Good Times in Port Arthur, Texas, Tips on keeping it REEL, and RFID Protection Info.

Rory and Alexa: 0:01

Hi, I'm Alexa and I'm Rory. And together we are The ROAMies! We are married. To each other. We are a touring musical duo.

Alexa: 0:11

And our music has taken us to all kinds of places and keeps us always on the go.

Rory: 0:15

So if you're listening, we hope you enjoy our stories and adventures while running around working to keep all your plates spinning.

Alexa: 0:22

And we hope to facilitate your busy lifestyle and feed your inner travel bug.

Rory: 0:26

We're coming to you LIVE! From the REEL CAJUN Seafood Restaurant and Bar in port Arthur, Texas. So stay tuned!

Alexa: 0:33

How are you going to decide what to eat here? Because there are so many good things?

Rory: 0:51

So many good things! Shrimp Dinner, Catfish Dinner, Barbecue Crabs...they've got Cajun Combo with the fish fillet, six shrimp, six oysters, one flounder....not a fan of oysters. So probably sub crab cakes for the oysters because they also have crab cakes here...... And the Shrimp Trio: Fried Shrimp, Brochette, and Coconut Shrimp. They all look really good. There's also a ribeye here under"Chefs Features." So you know, I really like a steak as well....so...but again, there's crawfish étouffée.... I realize I'm not in Louisiana, but we're just across the border and I am tempted to see.... Oh, you know what? I'm going to get the crawfish pistolette. That'll have their étouffée in i t. I bet ya.... There you go. O h yeah! So I'm getting: fried alligator. I'm getting the egg rolls, which is apparently boudin wrapped in the pepper Jack cheese and then wrapped inside an egg roll. Alexa: Yeah, that is so not on your diet. Rory: No, but I'm definitely going to have it. And then I also o rdered a crawfish pistolette, so, for an appetizer: I've got Fried alligator, Crawfish Pistolette, and Cajun Egg Rolls coming. Mmm Mmm good.

Alexa: 2:12

There you go.

Rory and Alexa: 2:13

We want to kick off today's episode by saying huge thanks to this episode's sponsor: The Port Arthur Convention and Visitor's Bureau in Port Arthur, Texas. One of the cool places we visited today was the Museum of the Gulf Coast. Now, Port Arthur is less than 20 miles off of the Gulf of Mexico and East Houston, Texas. And at this museum, they cover everything from Corpus Christi, Texas, all the way to New Orleans, Louisiana. Yeah. So it's truly a Gulf Coast museum. Absolutely. And we're really only about an hour from where you grew up, Rory, so you had a lot of connection. Yeah, lots of things I was familiar with and knew about as we were going through the museum. But I tell you what really hit me is how big the museum is. Their collection is 39,000 square feet. It's worth making a trip to come to the area. And we got to hang out at the museum with Tom Neal, who's the Director of the museum. He was so great. He took us around and shared so many amazing stories with us. Some stories. Oh my goodness. He has so much knowledge, and he's so kind, and we just really enjoyed our time with him. And, so, we're looking forward to sharing little snippets of stories that he shared while he was taking us around the museum. Yeah, lots of fun. Their brochure says,"From Jurassic to Joplin". And I think that's a great summation of what this museum has to offer, because it takes you on the journey from what life was like with early Indians in this part of the area, all the way up to modern pop culture. It's really neat to hear Tom talk, because his passion behind everything that they do, is to bring kids to this museum and really inspire them and encourage them throughout.

Rory: 2:59

..his passion for wanting to encourage kids to pursue their dreams. And it doesn't matter where they're from, a small town, a big town, a big city, whatever. It doesn't matter- and the hardships in their lives- they can all work to shape them to become this person they want to become, and to follow the dreams they want to pursue.

Alexa: 3:13

He showed us people from all walks of life, from the oil industry, to entertainment, to sports. All of these individuals came from small towns, overcame lots of obstacles, had huge success, and are making an impact in the world. And, Tom's passion is that when kids come through this museum, that they will also be inspired and say,"Hey, I can do this. I can dream big and I can go for it." And that was really, really cool. And we just want to say a huge thank you to Tom Neal, the Director of the Museum of the Gulf Coast.

: 3:48

Thank you guys for hosting us today, showing us a great time, and introducing us to your wonderful museum that we will encourage people to come check out. We spent the majority of our day at the Museum of the Gulf Coast, and we could've spent so much more time there. We really enjoyed the exhibits we got to see and the information, history, and stories we learned along the way.

