Blogging is hard

I've already written some stuff here. I read it again and wiped it out. It was self-righteous. I hate self-righteous. I could talk about how I hate self-righteous, but I won't, because that would be self-righteous. See? It's hard to blog without being self-righteous.

I mostly wanted a technical blog, with an occasional sprinkle of life in it, like a picture or something. But mostly technical. Tech blogs I like fall into two overlapping categories: informative and entertaining. Sometimes both. Myself, I sure manage to deliver both in the physical world. "Could you see that bug I bump into?" "Yeah, let's look at that, aha, oh, not this code, SHIT, this thing sucks, it's a torrent of shit, man, it's a ShitTorrent we have here. Ewww, this is so disgusting, wait, what do you mean _next==-1, -1 MY ASS, what the hell… um… get_what?! Here's that stupid fucking bug! Have a nice day." See? Informative and entertaining. Sometimes I even gather little audiences looking over my shoulder when I debug, all because profanity is my number one debugging tool. Catches all the bugs in a snap. Trust me.

And that is loads of fun. Trouble is, it's not necessarily the kind of thing people want to get as a response for their next HTTP request. So I think I'll go for "informative" as first priority. If it works out at all. I have this problem with scaling communication. According to my estimations, the quality of my communication is inversely proportionate to the number of people listening (or people that I think are listening). That is, you get 100% face-to-face with nobody around, 50% if there's two of you and so on. All the way down to a whopping 1% of my exceptional rhetorical skills when I think I'm talking to an audience.

With this kind of personality, blogging is pretty hard. Seems like there's no reason to bother, then, but I think I will, because there's stuff in my brain that wants to come out. I recently spoke to a guy with lots of experience, in a broad sense. He's previously told me a couple of times how it would be wiser to keep my mouth shut in certain contexts. But this time, he said, "sometimes it's extremely hard to hold it when I hear something stupid". What I think happens is, our brains are really cells of a larger brain (shaped like the Internet, of course); when stuff wants to come out, they have to let it out.

And this is going to be in English, because writing about programming in Russian or Hebrew, which are my other options, is frigging ridiculous. Fellow Russians and/or Israelis, stop doing that! You ought to put so many English words into your text, like "threads", "namespaces", "closures", that you end up switching languages twice per sentence. Or you can use those moronic translations of such words. That still counts as switching between languages – one good one and one stupid one. Just write the whole thing in English; makes it way more machine-readable, too (you know, vi). And if your English, like mine, is really just a first-order approximation rather than the real thing, it's not your problem – you won't notice. The native English speakers shouldn't have had their ancestors conquer that much land; now, they'll just have to put up with the consequences.

104 comments ↓

#1 mathrick on 01.07.08 at 9:37 am

GOGOGO! If we get the same 1% we got in the FQA, it's gonna be totally awesome. It makes me wonder what those remaining 99% of entertainment are like, quite possibly you could put Monty Python out of business (if they were still in business, that is).

#2 Yossi Kreinin on 01.07.08 at 10:46 am

OK, there's a reader. Ought to blog. I can do it. I CAN DO IT!

The worst part of writing is waiting for the first positive comment.

#3 c0re on 02.16.08 at 11:29 pm

+1
Heres another !

#4 Incitātus on 04.21.08 at 11:09 am

Using loanwords is something very different from switching languages. Loanwords are, by the way, quite ubiquitous both in Russian and in Hebrew (and, even more so, in English). By your criteria neither of these languages should be used for most purposes.

(Writing about programming in English is a good idea for different reasons, though.)

