Thoughts | J.R. Johnson

Posts Tagged ‘Thoughts’

Advice for Writers, or Anyone, Really

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, inner monologue, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 23, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Don’t talk to yourself like someone you hate.

— Arthur Brooks

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What Sci-Fi Says About Us

Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, data, history, problem solving, sci-fi, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I like the data-driven articles from The Pudding, which include fun topics, great graphics and easy-to-digest research.

And hey, here’s one by Alvin Chang about science fiction!

Who killed the world?

I analyzed the top 200 sci-fi films and tv shows every decade from the 1950s to present day. What I found was that sci-fi narratives from yesteryear were quite different from today’s stories….

Sci-fi is an amazing genre.

It helps us explore our feelings about the unknown, the future, and the possible. It lets us imagine “what if” scenarios, and then build out rich worlds that our minds can occupy. It depicts dystopias we should fend off and utopias we should seek – and it teases us with the scintillating possibility that humans may actually be able to build the world we want.

But over the last few generations, it’s been harder for us to imagine this better world – and our sci-fi reflects that.

And while that may be so, sci-fi is also a critical part of highlighting society’s important problems. That’s the first step to finding a fix.

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As Long As You Start

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, creativity, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 19, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“It is never too late to do anything in life.”

— Momofuku Ando

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Curiosity Knows

Posted in Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, MarsCuriosity, NASA, science, space, Thoughts on September 18, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Some days the day job is a little hectic, and what I’d really like is a moment to get away from it all, you know?

Curiosity knows. The intrepid rover has been on Mars since 2012 and is still very much out of the office.

In fact, let’s check in. Where is that little bundle of human ingenuity is now?

Curiosity Rover Location Map – NASA Science

And what has it seen? So much!

Photos: 13 Years on Mars

Being away from the rest of us doesn’t mean Curiosity isn’t getting the best dirt. In fact, its latest discovery has the potential to stir up what we know about life on Mars!

Here’s Neil deGrasse Tyson to break it down for us:

As Neil asks, “Could we have Martian neighbors?” If yes, would they fancy a mid-afternoon coffee break?

I know I could use one.

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Just Remember

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, life, Thoughts on September 17, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Whatever’s on your menu today, I hope that you have a moment to look up, take a breath, and enjoy it.

“Hey, this is awesome. Just remember: This is awesome.”

— Glen Powell

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Ingredients of a Life

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, quotes, stories, Thoughts on September 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

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We’re All Special

Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, Thoughts on September 15, 2025| Leave a Comment »

I recently sent a note to someone that ended with these lines, and I thought it might be nice to share.

We’re all unique collations of time and place, our essence just the latest collaboration of elements that have formed and reformed time and again, star stuff reshaped from single-cell amoebas to a pterodactyl flying high above an unnamed sea to a hominid spraying paint against a cave wall to Leonardo to you.

And you are special.

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Excellent, No Notes

Posted in Entertainment, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, advice, knowledge, Thoughts on September 13, 2025| 2 Comments »

This is excellent:

Need advice? Call these older folks for tips on love, dating and moose hunting

You can call 204-788-8060 and hear prerecorded messages from the residents on various topics. Press 1 for Carl’s advice on following your dreams. Press 3 for Randy’s wisdom on how to grow in new ways (he joined some clubs and got a girlfriend). Press 4 for guidance on surviving Winnipeg winters (if possible, don’t be there). Press 0 for Cheryl’s tips on being true to yourself (“it’s you who has to live with yourself later”).

In related “older people are awesome” news, The Thursday Murder Club movie was fun, recommend.

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Keep On Going

Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, inspiration, life, persist, Thoughts, Writers, writing on September 12, 2025| Leave a Comment »

“Awful first drafts are fine—Agree with this. If you don’t finish something, you’ll never get in the game. Just quell the voice in your head that says “Are you kidding? No one is going to want to read this drivel” and keep on going.”

― Jamie Freveletti

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