Alexa: 4:20

Our first story starts out with a little bit of history about the oil business... and a cannon.

: 5:19

... And a few ham sandwiches.

Rory: 5:23

Okay...?... All right, let's hear it.

Tom: 5:27

When we got the cannon from Gulf Oil, all the wood's moisture had evaporated, and it was about an inch away from all the metal pieces and things. And our museum director at the time, a guy named Danny Sessoms, was a technical consultant for the movie, Glory. He did a lot of reenactments. He had uniform for both sides. An interesting guy. Anyway, he got ahold of this thing. First thing he did, was take it apart- pulled the wheels off and pulled the chassis off. And he put t hem a ll in a swimming pool for about 10 months and t hen all the water just s ucked back in. Everything went right back in place. He put it all back together and then he put together a firing team. And I've seen t his t hing f ire. Anyway, this particular cannon, right before Armistice day came along, and there was a celebration- the c ity w anted to have a citywide celebration-end of World War One- and they b egged the leadership team there at Gulf Oil,"can we fire the cannon? Can we, can we, can we, can we?" So they said,"okay, you can fire the cannon." So they sent a team out to the end of Houston Avenue, which is about seven blocks from us. So they got out there and put the gun powder in- whatever they thought they needed. Of course, they didn't need a cannon ball, but they went to put the wadding in, and they realized they'd forgotten the wadding back at Gulf Oil. And one of the guys got to thinking,"Uh....we're at a picnic!... And they have a bunch of leftover ham sandwiches!" I kid you not. They crammed this thing full of ham sandwiches, and fired this thing down Procter street- as they described it-" flaming ham," coming down the street. Broke out every plateglass window in every business and every home for four blocks, and Gulf Oil had to replace all this. And what's funny, is there's a magazine in Texas, a historic magazine, called, Medallion. Out of all the museums and all, they wanted to have a special story about how various Texas towns had celebrated Armistice Day. We submitted a photograph of this cannon. Now this was about three years later.... It was on its own float! It had a sign on the side of it that this is the cannon that blew out all the windows on Armistice Day three years ago. They celebrated the cannon for having done that three years earlier, put it in a parade and were marching up and down the street. And here is the cannon! Well, in our sports exhibit we pass Jimmy Johnson, Bum Phillips, all these other folks here...Wade Phillips, Jamaal Charles,....you find some real interesting people. Here we have weightlifter, Mark Henry, from Silsbee, Texas. He holds every record from junior high, high school, college- all the way through the Olympics. And,we're planning an induction with him here in December. The World's Strongest Man. He just finished a career in wrestling. And then we have Elandon Roberts playing in the NFL now for three years with the Patriots. And they went on to go into the Super Bowl. Well, he did not know that we were planning to induct him. And, in fact, we did. And he told a story of that even though he was at the Super Bowl, he was more excited by the fact that we'd inducted him into the Museum of the Gulf Coast Sports Hall of Fame. Then he told a story about how when he was here as a third grader coming through touring, and how taken back he was by the museum, and the people, and the pop culture aspect of it. And then, when he was a senior in high school, he came here as an All Star group from the Port Arthur News, and he saw this museum at that time of his life. That's when he decided that he wanted to do something in football, so that he can be able to get himself into that portion of the museum. So we're happy to have him in the Sports Hall of Fame.

Alexa: 8:30

Cool! Now on to the music section! Let's see what's there:

