Challenge Accepted
Stealing a page from your book, I've also had a think about what draws me into writing this blog. In addition to the great reasons you've laid out, especially that of bringing us closer together, I think I have two goals.
The first is to practice the art of expressing myself in writing. For much of my life, writing was something I approached with reluctance, preferring the fluidity of mathematics and her related disciplines. When I wrote at all, it was usually to fulfill an externally imposed burden, a requirement I had to meet to proceed with what I wanted. Recently, though, I've been shown a different perspective. Writing, even my halting attempts at it, is a wondrously multifaceted endeavour. It is the record of our communications with ourselves, the process of structuring coherence from the inchoate fog of thought, the puzzle of finding just the right word or image. It is a grand game, and I'm grateful that you've given me this opportunity to play at it together.
So that addresses a portion of what I hope to get out of this experience. But what of you, dear reader? What should you expect? Well, I write to distill - to polish the rough, uncut bits and pieces of knowledge that I've picked up along the way into a succinct and useful form. If we stick together, perhaps we will delve into artificial intelligence, tour some mathematical curiosities, learn better how to learn, or deconstruct the models through which we understand and make sense of the world. I hope that in their distilled form, these ideas are of use to you; perhaps they might even shed light on the grand trends and ideas you alluded to unearthing.
In any case, I'm glad our meta-posting is done. Let's start next week with our first foray into the more nitty gritty content that will necessarily constitute the bulk of our blog.
The first is to practice the art of expressing myself in writing. For much of my life, writing was something I approached with reluctance, preferring the fluidity of mathematics and her related disciplines. When I wrote at all, it was usually to fulfill an externally imposed burden, a requirement I had to meet to proceed with what I wanted. Recently, though, I've been shown a different perspective. Writing, even my halting attempts at it, is a wondrously multifaceted endeavour. It is the record of our communications with ourselves, the process of structuring coherence from the inchoate fog of thought, the puzzle of finding just the right word or image. It is a grand game, and I'm grateful that you've given me this opportunity to play at it together.
So that addresses a portion of what I hope to get out of this experience. But what of you, dear reader? What should you expect? Well, I write to distill - to polish the rough, uncut bits and pieces of knowledge that I've picked up along the way into a succinct and useful form. If we stick together, perhaps we will delve into artificial intelligence, tour some mathematical curiosities, learn better how to learn, or deconstruct the models through which we understand and make sense of the world. I hope that in their distilled form, these ideas are of use to you; perhaps they might even shed light on the grand trends and ideas you alluded to unearthing.
In any case, I'm glad our meta-posting is done. Let's start next week with our first foray into the more nitty gritty content that will necessarily constitute the bulk of our blog.
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