Desert Journey by Dr Jerry Burgener - Book Review

iUniverse (2007) ISBN 9780595908509

The basic premise of Jerry Burgener's well-written and moving book, "Desert Journey," is this: A middle-aged man, battered by a series of failed relationships and filled with self-doubt, decides to take a couple of months off and travel to the American Southwest. Once there, he plans to do very little but ride his horse, enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the Superstition Mountains, and maybe---just maybe---sort out the issues that had been plaguing his life. But destiny had something different in mind for him, and what was waiting for him in those mountains, was the start of a profound, mystical journey of self-discovery, facilitated by a wise and ageless Indian who soon became his mentor and spiritual advisor.

Seeking spiritual guidance and self-discovery from within the Native American shamanistic culture is not a new concept, of course. Carlos Castaneda explored that paradigm brilliantly in the 1960s with his series of writings based on "The Teachings of Don Juan." But there is something about Burgener's approach that is more---how shall I put this---peaceful, than the frenetic, peyote-induced rituals described in Castaneda's writings.

The thing I liked the most about "Desert Journey" is how quickly Burgener's journey became my journey. Thanks to his talented and descriptive writing, I could feel the warm nuzzle of his horse on my arm, smell the crisp, clean desert air, savor the sight of the multi-hued canyon walls changing with the light, and hear the sharp "screech" of a hawk flying overhead. I also found myself reading and rereading many of the passages in the book trying to divine the deeper wisdom buried within. One of my favorite sayings was, "dreams are powerful tools for us to use to connect with other worlds." This is a new and refreshing idea to me as I had always thought dreams were tools for exploring our subconscious, a place I have no desire to visit!

The only part of "Desert Journey" that did not totally fulfill my expectations was the ending. I expected the story to rise to a crescendo and finish with some kind of profound proclamation summarizing what the journey had really been all about. Instead, the author loads his horse into the trailer and heads back to Illinois. But then again, that's what life is all about, isn't it? Every time we reach the summit we discover that we are only on a plateau, and there is more climbing to be done.

"Desert Journey" is written in the first person singular and I am assuming the narrator, "Jerry," is in fact the author. On the other hand, the book is listed as fiction and is described as a novel, so I could be wrong. I hope I'm not though, because there are a million questions I want to ask Jerry Burgener as one Illinois boy to another. Meanwhile, "Desert Journey" is an excellent book and I strongly recommend it. Be forewarned, however, that if you do read it you may be tempted to take your own spiritual journey. I know I am.

carNAVi Pro BT Review

GPS navigation devices aren't exactly new; in fact they have enjoyed a presence in the local market by way of gray and parallel imports. Of course, these devices were far from reliable- not because of their design, but because of the data available to them. More specifically, the maps weren't that accurate, as there was no official support from the respective manufacturers. It's a different story nowadays, as there are now GPS navigation gadgets that have extremely accurate maps and local support and you'd be hard pressed to get lost with these things in your car. carNAVi is the latest manufacturer to jump into the domestic GPS navigation scene, and if their top of the line Pro BT is any indication, they're set to give their competitors a run for their money.

The Pro BT is what you'd expect from a navigation device-it's not the thinnest or most elegant device out there, but it's not the flimsiest either. It has a 4.3-inch touch TFT LCD screen that's easy enough to use. There's a 3.5mm jack on the right side, along with a mini-USB port that serves as both data and charging port. All data, maps and media are stored in the SD card that goes in the unit, whose slot is located at the right side.

Powering the Pro BT is an SIR Atlas 3 GPS processor running at 400 MHz, with 64MB of memory. The operating system is a modified Windows CE. The GUI is pleasant enough and you're able to jump into the different menus and features with a simple touch of the screen.

Like other solutions in the market, you'll be able to set your destination in different ways, mainly through points of interests (PCI), address search and city search. You will have to tell the unit in what city the location you're looking for though, potentially slowing down searches when you're in a hurry. One thing that pleasantly surprised me is the large number of POIs in the system. Of course, a product like the Pro BT is only as good as the quality of its maps, and I'm happy to say that it didn't disappoint. The maps are pretty accurate and up to date, and carNAVI assures me that they have maps of the whole country in some way or the other.

The Pro BT uses an internal GPS antenna and acquires a signal in less than two minutes. It has voice prompts which tells you when to take a turn, how far you are to your destination, etc. One thing I liked about the display is that the environment is rendered in 3D, so you'll be able to see if you'll be passing under a tunnel or going over it. The display also dims automatically depending on the time of the day and when you go into a tunnel.

The only minor nitpick I have with the Pro BT is that street names disappear on the screen momentarily when you turn which, while disconcerting, isn't really something to be worried about.

What's HOT

Picks up signal in less than 2 minutes

Easy to use and understand GUI

Updated maps of the country, plenty of POIs

3D rendered maps

What NOT

Street names momentarily disappear on the screen when you take a turn

Verdict

The carNAVi Pro BT is an excellent GPS navigation device, and is a godsend for navigationally challenged people who always seem to get lost.