I honestly believe, despite all the bad economic news, that 2008 will be a great year. After 8% has passed, it admittedly looks like choppy seas: American houses seem worthless, Microsoft wants to butcher Yahoo!, and Phil predicts more winter.
But there's a lot of reason to hope. The November election is virtually guaranteed to be historic and a positive change for the US. Technology, both on the Internet and elsewhere, has advanced incredibly fast in the past 3 years, leaving room for big innovations in '08. And despite what news channels tell us, progress abounds internationally, like the 10 billion dollar research university in Saudi Arabia, for example.
In 2008, I hope to keep this blog alive and write for it more often. In the beginning (mid-2006) I posted almost daily. But I was operating in a different format under a different mindset. Today I like to write longer pieces and try to provide some analysis. This takes more time, but I feel it's better and no one has complained, yet. Feedburner tells me there are a lot of readers out there, but I never hear from anyone so I'm thinking of turning on anonymous comments too, as much as that pains me.
Other Blogs
I currently read about 50 feeds. Most of these are people I know, or have come to know by reading their articles. Many involve technology, especially software and the Internet. Several others are personal sites with interesting commentary or funny anecdotes.
I'm a believer in the "professional blog" and have advocated that to others. Not in the sense that one gets paid for blogging or involves money in any way. Instead I mean to become visible professionally. To establish a reputation, create a network of like-minded people and find your voice. In that vein, my brother has begun writing about the mystifying Computer Graphics Industry. He has just written post #1 and I'm excited to read what he has to say.
Just because a blog is oriented to professional goals, doesn't mean it has to be all business and no pleasure. Josh has always impressed me with how his small business employs the web. He writes entertaining commentary on his blog, runs a professional website with a portfolio of his work, and makes heavy use of social networks and craigslist. I think he approaches a model for the future. One that involves directness in business, more micro-interactions, and a greater insistence on quality and authenticity.
Another great blog I want to mention is the Science-based Medicine site. It's an example of the extreme end of "professional" blogging and demonstrates the power of the technique when it's employed by an all-star cast.
Lest we forget
At the end of the 19th century, people tried all kinds of crazy things to make money. It was one of the most inventive times. I always felt that the 20th century was a slowdown by comparison. Once Ford established itself in 1903, it stayed in business for 100+ years (still going, actually). That is a very, very long time to run a business with the same fundamental sales goal.
If you visit Dearborn, Michigan you can see Ford's first vehicle. It was developed in 1896 after two years of tinkering. That's almost 10 years before the founding of Ford Motor Company. It was called the Quadricycle and had two gears: one for 10mph and one for 20mph. It's a far cry from the Model A that would become the "killer app" of the 20th century.
I think everyone in technology makes Quadricycles. Whether it's new media, software, biology, engineering or whatever, it's important to remember the piles of first drafts that end up in the trash (or a museum, if you're lucky). Blogging has these same characteristics: lots of bugs, logistical problems, and things that just don't work right.
In fact, so many things don't work right, I don't see how anyone could believe, like I did in high school, that the world has run out of ideas. Just look around the house and ask yourself questions. Why do space heaters catch fire? Why does my couch cushion wear out so easily? Why do I need this mountain of DVDs? This is 2008, after all, and these seem like very simple problems that remain unsolved.
Happy Groundhog's day.