These pages are a collection of writings on things I’m trying to better understand. The content is anything I find interesting, but I generally attempt to engage the subjects with more of an analytical rather than purely descriptive approach. Topics range from technical problems and data analysis to entertainment, culture, and personal health. Sometimes they intersect.
I try to be as thorough as possible in the content and refine the presentation before publishing. This means they often take quite some time to finish, so I do not adhere to any sort of schedule and there may be long periods where I do not post anything at all. Posts being fully finished is not an absolute constraint, so at times I may post unfinished work, when it makes sense.
These pages are also a compromise. For about a decade, I’ve almost entirely avoided social media. This was partially due to privacy concerns, but also a growing conviction that beyond sporadic or need-based use, social media is quite corrosive to the human psyche. Nowadays, this has more or less become a generally accepted view, but around the time when I got off social media, it was mostly met with either confusion as to why or sometimes lighthearted accusations of paranoia (completely unfounded, of course). Nevertheless, over time it has become increasingly clear to me that having zero online presence probably isn’t optimal either. So I am seeking a middle ground. One where other people, and not only our reptilian overlords, can read along.
I write primarily to clarify my own thinking. But I’ve also gotten a lot of value from other people’s blogs and personal sites over the years, so I figure it’s worth putting my own writing online as well rather than letting it just sit on my hard drive. Maybe someone else can find some value in it.
Publishing also forces me to be thorough and precise, as well as actually finish things. Otherwise too many projects end up half-researched or only 80% done before abandonment.
Still I often find myself reluctant to post anything. I fear that I will just be adding to the incessant noise of the web. So I try to write with curiosity before signaling, substance over sentiment, and conviction rather than conformity. Whether I succeed is not for me to decide.
