It has been months since I made a regular full-throated attempt to discuss science events or post at length musings on topics that excite and anger me. Have I lost a thirst for science and the web? Far from it. Since my time has ended being a freelancer with a more shapeless schedule, my leisure time is still rigidly connected to consuming my Twitter feed, google reader, and podcasts. I still attend plenty of events. My participation in online message boards and social networking like Facebook, however, has plummeted.

I have come across some great media and stories and I have retweeted. Oh man, have I retweeted. At one point, blogging was therapeutic. The healthcare debate took a lot out of me, but its successful conclusion without me making one long post about it was more a defense mechanism than having a lack of something to say. In case you don’t know me, silence to me is oppressive. And the only thing that is a salve for that oppression is more talking (cowbell).

I read pundits. I see how they tackle these very complicated issues. It’s with a constant pressure to battle the worst arguments. And in order to do so with some sense of drama, it’s gone way past the usual straw man tool. It’s like fighting stupid with stupid; becoming the thing you hate most in order to defeat it.

I can’t say the lack of blogging has to do with learning new techniques, or my career shift from research science. This blog began well after that change began, and even though I am far off from last january in my knowledge of computing, coding, macs (and productivity) there is still so much to learn in creating written content for the web. The past year has done much to improve my writing, which is a small feat since i read so little literature. I have no intentions to write a book.

The interest in thought broadcast is still there. But what exactly does blogging everyday help hone? How do I see myself improving a skill by blogging constantly?

The lack of readers doesn’t bother me. I am interested in people finding out about the things I come across in my life living in the new York metro area that they may find interesting. But quantity would have been pineapple icing. If anyone goes into blogging from a dead rest thinking they are going to be the next “it” blog, they need a dose of stat reality. What are there, ten petabytes of people showing their cats how to make their clappers turn of their lights? (someone check my math) The competition is fierce.

But that isn’t why I have lost that initial robust thirst to blog. It’s about the community. I am searching for people that get excited talking about their worlds and their work. And I don’t think sciencelifeny has done that well enough. There were many reasons that i wanted to put a focus on science events here in our city. I wanted people who were not familiar with entities like NYAS, or AMNH, or Dorkbot to know that there is a vibrant community of learning out there, not separated by age, income, sex, race, education level, or neighborhood that seek fun and intelligent pursuits. I don’t even think that twitter has done that well enough for me.

I did not realize this until I started working in a building again. Being in an office with smart, talented, professional coworkers is a blessing. And after the initial discomfort of not being able to look people in the face, the experience of talking in person is second to none. It’s just not even close. I want the Internet to not be a communication proxy; not to just connect us, but to bring us closer physically. I have had excellent experience on messageboards with this.

I am starting school in the fall, excited to be joining a very varied community. It’s going to be hard, working full-time and going to school full-time. Parts of my current life will surely suffer. But the challenge has me beyond excited. I am going to learn things from people I admire and respect and want to know better. I hope this is the community I have been looking for.

Here’s a picture of an orchid