Immediately after sharing my post about Google’s attention dashboard the other day, a friend asked me if I’m going to write on this blog daily.
And his question brings me to a topic worthy of its own post: why I’m writing this blog.
In part, I’m keeping a blog because it’s already an old habit of mine. I’ve kept a near-daily journal covering everything in my life since about age 17. Without a doubt, my journals are the first thing I’d run and grab in the event of a fire.
But moving from a private, handwritten notebook over to public forum is a certainly a jump.
What’s pushed me over the edge is realizing that the voices I respect in technology generally keep some kind of public writing. Some do it daily. Some share polished pieces. Some do a mix of both. Some write on Medium. Others on their own beautiful sites. Most of these VC bloggers would say it helps clarify their thoughts and strategy. (And in private, I’m sure they’d admit it pays real dividends to get their name out.)
Me? I’m interested in tracking my curiosity over time, improving my writing, and chewing on ideas with a little more depth than a Tweetstorm. All day long, I’m exposed to amazing concepts, companies, and technologies. And I’m hoping this blog offers some reflection for me, and maybe for others reading. Now, it’d be great if it isn’t just some indulgent project of mine, and eventually something of a dialogue. For now, though, just writing for me will do.
For this blog, I plan on posting a mix of polished posts, as well as unpolished daily thoughts. Most will center on technology. Especially industry 4.0 and blockchain, as I cover them at my day job. But I’m a passionate student of music, literature, distance running, economics, and film. And I don’t think these areas are terribly tangential. Tech is a current within all of them.
I don’t miss much of my time at MakerBot (my first job out of school), but I do remember one tenet from the employee handbook that has stuck with me: It All Matters.
Today, nearly every company is becoming a tech company. Tech is infiltrating our human experience like never before. My hope is to weave together these topics and explore their parallels.
Because it all matters.
NpappaG 