Tag: gregupdate

Personal Update 201605 | 31 May 2016 | Tuesday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Wellness Focus

About a month ago, I started going to the gym daily. I returned to the weight lifting and strength training program that I had been following about 12 years ago. I’m really feeling the benefits of that. I’ve also continued with walking and hiking.

Digital Sandcastles

An article I wrote recently addresses the topic of how to have ongoing access to older achieved data files. There’s a problem when the software or online services we rely on are no longer supported. If you’re interested in the topic, you can read the article, “Sandcastles: Online Digital and Social Media Equity Continuously Eroded.”

Small House Workshop

I’ll be giving a presentation about the small house movement on June 14 at Prairiewoods. Attend if you’re interested and please share. [Read More]

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201604 | 30 April 2016 | Saturday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Wellness

I’ve started going to the gym again, which I’m really thankful to be doing. As the weather improves, I hope to return to my morning walks which usually includes some picture taking.

Career News

For the past three months I’ve been keeping very busy with my consulting business providing technology services and developing websites for individuals, organizations, and businesses. I want to start writing and blogging more about the work I’m doing. We’ll see how that goes in the months ahead.

Audio Podcast

Several years ago I created the IowaCityArchitecture.com website to showcase development projects and urban planning news in the Iowa City area. This week, I produced a second audio podcast in what hopefully will be an ongoing series of shows with guests discussing area issues and topics of interest.

Time With Greg

I’ve been using an online scheduling system which makes it much easier for people to schedule time with me. The web address is TimeWithGreg.com and that forwards to the service I’m using.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201603 | 31 March 2016 | Thursday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Career News

For the past three months I’ve been keeping very busy with my consulting business providing technology services and developing websites for individuals, organizations, and businesses. In December, Bevel & Co. asked me to do some work for them. So, I’d been busy with that for the past few months. For more details, you can read my update about working for Bevel and Company.

Websites Launched

Here are a few of the websites I’ve been working on recently:

• CoinSalesUSA.com – This is a site I’m excited to launch. It’s an information site as well as a sales portal to eBay. Next week is the Grand Opening, at which point the eBay sales will begin showing up on the site. You can see the basic site right now. It’s a good template for other similar sites.
• CombinedEfforts.org – The website for Combined Efforts recently underwent a major renovation that I was able to assist with. Mary Vasey envisioned much of the visual design and layout of the new site, and I provided some technical expertise to make that all happen.
• CommunityVisionHealing.com – This is a site that I helped launch a little while back, but I’d not mentioned it yet. It’s the website of Jamila Tharp, a minister who supports individuals, families, and communities through various services.
• FriedmanAssociates.net – This is a consulting group that helps non-profit organizations get the funding they need to improve our communities. I worked with Jason Friedman to create a site that explains their group and services.
• PetersenIronMetalRecycling.com – This is a recycling center in our area that partners with other local materials recycling centers. I enjoyed working with their office staff to develop a site that would convey more about what they offer.

With most of the websites I help create, it’s really a co-labor endeavor. I typically train people to design and manage their own website. I like this approach because each site is uniquely designed with creative input from the site owner. My online web design portfolio has some of my other recent work.

Time With Greg

I’ve started using an online scheduling system which makes it much easier for people to schedule time with me. The web address is TimeWithGreg.com and that forwards to the service I’m using.

The Apple iPad Pro

This month’s update was written using the Apple iPad Pro. I’ve been doing more of my work on the iPad Pro since it’s the only laptop/desktop replacement from Apple with a Touch Screen. Also, the iOS apps are often more efficient than the desktop or web equivalents.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201602 | 29 February 2016 | Monday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Career News

For the past two months I’ve been keeping very busy with my consulting business providing technology services and developing websites for individuals, organizations, and businesses.

Websites Launched

This past month I’ve designed and launched many websites. Here are a few that I’m really pleased with:

• MJIowa.com
• Path-Of-Hope.org
• ShavingGrooming.com

My online web design portfolio has some of my latest creations.

Time With Greg

I’ve started using an online scheduling system which makes it much easier for people to schedule time with me. The web address is TimeWithGreg.com and that forwards to the service I’m using.

Brand Loyalty Case Study

I’ve been a fan of Bevel for a long time, and recently I’ve begun doing more research examining the company and their products. I recently wrote a short case study on brand loyalty using Bevel as an example. As a business owner, studying Bevel has been a good grounding and engaging experience. Another Bevel related article I wrote was an product evaluation and comparison of the Bevel Trimmer. I’ve been pleased with the response to the Trimmer article. In just 24 hours it’s had readers from coast to coast, as shown in the map below.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201601 | 1 January 2016 | Friday

Greetings,

Happy New Year! I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Career Change News

As I shared in last month’s update, I recently accepted a job offer. Yesterday was my last official day at the University of Iowa. The new job won’t start for a few weeks. In the meantime, I plan to expand my tech support and other consulting work, as well as the public interest work I do. I’m thankful that the new job will not be taking up the 50-60 hours I’d been working at my old job.

