Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/85442
DIVERSIONS TECH BUZZ Save space and money with digital audiobooks O ne good audiobook can eat up hours upon hours of boring drive time, but you may not want to store stacks of CDs in your cab or mess with switching out discs while driv- ing. Digital downloads, going straight to your mp3 player, smartphone, tablet or computer, are much easier to deal with. With the right adapter for your device, listening through your truck's speakers is a cinch. Here are a couple of ways to get your audiobook fix via download: • Audible.com: With more than 100,000 titles, this is one of the most popular websites for downloading books. It's subscription-based, with monthly or annual plans. The monthly plan ($14.95 after an introductory rate) pro- vides a book a month and any purchases in addition are 30 percent discounted. The service is compatible with iPhone, Android, Windows Phone and more than 500 types of mp3 player. The subscription comes with a free daily sub- scription to audio versions of The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal. Visit Audible. com or visit your smartphone's store to down- load the app. • iTunes: The Apple online retailer offers not just music and videos, but digital audiobook downloads straight to your computer or device. You can find Apple's selection of books in the iTunes Store under the Audiobooks tab (Books menu). On average, you'll spend $14.95 to $29.95 per audiobook download. For example, the suggested retail price of "The Innocent" — as featured on page 54 — in CD format is $39.98, but it costs $23.99 as an iTunes digital download. No subscription is nec- essary. App available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Kathleen Buccleugh Managing editor OverdriveOnline.com/TechBuzz 62 | Overdrive | August 2012 REALITY CHECK State of isolation no place to dwell Dear Carolyn, I just went through a tough divorce and am now single and lonely. I feel hopeless about ever meeting a good woman who can put up with the stress of loving a trucker. help, but how am I supposed to fi t my long-haul schedule into the 9-5 schedule of my local shrink? – Jerry I know I need professional Dear Jerry, I contacted therapist Buck Black, LCSW, LCAC, a licensed professional counselor (TruckerTherapy.com) who uses phone, Skype and email to reach out to truckers. "Jerry makes a good point about the diffi culty of getting help while on the road. His isolation adds to the misery," Black says. "I recommend he make phone calls to friends and family and try to lift his spirits by listening to positive radio shows, podcasts, audiobooks and music while driving. Online counseling would be helpful." – Carolyn Consider the long haul Dear Carolyn, My boyfriend is on the road all the time so I do the books, pay the bills, keep up the house, cars, yard and work full-time. Sure, I'm tired, but I love OR MYTH? TRUTH Does federal law say truckers cannot legally carry a gun in their truck? Wow. Some myths never go away. There is no federal law banning fire- arms in commercial vehicles. There are city, county and state laws that regulate the heck out of truckers car- rying guns and make legal carrying ridiculously complicated. In the fed- eral regulatory code, Title 18 Section 926(a), The Peaceable Journey Act, Part 1, Chapter 44 states the law. him, and we're talking about marriage. The problem is that my girlfriends and family think he's a taker and resent how little he helps out. I'm starting to second- guess our relationship. – Jill Dear Jill, I was absolutely fi ne with your situation until you mentioned your friends and family having concerns. Listen to what they say and picture your life fi ve, 10, 20 years down the road. What feels like giving now can feel like heavy chains later. The answer may be as simple a frank conversation with your boyfriend about sharing the load. Or not. A second guess is reason enough to look into your options. – Carolyn By Carolyn Magner | Contributing editor OverdriveOnline.com/RealityCheck