42?

42. The answer to life, the universe and everything. That is if you know the question.
I haven't updated this blog in a while for a good reason. I didn't know what to write. The first few posts are tricky because that sets the tone for the rest, and sets people's expectations. So I thought long and hard for about 15 seconds, and decided I couldn't come up with a single theme. What is a "theme", you ask. A theme, in my opinion, is an overall description of your style of writing. Most blogs I have seen fall into 5 broad categories for themes :

1. Experiential: "Yesterday I went out with a couple of friends. We had an interesting conversation about retirement, and then it struck me ...and so on"
2. Descriptive: "I was walking back to my apartment when it started to drizzle. Rain fell in small drops that really didn't leave a stain on the ground. Wonder if people's lives have the same impact in the larger scheme of things"
3. Journals : "Woke up today and really didn't feel like going out in the rain. Lazed around for a little bit and assembled the surround speaker system that had been in its box for weeks. Cleaned home a little bit"
4. Hobby displays: "Here is a photo I took of a flower using a Nikon 450Z Telephoto lens and 334 ms exposure and so on." The internet has enough hi-res images of sunsets and daffodils already and I don't plan to inflict any more on my kind readers.
   
5. There are, of course, many commercial-ish blogs that dispense news, information and, since this is the internet, porn.
   

I digress. In trying to analyze this problem, I looked at the pros and cons of each option:

1.Experiential:

• Pros - Get my friends to read and hence boost viewership.
  
• Cons - My life doesn't supply enough interesting and publishable material
  

2. Descriptive

• Pros - Chicks apparently dig this. I recently found that a guy actually hooked up with a female fan of his blog. This will show off the sensitive and dreamy side of my character.
  
• Cons - I need to grow a sensitive side first. Stop to smell the flowers, so to speak.
  

3. Journals

• Pros: Easy to write, plentiful material. Can finally use the internet to wallow in self pity
• Cons: Boring

4. Hobby displays

• Pros: Can help attract like-minded people from all over the world. In theory, there should be plentiful material
• Cons: My divers jack-of-all-trades approach doesn't lend well to writing deeply about any particular hobby

5. I will not post porn here.No. The other 2 things people can get from anywhere in the internet.

This just struck me. According to orkut, I have 158 friends now. If I create 10 posts a month and "persuade" all of my friends to read each one, that could translate to 1500 views a month or 18000 hits a year, not counting friends of friends etc. Pretty massive castle in the air right there.

More on which of these options I choose in my next post. Also, please, please leave comments. Even if I don't know you at all. It is really awesome if someone reads this without being guilted into it by me.

Why?

When news got out that I was going to start a blog, there were 2 raging questions among all of my friends - "1.Why?" and "2.What can we do to stop this?". Let me answer them in turn, and I know you all are more interested in No. 2.
1. Why? - Of late it has struck me that I am doing almost nothing creative beyond putting together presentations intended to persuade or educate in 10 minutes. The intent of these creations is to break down a complex idea into bite-sized chunks that the audience can digest in a single meeting. This mode of communication often requires one to become accustomed to giving up detail and accuracy for the sake of brevity and clarity. I am seriously scared that more of this could cause me to lose the feeble grasp I have on written communication. Hence the blog.
2.What can we do to stop this? - Pretty much nothing. This thing is bound to self-destruct when faced by the indomitable power of my laziness anyway, so I wouldn't bother if I were you.

I am pretty much undecided on what I will post as of now, so feel free to post comments and feedback, critical or otherwise.

A worthy standard ...

While it would have been nice to start this blog with something original, just couldn't pass up the chance to open with a bang. I will try to get more of my creations into this soon. Until then, you'll have to settle for the immeasurably superior work of Mr. Kipling.

[IF]

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling