I have lived most of my life in Littleton, Colorado, a southern suburb of Denver. I graduated from Littleton High School, and earned a BA degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO. I completed a Masters of Science in molecular genetics from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. I have taught biology and physical science at the high school and college level. I am currently employed at the Denver VA Medical Center and provide data analysis, database management, programming, computer support, and quality management reporting for the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.
I have always been interested in science and in understanding how things work, whether it is a radio or the universe. I was very annoyed a number of years ago when trying to locate useful information on the internet about drinking water and water treatment options. Most of the information I found was quite exaggerated, very biased, or just plain wrong. The number of sites containing accurate information about drinking water is far greater today than when I started my site (probably in 97), but there is still a tremendous amount of exaggerated, biased, and just plain wrong information on the web.
With a solid background in science, research training (both experimental and library), and a strong interest in education and statistics, I decided to distill everything I knew or could find out about drinking water and build my own reference site. I try to find several reliable sources for everything I publish and then make certain it is consistent with the knowledge I already have. As I discover new information I try to post it.
In early 2010 I was invited to participate in an interview, Drinking Water: Facts, Scams, and Treatment Methods, for the health website, www.chetday.com. In the interview I provide additional details about how I became involved in issues related to drinking water treatment.
I hope you find the information collected on my web sites useful.
Randy Johnson, MS - Biology
Some additional personal information and interests below:
Watch a Sound of the Rockies video
Montage of songs and pictures (behind the scenes and performance) from
the Sound of the Rockies 2009 Spring Show, Songs of the 60's
Goodbye World, Goodbye - members of 3 Sound of the Rockies quartets
That's me
in the picture above
engaged in one of my favorite activities these days - on the risers singing with
the 100 voice, men's a cappella chorus I am privileged to be a member of, Sound
of the Rockies (SoR) out of Denver, Colorado. SoR is
a competitive member of the Barbershop
Harmony Society, and the picture above was taken on the International Stage in Montreal, Quebec,
July 5, 2003 where the
chorus placed 7th in a field of 20
other district
champion
choruses from the United States, Canada, and England. I had never heard of
a barbershop chorus before November 2001, but on a whim, my wife and I
attended a SoR concert, and I was so amazed by the sound and energy coming from the
stage, that I determined to become a part of the group. You can read this
story at YourHub.com
(you may need to register).
The
summer of 2007, the chorus placed third at International Competition in our
hometown, Denver, CO.
You can view a
larger picture here or
listen to the 2007 Sound of the Rockies contest
performance
here.
July 2008 in Nashville and again in Anaheim July 2009, Sound of the Rockies placed 4th in the International Barbershop competition.
There are
over 800 chapters of the Barbershop Harmony Society
in the United States and Canada. In many cities and towns these chapters,
which often consist of an a cappella chorus and several quartets, provide
top-quality, family entertainment opportunities in their
communities and an opportunity for men who love to sing to create some wonderful
harmony. I would strongly encourage anyone who loves music to
check the BHS
listings to see if there is a nearby chorus and/or quartet. Contact them to find out when/where they will be performing
or rehearsing, and plan to
attend a concert or attend a rehearsal. I recently published a
series of maps
that displays where each of the 800 BHS society chapters are located and how to
contact them. There are
other
men's and two women's (Sweet
Adelines, and Harmony,
Inc.) barbershop organizations around the world that you might find
rewarding to explore.
Listen
to Sound of the Rockies (1.4MB MP3 file)
On a different note: Besides singing and work - and updating websites, I keep busy with a variety of activities and interests which include:
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Astronomy
and cosmology - I am fascinated by the universe we inhabit, and
periodically, on dark nights (which are sadly becoming rarer as light
pollution increases), I drag my telescope out to look at the planets and
an assortment of deep space objects. I can only marvel at the images
that the Hubble
Space Telescope has brought to the world. |
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Geology and amateur rock and mineral collecting - Living in Colorado provides some fun locations for mineral and fossil collecting with my wife and son. We spent one afternoon, for example, collecting calcite crystals and chipping plain opal out of a hill near Grand Junction. |
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Gardening - Although the recent Colorado drought has put a crimp in this activity, I enjoy growing, harvesting, cooking and eating the produce of my garden. I enjoy planting varieties of giant pumpkins, that if properly cared for, can produce several hundred pound pumpkins. Mine have yet to top 100 pounds, but I keep trying. |
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Novice
Vintner |
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Web and graphics design - I put this drinking water information site together, and I help with creating and managing the Sound of the Rockies' site and developed a series of web pages to promote my Dad's book, A Thread of Gold, a historical- fiction adventure novel about the search for a lost gold bonanza in the the Colorado Rockies, which is scheduled to be published in summer 2005. |
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Cooking - My wife and I enjoy, when time allows, digging into the spice rack and creating culinary masterpieces. We processed 50 pounds of chokecherries we collected along the nearby Highline Canal (Aug 03) for making jelly, and perhaps some wine. |
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Photography - I enjoy trying to get just the right balance of light and composition in a photograph. |
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Folk singing and guitar playing - I have been singing and playing the guitar since high school. My guitar has been a good companion over the years at home, off at school, and on camping trips. |
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Reading
and collecting antique books & magazines - I enjoy
frequenting local book sales looking for interesting old books and
magazines.
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Yours in Harmony
Randy Johnson
Everything
You Always Wanted To Know About Drinking Water
Everything
You Always Wanted To Know About Selecting A Drinking Water Treatment System
