Anthropological Musings

For the past five years or so, I’ve been surfing the net with much greater scrutiny than when I first stumbled onto the web 15 years ago. In the beginning, everything was great–just seeing content on the web was exciting–and I didn’t much care about the depth of what I was reading. Short, shotgun postings with minimal content and little originality were still perfectly acceptable.

But that was then…

Life has moved on, the internet has matured, and I think it’s about time that its content followed suit. Some writers are already leading the way. Essayists like Paul Graham have demonstrated the effectiveness of good writing, heavy on content and rich in thought, but he’s the exception.

In a blogosphere full of musings, very little is actually worth reading.

I think the current state of most blogs is both a shame and a waste. Never before have people possessed the means to communicate so easily, and with such power. And what do we have to show for it? A few gems. Enormous rubbish.

I know this sounds harsh, and to be fair, I don’t ask for brilliance every time, but for God’s sake, at least have a thesis, an argument, and a little creativity. I don’t have to agree with you, but please, PLEASE, if you want controversy, at least say something original for me to argue against.

This blog is designed to highlight great essays by others, and hopefully add some content as well. It doesn’t have to be great, but I want real essays–essays designed to present new ideas or theories, or help clarify old ones.

Lets increase the web’s signal-to-noise ratio.

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