Tech Bloggers ?
I have something that I need to get off my chest. I realize that this is a season of elevated rhetoric and political positioning, but why must our (what I used to believe) respected technology journalists bury themselves further and further into the muck? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and thus their political views. No question there. But why should I, as an avid reader and subscriber to technology blogs and sites, be subjected to the very PERSONAL political rantings of writers who, according to their own "about me" blurbs, are writing to cover TECHNOLOGY and related issues, not politics, or how stupid Bush is, or what Kerry's Vietnam record has to do with the price of eggs?
Now, if the blog or site is more broad with respect to subject matter, and the blogger or publisher of the site wants to rant and rave about their pet peeves, then I say more power to them. Or if the particular political issue at hand has some impact or potential impact on our industry, then, again, I say, you go boy! And I do recognize that people can say whatever the hell they want on a site that is owned and operated by them. But I think it has gone WAY too far.
I call out the following well respected and talented journalists and ask them to back away from the constant political commentary:
Dave Winer, Dan Gillmor
Both of these writers have plenty of amazing subject matter to discuss, and regularly do so on their blogs. But recently, their postings have been edging closer and closer to 50% or more political opinion pieces, and less and less about the technology and the business of technology that drove me to read them in the first place. Now, some might say, "What a hypocrite, that's exactly what you're doing! What does this rant have to do with SQL Server?" The difference is that this is the only outlet I have available to me to express this opinion.