GREETINGS
Thanks for taking a moment to read this month’s update. I hope you’re doing well. The photo above is from my morning walk on 16 Oct 2024.
Kansas City
During October, I was able to take a break from my usual work to enjoy a family road trip to Kansas City. I’ll include a few photos below. In addition to the typical tourist destinations like the zoo and museum, I also find retail spaces interesting. So, the photo collection is a mix of pictures from various places. Click any image for a larger gallery view.
IKEA
The IKEA store in Kansas City is huge. Walking through the store is like experiencing a theme park or amusement park with an emphasis on home decor and supplies. It was fun to see the influence of the small house movement reflected in the home decor spaces at the IKEA store. They the equivalent of two small houses completely furnished.
Capital One Cafe
Over the years, I’ve watched banking evolved from in-person visits, replaced by ATM use, replaced by online banking, eventually replaced by an app on the phone. So, I was inspired by the Capital One Cafe innovation to bring personal interactions back to banking. For this reason, when I’m in a larger city, I’ll seek out the local Capital One Cafe. Much energy and purpose has gone into designing the cafe spaces, and they are sort of a modern miracle. Rather than give up, the great minds at Capital One created something innovative and new that hadn’t existed before. I’ll insert a video playlist below with clips about the cafe concept.
RIVIAN Vehicles
The EV company RIVIAN is an interesting business. I like the personality of the CEO and the emphasis on serving outdoor enthusiasts. While in Kansas City, I had an opportunity to drive their R1T model truck. While I don’t anticipate needing such a serious off-road vehicle, it was nice to experience the engineering and innovation that goes into making it. Below is a podcast episode with RJ Scaringe, the RIVIAN CEO, answering questions from Blake and Will.
Apple 3D Workspace
Apple has created a portable computer that you wear. The computer looks like a set of large goggles. Inside, a 3D mixed reality space appears. You can see your surroundings, but also can work with programs that float in the space around you. The name for the product is Vision Pro and it is only possible to demo the product in an Apple Store. So, during the Kansas City trip, I decided to try the product. I’ll paste a video below that shows what a demo experience is like. Of course, being immersed in the 3D experience is even more impressive.
I can see how a 3D workspace could be helpful for those working in a small cubicle or office who need more work area and multiple large displays.
Election 2024
Since the recent election is on everyone’s mind, I’ll link to my writing on the topic of politics: Election 2024 Commentary. It is a long writing, but with topic headings it’s easy to skim through to find specific topics.
WRITING TOPICS
I continue to expand on the topic reports found on the Resources For Life dot com website. The list can be found on the What’s New Page. Adding incrementally takes very little time since the post and related context are already present.
TECH WRITING
If you’re interested in the latest tech-related guides and articles I’ve posted, you can visit the Posts Page on the Iowa City Tech website.
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THANKS
Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.
Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 23 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith/philosophy), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and public interest efforts. This is based on the Life Map presented on the Resources For Life website. [View]