Tom: 8:42

This is a bust of the Big Bopper, JP Richardson, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly, historically known as dying together in the plane crash, called"The Day The Music Died," back in 1959. They were on a winter tour in Clear Lake Iowa. And we held the 30th anniversary of the Day The Music Died here in Port Arthur. The Big Bopper's wife and children li ve i n this ar ea, a nd asked us if we could put it together. So we did. We reached out to Ri tchie Va lens' family and 17 members of hi s f amily- brothers and sisters an d t heir children- who actually played them in the movie, La Bamba-all we re h ere. Then, Mrs. Holly. We were told by her attorney that she would not participate a nd t hat she consistently rejected anything else she'd been asked to do in the past along this line. But we asked her attorney and pressed in to say,"look into this...ask her instead of j ust telling us what the line is." And so he went away and came back in five minutes kind of laughing, and said,"well, she's going to be there!" And he was shocked, and we were happy. And so they came here to Port Arthur. Mrs. Holly, and all of them interacted. We realized shortly, that this was the first time those three families had met together in the 30 intervening years since that crash. And rea l quickly, the crash was not because of snow, it was pilo t err or. The pilot was not rated for night flight. And at night, the instruments are reversed. And so, if you're following any kind of instrumentation, he thought he was climbing, when in fact he was putting it in th e g rou nd. It was dark. He had nothing that really could confirm it one way or the other. But the FAA investigator who dealt with the crash met the Big Bopper's son who was born after the Big Bopper died. He went out there in his twenties and met with the investigator. The airplane is still in a ha ngar i n Clear Lake, Iowa. The pilot was trapped in th e w reckage and the other three men were thrown clear. Th e F AA guys reviewed a photo, and if th ere was a sno w sto rm, the re wo uldn't be a little tra ce of sn ow on their backs. These men would have been covered in snow, so it had nothing to do with snow. The gear was up, the throttle light off, and pilot error is what cause d that thing to happen. They were riding on a bus on that winter tour, and the heater system broke. And they actually had a hole in the floor in the back of this thing- they were building fires in the back of t hat thing, trying to stay warm. That's why they think t he Big Bopper got sick in part. And so that's why he was getting on the plane. Waylon Jennings gave up his seat on the plane since the Big Bopper was sick, and hoped to get him to a doctor the next morning, so maybe he could get well before they continued to the tour. Now what was interesting with this is when these men died, that tour continued on. In fact, t here was an artist t hat had a b and t hat really didn't have a formal band- they had recorded and d one s ome things, but they didn't have a name. At the next stop and they contacted them and as ked i f t hey would fill in that night and perform. And that's when they started their career. Ca use o nce they did it, they said,"you guys want to continue on w ith th e t our.?" And they said,"sure we do!" Now known as a performer by the name of Bobby Vee. He did"Rubber Ball" and at"The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" and he had an amazing career. But it was built off of the loss of these artists and his being able to step into the winter tour and finish it on out.

: 11:23

There are four artists in our collection who played at Woodstock: Janis Joplin, Johnny and Edgar Winter, and a guy by the name of Larry Graham, who grew up in Beaumont, Texas. His mom took the drums...he didn't know why...but his mom took the drums away from he and his brothers and sisters when they were growing up playing. They had a little band. And anyway, it got to a point where he tried to overcompensate with playing the bass to have some rhythm sound to it-like the drums-and apply that. And later had a name the Funk Brothers tagged as being called"slap" bass.

Alexa: 12:12

I love the sound of slap bass!

Speaker 5: 12:14

Oh yeah. It just adds so much more dimension to how he played. Now. Larry invented that style of playing and you can hear it on the Sly and the Family Stone because he was that bass player that you heard for so many years that made that sound. Larry also was a great influence on the life of Prince, and they supported one another playing. And also, as I understand, Larry's nephew i s Drake, who has a lot of acclaim these days. And so, interesting fellow, L arry G raham from this area.

Alexa: 12:39

You guys have so many amazing musicians and so many amazing stories here. We also have Janis Joplin here, so give us a little, insight into Janis' life.

Tom: 12:49

Janis Joplin grew up in, born and raised here in Port Arthur, Texas. In fact, her first home that she had has been torn down. It was not stable, but the bricks that came from that- actually we sell them here at the museum. People like to have a brick from her home. I ship those all over the country.- But Janis grew up here, and like every other kid, had the opportunity of the school system here. Her younger sister and brother were here as well, and her mom was a registrar at Port Arthur College that was located here. Her dad worked at the refineries as an engineer, and she grew up here with all the other folks impressed by the music scene. It really changed everything back in her lifetime, But then, her taste for music would go all the way from Broadway hits- she talked about mom playing all the Broadway shows while they're cleaning up, doing the chores at home, and they were singing all the parts- to singing at church, singing with the autoharp...but then she also, she found the blues at some point, and that just really touched her- a series of artists that just inspired her to kind of develop a style of her own as it evolved. She really wasn't all that big of a singer. I think she had just an outgrowth of an expression that she had- the way th e blues made her feel- the way she experienced life. And I think all that just in a strange way, like stars aligning, came together for her when she was in Austin and where they kind of tal k ab out that. She actually sang with a lot of local bands here. She'd step up and the y'd le t her si ng with them. I think where it really started to materialize was in the Austin scene and then it went on from there to where she developed a sound that became so well known worldwide. It's a shame that her life was cut short. It was an accidental overdose as it was told. She was completely clean, but she had errantly decided to take a little bit just to have a little taste of it like people will do, I guess, a t s ome point. And she and ten others died that night of the same overdose of a bad batch of drugs that were made- it was 10 times the normal strength- and that's how we lost her. It wasn't a big statement about anything. It wasn't a cry for help. It just was something that happened back in the drug scene of th e days g r owing u p at that time. And kids to this day have to worry about it. And they have to make decisions, and it's just one of those things that go along with it. A nd we're sorry that we lost her'cause I can only imagine, like she- and we had the Big Bopper here- and some of these others we lost early in their careers, what would they have done musically? The music they would write, and the way they'd perform, and how that woul d hav e cha nged the lives we had. But we're glad to be able to tell the story of Janis here, along with these other folks, and work with the fam ily, also. Letting people become better understanding and knowing of what took pla ce here.

