Geek Flag

I'm not sure I can relate what a blessed relief this obscure little blog has been for me. Though as uneven in thought, topic, and writing as imaginable, being able to simply say what I want without any real filter is enormously freeing.  I've done some blogging before, but it was unwisely tied down by having audiences I knew needed some measure of kid-glove treatment. It turns out that a lot of my friends don't get along with a lot of my other friends, and a lot of socially and politically useful people I keep in touch with aren't open-minded enough to manage actual tolerance. Thus, FaceBook and similar venues are really useful for only the most innocuous of communications. As I've mentioned here before, it can be fun to poke at some echo chamber effects from outside their bubble, but it's both risky and unrewarding, merely faint attempts to sow seeds of doubt in untenable views.

You've most likely seen the BBC's modern take on Sherlock. I'm not him, obviously, but the frustration he expresses, especially in the first season, at trying to communicate to most people is very familiar. Some of his actual lines have wandered through my head when confronted with the astoundingly illogical things out there. It's insane.

Then there's the problem of formatting and article length, which every social media site seems abjectly unable to handle. I'm forced into being so concise or so dumbed-down that the result is either full of holes, vague and stupidly mysterious-sounding, or near-nonsensical. And I understand the general restriction on multiple links, but when they can explain, with only one word's space in the post, the entire background on some term or situation, not having them removes much of my already-limited ability to be brief.

Lastly, there is the problem of subject matter. If there's a place for daily pictures of one's breakfast, it would seem public opinion is against FaceBook being that place. Instagram, I suppose, or Pinterest, might do, but I've never had accounts there; you'd have to fill me in on that. But going the other direction, into specialized or erudite subjects, also doesn't really belong on social media. An encyclopedic resource or functional application would naturally use a regular web site; extended musings or an ongoing exploration really wants a blog. So all my geektastic ponderations about conlangs and suchlike go here. This is where I can safely let my geek flag fly.

Do many people see it? No. Most of you are here because I mentioned it to you, and I haven't mentioned it to many. If you return after a first glance, I'm grateful. I'm not sure exactly what this tiny corner of the 'net offers, but I'm glad you're here. Even if none of my ramblings, in the end, really matter, it's nice to have some conversation with you.