Tag: Camping

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An Insider’s Peak at the Ultimate Internet Boot Camp (UIBC)

Review: Peak Potential’s “Ultimate Internet Boot Camp,” (UIBC) December 5th – 10th, 2010, Los Angeles, CA

UIBC is a five day intense training course that not only teaches how to create a profitable WordPress website from scratch, but also teaches you the marketing skills to promote your website and create an income stream that will bring you revenue for years to come. You don’t have to trade hours for dollars anymore! What a concept!

Imagine, 300 people in a room, each with their own unique background and skill set, armed with a notebook computer and an internet connection, ready to embark on a journey that will lead them down the path to build their own money earning website from scratch in five days. And the Peak Potential’s team delivers!

I was impressed by the way the event was organized and structured, so that even though we were in front of a computer screen for about 12 hours a day, I was totally engaged the entire time. The sessions were interspersed with timely stretching, high-fiving, hilarious games, music and dancing. They also gave us permission to howl like a wolf whenever we felt like it. After a couple of days, it seemed perfectly normal. I took 35 pages of hand-written notes in addition to the numerous handouts that they provided.

Their presenters were both entertaining and knowledgeable with excellent credentials. Andrew Lock, the lead presenter for the seminar, was a real joy. His British humor reminded me of Monty Python. Eric Lingenfelter also did an excellent job presenting his sections as did Chris Farrell. T. Harv Eker, author of the best selling book, “Secrets of a Millionaire Mind”, was also highly motivating. All of their presenters were first-rate.

Also note that Alex Mandossian, who is usually one of the lead presenters, and a very good one, was absent due to his daughter’s illness. I’m happy to report that it appears she has made a complete recovery from a very serious illness. Alex still taught some of his sections of the course from a DVD recording of a previous seminar, and amazingly, the attendees responded to him as if he was standing right there. That’s charisma!

Prior to the beginning of the seminar, there is a pre-training program which is very good at preparing attendees to hit the ground running on day one. The pre-training includes registering a domain name, determining your passion, explaining what to bring to the event and setting up various accounts such as PayPal.

During this five day event, we:

  • Determined our monetizable niche
  • Learned how to set up a WordPress website
  • Sold products from our new site
  • Learned how to use online marketing tools to drive traffic to the site
  • Created and embedded a YouTube video

Note that this is not a get rich quick scheme. If you apply the lessons learned in the seminar over time, with effort and consistency, little by little, day by day, you will achieve real quantifiable results.

I am not accustomed to spending large sums of money on seminars, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the quantity and quality of information they packed into this course.

On the negative side, I felt that their hosting packages were a little overpriced, $25 a month for one site, $50 a month for up to five sites. It costs an additional $20/month for your iContact account and $20/month for help desk support. Help desk support is free if you are enrolled in their continuing education.

There are several advantages to keeping your site hosted by UIBC, like staying in contact and getting support from other seminar attendees, affectionately known as the “wolf pack”. Also, it’s not a simple task to transfer a WordPress site to another hosting company. It involves backing up both the content files and database file.

The other knocks I have on the UIBC hosting package, center around the issue of “website control”. WordPress theme selection is limited. Also, UIBC doesn’t allow ftp access to your site, access to the style sheet or the ability to upload additional plug-ins, other than the ones they provide. For advanced users, this can be frustrating. But, I can understand the logic behind it. If you have 300 people accidentally screwing up their websites by misconfiguring their style sheets, the cost to run the help desk would go up dramatically.

Still, the benefits of attending the seminar, greatly outweigh the negatives. In my opinion, the online marketing principles alone make the seminar worth the money.

If I was asked to sum up the Ultimate Internet Boot Camp in one phrase I would say, “it’s a life changer.” It was like attending the best motivational seminar you could ever attend, injecting it with technically enriched content and topping it off with online marketing tips worth their weight in gold. OK, I guess a tip doesn’t weigh that much. But, you get the point.

In this review, my intent was to provide an in-depth, insider’s look at Peak Potential’s “Ultimate Internet Boot Camp.” I have given my honest opinion, the reason’s why I think this boot camp is well worth the money, and outlined some areas where I think they need to improve. And, knowing the quality of the personnel at the helm of Peak’s, the Ultimate Internet Boot Camp seminar will just get better and better.

Please note that I have been a full-time graphic and web designer for over ten years. This review is my opinion, written from that perspective.

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How to Make a Camping First Aid Kit

First aid kits are essential items to have regardless of where you are, but it is especially important to have a first aid kit on hand whenever you are camping or enjoying your favorite outdoor activities. The outdoors carry many more risks of injuries from insect or reptile bites, scrapes and scratches, blisters from extensive hiking, or even serious emergencies in the backcountry miles away from civilization. A well-stocked first aid kit could mean comfort from a nasty thorn or it could save your life.

The items kept in your camping first aid kit will vary depending on your activities, but there are some basic items that should always be included. Keep the following items in a common container, like a small duffle bag, a cosmetic case, or a rubber container with a lid. Fishing tackle boxes make nice containers for camping first aid kits that are kept at camp.

For a typical family camping first aid kit, include the following:
– An assorted selection of adhesive bandages
– At least 2 large compress bandages
– 5 small gauze pads
– 5 larger gauze pads
– First aid tape
– Scissors
– 5 individual packets of antibiotic ointment or one tube
– 5 antiseptic wipes (or travel pack of wipes)
– 2 roller (ACE) bandages of different sizes
– 2 triangular bandages
– 3 hydrocortisone packets or a small tube
– Aspirin (at least 2 doses or a small bottle)
– An oral thermometer that contains no mercury or glass
– Tweezers
– 2 pairs of medical gloves, preferably latex free
– An instant cold compress
– A breathing barrier for CPR
– An emergency blanket or space blanket

These are the bare minimum first aid supplies you want to take on your camping trips. Most outdoor enthusiasts recommend including the following supplies in your camping first aid kit as well:
– Water purifying tablets
– Bug and insect repellant
– Calamine lotion
– Burn relief spray and aloe lotion
– Smelling salts
– An eye patch
– Eye drops or eye wash
– Tooth repair kit and pain relief
– Butterfly bandages
– A variety of medications to battle common ailments like upset stomachs, headaches, and coughs and colds

Your camping or outdoor first aid kit may need to include other supplies as well, depending on your activities. Many companies, including Coleman, offer convenient pre-made first aid kits designed for various activities. The Coleman survival kit is perfect for your base camp first aid kit. If you plan day hikes, bicycling outings, or other outdoor activities away from camp, you will want a smaller first aid kit with minimal supplies to carry in your daypack.

It is important to remember to maintain for your camping first aid kit just like you care for your other camping gear. Carrying an incomplete first aid kit is almost as bad as having no first aid kit at all. After each trip, check your supplies and restock anything that has been used. Remember to adjust the amount of items you carry based on the number of people who will be on your trip. Inspect your camping first aid kit at the beginning of each season for out of date or expired medications and supplies. Be sure to replace any items you throw out.