News Feed

GREETINGS!

Thanks for taking a moment to read this month’s update. The photo featured above was taken on 9 Feb 2022 and shows the circuitboard from a 1991 Apple Macintosh Classic computer that I’ve been working with recently. You can see the individual transistors, capacitors, resistors, and other components. Today’s lowest priced entry-level Apple computers use an M1 chip with 16 billion transistors and the ability to complete 11 trillion operations per second. [More]

Tech Work

Since my last newsletter at the start of January, I’ve worked about 60 days straight of mostly 12 to 14 hour days. That’s why this newsletter is 28 days late. The reason for this extra work is because there has been a flood of tech support requests.

These aren’t the typical requests such as, “Hey, sometime I’d like you to show me how to make my mouse pointer larger and easier to see.” By now, most people find answers to those kinds of questions with a Google search.

The needs are complicated and time consuming. The computer circuitboard pictured above is from a refurbished and restored working Macintosh Classic computer that I purchased on eBay for a project I’m working on. I’m trying to assemble multiple computers that span 30 years for the purpose of getting some data from a very old computer, in approximately 10-year jumps, copying the data to successively newer computers and drives, eventually to a modern computer. Once setup, this process should work for a variety of applications.

Most of the support requests I am getting require a somewhat immediate response, and the solution is very time consuming. I’ve had multiple urgent requests related to critical computers that have crashed, some that multiple people rely on.

Supply chain problems and the aftermath of a depleted workforce from the pandemic makes it harder to solve problems when support staff and resources are limited.

Incidents of fraud and scams are on the rise, so I’m helping people protect the safety and privacy of their digital lives in all the ways I can — before trouble strikes.

I’m hopeful in March I can get a chance to get caught up on some of the basic administrative tasks and paperwork I need to do.

TECH ADVISORY — SIMPLIFY IN 2022

In November, I issued a tech advisory, encouraging people to simplify their use of technology for the coming year. [Read]

I shared some additional tech-related news in December that you’ll want to read if you’ve not done so already. [Read]

It’s clear that the need for simpler tech will increase in the months ahead as systems are failing and support resources are in limited supply.

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 21 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), 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. The photo featured above is from a December 11 visit to Willow & Stock on Linn Street near Market Street in Iowa City. There are quite a few nice shops and restaurants in that area which makes it a nice place to visit.

New work Practices

In 2021, my tech consulting involved more requests for remote support as pandemic-era practices have not only continued but increased. Every day, I receive tech questions by phone, text message, and email which are replacing longer sit-down tech sessions. Often a quick screen-sharing session can solve problems.

In the past my work would involve sit-down visits for an hour or two, and then I would receive a payment for my work. But now support is more impromptu and projects can be spread over weeks or months.

My billing process has adapted to this new work environment. Invoices now include emails, text messages, phone logs, and typed notes from work done. It can take several hours to assemble the fragments of many micro-support sessions spread over a month or more, but I want to make sure I’m not over-billing anyone, or getting underpaid for my time and work.

I create a unified timeline of events for the billing period, which can help provide a picture of what was accomplished. The timeline shows what might begin as a text message exchange, then continues as an email exchange, then results in a phone call, and possibly an in-person meeting, all represented chronologically. This gives me and those I serve a sense of satisfaction, and also provides some reference.

For more involved tech problems, people continue to drop-off computers for me to work on which fits well with the remote support sessions by giving me more work that can be done from home.

TECH ADVISORY — SIMPLIFY IN 2022

In November, I issued a tech advisory, encouraging people to simplify their use of technology for the coming year. [Read]

I shared some additional tech-related news in December that you’ll want to read if you’ve not done so already. [Read]

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 21 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), 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. The photo featured above is from a nature walk on 12 Nov 2021. You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters, or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site.

Tech Work

This year I’ve become more focused on my tech work. To keep up with the increasing number of tech support requests, I’ve had to set aside some of my other interests. This has involved pursuing greater simplicity and minimalism. I feel that the best way I can be of help right now is to be as available as possible in my area of expertise for those who need me. I’ve become the new IT department for the many people who find themselves working from home. Retired people and seniors are spending more time online and feeling more dependent on technology.

Quick Answers are Free

The homepage of my IowaCityTech.com website states “Quick Answers are Free” and “No Charge for Local Advice.” I typically receive several calls a day from people new to Iowa City. Often the tech questions people have can be answered quickly, and simple problems can be solved in a short phone call. Those unfamiliar with what’s available locally can get directed to the proper provider of in-warranty repairs or service. When callers are faculty, staff, or students at the University of Iowa, I am often able to provide them with some suggestions to point them in the right direction for on-campus services.

