Blogging?

After deriding this idea for quite some time, I've finally warmed to it, and I decided to give it a go. I'm intrigued by the concept of taking to time to formally put my thoughts down on paper (well, close enough), and I'm convinced that this will help me develop myself as both a thinker and as a writer. Sadly, this is something I've let go in the last three years and the only significant writing I do is focused on three main tasks:

1. Lab Reports - full of technical analysis of the results during some set of tests. I probably won't get into that much on here. No promises though, old habits are hard to break.
2. Scholarship Apps - full of self promotion and talking about my past achievements / future aspirations. No plans for self promotion, but I figure aspirations may crop up now and again.
3. EWB Funding Requests - promoting the work our organization is doing and asking people to support us based on past achievements / future aspirations. I'll talk about EWB, but not in the same style these have required

No where in there have I spent any time doing any writing that wasn't required of me. No where in there have I spent time developing myself as a critical thinker about some of the less technical and more pervasive issues in society today. I find these greatly intriguing, and I try to stay abreast of the news as best I can. I often come across interesting pieces, and I find it highly likely that I'll spend time discussing and critiquing what is presented in those articles. Just two days ago I was at a Christmas party and met a gentleman who pressed me for my views on China. I no doubt have my own views, but I had some difficultly finding the right words to express them on the spot and provide rational arguments in support of my opinions. I hope that through this medium I will be able to more clearly develop these ideas and views so that I will be more adequately prepared for future discussions.

This is not to say that I dislike extemporaneous discussions and arguments, and I frequently enjoy talking politics with Tim when we both have time. Rather, I would like to spend a little more time formulating those small pieces into full concepts so that I have a more solid base to work from in future discussions. For example, earlier today I was talking about the recent health care law ruling, and I was forced to quickly analyze the validity of an argument comparing health insurance with auto insurance. There are interesting parallels there, but also critical points where the two diverge, highlighting issues I may not have considered.

In any case, I hope that this turns out to be a useful media for me to develop my thoughts, and for any that happen to stop through, I hope it provides you with meaningful insight as well.

- Brian