It’s a little strange. I’ve gone this far without a blog post and now, all of a sudden, here comes this guy with a blog. Why now? Why ever? What even is it?
It sounds like a character from Seuss or Star Trek. Its blog-ness may exist in some Platonic superspace. I know it as an ultimatum from some algorithm-minded internet optimization folks smarter than I am. I’ve learned that it’s not a story and it’s not an article; it’s not a sound bite and it’s not an advertisement. A blog, believe it or not, is the shortened version of a weblog, like someone named Nathaniel going by Thaniel. It’s apparently supposed to be informal, a conversation.
There’s an irony in there somewhere. To introduce myself loosely, I am–among other things–an attorney. The legal profession is designed to be formal, often distancing itself from the people it’s designed to serve.
But why a blog? And why now? So far, I see it as an attempt to solidify myself digitally, to improve my writing and outreach, to speak and be heard because the code is listening. I only hope that these posts serve a double purpose of introducing myself as I sometimes see myself, to share my thoughts and impressions (numerous but few), and to document this journey. If someone happens to read it, I warn that I am and will continue to be incomplete. At the same time, please continue to grow and explore with me as I learn how to blog (and maybe learn some other stuff too).