What this is all about

Before I expect anyone to care about what I write, I suppose a bit of background information is in order.

I am a college student, entering my senior year at Carnegie Mellon University, in Pittsburgh. I'm majoring in Mechanical Engineering, with a double major in Engineering and Public Policy.
Engineering and Public Policy is about technology interacting with society, specifically on legal and economic terms. The implications of this are widespread, and yet the current attitudes both in politics and among people in general seems to indicate that no one is really paying attention. This worries me, and at least begins to explain why I'm writing.

My goal with this little project is to talk about things that are changing around us, and why they matter. I doubt anyone will argue with me that technology matters in our lives, but I do think that some don't fully appreciate the extent to which this goes.

For instance, what if I told you that I believe that the internet is changing the world of fashion? How about that the internet is responsible for the current shape of the music world, and of music subcultures? What if I said that the nature of architecture and urban planning is changing its direction, because of the current gas prices? We weave a tangled web, and it fascinates me.

My plan is to try and write one or two full length articles a week. Beyond that, I will post things that interest me, often links from Digg or other blogs I read. Hopefully some discussion will occur, but I don't know how many readers it takes to get a decent thread going. That may be for the future.