I totally agree with Deane's thoughts in Do Yourself a Favor and Stop Learning. Maybe that's why I decided to stop reading/blogging so much on iaslash. I just wanted to start doing more CSS and eventually get to starting to do more PHP, e.g. to create my own Drupal modules. Of course, for me there would be a small bit of learning involved in actually doing CSS and coding PHP, but the goal for me is to focus on those things that live on firmer ground (CSS, PHP) and to stop chasing around those more elusive subjects (user experience research, knowledge representation). I've already invested some time into both of these areas, so the idea is to stay within those technologies rather than looking for/chasing all the next best things that are around. This is what a lot of the Perl programmers I know are like. They do one language extremely well (although they can also use others, e.g. C++, Java, Tcl) and can solve most problems with that language because of their proficiency with it. That's where I want to go.

In my life in the real world I'm actually spending more time making things right now (crafts, making pictures) than reading/researching. Strange. This somehow reminds me of the summer when I worked on an archaeological dig doing the actual digging and washing of finds. I found that so much more satisfying I think -- the tactile and physical work -- than the intellectual work I do now. I wonder what that says about me? To a large extent I think I engage in intellectual pursuits to satisfy needs that are important to others besides myself -- parents, society, peers. And that's just not the way I want to live. So now to stop writing and start doing.