Alexa: 15:17

And your display here is amazing. It's so fun to see your replica of her colorful Porsche, her yearbook, and just the displays and the photos that you have here a re really fun.

Rory: 15:27

Yeah, she was a cute girl in high school.

Alexa: 15:29

Yeah, she was(laughs). We invite you, come see this museum because there are so many really fun features, a lot of musicians, but also just some history that you're not g oing t o catch elsewhere.

Speaker 5: 15:41

What blew my mind, I had no idea, so many of these artists are from this area. From George Jones to Clay Walker, to ZZ Top. I mean it's just crazy... and some of them I even know!

Alexa: 15:48

So, yeah. And that's just the upstairs!

Rory: 15:54

Mr. Don Rollins

Speaker 6: 15:56

You know, one cool thing, is that we got to see the final day of an exhibit. The Museum of the Gulf Coast has a rotating exhibit room. So, they were just closing out a Douglas Jackson Exhibit. Now he is a painter who was born with no arms and no legs. And he is able to paint beautiful paintings with a p aintbrush that's attached to a hat that he wears. So it's very cool. Very interesting. And w e'll provide a quick slideshow for you in the YouTube video that we create and post for you guys later this month. So that s how i s leaving, but they've got a new exhibit coming in, and it's right up our alley, Rory, because this month they are launching what they're calling:"Backstage Pass: Baron Wolman and The Early Years of Rolling Stone." So, Barren Wolman worked for Rolling Stone Magazine, and had access to huge high-profile bands and artists. So,"Backstage Pass" features Wolman's photography of rock and roll artists backstage. So, some of them are on st a ge, s ome of them are just sitting backstage chilling. And our host today, Director, Tom Neal, says that the exhibit contains all these different ways that Wolman got to see them backstage when they weren't constantly"on." And the way to look at it, is to see all the ways that people DIDN'T get to see their favorite musicians back in the day.

Rory: 17:20

Hmm. It's really cool. The exhibit will feature a handful of photos by Wolman, including photos of Pink Floyd, Johnny Cash, Tina Turner, a young Steven Tyler and Port Arthur's own Janis Joplin and more. It'll be very cool. The exhibit, which Museum of the Gulf Coast received from San Francisco, has traveled all over the world. It will be featured in Port Arthur through January 4th, 2020. So there's a little window, folks, where you can make plans to visit Port Arthur before year's end, visit the Museum of the Gulf Coast and catch this really cool entertaining and nostalgic exhibit.

Alexa: 17:55

Thanks again to the Port Arthur Convention and Visitors Bureau for sponsoring this episode of our podcast. Thank you. Thank you. They have a great staff there and we especially love talking to Darragh and Callie.. They were super great. Yeah.

Speaker 4: 18:12

Yes, and Linda at the desk there has to meet you as well. Linda,

Alexa: 18:15

we really enjoyed meeting you guys and appreciate the things that you shared with us and things that we should see and visit while we were in Port Arthur. Let's talk about just a couple of things that we ran across, Rory. I would say one thing that was really cool was the Yacht Club on Pleasure Island. Just such a neat little feel down there.

Rory: 18:34

Cool community, and growing up on the coast, it was cool for me to see all the tugboats and push boats and ships and barges and stuff working up and down the canal. Very homey.

Alexa: 18:42

right? Yeah. The Martin Luther King bridge. You drive over that and you can cross over the water and see the barges and...

