We didn't set out to have a blog.  We're using blog software because it makes adding new articles to our site so much easier.  We'd been having trouble finding the time to put together articles by building Webpages from scratch...so when we decided to do it this way, we wanted to avoid hosting discussions of our articles, because then we'd feel obligated to keep up with those discussions, and that takes time!

One of the reasons I was resistant to blogging is that the whole idea of blogs bugs me.  (NOTE: My impression of what blogs are like was formed by LiveJournal; I'm now aware of many blogs that are much more topical and less navel-gazing, or at least more interesting, but it's hard to shake these qualms.)  Who am I to post my diary in a public place?  If I'm going to discuss things with the world in general, why not just do it in a public forum?  I participate in several discussion boards; there's no need for me to host one.  I can defend myself in public.  I don't need to set up a semi-controlled environment in which people can discuss things with me but I'm the dominating presence, in charge of which parts of the discussion remain visible and who can participate.  Ick.  Too weird and too complicated!

So.  The Earthling's Handbook is like a book: It's one-sided communication, written by the authors, available to all readers.

However, unlike a printed book, The Earthling's Handbook is dynamic: We may edit it from time to time and add stuff to existing articles.  This is a good reason to browse back to your favorite old articles again, instead of reading only the new posts.

The authors are happy to hear from our readers.  We just don't invite you to write on the book, that's all.  Please feel free to write to us personally.  We will respond to you personally, within reason (we're not promising to be pen-pals with everyone!), and your questions or comments may inspire further articles in the Handbook.

Becca, the author of most of these articles, can be reached at becca[at]earthlingshandbook[dot]org.
Dan can be reached at dan[at]efran[dot]org.
Please take care to choose a subject line that does not look like spam so that, if we don't recognize your name, we don't delete your message by accident.

Pay no attention to that blog software behind the curtain.  This is not a blog.  Thank you for understanding.