#5 Yossi Kreinin on 04.21.08 at 11:45 am

If it fits, it's a loanword, if it doesn't, it's ridiculous. I don't have precise criteria for "fits"; off the top of my head, it fits when:

1. Lots of people use it, not just a couple, so it's part of the language or a sizable dialect, and looks natural because it's familiar. Basically it's an established loanword, not a wannabe loanword.
2. It can be spelled/pronounced properly in the new host language. If it's an English word and it has a "th" in it, you're in trouble. If you spell it in English inside Hebrew or Russian text, it's no longer a loanword – you didn't actually loan it. If you spell it with a phonetic "t" instead of "th", it's butt-ugly.
3. It fits the new host language morphology. "Lelankedge" is one ridiculous Hebrew verb which doesn't make a good loanword.
4. If the word is a relatively new loanword (the first criteria isn't quite met), the rest of the sentence should better be composed of more conventional words. In programming you can have a sentence full of words each of which isn't an established loanword.
5. Some things aren't words, they are keywords, at least it's so in programming. Here's a sentence in "English": "strdup mallocs strlen bytes and then runs strcpy". You can't make loanwords from that stuff.

In practice, these things make me cringe way too much. Different people have different criteria though. In particular, if you're attached to your mother tongue, you'll go to greater lengths in order to write your stuff in it. I care less about the language I use, because for me there's no good way to choose between Hebrew and Russian anyway.

#6 Jaycee on 02.22.13 at 3:56 pm

Your english is fine. Well written.

#7 EschewPanache on 10.16.13 at 1:21 pm

OK, decided to start at the beginning and glad I did. This is another positive!
Peace,
carl.

#8 Fermina Candlish on 05.14.19 at 10:04 pm

5/14/2019 yosefk.com does it again! Very perceptive site and a thought-provoking post. Keep up the good work!

#9 Paula Buscher on 05.15.19 at 4:37 am

In my estimation, yosefk.com does a great job of dealing with issues of this sort. While ofttimes intentionally polemic, the material posted is generally thoughtful and challenging.

#10 resharper crack on 05.15.19 at 12:14 pm

This is great!

#11 fortnite aimbot download on 05.16.19 at 11:59 am

I was looking at some of your articles on this site and I believe this internet site is really instructive! Keep on posting .

#12 aimbot fortnite on 05.16.19 at 3:53 pm

I dugg some of you post as I thought they were very beneficial invaluable

#13 nonsensediamond on 05.17.19 at 6:06 am

Respect to website author , some wonderful entropy.

#14 red dead redemption 2 digital key resale on 05.17.19 at 2:46 pm

Me enjoying, will read more. Thanks!

#15 redline v3.0 on 05.17.19 at 5:48 pm

I conceive this web site holds some real superb information for everyone : D.

#16 led ryggsäck on 05.18.19 at 2:07 pm

I like this site because so much useful stuff on here : D.

#17 mining simulator 2019 on 05.19.19 at 6:04 am

Thank You for this.

#18 smutstone on 05.20.19 at 10:44 am

very interesting post, i actually like this web site, carry on it

#19 redline v3.0 on 05.21.19 at 6:11 am

I simply must tell you that you have an excellent and unique site that I really enjoyed reading.

#20 free fire hack version unlimited diamond on 05.21.19 at 3:21 pm

google got me here. Cheers!

#21 nonsense diamond on 05.22.19 at 5:11 pm

bing got me here. Cheers!

#22 Arnoldo Dunfee on 05.22.19 at 10:49 pm

yosefk.com does it again! Quite a thoughtful site and a thought-provoking article. Keep up the good work!

#23 krunker aimbot on 05.23.19 at 5:29 am

I enjoying, will read more. Thanks!

#24 bitcoin adder v.1.3.00 free download on 05.23.19 at 9:07 am

Deference to op , some superb selective information .

#25 vn hax on 05.23.19 at 5:52 pm

This is interesting!

#26 eternity.cc v9 on 05.24.19 at 6:40 am

Enjoyed examining this, very good stuff, thanks .

#27 cheats for hempire game on 05.26.19 at 5:45 am

Hi, google lead me here, keep up nice work.

#28 iobit uninstaller 7.5 key on 05.26.19 at 8:33 am

I truly enjoy looking through on this web site , it holds superb content .

#29 smart defrag 6.2 serial key on 05.26.19 at 2:54 pm

I’m impressed, I have to admit. Genuinely rarely should i encounter a weblog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you may have hit the nail about the head. Your idea is outstanding; the problem is an element that insufficient persons are speaking intelligently about. I am delighted we came across this during my look for something with this.

