Author: Greg Johnson

GREETINGS

Thanks for taking a moment to read this month’s update. I hope you’re doing well. The photo above is from a visit to the New Bo Market area in Cedar Rapids on 26 Nov 2024.

Google Maps – Photos and Reviews

In the photo above, the “Hose Co. No. 4” building is Scribe Stationer — a stationery store with journals, pens, candles, tins, art supplies and more. The tiny green house is an historic structure and Airbnb location. I’ll share some more photos below. These are examples of the photos I post to Google maps, along with reviews of stores, restaurants, coffee shops, parks, and other destinations.

I have over 9,300 total photos shared to Google Maps. In November there were 2.3 million new views of my reviews and photos. As of December, there have been a cumulative total of 55.7 million views for the photos I’ve posted to Google Maps. The millions of views are the result of so many people using Google to lookup information about popular locations.

There’s nothing particularly spectacular about the photos, but they are useful to those who are looking up information. It’s a different style of photography than my usual nature photos.

Click on any photo below for a larger gallery view.

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.

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters [Subscribe] or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site. 

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 24 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]

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.

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters [Subscribe] or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site. 

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]

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 25 Sep 2024. 

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.

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters [Subscribe] or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site. 

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]

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 14 Aug 2024. [View Original]

Short Story: “Rezifp Dawn”

In May 2012, I wrote a short story, mostly as fiction, but the story included links to real-world news. So, many of the seemingly unbelievable developments in the story were events that actually happened. The story has a few topics woven throughout, including sustainability, bicycling, and wellness. Now, about 12 years later, the story continues to have interested readers from around the world. The maps below show recent visitors. Click any image for a larger gallery view. [Read Story]

Talk at Grant Wood Home

I was invited to give a talk at the home and studio of Grant Wood in Cedar Rapids. The topic was small houses. I enjoyed connecting with some people who are interested in the small house movement. The Grant Wood home is maintained by the Cedar Rapids Museum. Below is a photo from the event on 29 Aug 2024.

Global Support Contact

In recent years, as a result of a clerical error, I’ve become the employee services contact for multiple international businesses. Emails arrive from employees around the world who need assistance. They are often in other languages, so I use Google Translate with the auto detect feature turned on. [View] I paste the email into the translate program to quickly identify the language and get an English translation. I have a standard reply to let the person know that they’ve reached me in error. You can learn more by reading my full post on the topic. [Read More]

A Doctor Gone Too Soon

You may have noticed that YouTube provides a list of suggested videos. One of those videos recently in my suggested list was about Dr. Maddie Giegold who passed away from a stroke at the age of 32 in July 2024. I was inspired to learn about the many ways she made the most of life for herself and in helping others, so I created a post about her. [View]

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.

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters [Subscribe] or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site. 

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]

GREETINGS

Thanks for taking a moment to read this month’s update. I hope you’re doing well. The photo above is from a visit to the Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison on 12 Jul 2024.

MONTH OVERVIEW

A highlight from last month was to visit Madison, Wisconsin. In July I added some more writings to the Resources for Life website. You can see recent entries under the 2024 Q2 heading on the What’s New page. [View]

Madison Photos

Below are some photos from July 12-13 during a visit to Madison. Click an image for a larger gallery view.

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.

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters [Subscribe] or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site. 

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]

Greetings

Thanks for taking a moment to read this month’s update. I hope you’re doing well. The photo above is of the early morning light on my daily walk on 27 June 2024.

Month Overview

In my newsletters, I usually cover events from the previous month. June was mostly spent catching up on client work. So, I don’t have much to share for June events. Writing and updates on the Resources for Life website was fairly limited in June. You can see the eight new entries under the 2024 Q2 heading on the What’s New page. [View]

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.

After four months of doing very little writing, in May I added more documents to the Resources For Life dot com website.

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.

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters [Subscribe] or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site. 

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]

GREETINGS

Thanks for taking a moment to read this month’s update. I hope you’re doing well. The photo above is from a road trip to Pella on 19 Apr 2024.

tech work

In recent years some of my business costs have increased due to inflation. Some expenses have actually doubled in the past few years, far outpacing the normal rate of inflation. I’m reluctant to double my rates just because some businesses and industries are taking advantage of their customers.

So, to keep up with the rising costs, I’ve increased the number of hours I’ve been working rather than charging more. I’ve wanted my hourly rate to stay the same as it has been for the past 24 years. I’ve adjusted available discounts and cash back accordingly.

I’m going to continue to look for ways to reduce my costs and work more efficiently so that the people I’m helping won’t feel the burden of increasing costs. Thankfully, some people are paying generously beyond what I’m asking for.

Sleep, Family, and Vacations

Since the start of the pandemic until this year, my workload and the initial pandemic accommodations resulted in working hard which cut into sleep time, family time, and vacations.

This year I’m slowly returning to a pre-pandemic schedule with a priority on getting more sleep, more time with family, and some day trips to refresh and reset. I’ll be reporting more on that in the June newsletter.

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.

After four months of doing very little writing, in April I started posting documents to the Resources For Life dot com website.

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.

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters [Subscribe] or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site. 

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]

GREETINGS

Thanks for taking a moment to read this month’s update. I hope you’re doing well. The photo above shows the gravel road I would ride my bike on to start my daily ride to work from 2003 to 2009. These were the years I was living in a tiny house. The photo was taken on 13 Mar 2024 during some of our warmer days recently.

Lending Library

I have some tech items that I loan out to people who have a short-term need. Laptop computers, printers, a big screen TV, and other items. This service fits well with my tech work.

I’ve recently been building a DVD collection for lending to family, friends, and some of my regular tech clients. The collection is currently at just over 340 titles. I don’t anticipate too much demand since many movies are available from streaming video services. It will be helpful for a few titles that are hard to find. Ask me if you’re interested in learning more.

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.

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters [Subscribe] or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site. 

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]

Photo — Below is a photo taken at Kent Park on 9 Feb 2024 while the lake was still frozen.

Greetings

Thanks for taking a moment to read this month’s update. I hope you’re doing well. The photo above is from a Kent Park on 8 Feb 2024.

Paper-Based Organizing

Despite being an enthusiastic ambassador for the wonders of modern technology, I still like to encourage the use of paper and pen for as many tasks as possible. Sometimes a simple non-electronic solution is the best.

I use a half-sheet paper-based system as a daily planner. Using the front and back of a page cut in half, I am able to have four planner sheets from a single 8.5×11-inch piece of paper.

For each month, I have a half-sheet monthly checklist. I try to get started on my monthly tasks as early in the month as possible. Sending out my monthly newsletter is on the list.

Weekly tasks don’t require a checklist since they are prompted by the days of the week, with most tasks getting done every weekend.

The inkjet printer I use can be run from a solar-charged battery pack. The paper I use is made from sawmill waste chips and manufactured using solar and wind power. [View] So, I feel like it’s an eco-friendly system. I can easily teach the method to others and it can be used without great expense.

Using a paper-based day-planner system is a nice simple and quiet way to start the day without distractions.

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.

SUBSCRIBE

You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters [Subscribe] or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site. 

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]