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After careful consideration of some advice I read online and my own personal feelings, it’s with a sense of ultimate inevitability that I am shutting the blog down. After all, “text-based websites aren’t where the buzz is anymore.” I mean, social media sites like Facebook and Flickr are all the rage. “Blogging is so 2004.”

If you are wondering why the quotes above, it’s because they are lifted from a fine example of Silicon Valley douchebaggery in a turd of a piece written by Paul Bou …. tin of Valleywag. I’m not linking anything, and I certainly don’t want Google bots picking up more attention to the likes of that hack.

So to be clear (which I haven’t been on purpose): I am not shutting down the blog. It might be presumptuous of me to say, but if you are reading this you might have felt a pang of “What? Oh no!” or maybe that pang was just GERD (stay away from spicy foods already!). It just bothers me that individuals in Silicon Valley so predictably decide they are going to steer the direction of technology single-handedly because “they” are tired of what they consider “yesterday’s” technology, all on the basis of what was talked about at a drunken Michael Arrington party. Not surprisingly, I’m not alone in my opinions. (you can get the original link to the Wired article from these links)

Look, I’m not even a D-list blogger. My blog still exists for two reasons: 1) I’m stubborn, so I don’t pack it in easily, and 2) while I love comments and community, I still write for myself primarily. It’s why you don’t see ads on my site (no personal issues with those who do have them), and it’s why you’ll never see me write about search engine optimization or ‘monetizing’ (no word/phrase is more annoying except perhaps ‘game changer’) my site. If I were to throw up some AdSense text in the corner to see if I can make enough to pay my hosting, I’m open to that, but I have enough problems posting on a regular basis just with my life the way it is than to have to feel it’s a “job.” If I’m not #1 or even on the first page of Google page ranks for search queries, I couldn’t care less right now (that may change as my needs change).

All signs point to the fact that I should have died a blog death a year ago, but I’m still here. Why? Because the people I’ve made connections with are still out there, and this blog is one way I keep in touch. It’s still the journal of my personal life journey at this time, whether I’m currently in classes or not. It’s still my primary identity online, before Facebook, before Twitter, before any number of Web2.0 sites that won’t be here next year.

Regarding Twitter and Web2.0 media, here’s more of what Paul excreted:

Twitter — which limits each text-only post to 140 characters — is to 2008 what the blogosphere was to 2004. You’ll find Scoble, Calacanis, and most of their buddies from the golden age there. They claim it’s because Twitter operates even faster than the blogosphere.

As a writer, though, I’m onto the system’s real appeal: brevity…Twitter’s character limit puts everyone back on equal footing. It lets amateurs quit agonizing over their writing and cut to the chase. @WiredReader: Kill yr blog. 2004 over. Google won’t find you. Too much cruft from HuffPo, NYT. Commenters are tards. C u on Facebook?

“Commenters are ‘tards?” What an asshole. Other than spam, I’ve deleted probably only 2 comments in three years. Granted, I’m not high-traffic, but a sweeping generalization like this deserves to be called out. Commenters, along with the writer(s) is what builds a blog community. Bloggers who don’t allow comments had better be book-selling authors who’d understandably have too many comments to manage without staff, or they’re egomaniacal blowhards who don’t want to have to open what they say up for conversation. Sure, I’d reserve the right to limit conversation on a post, but not the site.

As for amateurs being limited on Twitter to 140 characters, I have two things to say: 1) “amateurs” don’t give a shit about 140 characters; they’ll just send 4-5 tweets until their overly-long paragraph (like this one ) gets typed. If they don’t “get it” in the blogging world, they aren’t going to “get it” in the micro-blogging world. 2) Brevity and thoughtfulness together in language is always a beautiful thing, but let’s face it: 99% of the time, Twitter isn’t about wordsmithing in a 140-character limit, it’s about writing about the dilemma you’re facing between what to have for dinner or how much sleep you didn’t get the night before.

And if Paul’s hypocrisy wasn’t already evident, check out the entirety of the hypothetical tweet that is the last sentence. That’s no amateur writing “C u on Facebook?”, that’s a real pro.

A professional asshat.

Hello all! Yes, I know it’s been too long since I posted anything of personal substance, and yes, I know I said it wouldn’t happen again anytime soon, but you love me anyway, right? I actually have a really good reason (two, really) which I’ll get into just after this post, but this travesty I’m writing about now would be reason enough for scandal.

I’ve been robbed–ROBBED–I say! Celeste, a long time commenter and reader of this blog, pointed out to me that National Public Radio (NPR) has taken one of my old posts and stolen it, without reference, without a “hat tip,” without anything, in their feature entitled “Playing Five Beats To The Measure.”  My post entitled “5/4″ obviously is the victim of an NPR five-finger discount. Now it stands to reason with NPR you’re going to get a much more polished product than with lil’ ol’ me, but the spirit of my post clearly comes through, and with the added literary/dramatic touch of a second, autobiographical voice feeling an “odd” kinship with this asymmetric time signature.

I invite you to read mine first, then see the NPR feature. Afterwards, tell me whether or not mine gives those thieves a run for their money!  heh

Anybody who’s anybody in the medical blogosphere knows that Dr. Ramona Bates, besides being a plastic surgeon, is a master quilter of the first order. It’s also no secret that she’s a great person and supports so many bloggers with kind words and commentary.  However, her kindness totally went to the next level when she offered to make my daughter a “crazy quilt” from leftover fabric that had fun animals, bright colors, etc. that would be great for kids to relate.  

Here is the gallery where the quilt pictures are (plus some more from the same few days). I got an account on SmugMug a couple of months back because that’s where I really felt my “good” photos should live because I’d have control over the design, layout, etc. unlike Flickr. That said, I’m still moving stuff over slowly (read: barely) but feel free to bookmark the main gallery and check back as photos will be populating regularly. 

Ramona sent a nice card with the package, but one thing that stuck out was that she wanted the quilt to actually be used, not (I assume) tacked on a wall–or worse yet, left in a drawer. To that end I made a small video of my daughter with the new quilt that very evening. It’s nothing fancy, the lighting was off (it was almost bedtime, so only indoor light) and I overlooked correcting for WB or gain in the camera, but that’s not the point–the point was to show Ramona that her gift was received with the same care and affection with which it was sent, used immediately and often, and treasured forever.

Thanks Ramona!