#30 resetter epson l1110 on 05.26.19 at 5:16 pm

I simply must tell you that you have an excellent and unique post that I must say enjoyed reading.

#31 sims 4 seasons code free on 05.27.19 at 6:32 am

Hey, happy that i stumble on this in google. Thanks!

#32 rust hacks on 05.27.19 at 7:11 pm

I was looking at some of your articles on this site and I believe this internet site is really instructive! Keep on posting .

#33 strucid hacks on 05.28.19 at 9:27 am

I kinda got into this web. I found it to be interesting and loaded with unique points of view.

#34 expressvpn key on 05.28.19 at 6:33 pm

I’m impressed, I have to admit. Genuinely rarely should i encounter a weblog that’s both educative and entertaining, and let me tell you, you may have hit the nail about the head. Your idea is outstanding; the problem is an element that insufficient persons are speaking intelligently about. I am delighted we came across this during my look for something with this.

#35 how to get help in windows 10 on 05.29.19 at 2:43 am

Very quickly this web page will be famous amid all
blogging and site-building viewers, due to it's good content

#36 ispoofer key on 05.29.19 at 7:39 am

I enjoying, will read more. Cheers!

#37 aimbot free download fortnite on 05.29.19 at 11:39 am

Found this on MSN and I’m happy I did. Well written web.

#38 redline v3.0 on 05.29.19 at 4:07 pm

I really enjoy examining on this blog , it has got interesting content .

#39 vn hax on 05.30.19 at 5:16 am

Great, yahoo took me stright here. thanks btw for info. Cheers!

#40 gamefly free trial on 05.30.19 at 12:12 pm

I don't even know how I ended up here, but I thought this post
was great. I don't know who you are but definitely you're going to a famous blogger if you aren't already
;) Cheers!

#41 xbox one mods free download on 05.31.19 at 11:48 am

Great, bing took me stright here. thanks btw for info. Cheers!

#42 fortnite aimbot download on 05.31.19 at 2:36 pm

Thank You for this.

#43 mpl pro on 06.01.19 at 5:47 pm

I must say, as a lot as I enjoyed reading what you had to say, I couldnt help but lose interest after a while.

#44 gamefly free trial on 06.02.19 at 4:20 am

I've been surfing online more than 3 hours lately,
but I by no means discovered any attention-grabbing article like yours.
It's pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all site owners
and bloggers made good content material as you did, the web
might be a lot more useful than ever before.

#45 gamefly free trial on 06.02.19 at 12:26 pm

Very good blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers?
I'm planning to start my own site soon but I'm a little lost on everything.
Would you advise starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are
so many options out there that I'm totally overwhelmed ..

Any recommendations? Appreciate it!

#46 roblox mod menu on 06.03.19 at 9:40 am

This does interest me

#47 gamefly free trial on 06.03.19 at 3:28 pm

Hello there! This blog post couldn't be written any better!

Going through this article reminds me of my previous roommate!

He always kept talking about this. I am going to send this article to him.
Fairly certain he'll have a great read. I appreciate you for sharing!

#48 gamefly free trial on 06.04.19 at 7:22 pm

If some one wishes expert view about blogging after that i suggest him/her to pay a visit this blog,
Keep up the nice job.

#49 gamefly free trial on 06.06.19 at 5:15 pm

Good day very cool web site!! Guy .. Beautiful .. Wonderful ..
I'll bookmark your website and take the feeds additionally?
I am happy to search out a lot of helpful information here within the post, we want work out extra techniques in this regard, thank you for sharing.
. . . . .

#50 gamefly free trial on 06.06.19 at 11:44 pm

It's not my first time to pay a visit this web page, i am browsing this web site dailly and take fastidious facts from here all the time.

#51 ps4 pro games on 06.08.19 at 3:26 pm

What's up, always i used to check webpage posts
here in the early hours in the dawn, for the reason that i love to gain knowledge of more and more.