Yesterday evening, a few short minutes after finishing up at the University, I was grateful to have computer work to do for someone. This morning and this afternoon, on the first day of the year, I was also busy with tech support. As of this evening, I have enough support requests to fill next week. I’m looking forward to spending more time on my technology services business.

Also this morning, I received an email from a supporter of the advocacy work I do relating to small houses. They wrote to let me know in the year ahead, they will be doubling their monthly donation.

So, the year is off to a good start.

A Focus on Public Interest Work

About 25 years ago, when establishing my technology services business, the name I chose was Public Interest Computer Consulting (PICC).

My intention at the time was to support those who serve the public interest working with non-profit groups or their own personal outreach. Sometime later I named the business PC DOC, yet the same mission to support those in public service remains today.

By providing a sliding scale for services, volunteering when possible, and offering other in-kind and financial donations, my hope has always been to have a hybrid business model that functions much like a self-funded non-profit organization. The income I make from traditional computer support helps fund the public interest work I do.

In the months ahead, I hope to share some inspiring stories about some of the work I’m doing in the Iowa City area and beyond.

Small House Event

On January 23, from 2-3 PM, I’ll be giving a presentation at the Marion Public Library about small house living. The presentation will hopefully be just a part of a larger gathering of small house enthusiasts. Click here to learn more about the event.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201512 | 27 December 2015 | Sunday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Career Change

Earlier this month I announced an exciting career change. As you may know, I’ve been working at the University of Iowa for a long time. Over the past year, with expanded duties, the workload increased significantly. Although I enjoyed the work, I was putting in 50 to 60 hours a week, cutting into the evenings and weekends when I do some outside consulting. This month, a company approached me with a job offer, and I decided to accept it. I’m feeling good about the decision, and sleeping better at night.

Beautiful Iowa City Video

This month I discovered a locally produced video on YouTube about the Iowa City area. It had about 80 views a few hours after it launched. Today it has over 27,000 views. I think you’ll agree it’s quite magnificent. Take a look.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMmykFeF1-Y?rel=0]

NPR Interview

In case you missed it, last month on Thanksgiving I was surprised to learn that a radio interview from earlier this year was airing again on NPR, apparently nation-wide. Since it was originally recorded live, it convincingly seemed to be happening on Thanksgiving day. I wouldn’t have known about the interview except that friends and family were texting me to let  me know about it. I’d neglected to put the interview on my website, so I took the opportunity to create a post of the interview.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201511 | 29 November 2015 | Sunday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

NPR Interview

On Thanksgiving I was surprised to learn that a radio interview from earlier this year was airing again on NPR, apparently nation-wide. Since it was originally recorded live, it convincingly seemed to be happening on Thanksgiving day. I wouldn’t have known about the interview except that friends and family were texting me to let  me know about it. I’d neglected to put the interview on my website, so I took the opportunity to create a post of the interview.

Fitness & Wellness

I’ve been spending more time walking and biking these days, and looking forward to getting outside throughout the winter months.

Bevel

This past month I continued promoting Bevel and having a good time doing that. My original article about Bevel has had 50 shares on Facebook and many readers from coast to coast. This past month, I’ve spent time responding to some prospective customer questions that are showing up as comments in the Bevel Facebook posts. These days, companies need loyal customers to help participate in various discussions on social media. Company employees can talk about their products, but there’s no substitute for a positive review and feedback from a happy customer. When anyone uses my personal Bevel link and signs up, they get a month free, and so do I.

Tile App – Find Your Lost Stuff

If you’ve ever had the frustration of losing or misplacing something, you’ll see the value in the Tile tracking system.

The Tile App is a brilliant system that uses crowd sourcing to find lost items.

