First Post

"If you have to do something, do something you're passionate about." This is the soundest advice I can come up for myself as I near nine months of unemployment. My friends have mostly fled this ravaged city, save for a few who have holed up and play World of Warcraft . I try to keep myself occupied, trying to find the magic combination of things which will keep me interested and active, healthy and sharp.

It's not easy.

So I asked myself, what do I like to do? Writing is a good thing; I have been working on a novel for over 5 years now (possibly more on that later). Science is one of my loves from as far back as I can remember. Writing about science therefore seems like a natural.

But how to best do so? There are a lot of science blogs out there. There are a lot of issues to blog about as well. So what issues in science am I passionate about? Again I return to my childhood passions. When I was young, I nearly filled my mom's basement with rocks, most of which I had picked out of the alleyway behind our house. I recently got a degree in Geoscience. I have always been curious about paleontology, paleoclimates, etc. I happen to believe that Climate Change is the greatest issue facing humankind on this blue marble. But I'm not an expert.

However, I do continuously expand my knowledge base, mainly by debating others on blogs and in comments sections of publications. I am a natural debator, though not without my flaws. My plan, therefore, is to record my interactions with other internet users and use them to improve my practices. After all, it may feel good to unload on someone for being a douchbag or whatever the term du jour is, but it is never profitable.

So there you have it. I will copy the conversations and critique them here, and perhaps add in some other things as well. I think it would be best to use pseudonyms for my interlocutors, other than the ones they have selected themselves. I hope this offends no one, but I am always open to comments and criticisms.