#52 ps4 best games ever made 2019 on 06.12.19 at 4:53 pm

This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger.
I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking
more of your magnificent post. Also, I have shared your website in my social
networks!

#53 ps4 best games ever made 2019 on 06.12.19 at 11:08 pm

We stumbled over here from a different page and thought I should check things out.

I like what I see so now i'm following you. Look
forward to looking into your web page yet again.

#54 quest bars on 06.16.19 at 2:09 pm

Good day! I could have sworn I've been to this web
site before but after browsing through a few of
the articles I realized it's new to me. Anyways, I'm certainly delighted I discovered it and I'll be bookmarking it
and checking back regularly!

#55 aimbot fortnite download on 06.16.19 at 3:12 pm

yahoo took me here. Thanks!

#56 http://tinyurl.com/yxbfvb7u on 06.18.19 at 1:50 am

Heya i'm for the first time here. I found this board and I
find It really useful & it helped me out much.
I hope to give something back and help others like you helped
me.

#57 proxo key generator on 06.19.19 at 7:00 am

Thanks for this post. I definitely agree with what you are saying.

#58 vn hax pubg mobile on 06.20.19 at 3:56 pm

I am not rattling great with English but I get hold this really easygoing to read .

#59 nonsense diamond on 06.21.19 at 5:06 am

I am not rattling great with English but I get hold this really easygoing to read .

#60 plenty of fish dating site on 06.22.19 at 5:35 am

Everything is very open with a clear clarification of the
issues. It was really informative. Your website is useful.

Many thanks for sharing!

#61 badoo superpowers free on 06.23.19 at 2:43 pm

Great stuff to see, glad that bing brought me here, Keep Up nice Work

#62 gmod hacks on 06.24.19 at 12:52 pm

Deference to op , some superb selective information .

#63 fortnite mods on 06.25.19 at 5:33 pm

stays on topic and states valid points. Thank you.

#64 skisploit on 06.26.19 at 4:12 am

I must say, as a lot as I enjoyed reading what you had to say, I couldnt help but lose interest after a while.

#65 ispoofer activation key on 06.27.19 at 3:50 am

Respect to website author , some wonderful entropy.

#66 synapse x cracked on 06.27.19 at 6:31 pm

Hi, happy that i stumble on this in yahoo. Thanks!

#67 strucid hacks on 06.28.19 at 5:01 am

Thanks for this article. I definitely agree with what you are saying.

#68 advanced systemcare 11.5 key on 06.28.19 at 11:50 am

Hello, i really think i will be back to your site

#69 how to get help in windows 10 on 06.29.19 at 6:49 am

I want to to thank you for this very good read!! I absolutely enjoyed
every bit of it. I have you bookmarked to check out new
things you post…

#70 cryptotab hack script free download 2019 on 06.29.19 at 7:27 am

Great article to Read, glad that yandex took me here, Keep Up awsome Work

#71 cryptotab script hack free on 06.29.19 at 1:49 pm

bing got me here. Thanks!

#72 choices hack ios on 07.01.19 at 7:26 am

Respect to website author , some wonderful entropy.

#73 codes for mining simulator 2019 on 07.01.19 at 6:14 pm

Great, google took me stright here. thanks btw for post. Cheers!

#74 tinyurl.com on 07.01.19 at 6:53 pm

I've learn several excellent stuff here. Definitely value
bookmarking for revisiting. I wonder how much attempt you place to make the sort of magnificent informative web site.

#75 escape from tarkov cheats and hacks on 07.02.19 at 5:53 am

Deference to op , some superb selective information .

#76 vn hax download on 07.03.19 at 5:43 am

Very interesting points you have remarked, appreciate it for putting up.

#77 cyberhackid on 07.03.19 at 5:40 pm

Some truly fine content on this web site , appreciate it for contribution.

#78 prison life hacks on 07.04.19 at 5:36 am

This is awesome!

#79 seo principles 2018 on 07.04.19 at 3:08 pm

Parasite backlink SEO works well :)

#80 subbot on 07.04.19 at 5:25 pm

I am glad to be one of the visitors on this great website (:, appreciate it for posting .

