Hello, world!

Hello, world!

"Hello, world!" is the traditional salutation of the first attempt to program with, or store data in, any new computer system.

It's equally traditional (to the extent that such a new form can have a tradition) for an initial posting to a blog—what an ugly word—to consist of the author's introducing himself to his readers. But, as the title suggests, I'm departing from the script. I expect to reveal more of myself (possibly even explaining the title) as events unwind; in the meantime, welcome, and I'm glad you're here!

I owe at least a brief explanation of what you can expect to find here: a mixed bag of postings, likely infrequent. Mostly, I expect it to serve as a place to put the essays that various friends have suggested that I write. Montaigne entitled his collection of short prose works Essais—"Experiments." The essay form is still a vehicle for experimenting with ideas. And, as with all experiments worthy of the name, nobody knows the outcome in advance.