On Monday, 6 October 2014, Wisconsin Public Radio dedicated an hour to discussing the small house movement. I was able to be a guest on the show and talk about tiny house living. You can listen to the interview below. Click here to read more on the WPR website. Thanks to the Joy Cardin Show for featuring tiny houses!
Personal Update 201409 | 30 September 2014 | Tuesday
Greetings,
I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.
Wellness. I’ve been experimenting with a new wellness program I’m developing. On the program, I was able to lose about 8 pounds and the program has a positive impact on blood pressure as well as blood sugar levels. The diet portion of the program excludes breads, foods high in refined sugar, and drinks with caffeine. Cheese is used as an effective appetite suppressant (effective once breads, sugars, and caffeine is removed). The exercise component involves strength training, bicycle riding, and walking. I’m still tweaking the system and documenting the results. I’ll probably write more about this on my SuperShrinkMe.com website.
Ubuntu Linux. Last month I began using the Ubuntu Linux operating system. This newsletter is being created using Ubuntu. With Ubuntu as my primary computing platform, most of what I do will be done using Ubuntu. From my initial experiences over the past few weeks, I’ve written up an extemporaneous listing of the software needed for completing most tasks in Ubuntu. I’m hoping the move to Ubuntu will help me be more able to support others who choose Ubuntu.
Social Networks. For quite a few months I’d been staying regularly active on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and other social networks. This month I took a break from being online so much, and took more time off-line to refocus on my priorities while evaluating how effective social network are as a method for actually accomplishing anything. I’ll write more about this in future articles.
Technology Writing. Most of the writing I’ve been doing this past month has been technology related. You can read those articles on the IowaCityTechnologyServices.com website News Feed.
Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.
~ Greg
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Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began as a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways, health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.
Personal Update 201408 | 31 August 2014 | Sunday
Greetings,
I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.
New Web Page Header Images. If you visit my About Greg Johnson website, you’ll notice that there are now new header images for the website. Some of these are from my trip out west this summer.
Ubuntu Linux. Today I switched from using the Apple operating system over to Ubuntu Linux. The transition was surprisingly easy. This newsletter is being created using Ubuntu. With Ubuntu as my primary computing platform, most of what I do will be done using Ubuntu.
Here are some of the benefits to using Ubuntu:
I’m hoping the move to Ubuntu will help me be more able to support others who choose Ubuntu. For those hesitant to continue spending hundreds or thousands of dollars annually on computers and software, this might be an option worth considering.
Technology Writing. Most of the writing I’ve been doing this past month has been technology related. You can read those articles on the IowaCityTechnologyServices.com website.
Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.
~ Greg
__________
Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began as a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways, health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.
As of 18 July 2014, Dell is accepting Bitcoin payments payments for online purchases of computers and other devices. In light of this news, I am now accepting Bitcoin payments through Coinbase.
Bitcoin is a relatively new currency that is still somewhat unstable, and its value is continually fluctuating. So, it’s not a very reliable currency for people who are relying on it for precise payments. Given the fluctuation, the money sent or received could go up or down in value. In August of 2013, its value was about $100 per Bitcoin. During 60 days from October through November 2013, the price jumped to about $1,100. By mid-December 2013, the value was down to about $530. In May 2014, the value was about $430. It’s presently back up at about $580.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc2en3nHxA4]
Personal Update 201407 | 31 July 2014 | Thursday
Greetings,
I hope your summer is going well. Mine has been really enjoyable. In June I went with my wife and in-laws on a ten-day road trip from Iowa City to Cody, Wyoming and visited Yellowstone National Park. It was a really nice break. I’ve been delayed on getting my photos posted from that trip, but hope to get those online soon.
Fitness. As mentioned last month, I’ve been doing some fitness training with Marq Divine. You can learn more at MarqDivine.com/Fitness or click here to view my workout recap videos.
Palestine-Israel News. I’m sure some of you have been following the news from Palestine and Israel recently. Having Palestinian and Israeli friends, I’ve challenged myself to find ways to offer constructive criticism and support for both sides. Sadly, both sides are losing the current war.
If you’re inclined I’d encourage you to check out these resources.
Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.
~ Greg
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Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began as a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways, health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.
Personal Update 201406 | 30 June 2014 | Monday
Greetings,
If we’re not already connected on Facebook, please visit my new Facebook page and click Like.
Music. As some of you know, several years ago I launched Inspiring-Music-Videos. The site soon developed a following. I started getting requests from musicians and their agents to post videos on the site. By the fall of 2011, I was contacted by someone working with Snoop Dog on his new video, High off the Fame, and they offered to pay me for helping promote it prior to the official release. The site is now the #1 position for a Google search for inspiring music videos. Since that time, I’ve been contacted by other performers and promoters for both inspiring music videos and those in the rap / hip hop genre. For the Rap and Hip Hop music, I launched RapHipHopVideos.com. I’m now working with Marq Divine to promote his music and fitness training program.
Fitness. As mentioned above, I’ve been training with Marq Divine with a focus over the past two weeks on strength training. You can learn more at MarqDivine.com/Fitness or click here to view my workout recap videos.
Web Design. Most of my web development work during June was with developing the website for Marq Divine. This included photography and video production.
Photography. I’ve been fairly busy this month with photography, but too busy to get them posted to the site. I hope to catch up in July For now you can view my previous photo collections.
Given how busy I was with other projects, this past month I only posted a few articles on the Iowa City Technology Services website. See under Recent Posts on that site.
Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.
~ Greg
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Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began as a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways, health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.