Tech Writing

On my tech services website, I’ve written many support articles and those articles are organized by topic on the Resources page. These articles are often written in response to common questions and support requests. This saves time, and allows me to offer answers free of charge.

Public Classes

I’ve create a reference directory of local public tech classes offered libraries and others in our area. [View] Many of these public courses are free or low cost. Directing people toward learning opportunities for greater digital literacy allows me to focus on the individualized and personalized support needs.

Tech Advisory — Simplify in 2022

In November, I issued a tech advisory, encouraging people to simplify their use of technology for the coming year. [Read]

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 21 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), 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. The photo featured above is from a nature walk at Kent Park on 30 Oct 2021. You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters, or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address where indicated to be notified of every post to this site.

Tech and Web Focus

My work lately has been focused on tech services and website development. The new sites I am using are IowaCityTech.com and IowaCityWeb.com for this work.

Best Apple Rumors

I’m amused by the ongoing industry speculation about Apple products. Some people are making a full-time job out of predicting what new products will be announced and what features will be added to existing products.

This is sometimes the effort of fans trying to influence the company’s product development, or request features they would like to see. Sometimes Apple supporters will point out very glaring and obvious design flaws that the company seems to have overlooked.

Among the existing conspiracy theories is the belief that Apple removes certain desirable features so people will pay to have those features in later models a few years down the road. Another belief is that Apple adds frustrating design flaws, and takes years to fix them, so that people will be motivated to buy new devices when those design flaws are corrected. Or, perhaps the company just doesn’t have a good design team and lacks product testers.

Some ‘influencers’ have asked for new features (or old features to be brought back) and Apple seemingly has listened to them. Each individual YouTuber will announced, “Well, Apple finally took my advice.” Maybe the views of one or more vloggers can influence the direction of a company. It’s hard to know. I think sometimes the influencers like to imagine that they have more influence than they really do.

Yesterday, I launched a website called BestAppleRumors.com which promises to predict what the next Apple rumors will be. It usually takes weeks to begin seeing 1 or 2 visits a day to a new website. This new site in less than 24 hours has already had many visits from Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. I’m curious to see how interest in the site continues to grow.

What inspired the launch of the site is the Apple Polishing Cloth, which sold out immediately and now has a three month backorder status. New (and used) versions of the $19 retail cloth are selling on eBay for $50 to $60 or more. The absurdity of the cloth, and outrageous pricing, and global demand for the cloth warranted the launch of a site, and my speculation that soon there will be rumors of a Pro version of the cloth as well as Mini and Pro Max versions (similar to the iPhone offerings). We’ll see if my rumor prediction proves to be accurate. [Read Article]

LOCAL FOOD AND POLLINATORS (Part 2)

Last month I shared about how the bulk of my food consumption is a drink made of locally roasted coffee, local milk, and local honey. I’m continuing with that eating plan. In addition to this locally-sourced beverage, I eat salad, fresh cherry tomatoes, nuts, grains, seeds, and berries. Having my energy and diet be mostly from the home-made coffee beverage, continues to eliminate landfill waste, save money, and reduce trips to the grocery store. I like knowing that my food choices are helping the local economy and ecosystem.

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 21 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), 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. The photo featured above is from a nature walk at Kent Park on 25 Sep 2021. You can subscribe to be notified of these monthly newsletters, or scroll to the bottom of this page and enter your email address to be notified of every post to this site.

Local Food and Pollinators

I’ve been recently trying to create better environmental impact outcomes with my food choices. In recent years I started buying local milk from a dairy business in Kalona, Iowa. This past month I decided to get milk from a different source — a dairy that provides milk in glass containers that can get sanitized and reused.

People who go on diets will typically begin thinking more about what motivates their food choices and eating habits. When I’ve reflected on such things, I’ve identified that I generally eat to have energy for my work. Carbs had been my go-to food to keep going.

I’ve recently started drinking coffee and find the energy gained from the coffee is a great substitute for food. Whether I eat a big meal of spaghetti and garlic bread, or have a delicious cup of coffee, the energy I gain is about the same. Although with coffee, there’s less bulk in my stomach so I’m not slowed down by the digestion process. So, afternoon naps are no longer an issue.

I’ve realized that I don’t crave any particular food. What I crave is having the energy and clarify of mind that can help me get my work done.

