Tell Me Again, What is a Blog Good For?

I can't seem to bring myself to post to this blog right now because I am supposed to be doing other things, most notably, finishing my dissertation revisions, finding a job so we can eat, and playing tennis. Okay, the latter is probably not critical, but when given the option between farting around online and exercising, I have to go with the latter, at least until I rid myself of this spare tire I am trucking around.

There are plenty of things I could comment on, like how cool our new apartment is, how nice it is to have friends nearby, or how I just saved a bunch of money on our car insurance (serious). But again, I should be working. Besides, when the going gets rough, I am not a journal-keeping sorta guy. I have endless streams of thought going through my mind about the minutiae of everyday life and even some about the overarching human condition, but to commit them all to zeros and ones seems so tedious, both for the writer and the reader. I think I'd rather just impart the occasional misadventure ala Josh and spare the world my thoughts on the best vegan cheese I just purchased.

Sure, it is cool to propagate information about random stuff, but ultimately isn't it all just so random that it doesn't mean anything? News houses have recently started citing blogs as sources for trivia answers or comments on current events, a trend I think just perpetuates the dumbing down of the network news. We can't treat the average Joe with access to a computer as a source of anything unless that person can provide reasonable credentials. I can comment on the best vegetarian dining in Chicago, but what is that really worth in the abstract? News sources and blog consolidators treat me as a valid source, when in reality my information is worthless until you know that I am a five-year vegetarian who has sampled a fair amount of the vegetarian fare in Chicago.

I guess what I am getting at is we are entering an era where technology has made it infinitely easy to propagate your opinions on just about anything to just about everyone with a web connection, but this freedom of information and transparency of information does not a valid source make. Without some way of providing and validating credentials, what we have is a large room where everyone is shouting their opinions and nobody is listening, at least not to the most appropriate party. As such, there continues to exist a value in the media in that they provide a validated collection of scholars who's opinions are actually worth more than a grain of salt. Well, except maybe television outlets who seem hung up on celebrity indiscretions more than quality news.

I have to ask myself, do I just want to be another voice shouting on the web? If I really want to provide worthwhile content to this Internet project we've undertaken, I should just hold off and work on building my expertise on specific topics. Then, at a later point, I can become a contributing author to a media outlet, popular website, or website of my own making where I espouse my expert opinion, backed up by my referenced credentials. Ask me about MIS topics, the vegetarian lifestyle, Moby, being a graduate student, or places I've lived in the past. This I can provide you my valid opinion on. But my comment on how Fla-vor-ice *Lite* Pops (an analog to Otter Pops for you Westerners) are absolutely terrible thanks to their lack of sugar is, alas, just one more opinion for the pot. Maybe it's worthwhile in the composite, but on this little blog, from a guy who eats maybe five frozen juice pops in an average year, it is just another opinion versus a well-substantiated fact (trust me though, they are TERRIBLE).

And You Are???

Wow, I am remiss in updating this poor little blog. This little blog that nobody reads. But I have an excuse, I have been busy. The wife and I moved back to Chicago. The last two weeks have been a flurry of activity with unpacking, exploring our new neighborhood, meeting up with old friends, braving the Taste of Chicago and seeing Moby perform there, etc. It has been fun, but this week Laura returned to work which means it is time for me to return to work.

I'm happy to be back in Chicago. I missed the bustle, the lake, the public transit, our collection of friends here. I think I even missed the miasma of the city, the everpresent homeless and dirtiness. A city uniquely condenses the human condition into an experience who's authenticity cannot be denied: we are, without exception, a messy people who lead extrordinarily messy lives. Our best chance of any success in this journey is to live life fully and try to leave a positive impression on all those who's lives we touch.

Eh, I will stop there before this post becomes more about personal philosophy than Chicago. If you want more messiness, check out PostSecret. Don't say I didn't warn you that it is sad.

Tell Me Again, What is a Blog Good For?

I can't seem to bring myself to post to this blog right now because I am supposed to be doing other things, most notably, finishing my dissertation revisions, finding a job so we can eat, and playing tennis. Okay, the latter is probably not critical, but when given the option between farting around online and exercising, I have to go with the latter, at least until I rid myself of this spare tire I am trucking around.

There are plenty of things I could comment on, like how cool our new apartment is, how nice it is to have friends nearby, or how I just saved a bunch of money on our car insurance (serious). But again, I should be working. Besides, when the going gets rough, I am not a journal-keeping sorta guy. I have endless streams of thought going through my mind about the minutiae of everyday life and even some about the overarching human condition, but to commit them all to zeros and ones seems so tedious, both for the writer and the reader. I think I'd rather just impart the occasional misadventure ala Josh and spare the world my thoughts on the best vegan cheese I just purchased.

Sure, it is cool to propagate information about random stuff, but ultimately isn't it all just so random that it doesn't mean anything? News houses have recently started citing blogs as sources for trivia answers or comments on current events, a trend I think just perpetuates the dumbing down of the network news. We can't treat the average Joe with access to a computer as a source of anything unless that person can provide reasonable credentials. I can comment on the best vegetarian dining in Chicago, but what is that really worth in the abstract? News sources and blog consolidators treat me as a valid source, when in reality my information is worthless until you know that I am a five-year vegetarian who has sampled a fair amount of the vegetarian fare in Chicago.

I guess what I am getting at is we are entering an era where technology has made it infinitely easy to propagate your opinions on just about anything to just about everyone with a web connection, but this freedom of information and transparency of information does not a valid source make. Without some way of providing and validating credentials, what we have is a large room where everyone is shouting their opinions and nobody is listening, at least not to the most appropriate party. As such, there continues to exist a value in the media in that they provide a validated collection of scholars who's opinions are actually worth more than a grain of salt. Well, except maybe television outlets who seem hung up on celebrity indiscretions more than quality news.

I have to ask myself, do I just want to be another voice shouting on the web? If I really want to provide worthwhile content to this Internet project we've undertaken, I should just hold off and work on building my expertise on specific topics. Then, at a later point, I can become a contributing author to a media outlet, popular website, or website of my own making where I espouse my expert opinion, backed up by my referenced credentials. Ask me about MIS topics, the vegetarian lifestyle, Moby, being a graduate student, or places I've lived in the past. This I can provide you my valid opinion on. But my comment on how Fla-vor-ice *Lite* Pops (an analog to Otter Pops for you Westerners) are absolutely terrible thanks to their lack of sugar is, alas, just one more opinion for the pot. Maybe it's worthwhile in the composite, but on this little blog, from a guy who eats maybe five frozen juice pops in an average year, it is just another opinion versus a well-substantiated fact (trust me though, they are TERRIBLE).

And You Are???

Wow, I am remiss in updating this poor little blog. This little blog that nobody reads. But I have an excuse, I have been busy. The wife and I moved back to Chicago. The last two weeks have been a flurry of activity with unpacking, exploring our new neighborhood, meeting up with old friends, braving the Taste of Chicago and seeing Moby perform there, etc. It has been fun, but this week Laura returned to work which means it is time for me to return to work.

I'm happy to be back in Chicago. I missed the bustle, the lake, the public transit, our collection of friends here. I think I even missed the miasma of the city, the everpresent homeless and dirtiness. A city uniquely condenses the human condition into an experience who's authenticity cannot be denied: we are, without exception, a messy people who lead extrordinarily messy lives. Our best chance of any success in this journey is to live life fully and try to leave a positive impression on all those who's lives we touch.

Eh, I will stop there before this post becomes more about personal philosophy than Chicago. If you want more messiness, check out PostSecret. Don't say I didn't warn you that it is sad.