Personal Update 201405 | 30 May 2014 | Friday
Greetings,
If we’re not already connected on Facebook, please visit my new Facebook page and click Like.
During the month of May, I’ve been doing more with photography. Just about every week, I’ve been uploading my favorite photos. My photo collection for May 24-30 are mostly from a trip to the Des Moines Zoo and downtown area, as well as some photos from my early morning walks. Previous photo collections are also available for viewing online.
Most of my online content this past month has been related to reporting on our two Johnson County Attorney candidates as well as maintaining the Johnson County Justice Center website and Facebook page.
For those following current justice issues and trends, our County Attorney candidates are interesting and inspiring. For an overview you can read my article on the candidates and issues. As you may know, there’s a big push nationally to establish collaborative data-driven outcomes-based approaches to justice services. So, it’s an interesting time to be following developments in justice reform. In addition to marijuana legalization, and clemency programs, leadership are advocating retroactive discretion. The FBI is considering the loosening of their employment policy to allow the hiring of marijuana users. The White House and Justice Department are planning to release thousands of crack cocaine users from prisons nation-wide.
Our current County Attorney, Janet Lyness, has worked with local law enforcement, education administrators, and dozens of “upstream” youth-serving agencies to see if we can reduce undesirable future outcomes (such as crime, arrest, and incarceration) by creating opportunities and support networks for at-risk-youth and their families. Youth involved with programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters are 46% less likely to use illegal drugs. It’s not surprising then, that overall, mentoring programs have been shown to reduce violent crime by 44%. This preventative approach seems to be working and costing far less than paying for incarcerating people. Johnson County now has one of the lowest incarceration rates on the planet. Given the U.S. average for incarceration, a county of similar size might have over 900 people incarcerated on any given day, our daily average of 127 is an accomplishment. At a recent community forum, education administrators, law enforcement officials, and those involved in juvenile justice discussed the desire to have at-risk youth connected directly to the services and support they need while skipping past any criminal charges when problems arise. The current workflow includes the costly and resource draining process of giving kids a permanent criminal record before connecting them to the services that help get them out of trouble. This new approach would correct or prevent issues without the criminal justice system being involved.
While we’ve managed to become a world leader in reducing incarceration rates, we’re unfortunately continuing to experience some of the same racial disparity issues as many other areas, and in fact we’re the worst in the nation when it comes to racial bias outcomes. On June 4, 2013, the findings of a national ACLU study concluded that Iowa is the worst state in the nation when it comes to racial bias. The press release stated: “A Black Person in Iowa Is More Than 8 Times as Likely to be Arrested for Possession Than a White Person, Despite Equal Usage Rates.” That’s not exactly what we want our state to be known for. John Zimmerman is running for the County Attorney position with a desire to address racial disparity as well as other issues (economic disparity, pretrial detention, victimless offenses, etc.). Zimmerman has decades of experience in social justice, has served as a pastor, and now has a law degree. His campaign Facebook page has about 3,000 likes which is impressive, considering that most local candidates in an election might have a few hundred likes.
You can read more about these and other issues on the JCJusticeCenter.com website.
I’ve been providing website support for some local non-profit groups, including the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights.
Given how busy I was with other projects, this past month I only posted a few articles on the Iowa City Technology Services website. See under Recent Posts on that site.
Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.
~ Greg
__________
Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began as a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways, health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.
Below are some favorite photos that I’ve taken recently. I have a few cameras I use regularly: iPhone 5S, Sony DSC-HX50V, and the Canon EOS Rebel T2i. Most of my iPhone 5S photos are like concept photos that are okay for web use or smaller prints. Yet, they can’t be enlarged without becoming fuzzy. The Sony and Canon photos are of higher quality.
If you’re a member of the University of Iowa, feel free to use any of these photos for UI-related promotions or other UI-related work. I’m joining with other photographers in the area to make high quality photos available for non-profit use as an in-kind donation. This saves costly license fees. I’ve recently expanded the open use license to include all government and non-profit organizations. Check with me if you have questions or to about obtain high resolution images. ~ Greg
Click any image below for a larger gallery view.
Below are some favorite photos that I’ve taken recently. I have a few cameras I use regularly: iPhone 5S, Sony DSC-HX50V, and the Canon EOS Rebel T2i. Most of my iPhone 5S photos are like concept photos that are okay for web use or smaller prints. Yet, they can’t be enlarged without becoming fuzzy. The Sony and Canon photos are of higher quality.
If you’re a member of the University of Iowa, feel free to use any of these photos for UI-related promotions or other UI-related work. I’m joining with other photographers in the area to make high quality photos available for non-profit use as an in-kind donation. This saves costly license fees. I’ve recently expanded the open use license to include all government and non-profit organizations. Check with me if you have questions or to about obtain high resolution images. ~ Greg
Click any image below for a larger gallery view.
Below are some favorite photos that I’ve taken recently. I have a few cameras I use regularly: iPhone 5S, Sony DSC-HX50V, and the Canon EOS Rebel T2i. Most of my iPhone 5S photos are like concept photos that are okay for web use or smaller prints. Yet, they can’t be enlarged without becoming fuzzy. The Sony and Canon photos are of higher quality.
If you’re a member of the University of Iowa, feel free to use any of these photos for UI-related promotions or other UI-related work. I’m joining with other photographers in the area to make high quality photos available for non-profit use as an in-kind donation. This saves costly license fees. I’ve recently expanded the open use license to include all government and non-profit organizations. Check with me if you have questions or to about obtain high resolution images. ~ Greg
Click any image below for a larger gallery view.
