Tech Review

I've had a good blogging experience. I've become a better writer, I think. I've met some nice people both in the flesh and the electrons. It may even have been "meaningful" in that some people have found Asymmetric entertaining or persuasive (Good news, the three of you qualify for free psychiatric help.). Most important to me is that I've been able to express myself in a way that's inexpensive, legal, and moral. Indeed, Eliot Spitzer could have saved his job and $80,000 if he spent his evenings on Blogger instead of Ashley Dupre.

Not being an act condemnable to jail or Hell, doesn't mean that blogging isn't without its drawbacks, however. You know how overly sociological people can't enjoy a mall: Leftists get mad at the "consumerism," Victoria Secrets mannequins (and consumerism) get the religious to tsking, people in a mixed relationship holding hands make racists of every color fume. Well, over the last year and a half, I've developed "blogger vision." That is, I've looked at the world and divided it between those phenomena that would make good posts and those that wouldn't- it bugs after a while. Blogging has also changed my behavior: My life would have been as complete had I only watched two Democratic debates, for example, and I wouldn't otherwise have forced myself to experience Alien versus Predator Requiem.

Blogging isn't just writing, either. At first, you have to go through the drudgery of putting your blog on directories, humbly asking for links, and other things nearing the sordid.

Finally, like almost anything fun, blogging can be unhealthily compulsive: Blogging has an "RPG factor." It's not necessarily the game play that makes Role Playing Games like World of Warcraft or it's pencil and paper daddy, D and D, addictive. Rather, one becomes obsessed with improving or "leveling up" ones character. In blogging, one goes to Sitemeter to check his pageviews or Technorati to see how many people linked to his posts.

So, last week I decided to assess any damage, if any, blogging does to my life. Results:

1. I calculated that had I not blogged, I could have completed a biblically-proportioned ark last November.

2. Blogging is inversely proportional to things that some may consider more important like family, career, paying bills, personal hygiene, etc.

My analysis prompted the thought, "Hey, what if I see something interesting and didn't write about it? What if I didn't check to see how much search traffic I had every fifteen minutes? What if I just thought something and kept it to myself? What if I didn't blog and nobody came? Well, I tried it for five days, and it was quite a lovely week. No typing. No nothing. I considered giving it up altogether.

But, now that I'm writing this, I remember how much fun it is. Besides, it's not like I can afford Spitzer's hobby. I'll have some stuff later today- after I work on my car.