Put a ‘Tile’ on your keys, in your wallet, or on anything. Then, when it’s misplaced, lost, or stolen, you can track the item. Click here to learn more.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201510 | 18 October 2015 | Sunday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Bevel

Earlier this year I learned about a company called Bevel through their ads on Facebook. I was impressed with their product design, advertising, photography, and also liked the interesting articles on their website. In September I started using their unique shaving system. I wrote an article about Bevel and was surprised to get a nice response from the company CEO minutes after posting the article. [Read Article]

Career

As I mentioned in last month’s update, I’ve been very busy with my work at the University of Iowa — which has required putting in some extra time beyond normal hours to cover some expanded duties and additional responsibilities this semester. My expanded worked included an additional 20 to 30 hours a week of work supporting several departments (for someone who took a job elsewhere). It’s been an enjoyable challenge to take on an additional workload because it gives me an opportunity to figure out more efficient ways to do things. After 8-weeks into the Fall semester, the work load has tapered off and I’ve been able to have some evenings and weekends again — which is good since we don’t get paid for overtime work.

Email Efficiency

Like everyone, I receive hundreds of emails every week, and it doesn’t take long for thousands of emails to pile up in the inbox. Over the past two months I’ve been trying to keep my inbox empty by responding to every email. Some requests that come by email may take more than one day to accomplish. For such requests, I have a task list to prioritize various requests that come in by email, phone, Facebook, and other means. The system has helped me keep my inbox empty (a great feeling) and prioritize my day-to-day work.

Technology

As a consultant and small business owner, I’ve had to take care of all aspects of the business, and the wide variety of requests that come in. I like this diversity. My work at the University of Iowa also involves various areas of responsibility. In a larger institution or enterprise, usually there are separate positions for these roles because for most people it can be challenging to attend important meetings, keep up with administrative paperwork, respond to urgent support requests, and keep up with the repair or setup of computers. This month I wrote an article about the four quadrants of technology service and support and how larger organizations provide technology services and support. [Read Article]

Remembering Paul

In August, my stepdad Paul in Maryland passed away. There was a celebration of life event for him this month, but I was unable to attend. So, I shared some memories about Paul in a writing that could be read at the event.  [Read]

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do.

~ Greg

__________

Want More News? For additional news and updates you can subscribe to the Resources For Life Newsletter by sending an email to resourcesforlifenews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201509 | 30 September 2015 | Wednesday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update.

Career

Since sometime in August, I’ve been working about 50-60 hours per week for my job at the University of Iowa. When one of my colleagues took a new job in Des Moines, I was asked to take over his position, while continuing with my existing full-time job duties. At the same time, we had someone in my office retire. So we’ve been very short handed.

It’s been a challenge to keep up, yet, by creating support documentation, refining workflows, and implementing some efficient procedures I’ve been able to make it all work out.

Some people take a vacation from work, to enjoy life. I’ve been taking an extended vacation from live to catch up on work. Working 7 days-a-week, I’ve done little to no writing, photography, Facebook postings, or socializing. Now into week 6 of the semester, things are starting to slow down a little bit. So, it will be good to get back into a more balanced work-life schedule.

Writing

As you may know, I really enjoy writing articles. Some are commentary, others are product reviews or how-to guides to technology.

This past month I didn’t have any time to write at all. So, just before writing this month’s newsletter I wrote an article and review about the Bevel products and company. Moments later, the CEO of the company, Tristan Walker, sent me a nice message via Twitter in response to my article.

After almost two months of overworking, I’m looking forward to returning to writing more. The Bevel article was an important one for me because their products and company integrate a lot of areas I’m interested in.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do. For additional news, you can read this month’s ResourcesForLife.com Newsletter.

~ Greg

__________

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.

Personal Update 201508 | 31 August 2015 | Monday

Greetings,

I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for taking a moment to read my latest update. This month from my Life Map I’ll be covering Health, Career, Activism, and Effectiveness.

Health

 

Over the past month I’ve lost about 8 pounds and overall from my heigh weight I’m down about 15 pounds. I’ve been trying to get to the gym more frequently for strength training. I have a program I developed about 10 years about that I’m returning to. I’m also riding my bicycle more often, and eating nutritious foods prepared at home. I’ve written previously about the health drink I’ve been making in the morning. It’s a combination of protein-rich nutrient-dense ingredients that seem to satisfy hunger for many hours. All these things seem to be working together for some success.

Career

I’ve been very busy at work due to taking on the workload of another full-time person who took a job elsewhere. As a result, I’ve been working a few extra hours to keep up, and I’m developing some systems to make the work more efficient. You can read the full list of responsibilities on my bio page at the University of Iowa.

Thanks!

Many thanks to all of you who keep in touch and provide support for the work I do. For additional news, you can read this month’s ResourcesForLife.com Newsletter.

~ Greg

__________

Origins. For those of you who are new to these monthly personal updates, they began about 15 years ago out of a desire to share from my personal life about topics of lifeways (faith), health, career, finances, relationships, effective living, and activism. This is based on the life map presented on the Resources For Life website.