step out of the box
Better yet, throw the box away...
This is not a blacksmithing site.
Nor is it about pottery. While you'll certainly see the occasional project involving forging, I have a much broader purpose in mind. The forge just seemed a good metaphor for the site's true theme; creating, doing, learning, and saying no to limits on our imaginations.
I was inspired to set up this site when I realized that I might have a thing or two to offer that should be shared, and that this changing world meant that I would finally have to create a web presence. I avoided social media like the plague for years, until I noticed that not having some sort of "face" online has become the equivalent of being the weird old guy who lives in the creepy house on the corner. That, and the fact that I realized that the old paradigm of "get a job, work for two thirds of your life, retire" is stone dead. I and the millions of other forty and fifty somethings out there who've been forcibly retired by Great Depression, The Sequel, have to do something different with our lives. I'm still trying to adapt to this new society, characterized by an unconscious disregard for personal boundaries and privacy, that I see growing up around me. Remember the old saw about small town life, that everybody and his brother knows your business? We're becoming a small town of seven billion people. There are enormous dangers in that, but also great potential for benefit as well. As long as we realize we're walking in a minefield, and act accordingly. The potential the web holds, the promise and the threat, tended to scare me off until now. I was content to be a spectator. That isn't possible for me any more. I don't think it will be possible for anyone much longer.
So here I am, and I suppose it's about time (though I'm sure there are some who, after browsing this site, will decide I shouldn't have bothered - that's OK, the 'net is a big place, there's room for all). The Internet is many things, but in my opinion the most important is that it is the greatest library and teaching tool human beings have ever created. Most of it would not exist without the generosity of thousands of people who've made the considerable effort to share their knowledge, much of it freely and with little thought of compensation for the effort. That's incredibly powerful. I felt the need to throw my two cents in, perhaps give something back in return for all I've gained from this new medium.
I will use this as a home for my most practical and (to me, at least) interesting thoughts, ideas, and projects. I've tried to title the menu above to be mostly self explanatory. "Rants & Ruminations" is my blog, which I use for the odd wild speculation and occasional venting. Consider yourself warned. Hopefully, in the Ideas & Projects section, you'll find something to inspire you to create the next great thing that will change the world, or at least your own life, for the better. Thanks for visiting.
I was inspired to set up this site when I realized that I might have a thing or two to offer that should be shared, and that this changing world meant that I would finally have to create a web presence. I avoided social media like the plague for years, until I noticed that not having some sort of "face" online has become the equivalent of being the weird old guy who lives in the creepy house on the corner. That, and the fact that I realized that the old paradigm of "get a job, work for two thirds of your life, retire" is stone dead. I and the millions of other forty and fifty somethings out there who've been forcibly retired by Great Depression, The Sequel, have to do something different with our lives. I'm still trying to adapt to this new society, characterized by an unconscious disregard for personal boundaries and privacy, that I see growing up around me. Remember the old saw about small town life, that everybody and his brother knows your business? We're becoming a small town of seven billion people. There are enormous dangers in that, but also great potential for benefit as well. As long as we realize we're walking in a minefield, and act accordingly. The potential the web holds, the promise and the threat, tended to scare me off until now. I was content to be a spectator. That isn't possible for me any more. I don't think it will be possible for anyone much longer.
So here I am, and I suppose it's about time (though I'm sure there are some who, after browsing this site, will decide I shouldn't have bothered - that's OK, the 'net is a big place, there's room for all). The Internet is many things, but in my opinion the most important is that it is the greatest library and teaching tool human beings have ever created. Most of it would not exist without the generosity of thousands of people who've made the considerable effort to share their knowledge, much of it freely and with little thought of compensation for the effort. That's incredibly powerful. I felt the need to throw my two cents in, perhaps give something back in return for all I've gained from this new medium.
I will use this as a home for my most practical and (to me, at least) interesting thoughts, ideas, and projects. I've tried to title the menu above to be mostly self explanatory. "Rants & Ruminations" is my blog, which I use for the odd wild speculation and occasional venting. Consider yourself warned. Hopefully, in the Ideas & Projects section, you'll find something to inspire you to create the next great thing that will change the world, or at least your own life, for the better. Thanks for visiting.
