Free Speech Continued

I’m a big fan of the First Amendment. So finally, after a lifetime of thinking about it, last year I sent in my money to the ACLU and became a card-carrying member. Actually, it wasn’t long after I wrote a blog entry here entitled “Freedom of Speech” that I decided to sign up.

The reason I mention this now is that, quite recently, the topic of free speech entered my life as it pertains to this website. To wit, I have received the feedback that I might want to re-think my decision to discuss my job-search activities on these pages.

Upon hearing this person’s opinion, I admit to feeling mildly embarrassed…and well as somewhat stunned by the unexpected criticism. My initial reaction was to think “ohmygod, I must be f%*#ing up!” I also began wondering if I was, perhaps, unintentionally sabotaging my search for a new position. I immediately reacted to this individual’s viewpoint by un-publishing several recent posts that mentioned my job hunt and some experiences I had had during my travels.

However, in the past few days, I’ve been thinking a lot about my reactivity, and have re-read (several times) the posts I am now hiding from view. And, you know what? I actually think they’re pretty harmless. In these entries, I have talked mostly about myself (which is, after all, what I do here), about the exhausting nature and uncertainty of the job-search process (this is a secret?), and offered up some personal observations of events that have happened while I’ve been on the road.

IMHO, I’ve not harmed any person or organization. And, when I’ve tried to have a little fun by talking about the peculiarity of some things I’ve encountered along the way, I’ve taken care to leave unidentified the person(s) or group(s) involved.

It was quite some time ago now (in “First Do No Harm”) that I addressed the whole area of blogger ethics, examining my own behavior and motivations in publishing this work. At that time I specifically discussed my personal philosophy, including “ …[having] no outright intention of embarrassing, attacking, angering or hurting” anyone. And, really, let me reiterate: I certainly have no agenda to offend, attack or harm anybody here, including myself.

I hope that you, having found your way to this obscure little corner of virtual reality, will remain open-minded enough to allow me this minor self-indulgence (existing wholly apart from my professional existence) called TechnoMonk’s Musings.

Update on June 8, 2007:

After conscientiously re-examining this whole freedom-of-speech issue, I’ve decided to publish again the handful of posts I had hidden in reaction to a reader’s comment. So, if you browse this blog now, you’ll be able to read my rather benign writings on the topic of my job search.

New Stuff

I’ve surrendered: to the incessant voice in my head, the characteristic symptom of my manifestation of NAS. Yes, I went ahead and purchased one of the two objects of my attention, namely the Nikon D80 camera body. Whoever said that technology advances make our lives simpler?! I’ve also needed to upgrade software packages (PictureProject, Capture NX, Camera Control Pro) to more readily accommodate the new equipment.

Whew! This takes time.

I’ve only taken a few test shots so far. As you have observed, what with all this upgrading going on, I’ve had no time at all to even do a blog entry!

So, just so you know I’m still here, this is one of my test photos taken during yesterday’s excursion to Eugene.

Turkey Day Again

It was exactly a year ago when I started my blog. On that 2005 Day-of-the-Turkey, I’m pretty sure when I got up that morning, I did not know that that was the day I was going to begin this journey. But, at some point, as I sat home alone, I did a little exploring on the internet, browsing a few blogs out there that were being published by “ordinary folks” like me, and decided that this was something I could try. Amazingly, I’ve been at it ever since. And, some of you have been readers ever since I let you know I was doing this. For that, I thank you a whole bunch!

I published 150 posts to the first version of TechnoMonk’s Musings between November 24, 2005, and October 25, 2006. Those entries are still available at technomonk.us. In the days since I abandoned that blog for this one with a new look and feel, I’ve added 18 new posts here at technomonksmusings.com. Hence, the stats come out to 168 entries in the past 365 days, for an average of one post every 2.2 days. Not bad for a rookie, I guess!

Update on 2012-01-27 18:42 by TechnoMonk

Dear Reader: The old blog, formerly at technomonk.us, has been deactivated, and most of the entries from that site have now been migrated over to this one.

The Old Blog

Here is an entry that I have not been able to post to the former edition of my blog at technomonk.us (after trying for the past several days)...

I know, I know...I said last time that “I’m baaaacck” ...and then I went away again. You just can’t trust anybody anymore, can you? 

The truth is I thought I was back, but it proved to be not true; I continue[d] to be locked out again (after that last entry). This most recent experience with Blogger is pretty much the last straw for me. As you may recall, when I migrated TechnoMonk’s Musings away from its Comcast-server location (to the present URL) during the summer, I spent weeks and weeks devoted to the task. When things went kafloowie, I just had to figure the problems out by: sorting through the only-modestly-helpful Blogger help files, asking questions of the Blogger Help Group (discussion board), using Google to search the internet for solutions that other users had come up with, writing emails to people I thought might be able to assist, figuring it all out by myself, or leaving a task undone. (Not that you, the reader, noticed very much of this at all…I’m mainly talking about behind-the-scenes web-maintenance stuff.) Anyway, it was very time consuming and frustrating. 

Of course, let’s be fair here, too. Blogger is a free service and was very attractive to me last November when I got the itch to start a blog: in the space of a couple of hours I went from a blogless person to posting my first entry here on TechnoMonk’s Musings. There was not a whole lot of research or deliberateness about this whole thing...I explored a couple of no-cost options on the web and picked one. And here I’ve stayed ever since, despite the problems.

But it’s now time to move on, I believe. Blogger was good while it lasted, but I’ve been at this business long enough now (148 posts prior to this one) to know that I desire options and features on my blog not easily available to me here. (Reliability and support are two that come to mind...) Hence, I’ve started the research in order to make a change (more deliberately this time)...I will pick software and/or a service that will better serve my blogging wants and needs.

Just so you know: I won’t try to migrate this blog onward. I’ll leave it all behind to serve as 11 months worth of “archives.” I intend to obtain another domain name, establish the blog, and take up there where I left off here...just with another “look and feel” for my web presence.

So, stay tuned...I'll let you know when I’m really back...

Update on January 27, 2012:

Dear Reader: I subsequently decided to migrate a large portion of the old blog over to this one, and those entries now appear here (search the "Archives"). Many old posts dated from November 2005 to October 2006 are now available for your reading pleasure.

My Own Dot Com

Just so you know, I’ve become totally enamored with the services and user interface at squarespace.com and have committed to locating my blog here on a permanent basis. I’ve laid down my money and made the move. The new domain name will be technomonksmusings.com. (Yep, I’ve finally got my own dot com location!)

The really frustrating part now is that I still am unable to log into the Blogger system to let my readers at technomonk.us know about this transition. Sooner or later, I suppose, I’ll be able to get back into the system long enough to notify everyone of my new address. In the meantime, folks’ll probably start to get worried: my last post there indicated that I was “back” – and then I disappeared again. Hey everybody: are you out there?