a program, there are some neat aspects like giving you a percentage of the planet that you have visited.

For me, WIB says I've visited 10% of the planet. Now, I don't know if this is 10% of land mass, or the whole thing. If the whole planet, then 10% isn't bad, considering how much is water. My problem with the app is that it has been saying 10% for some time now. In fact, I've gone to considerable effort to add places, just to try to get it to 11%, but no... it hasn't changed. What irks me is that I've seen similar maps from other people, and one guy has 15%, but has visited less of the world thatn I have!

I think the problem is that it gives you credit for an entire country, so the guy who hops over the border into Mexico for a quick margarita gets credit for the whole country. That's quite an edge, so I hope the application works these kinks out.

The above photo is an actual screenshot of my travels. It shows I have quite a few places to visit yet! When in the program, you can actually zoom in and out like on google maps, and see individual towns and other places you can truly add most places you've been. One thing lacking though is places of interest, like Mount Rushmore or the Taj Majal. Hopefully they will add that to the cities feature some time.


Meanwhile, it is a fun tool for a traveller, but only if you are on facebook. Maybe they'll expand beyond social networks one day?

So how do YOU keep track of Where You've Been?

Cheers, JOHN :0)

Snow on the Beach

Went to the beach yesterday. The nice thing about living in New Jersey is, when you can forget for a moment the high cost of living, the high taxes, the over-development, the crowds, and especially the noise, well, at least you're close to the beach. Not that all beaches are the same, but at least in winter time there are fewer people and hopefully less garbage to tread on.



Do I sound annoyed? Yes, because it is unbelievable that people can go to the beach and leave their garbage behind them. Broken bottles, rusty cans, miscellaneous items of clothing.... you name it.



However, I want to encourage travel, so let's speak of the beauty. I always enjoy a trip to the shore, and the ocean will always manage to impress the heck out of me. I love the beach in winter time, but yesterday was the first time I actually saw snow at the beach. Not a lot, but enough to be admired.



I wanted to visit the twin light houses at Navesink, but unfortunately they closed early. I did get a few long distance shots, though. Supposedly there was a whale stranded at nearby Sandy Hook, but that was a week or so ago, so I'm hoping that situation was resolved, and the whale is on his merry way.

And no, didn't see any sharks this time. :0)

Cheers, JOHN :0)