Hello, world!

Or is it "Hello world!"? Or even, "hello world!"? Is the exclamation mark too much?

I hope that this is the first of many posts in my very first blog. What shall I write about? Honestly, I'm not too sure right now, but let's see what comes of this post...

I tend to be a hyperactive thinker. I notice a problem or oddity and turn it over in my head, much like I am untangling some knot. First I test this strand. Is it loose? No. Let me examine the other side. Ah, here's an end. I may give up for a time and unleash my subconscious so that I can return with a new approach. I may even lose interest with the issue entirely.

The key to solving a problem, as any good scientist knows, is to keep a careful record of observations, failed attempts, and insights into possible solutions. I hope for this blog to serve as my lab notebook to the less technical side of a scientific life. Think of it as a collection of my conclusions to the questions raised by the issues I encounter in my life as a scientist.

And for whom am I writing? Myself, primarily. With these keystrokes I begin sorting and shuffling what I have learned (or learnt?) during my years as a curious individual in an even more curious world.