Expensive Big Screen TVs - Why bother?

Like a lot of people, I watch TV. And I enjoy watching movies on DVD. But I don't see how I could justify spending over $1000 on a television set, let alone the multiple thousands that the latest whiz-bang, plasma/LCD/rear-projection big-screen sets sell for.

I hate to sound self-righteous, but if I need a new set, I'd rather spend under $1000 on a modest, "old-fashioned" tube set, than fork out upwards of $8000 on the latest and greatest. I could spend the money saved on a brand-new Apple PowerBook, and have more than enough money left over to buy a 60GB iPod. At least I could use the PowerBook to exercise my creativity, and even earn money.

It reminds me of the observation that people spend lots of money that they don't have, on things they don't need, to impress people they don't like.

To blog or not to blog?

[This is more of an observation than a rant.]

Blogging, in case you hadn't noticed, is a "big thing" at the moment. Bloggers are being taken to court and asked to reveal their sources in disputes over the leaking of trade secrets, e.g.:
   The Apple bloggers must name their moles

Other bloggers are losing their jobs for being too indiscrete in their writings, e.g.:
   Firms taking action against worker blogs

I've been blogging for a couple of years now. But I've never really written about anything too personal, and definitely never anything specific about my employment, because I don't think anyone "out there" either cares enough or needs to know anyway. I'll make an exception now to make a point: the past year has probably been the most sustained, difficult period of my life, but I doubt anyone would be able to work that out from any of my blog posts. I haven't seen any need to write about the specifics in a blog, preferring to discuss them privately with close friends and relatives.

I read several blogs, mostly technical in nature. Well, actually, I read the headlines and summaries of the blogs using RSS newsreading software, and if the article looks interesting, then I'll take the time to read the article in full. Some bloggers don't hesitate to mix personal stuff with technical writings. Sometimes there is a fine line between personal posts that are relevant to the blogger's intended audience, and those that arguably are not. Often the posts in this latter category can come across as overly self-indulgent and/or fall under the banner of "too much information".

I hesitate to pick on any individual blogger, but I'll have to do so to illustrate the main point of my argument. Matt Raible is a top-notch software developer and consultant. He usually writes about technical issues in web development. But recently he's posted two personal items:

1. No More Kids
2. What's next in my career?

I would argue that the first one (about his decision to have a vasectomy) falls into the category of "too much (personal) information", expecially in a usually technical blog. On the other hand, the second post (about future career direction), while also being of a personal nature, is arguably quite relevant to many people working in web development. In fact, I've been pondering the same question myself, and found that post both interesting and informative. Having said that, I'm sure there are some readers who see no problem with the inclusion of the first example.

In conclusion, I think bloggers should think carefully before writing about very personal things, unless the clear purpose of the blog is to comment on personal issues. I guess the title of this entry could be rephrased as: To blog here, or not to blog here. Perhaps I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, and should just make sure I use a newsreader that displays the category of blog entries.

[PS I don't know Matt personally, and I hope he doesn't take offence from my using his blog as an example.]