Monday, March 2, 2009

Biting the Bullet

Why I'm starting a blog

I've finally bitten the bullet. Unlike many people, I don't belong to any social networking sites, and until now, I haven't blogged. I never got into MySpace, or Facebook, or any of the others that are out there simply because I don't have time. By the time I got around to thinking about social networking, it has become quite obvious how dangerous social networking can be: from you yourself posting inappropriate content, to your "friends" doing that for you. Many employers now look for you on social networking sites trying to gain a glimpse of who you really are. No thanks. I've got nothing to hide, but I don't want a reason to have something to hide either. Blogging has been around for quite a few years as well. Blogging could be almost as dangerous with all the comment spam, not to mention flippantly posting something that you might otherwis think better of later. But, comment spam can be controlled by not allowing comments (but then, what's the point of blogging?). As for inadvertantly (or regretfully) posting something? Well,you could delete the entry (as long as its whithin a few hours). But the better advice is to simply think before you post. So with that in mind, I've started tihs blog.

I'm so busy, however, that I never have time just to sit down and write for my own desire, let alone anyone else's reading pleasure, which is another reason I never really started a blog prior to now. Not that I have any more time now than I did before, but if you never make the time, you never will. Having said that, blogging is an important endeavor. It enables me to allow my voice to be heard by anyone who wishes to listen. I hope that even if you don't agree with everything I write, you will at least approach what I write with an open mind. I'm willing to listen to other perspectives as well. And if I'm wrong, please be gracious and let me know, as I love to learn as opposed to stumble in ignorance.

But, more importantly, my blog will act simply as an information repository. In today's world where we are constantly bombarded by information, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to remember all those snippets of interesting things I read or hear about without writing them down somewhere. So this blog is as much (if not more so) for my benefit as it is for anyone else's—to help me remember those things I would otherwise forget. If anyone finds some useful information in what I have to write, that's great! I'm glad I could help.

Why is your blog called Discovering Code?

This blog will not have one central topic or theme. This is a blog about discovery, and then trying to remember those things I have discovered. Not everything I blog about will necessarily be related to programming, though much of it will be, as that is my passion. My interests are wide and varying, however—from software engineering to computer engineering, to new hardware arriving on the scene, as well as topics related to science in general. I'm an avid Popular Science reader. In short, there may be many things of interest here to many different readers.

What can you expect from me?

While I would like to say, "Check back often for my latest entries," I can't guarantee how often I will actually post articles on my blog. So please, do check back, but don't expect something new everyday or even every week. I would like to at least write something here once a month.

Who are you anyway?

That's a very good question, and I'm glad you asked. I am currently a student at Kutztown University, enrolled in the Computer Science Software Engineering program. The goal is to (finally) complete my Bachelor's Degree with a Minor in Mathematics, and then continue on to obtain my Master's Degree. My favorite programming language is C#. I have an interest in extending my knowledge in the arena of ASP.NET. Another interest I have, related to programming, is that of compiler theory and construction as well as computer engineering and operating system design (Kutztown University does not have a computer engineering program). I also have a keen interest in most sciences, especially astrophysics, astronomy, and chemistry.

Anyway, that's a little about me and why I'm starting this blog. Like I said, please check back from time-to-time, hopefully I will have posted something useful, if not interesting at the very least.