Editor’s Note

I began today by downloading virus scan material. I then scanned my hard drive, found a bunch of infected files, tried to clean them all, failed on some, and will most likely spend tomorrow uninstalling software and then reinstalling the same software.

Last week was spent with the DSL people. That, of course, was several weeks after I spent an afternoon on the phone with their salesman, who spoke some strange acronym language that I had to have translated by a techie friend of mine. Following that I had to have a peer-to-peer network installed so that everyone in our office could enjoy the DSL we were to get. That was a whole evening of excitement with words like proxy server and network cards thrown around like beads at a Mardi Gras parade.

While I’m writing this I’m on hold with my brand new DSL provider. Seems the massive advertising campaign it did worked. And now we all have to stay on hold for “approximately 25 minutes.”

Wearing Different Hats
So what do all of these thoughts equal? I’m an editor, baker, web site creator. Sans the sarcasm, my job today is nothing like it was just two years ago. To be an editor for a smaller publication, I have to be technologically savvy. Not smart, mind you, but adept enough to find the right person when I’ve bungled the web site or something has broken itself.

While I don’t ascribe to the theory that the world will revolve around the Internet, I do believe that everything is inextricably tied to technology. Consumers expect technology. While they still might want touchy-feely hand-holding that only a live person can provide, they want it in addition to 24-hour online claims service.

Each morning I explore what’s going on in the insurance industry. One of the items I receive is a headline list that is compiled by looking for the word “insurance”. There are, on average, 50 headlines a day, some of which are attached to my list because a British rugby player was used as “insurance” in a match or Alan Greenspan’s decision served as “insurance” for the economy. For the most part, though, they are company press releases. Last year, I’d estimate there were two or three technology releases a day. Today, it’s closer to 35 releases a day, with half of them mentioning a dot com.

This issue
We’ve covered several angles for recreational vehicles in this issue, from the traditional Winnebago-type trailers (page 12) to new fangled personal watercraft (page 38). A healthy economy has contributed to both of these lines, making toys more affordable for the average family.

It’s estimated that there are approximately 9.3 million RVs (the four-wheeled version) on American roadways today. And contrary to popular myth, the average RV owner is a 48-year-old married homeowner. They are a perfect coverage find, with consistently low loss ratios and tremendous pride in ownership. You’ll see them each year trekking down to South Texas, a Winter Texan wonderland with balmy weather.

Personal watercraft are saturating the waterways much like the RVs, but their loss experience could begin to slide in the opposite direction, though several carriers have said that with careful underwriting it’s a profitable niche. I’m skeptical. The more uneducated drivers you put behind the wheel in already clogged lakes and rivers, the more dangerous it will become. Of course, I’m a boater of the sailing variety, so I’m supposed to be suspicious of those little varmints zipping all over the place.