#81 dego pubg hack on 07.05.19 at 5:35 am

I kinda got into this article. I found it to be interesting and loaded with unique points of view.

#82 PKS on 07.05.19 at 4:01 pm

Great writing style and the content is thought-provoking indeed. I'm only wondering why I never found this earlier. Great work, please continue to enlighten your fellow engineers/programmers.

#83 erdas foundation 2015 on 07.05.19 at 5:48 pm

google bring me here. Cheers!

#84 synapse x free on 07.06.19 at 5:30 am

Deference to op , some superb selective information .

#85 Pat Hiott on 07.06.19 at 10:17 am

The next step of the puzzle is to decode the order of the pyramid. This is your third confidential clue… 517232125

#86 rekordbox torrent on 07.06.19 at 6:31 pm

Yeah bookmaking this wasn’t a risky decision outstanding post! .

#87 call of duty black ops 4 license key.txt free on 07.07.19 at 6:10 am

I truly enjoy looking through on this web site , it holds superb content .

#88 spyhunter 5.4.2.101 crack on 07.08.19 at 6:09 am

I dugg some of you post as I thought they were very beneficial invaluable

#89 fps unlocker on 07.09.19 at 7:45 am

Ha, here from yahoo, this is what i was looking for.

#90 how to get help in windows 10 on 07.16.19 at 3:49 pm

With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any issues of plagorism or copyright violation? My
site has a lot of unique content I've either created myself or outsourced but
it appears a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without
my authorization. Do you know any methods to help protect
against content from being ripped off? I'd certainly appreciate it.

#91 how to get help in windows 10 on 07.17.19 at 3:23 am

This is a topic that's close to my heart… Best wishes!
Where are your contact details though?

#92 how to get help in windows 10 on 07.17.19 at 11:43 pm

It's very simple to find out any topic on web as compared to
textbooks, as I found this piece of writing at this web site.

#93 plenty of fish dating site on 07.18.19 at 2:36 pm

Thanks for another informative blog. The place else may I am getting that kind of info written in such a perfect method?
I have a mission that I'm simply now operating on, and I have been at the look out for such info.

#94 Wade Fringuello on 07.18.19 at 7:02 pm

Mr.s Fister, this message is your next piece of information. Feel free to message the agency at your convenience. No further information until next transmission. This is broadcast #4533. Do not delete.

#95 how to get help in windows 10 on 07.20.19 at 7:48 am

Wonderful beat ! I wish to apprentice whilst you amend your website, how could i subscribe for
a blog site? The account helped me a applicable deal. I were tiny bit familiar of
this your broadcast provided shiny transparent concept

#96 prodigy hack level 100 on 07.21.19 at 1:00 pm

I like this site, some useful stuff on here : D.

#97 natalielise on 07.22.19 at 8:16 pm

Good way of telling, and good paragraph to take facts concerning my presentation subject,
which i am going to present in university. pof natalielise

#98 acidswapper on 07.23.19 at 9:59 am

Ha, here from google, this is what i was browsing for.

#99 plenty of fish dating site on 07.23.19 at 2:45 pm

Good day! I could have sworn I've been to this blog before but after checking
through some of the post I realized it's new to me.
Anyhow, I'm definitely glad I found it and I'll be bookmarking and checking back frequently!

#100 plenty of fish dating site on 07.24.19 at 8:52 am

Heya! I'm at work browsing your blog from my new apple iphone!
Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look
forward to all your posts! Keep up the outstanding work!

#101 pphud beta on 07.24.19 at 10:33 am

Thanks for this post. I definitely agree with what you are saying.

#102 ezfrags on 07.25.19 at 11:39 am

This does interest me

#103 smore.com on 07.26.19 at 4:21 am

Does your site have a contact page? I'm having trouble locating it but,
I'd like to send you an e-mail. I've got some creative ideas for your blog
you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I
look forward to seeing it grow over time. natalielise pof

#104 skisploit on 07.26.19 at 12:43 pm

Great, bing took me stright here. thanks btw for info. Cheers!