Used with permission, CC2.0: Jeff Kubina
Ideas get us talking to one another. Dialog develops new ideas.
We live on a big planet, but the world is shrinking more and more every day. Usually, when this colloquialism about the shrinking world is invoked, it's a complaint. But why should it be? Are contemporary technology and our increasingly social online culture inherently contributing to our increasing separation from one another, or are we just abusing technology in an ongoing effort to hide?
This blog will cover a variety of subjects, but they will all have a single, unifying theme: the things that get us talking to one another. Unfortunately, the things that bring us together are often the very things that threaten to tear us apart: discussions on religion and spirituality and favorite sports teams and computing platforms, opinions about art, sexuality, technology and science, politics, entertainment, music, books, movies, television, food, work and business, companies and industries and gifted individuals, product reviews (the relevant and the unusual), current events and history, family relationships, friends, irritants, humor...
What is funny and what isn't, for example? I have a dry, British wit. Do you? I don't require you to, or expect you to be just like me. I will be sharing my opinions because they're the only ones I have! That sure doesn't mean I'm uninterested in yours.
We'll occasionally include an interview with an established celebrity or expert in their field. We'll throw in the infrequent instructional commentary or video on a technical or other relevant subject. We'll welcome guest posts. We'll solicit and expect your feedback and thoughts on each issue, and we'll look forward to reading them.
The main purpose of every post will always be the same, to invite you into a discussion in which you will meet others, perhaps kindred spirits, perhaps lifelong aggravators. But you will speak with each other. You will interact, both on the blog and off. Most posts will end with a question, an opportunity for you to interact. You are so very welcome to do so. I use IntenseDebate for comments, since they sort and thread for me. You are encouraged--but not required--to create an account with them to better organize your conversations, and also benefit from the "ranking" that can be provided by others who find your ideas useful and/or well stated.
If you're reading this on the website, you can see two lists of my most popular posts to the left. You might find something to enjoy or spark thought or conversation in there.
I post irregularly, theoretically a couple times a week, though you may occasionally find bursts of creativity followed by doldrums of silence. (Such is the nature of a full-time Instructional Designer with two children under the age of ten!) I encourage you to click here to subscribe by email since this is the easiest way to engage with the latest content. Comments, however, are always welcome. Although I reserve the right to moderate them, I would like to think you would give me no reason to. The extrovert in me craves your interaction, and I look forward to responding in civil conversation with you.
The new technological world gives us a chance to be civil to one another in new ways. We can share ideas and disagree without hostility. We can discuss openly. Through disagreeing, we can ponder, change, and grow. Through agreeing, we can connect. There is room enough for both here. The planet is big enough for us to disagree, and we may be surprised to find unexpected allies that make our world just a bit smaller, and likely more enjoyable.