I still eat salads and get nutrition from some essential foods, but the quantity of food is reduced considerably, and the few foods I do eat are selected specifically for their nutritive value.

What’s really amazing to me is the reduction in trash and recycling. I don’t know the specific numbers, but it seems like I’m eating about 70% less ‘food’ and have 70% less trash and containers to deal with. It’s really a surprising and unexpected outcome.

For my coffee, I use fresh locally roasted beans purchased just days after roasting. These get stored in air-tight containers. I grind just the amount I need for a cup of coffee when making it fresh. So, it’s a potent delicious cup of coffee.

The recipe I use for the coffee includes the local milk mentioned above, and raw honey from local farmers. So, now, the coffee I drink, which provides most of my daily energy, is made from mostly local organic ingredients.

The raw honey from local farmers helps support our pollinators and nourish the local ecosystem and environment.

With this new diet, I’m losing weight and reducing my landfill contribution. Rather than recycling so many materials, and looking for ways to buy in bulk with reusable containers, I’ve made a significant overall reduction in my consumption. It’s very satisfying.

The other unexpected and unanticipated benefit has been the savings of many hundreds of dollars every month on groceries. The energy density of coffee and honey with milk is very high. The ratio of energy per dollar is very high, and the amount of space required is very low. There are fewer trips to the grocery store. Fewer trips to the gas station. Less time spent eating. It’s a super efficient system.

Reducing Energy Consumption

Last year, an inland hurricane resulted in wide-spread damage and over 300,000 people were without power. Many people had no power for many days. This motivated me to explore ways to consume less electricity, to extend the usefulness of battery power systems.

Today I posted an article about the subject sharing some of my findings: “Low Power Computing During Power Outages” [View]

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 21 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), 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. The photo featured above is from a nature walk in Iowa City on 15 Aug 2021.

The Model 1 Desktop Computer

I’ve been assembling and repairing computers for many years. A topic that has interested me recently is the right to repair. This involves consumers pleading with manufacturers for permission to fix something they purchased. Companies are making products increasingly difficult to repair, and attempts to repair can void a warranty. It’s important for consumers and governments to pressure manufacturers so that products can be more easily upgraded, repaired, and kept out of landfills.

While we wait for that battle to play out, an easy solution is to become the manufacturer. My assembling and building our own devices, we don’t need to ask anyone for permission to repair them. We can design them to be easily repaired.

I’ve designed a desktop computer that I call the Model 1. It runs on 60 watts of power, and in standby mode uses 1/100th of a watt. It’s easy to build, easy to upgrade, and easy to repair. There is no Model 2 with ‘new and improved’ features designed to entice you into being dissatisfied with the Model 1. The system evolves over time as needed, but never needs replacing.

It is available with Windows, or free Linux operating system and software which are designed and supported by the people for the people.

Learn more at IowaCityTech.com/model-1/

The Grid of Stuff

As part of my downsizing and pursuit of minimalism, I’ve been selling off a lot of possessions on eBay, a few items at a time. It’s nice to be contributing to the “grid of stuff” where I know my things will end up with those who need them somewhere, rather than just having them sit in boxes.

Consulting

Over the past 18 months, during the pandemic, I’ve been working 12 to 16 hours per day, seven days a week. Much of that time was spent volunteering tech services to those who can’t afford do pay normal consulting rates, or even afford to pay anything. For those in need, I would donate computers, and offer some vocational and tech training to help them get back on their feet.

As the summer winds down, I’m at a turning point. I need to restore some balance to my life. I’ve been letting go of some recently added business customers, and also cutting back on my writing contributions to the Resources For Life website. However, my business operating costs and living expenses remain the same, so my consulting will need to continue.

From 2001 through 2015 I was working full-time at the University of Iowa, and also had a very busy evening and weekend consulting schedule. As a result, I had some excess income. Other than paying my basic living expenses, the excess mostly went to help others in need and was also donated to local non-profit groups.

Since 2016, I’ve been living on the consulting income only. The excess income of working two jobs is no longer present. So, there’s more pressure to fill my weekday schedule with billable appointments. To stay available for the daily unexpected calls, and administrative work that needs to be done, I’ve only been scheduling 2 or 3 appointments per day. This crunch just means that I’m less available to help individuals in need and non-profit groups.

It’s been a difficult adjustment to no longer have the excess income that I had in the past. I’m also realizing late in life that I probably won’t be able to continue a full-time work schedule into my senior years. So, I need to stay disciplined and consistent about saving for a modest retirement.

