About the author

First the disclaimers

I've been researching tech in one form or another since 1996. It happens to be my job right now, but it's also what I do in my spare time. I haven't been blogging for that long in the scheme of things, and when I do, it's still primarily for myself.

I'm not huge on blogiquette - I give credit where I think it's needed and gratuitously only when I have a bit more time. I'm not a link hound. I'm going to assume that if you don't know what I'm talking about, you can find the background on your own. 'Cause we're all resourceful, intelligent people, right?

I'm hella busy on a wide range of tech issues, so the blog - taken as a whole - will be pretty random, and will touch on a lot of topics on which I have no real authority. People on RSS will be amused/irked/confused that I do backpost sometimes, when it's an old entry caught in my drafts or when chronology is important for my purposes. And I'll offer an advance apology - sometimes by the time people comment, I've moved on to a different topic. There's the other stuff - the misspellings, sometimes broken links, occassional bad css, wordpress b0rkage as I play with a new plugin, comment spam I can't get to fast enough, and other small details - like the content for this page... which it's taken me two weeks to get to. Just remember that you really don't care, because it's not important. The meaning is important.

If I blog about you, don't get offended. I write only when I have point to make, so take it in before you flame. I'm definitely not here to argue or debate. Maybe I'll develop the attention span for online blogoid discussion along the way, but for now consider these thought starters.

If I blog about your company, think about what I say, and maybe me about it - but know that I'm out here working towards the betterment of our industry, and try to take my commentary in the spirit it's offered. I'll edit and make corrections when I err, but I'm not going to take stuff down because it's objectionable. This is still pirate radio.

Since you obviously don't "get" it - then why blog?

I like to build on the work of others. I started blogging as a log of what I read and thought, to keep track of stuff that I read in other places so that I could find a reference when I inevitably brought it up later. A lot of times it's more than that, and this way I can make a public contribution to the discussion while I keep track of my thoughts.

What's here?

The things that most interest me are identifying new opportunities in the market and, inevitably, poking at what I see is wrong with the thinking or implementations of others. I have a peculiar knack for the big picture view, which for me is lining up all the disparate elements into a discrete order. Then I'll hack away at that model to deconstruct it logically - diving in to probe at the nitty-gritty, and then, other times, waving away all the complexity. So you'll see that theme play out here - what things are alike, what does that mean, and of these things, what are the opportunities and where is there room for improvement.

Who owns me?

Now it is true that I am technically a corporate blogger, but it's not an authorized or PR function. This is Open Source, here and now. I research and scheme, and this is simply the most time- and cost-effective way to vet my conspiracy theories. The founders, technologists, marketers, and commentators out here in the wild are the people who need to weigh my thoughts, so I can hone them. People in thinking in isolation is exactly what creates abominations like the recent Star Wars movies (a concept originally voiced by some scifi author guy, before I blogged so I am linkless). My motto is 'peer review works'. I'm posting now publicly, for better or worse, and so far it's been fun.

I really don't want any hassle over any content here. This is a Creative Commons licensed site. The thoughts I put here are my own, and mine to burn for (the comments are not). However, they often key off of and are inextricably entwined with proprietary stuff. Now, I don't take what I post here lightly (even though it may be misspelled and without detailed editing), but at the same time, I'm not looking for a fight. I am an information gatherer, a meme (to use a word I don't understand all that well) amplifier.

Why should you care?

If you want to know more about me and why I get to talk so tough, my resume is here. You can definitely bait me with a job offer (I might point you to someone else, but there you go). I used to consult (and an early blog is still hosted there). It is within the range of possibility that I could help you out on some project. But do not approach me about anything like that ridiculous paid blogger garbage. These are my thoughts; it's not a space for rent. Of course, they're influenced by the world around me and shifting as I make up my mind and assimilate new info.

This is about looking for clarity, productivity, and profitability as we build a shared vision of the net. Share and share alike.