Thomas J. Johnson

Perhaps you could suggest / design a cooling tree grate system that pumps freon through a network in the steel, to offset the warming effect of the adjacent sidewalk 😉 This system might have world wide interest in warm climates that want to grow cold climate trees. Tree Refrigerators. You could sell millions of units to Dubai and cover the World…[Read more]

If the pits are dug, the grates and trees delivered and the design of the heating system/sidewalk has been determined, what exactly are they asking you to do? It seems that if you’re input can’t change anything, you’re only taking on personal liability by consulting on a project that has inherent flaws. Isn’t the best thing to do at this point to…[Read more]

That’s one big tree pit and tree grate. I’d like to see that… I’m only familiar with the standard city-sidewalk tree grates… 
Acer saccharum might be a poor choice for that application since it is very sensitive to root compaction and disturbances. It also has a laterally branching root structure that stays close to the surface (probably not…[Read more]

lol.
Do we have to go right for the kneecaps? Like most people, I really enjoy being able to walk. Couldn’t we ease into things with a few cigar burns, some c-clamp fun or maybe loping off a digit or two? I’m sure I’ll get the picture quickly. I’m a fast learner. You wanna know what really hurts like hell? Stick a pencil between your toes, near…[Read more]

I agree with your points. Locally, unions nearly destroyed McCormick place in Chicago by making it too expensive for vendors to attend trade shows. You literally can’t plug a light into a socket because it’s a union members job and you have to pay him $200 to do it for you. It’s gotten ridiculous. They could get away with it when times were good,…[Read more]

Like trying to herd cats, eh?

I’m not sure how well this will go-over. I mean, who goes on vacation to be guilt-ed to death? Isn’t half the point of staying in hotels to waste water? I mean, why pay $300 a night if not to take extra-long hot showers with those sweet “rain” shower heads and to leave the water running while I shave and brush my teeth… nothing says “luxury”…[Read more]

“The concept of unionizing the profession was discussed in this forum a couple years ago, and was savagely beaten to death in the ensuing 3,578 responses. I have no doubt that will happen again.”
Hhhmmm… I thought this kind of not-so-subtle threat was reserved for use by unions to persuade it’s members which way to vote. 😉 Do you mean to say…[Read more]

In China and India because our corporations are allowed to outsource work, creating the same working conditions abroad that US unions protested while paying foreign peasants under a dollar a day. I remember back in the 80’s and early 90’s sweat shops were a major issue. It’s all you heard about on the news. Now a days we’re happy to turn a blind…[Read more]

My second paragraph clearly states my distaste for unions, at least in their current form. They’ve outgrown their britches and a symbiotic relationship that is not in the best interest of the citizens has developed between unions and the political party they contribute to, who then in turn cater to the unions. It’s gotten out of control and has…[Read more]

Would Monday – Thursday 10 hours work or is “Friday donuts” attendance mandatory? I’m not real big on meetings for the sake of meetings…

Yeah, we had sweet chairs (Herman Miller) but the desks were really layout tables and were too tall and had sharp corners, all of which added up to weird wrist/shoulder/neck issues. If you raised your chair to compensate, then you had too much pressure on your legs/lower spine because your feet weren’t properly on the floor. 
Being a cyclist, I…[Read more]

I’m sorry, I tend to have that effect on people… I can’t help it. It’s always made me unpopular… Just yesterday, I think I made a bunch of professional potters feel bad when the first pot I’ve ever thrown turned out pretty darn good… I overheard one of them say, “I spent 10 years learning how to do that…”. Then I had to blow the next three…[Read more]

Cool! Thanks for the heads up!

Your frustration is common with job seekers throughout the profession because there is no single, universal answer. The high-end 3D design software is expensive and hence cost prohibitive for most firms. It also isn’t necessary for most projects, so it’s wasteful to have it sitting idle or hiring someone who only specializes in that particular…[Read more]

: )

hahahahahaha!!! Thank you Henry. Just playing around a bit… the program is pretty fun. It  encourages child-like exploration of shapes and color. Just drag stuff around until it looks right. 
Funny you should mention a career in landscape architecture… The first major I declared in 1996 was landscape architecture. I took the intro-class and d…[Read more]

Aw crapola, there I go throwing stuff around on the internet again. Isn’t intellectual property copyright established the moment an image is created? That’s what it says in the book I’m reading right now… Are you guys going to “borrow” another one of my ideas…? Hey, as long as I get a nice royalty check every quarter I’m all for it…