Going forward, I’ll continue working with those who have relied on me over the past 30 years, and those who come to me for help by way of a referral. I’ll also be making time for family in need of tech support, or just needing my skill as a jester.

Resources For Life

Last month I wrote about the launch of ResourcesForLife.ORG — a fast, simple, purely HTML hand-coded site focused on serving those working in the public interest. My plan is to continue building that site out in the months ahead. The site is unique in that it could be downloaded and viewed from a USB flash drive or CD drive on a computer not connected to the Internet. The entire site could be put into a ZIP file and emailed.

The ResourcesForLife.COM website needs significant work. After 24 years of development, there is content that needs to be updated or removed. I’m planning to bring the full site online for a few days four times a year to coincide with the quarterly seasonal newsletters.

The site is currently online and available for browsing through this weekend. I thought I would make it available quarterly in its present state for anyone who would like to see the site, or those who have specific reference materials they’d like to lookup and save. After that, the site will go back into the vault until December. While the site is under construction, a minimalist HTML version of the site will be available.

My long-term goal would be to have the .ORG site be focused on public interest work, and the .COM site to continue providing tech tips, life tips, and support to entrepreneurs.

The ResourcesForLife.com Fall 2021 Newsletter is available from Sep 1 – 5. [View]

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 21 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), 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. The photo featured above is from a nature walk in Iowa City on 29 July 2021.

Resources For Life – going forward

The Resources For Life project was brought online in the 1990s as the culmination of work that began in the 1980s. The goal was to establish businesses that would fund public interest work, and have a unified website as the venue for all those activities. Public Interest Computer Consulting was the business name for my tech work early on. Then PC DOC. The names change over the years, but the purpose is the same.

Going forward, the familiar ResourcesForLife.com website will remain as a hub, with links to the businesses and outreach efforts that will continue on separate websites. [View] But it will be a bonsai tree compared to what the site had been in the past. This will make the site easier to maintain.

Going forward, the public interest work of Resources For Life will continue on the new minimalist ResourcesForLife.org website. [View]

My tech consulting will remain on the various websites where it is found, including my personal site.

I’ll continue to provide updates regarding progress through my monthly personal email newsletter.

Initiatives that have been impactful and valued over the years will continue. Those that didn’t gain traction or seem as needed will be phased out.

One of the reasons for dialing down my broader outreach — the writings, videos, podcast, and other efforts — is to free up time to focus on a smaller circle of people.

Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions.

RESILIENCE in Difficult Times

I recently finished a three-part series on minimalism, and shared some changes I’m making to create a more adaptable and resilient life. For details, you can read those writings. [ Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 ]

I feel very fortunate to be living in the Midwest:

• We’re not on the coasts having to respond to rising waters, hurricanes, and tsunamis. 
• We’re not in the South-Western states dealing with drought, severe water shortages.
• We don’t have the ravaging fires of California and the Pacific Northwest.
• We live in an area where people are vaccinated and willing to wear masks, so viruses are less disruptive and lethal than elsewhere in the country.
• We don’t have the congestion, traffic, pollution, noise, crime, and poverty common in many large cities and heavily populated areas.
• I’ve watched videos of the 1,200-year floods and other natural disasters happening around the world right now. There have also been some infrastructure disasters globally.

The above conditions cause me to reflect on two things:

1. I feel a sense of responsibility to do something good with this good fortune. I want to be more focused and impactful with any public outreach work I do. For every 10 people dealing with floods, fires, and illness from a virus, each of us who are well and able need to work hard to support those who are suffering.
2. We live in a very turbulent world. It’s important going forward to establish a life that is adaptable and resilient. For myself, this means getting rid of things I don’t need — material stuff and digital stuff that’s consuming time and money.

Regarding websites, I wrote about the need for reliability and my reasoning for designing a resilient website.

“Modern websites are developed using many complex layers of interdependent technologies and third-party services. If any of these fail, sites may go down or become infected with harmful malware. Whether from human error, system failure, or malicious intentions, disruptions can occur. The cost in time and moneyise excessive. There is also a great environmental cost in having so many computers running continuously, hosting millions of websites. During times of global instability due to climate extremes and pandemics, outages may happen more frequently and take longer to recover from when there are fewer people available to repair systems.”

[Source: RFL ORG – Design Notes]

This is why ResourcesForLife.org was launched as a fast, simple, purely HTML-coded 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 20 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and public interest efforts. This is based on the Life Map presented on the Resources For Life website.