Rory: 18:51

yeah, you get on the pleasure Island and then when you get to one into Pleasure Island, you cross over another bridge and you're in Louisiana. You cross over Sabine Lake. That was really cool. So we even went to Louisiana today.

Alexa: 18:59

That's right. You felt at home. Then we came right back.'Cause we're supposed to be Port Arthur. Yeah. Another thing that we learned from the Visitors Bureau is that this is a highly sought after bird- watching area, and your mom would be in heaven.

Rory and Alexa: 19:16

Mom would be in heaven! And our friend, Aksali, in Finland. He needs ot come and visit. Unfortunately, we didn't get to go out and see any of the birds, but it is a wonderful spot. For those of you who are birders, or rather, ornithologists. O h, l ook a t you i n your big w ords, me and my big words: ornithologiststststsss. That's like 18 syllables! There are also some historical homes, so it's really fun. There's one that is inspired. It's a Dutch colonial home and there's also a windmill museum not far from here in Nederland(you know, as in, The Netherlands). That's not too far from the Reel Cajun, but now it's dinner time, and so they're going to be closed by the time we'd be able to check it out...

Alexa: 20:17

And then the Pompeiian Villa..., I thought that was cool. The Pompeiian Villa. Inspired by, well, yeah, Pompeii. We talked about Pompeii in a previous podcast and it's a cool Vil la. I t's pink.

Rory: 20:36

Apparently the Pompeiian's were very into pink, pink Pompeiian pastries and...

Alexa: 20:41

paristyle.

Rory: 20:42

para... Paris...what?"Paristyle" doesn't mean anything.

Alexa: 20:46

This says that it was"with rooms around a Roman paristyle."

Rory: 20:51

Okay, so the pink, Pompeiian pastries i n paristyles. I think you could get...you can enjoy the pink Pompeiian pastries on the paristyle...eh hem...with a cup of coffee.

Alexa: 21:00

Perfectly. And I played my bitty bitsy banjo on the boardwalk.

Rory: 21:05

Mmm Well done. And as we mentioned before, we are recording live from REEL CAJUN Seafood Restaurant and Bar#goodtimes! They have a really fun menu, and really yummy food. Everything w as g ood. I got fried shrimp. Of course I'm going to sound like a total p ig- I got r ibeye and fried shrimp. I had fried alligator, I had gumbo, crawfish pistolette stuffed with étouffée, and I had cajun egg rolls. Yes. All I can recommend to you.

Alexa: 21:47

And I had asparagus.

Rory: 21:49

I gave her all my vegetables.

Alexa: 21:52

That was yummy. I got a baked potato. I don't know why, but sometimes restaurants don't get the baked potato right. But this one was, like, perfectly cooked. And, thank you, there were plenty enough of fixin's. Oh, yeah. To actually cover the whole, entire potato.

Rory: 22:09

Looked like a twice baked, stuffed potato.

Alexa: 22:09

Well, by the time I'd get done with it, it is,'cause I mix it all in. But I like having enough toppings that actually cover the WHOLE potato and not just the top. So, they did good with their topin' fixins. Can you say that?"Topin' fixin'?" I'm in Texas. I can say it like that. I don't know why. And then I also had some red beans and rice. Rory gave me 4 dollars and 50 cents for my budget, and then he got the rest of it.

Rory: 22:39

Well of course. Yeah. It's a Cajun restaurant. Now, if this were a vegetarian restaurant, then...

Alexa: 22:43

Then you would...

Rory: 22:45

Still get the lion's share. Because I'm bigger.

Alexa: 22:47

The guy. Yeah. Okay.

Rory: 22:48

Just sayin'. But this is really, more my kind of restaurant.

Alexa: 22:52

Yeah. Yeah. This is up your alley since you're Louisiana-boy, Cajun boy.

Rory: 22:56

That's right, girl. Mmm.hmmm. So the Louisiana-boy.

Alexa: 22:59

Well, even the vegetarian would recommend REEL CAJUN. So...

Rory: 23:04

Aw, yeah. Cause you married one!

Alexa: 23:04

and their rice was good! Oh yeah.

Rory: 23:06

Yeah, but they spell it R-E-E-L. REEL CAJUN, like you're fishing.

Alexa: 23:11

Right. And their menu is real cute. Using"reel" throughout it, and stuff like that. Like they're really...

