Yesterday I was reading an article on IEEE Spectrum about web logs written by Paul McFedries. First it makes you kind of depressed thinking that they estimate that there are approximately 3 million active blogs. I suddenly feel so... so... massified! Then he goes through a number of blog terms that I never heard before, such as kittyblogs, bloggerel, blogorrhea, blawg, bleg, photog, and moblog.

The whole point of the article is to show that blogging is an internet hype that looks like it's going to stay, unlike others. I think people inherently have this will of posting their ideas and just emptying their minds. Most enjoy the anonymity that the Internet provides them and the potential ability to reach someone that may even be interested in what you write.

If you ask me what was my reason to write a blog, I would answer that I did it mainly for my friends that are far away to know that I'm alive. At the same time they can still know what is going on in my head (not everything, of course, because you can't really write everything on a public medium, especially when you are not being anonymous).

Just one more thing: Wal-Mart yesterday! The most scary experience I ever had! The parking lot absurdly full and people leaving with piles of TV sets. I went to get food and I was walking on the food section being surrounded by TVs... That's all they wanted people to buy, I think. And they were buying! Later, on my dinner yesterday, someone gave me information that may explain this behavior. During new year's time, there are football games all around, more than this holiday. They have many simultaneous games running! So, the theory that make me a little less worried is: People buy many TVs right now so that they can follow all games during that day. Then, later, they return all these TV sets to Wal-Mart! I was worried about extreme brainless "consumism", but now everything is better in my mind.

Of course it still doesn't explain why people stay in lines outside the stores at 5 a.m... But I'm still working on my theory.