Reading has always been a big part of my life. I was extremely fortunate to have a mother who loved to read. And her sister, my Aunt Janie, also read voraciously. She?s ?my other Mom? and sometimes viewed me as her son more than Mom did. Between the two of them, I never wanted for a story or book to read.
I?ve become a reader of blogs in the last year or so. There are a lot of really good ones. In fact, there are too many for me to keep up with regularly. I?ve compounded this by starting my own. It can become consuming. What bothers me most, though, is that I?ve become addicted to tweeking it. First I wanted to change colors of the original Blogger template I chose. Then I wanted to adjust how links were displayed. Then I decided my archives needed organization, so I changed to Moveable Type. In the process, my whole reason for having the blog got overshadowed. I started it because I found I couldn?t put together coherent paragraphs any more. I was out of practice.
I?ve written many things, some have been published, some have languished on an editor?s desk, and others never even got into the mail. But, I?ve never seen myself as some great writer. I?m an engineer. Engineers don?t write. At least, that?s the common perception, especially in engineering schools. Geeks can?t put word to paper. It?s a right-brain left-brain thing.
What I?ve found on the internet, however, is exactly the opposite. Some of the best sites are written by engineers. USS Clueless and BlogO?Ram are just two. And lawyers figure prominently: Eugene Volokh, Glenn Reynolds, Neal Boortz, and the guys at PowerLine are my go-to links. Wow, lawyers and engineers mentioned in the same paragraph and no blood was spilled!
On an analytical level, it makes perfect sense. Chemists, physicists, and mathematicians are technical, but focus on their particular area (I know, it?s a sweeping generalization). Engineers consider all those fields in their work, and use that knowledge as a tool. A parallel exists in law. The liberal arts all contribute to the knowledge base of lawyers. My experience is that people who study literature, or psychology, or philosophy, or political science don?t read technical information the way engineers read literature, psychology, philosophy, or political science. I believe lawyers also read a great deal about other fields.
(I once considered getting a law degree. I stopped in at Vinny?s School of Law and Bartending to pick up some information. The wonderful lady in the admissions office was quite enthusiastic when I told her I had a mechanical engineering degree. ?We love to get engineers. What was your GPA?? I shuffled my feet and told her it was only 3.2, she laughed. ?You won?t have any trouble. The ones we worry about are the 2.5 GPA Literature majors.”)
So, I gravitate toward engineers and lawyers in my web reading. But, as a good engineer, I explore all avenues. Lileks and Sullivan, Vinny (not of bartending fame, as far as I know) and Farah and Horowitz. I may be a geek, but I?m well-read!