Rory: 23:17

Did you say it's"reel" cute?

Alexa: 23:20

Yeah! it's"reel" cute. Like"it's reely hot." And stuff like that.

Rory: 23:22

Yeah."REELY" hot.

Alexa: 23:23

Yeah, I figured they got that. Yeah.

Rory: 23:25

Okay. Yeah.

Alexa: 23:25

It's cute.

Rory: 23:27

Just in case.

Alexa: 23:29

It's time for our travel tip, Rory. Our travel tip is to get your real ID starting in October of 2020s. So you have 11 months folks. You will need a new ID to be able to board a plane. This ID is called a real ID. Now, most adults by now should have already received or are in the process of getting their real ID. This is a mandatory new identification card, and I don't have mine yet, so I've got to start the process.

Rory: 23:58

And every traveler 18 and over must present this real ID compliant driver's license to fly within the United States. When we flew to Ohio a couple of days ago, when we were flying from Burbank to Nashville, for a concert in Ohio. And the guard, everyone that would show up...

Alexa: 24:13

That makes sense.

Rory: 24:13

Right? Yes, I know, right? It's only... I mean it's just a six, seven hour drive. Um, everyone that would show up using their driver's license to go through security, right. I would hear him say, make sure you get a real ID. You've got less than a year to get a real ID. I showed up and I handed in my passport and he was like, thanks. Have a great day.

Alexa: 24:33

There will be other acceptable forms of ID such as a passport, a DHS trusted traveler card, or military ID.

Rory: 24:40

The real ID doesn't look the same in every state. So not all driver's licenses are real IDs. To be sure, contact your state driver's license agency on how to obtain a real ID compliant card. But, they generally have a star in the upper portion of the card. You need to go in person to present documentation to verify who you are, of course, and where you live in order to get your real ID.

Alexa: 25:03

So if TSA cannot verify your identity, they will not let you fly. Nope. So we're going to provide more links with info on this in our show notes. So be sure to check those out. So your travel tip, folks, is to take out your smartphone right now, unless you're driving. Make an appointment on your calendar now for when you're going to go down to the DMV and get your real ID, if you don't yet have one.

Rory: 25:25

Yeah, it's also a great reminder. Do check out the expiration date on your passport.

Alexa: 25:30

All right, now Rory, it's time for our travel question. And if you'll remember last time we talked about Daisy's question regarding safety when traveling solo.

Rory: 25:38

I do remember.

Alexa: 25:39

That's so good. And we wanted to make this part two of many where we're going to talk about safety when traveling. So today we're going to focus specifically on identity theft and RFID technology.

Rory: 25:50

We're assuming most of you are already aware of the technology? So this is just to get everyone up to speed. RFID stands for radio frequency identification.

Speaker 6: 26:00

RFID is a short distance electromagnetic method for transmitting small bits of data. It was initially used primarily for inventory tracking, but it morphed into all sorts of uses including authentication, passports, identification cards and credit cards. And this is fun. A little FYI. It was originally created during world war II to identify British aircraft as they returned to base after a mission.

Rory: 26:24

That's cool. It's FYI about RFI...D. Yup. When activated by an RFID reader, these chips transmit certain types of information wirelessly so they can verify your identity or even make a purchase without swiping your card. Or if ID enabled chip credit cards can wirelessly transmit the necessary personal information from a card held a few inches away from an RFID reader. So a lot of you guys will be familiar with this. We've seen a lot of our European friends just hold their wallet towards the scanner, instead of putting their chip in and stuff, they just touch it with their wallet and it pays. So that's the technology we're talking about.

Alexa: 27:02

Right. So anyone with an RFID reader can activate those chips and pick up whatever information they're designed to transmit. So if someone is sneaky about it, they can do it without your knowledge. Since it's an electromagnetic field, no physical touch between the RFID scanner and your wallet is even ever needed.

Rory: 27:20

No, it's called skimming. RFID skimming. Skimming devices can grab all of your credit card information simply by walking by you in a crowded area, like an airport or a mall. The frequency waves from RFID scanners are strong enough to pass through your clothing, handbag, or backpack, wallet. And some readers, this is crazy, can scan from over a hundred yards away.

Alexa: 27:41

That is why it's so important to have a specialized material built into your wallet that can block RFID scanners, especially while you're traveling. Because though our passports and driver's license and most credit cards use RFID technology, the RFID enabled credit cards are even more popular outside of the U S. So you're more likely to be affected by someone trying to skim your cards while you're traveling.

Rory: 28:10

Keep in mind, while RFID readers are fairly inexpensive, there are much easier and more effective ways that thieves can steal people's money and data. From the thief's perspective, it's a lot of work for relatively little gain. However, the technology does work and the possibility is always there because it does happen.

Alexa: 28:28

Right. So how do we thwart their efforts? Well, something as simple as aluminum foil works to block RFID readers.

Rory: 28:35

That's why I wear my hat.

Alexa: 28:39

Yeah, you keep a tinfoil hat. That's lovely. Yeah. Uh, that's with your lederhosen from the previous podcast. Whatever. Um, but you would probably need multiple layers of foil sheets for it to work.

Rory: 28:55

It's a very thick hat. Thank you. They're not going to read my mind with those devices. But really it's, it's super impractical to try and use aluminum foil or tinfoil or whatever you want to call it. Just trust me on that one. And it messes with your hair. No, you don't want to be unwrapping your credit card out of tinfoil every time you use it. And it's not like it's going to stay neat and tidy. And it's difficult to get it out of your hat anyway. So tinfoil blends so easily, it will just become more of a hassle than a help. Right?

Alexa: 29:26

Right.

Rory: 29:27

When RFID protection is built into a wallet, then you don't need to worry about trying not to bend your tinfoil and your wallet, or mess up the shape of your hat.

Alexa: 29:36

And you don't have to worry about skimmers. Right? So that's why we are making RFID protected wallets available for you to purchase through our website, www.TheROAMies.com We are selling them for 10 bucks and shipping is included in that price. Free shipping, peeps.

Rory: 29:56

If there are stylish and durable methods to protect your passport, driver's license and credit cards, why not use them? Something as simple as buying an RFID blocking wallet can protect you and your family from malicious intent dishes. Not to be confused with delicious,

Speaker 6: 30:15

right? That would become the opposite. I was drawn to these wallets that we're offering on our website because I was looking for a solution for when I need my ID and boarding pass handy before we go through the security screening at the airport. I feel like I never had a great place for my ID and boarding pass to be together and easily accessible without missing,

Rory and Alexa: 30:34

you're not the only one who felt that way about your misplacing them.

Alexa: 30:39

So now you can have your electronic boarding pass on your phone through your airline app, and then you can use our little wallets because they have a heavy duty adhesive strip on the back. So you can attach that to your cell phone case or on the inside or outside of your passport. Or if you use physical boarding passes, like I've got a passport holder when we're traveling overseas, my boarding passes fit in that, great. I can just attach the RFID protected wallet onto that passport case. And then my passport and my ID and credit cards are all protected.

Rory: 31:11

Yeah. And it's possible that you might even save some frustration on the part of the people you're traveling with, trying to find things that have been misplaced.

Alexa: 31:18

Right.

Rory: 31:19

When you're standing at security or trying to board a plane.

Alexa: 31:22

Not that I recently, a few days ago, misplaced my ID and wallet because I hadn't put my wallet on yet.

Rory: 31:28

and had to stand there waiting instead of boarding. Yeah, no. So anyway, uh, ahem...our wallets are polyester and more importantly they say...yes, they're black too. But more importantly, they say The ROAMies on them. So they are ultra cool. Of course you can support us and you can support the podcast, and support our music by purchasing one of these wallets. And protect you and your loved ones and your identity. And they make great stocking stuffers. So you have just enough time to grab some.

Alexa: 32:02

Well, we hope we've inspired you guys this episode.

Rory: 32:04

Join us next time where we will be live from across the U S; and I say that because it's not just one place.

Alexa: 32:11

Nope, nope. We're The ROAMies, man,

Rory: 32:13

We'll be broadcasting from across the U S of A. That's right. And we will also be giving you some really cool gift ideas for this holiday season.

Alexa: 32:25

So subscribe to our podcast so you don't miss an episode and please like and follow us on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

Rory: 32:31

We're also on Twitter. And on all social platforms, we are@TheROAMies.

R&A:: 32:40

That's T-h-e R-O-A-M-i-e-s. Our main hub is our website, of course, at www.TheROAMies.com.

Rory & Alexa: 32:44

That's T-h-e R-O-A-M-i-e-s.com! We'll be there. Until next time! Thanks for listening! Bye!