One thing have thought more about doing is giving information that could be comforting to people who maybe worry about what's going on with various public things I do, like this blog.
Since the motivation is to be comforting to others is easier to talk past things where global can help to understand a bit about how I do things and why. Like for instance, I realized that from about 2006 or 2007 for sure, from various things started trying to understand web stats showing visitors from over 100 countries and as the years have gone by began pondering as remarkably constant.
For example easiest to check, so I use it a lot, was with my open source project for Java developers, but also my blogs, where my math one got most attention, and this one kind of limped along steady with visits from only about 60 countries annually.
And just checked as typing about made me decide to give it, and last year according to Google Analytics was only 49 countries to this blog for the year. Always feel a little odd checking for some reason. And then there is a part of me that realizes, um, that's not bad.
Realized should check math blog and was only 68 countries all of last year, which I guess is ok. Used to clock at 125.
It's the comparison that can get a person lost on the details.
Oh, quit looking at the city counts though as that would just freak me out.
But since mentioned for this post just checked and was 423 cities last year according to Google Analytics for my math blog. Won't bother for this one as didn't check earlier. Am editing this post now, getting ready to put it up.
Reality is that some or other of mine gets interest that I can check and see from web stats of some kind from around 100 countries every single year and it's been that way for a while. Last year my open source project though only had downloads from 95 countries, which kind of got me wondering.
But again, hey, just last year plenty of evidence somehow I have attention from some people all over most of the planet for things I created. Which is cool. So don't worry about me. That attention is more for use, than anything like celebrity, which suits me just fine.
How do you stay global constantly though? Put up things people from all over, regardless of things like language or national boundaries can use.
So yeah Java is very international so Java code that is useful works, and mathematics is universal, so math things do too. And concepts that resonate well, can jump language barriers as people work to get over the one, or others translate for you. Also Google Translate is on some of my blogs but haven't been able to measure how much it helps, and I don't assume.
That's the rational. But I think also you have to tap into something basic to core humanity.
You need to feel like you're speaking to a world too. Even if going through the motions until it's true. Then it's just more of the same.
Will also say though that not much looks the same to you when you realize that it's not just some quick thing, like one year, and you're global. But is year after year after year, which can lead to self-reference as I will admit asking myself, how?
How can one human being have anything that can grab interest from people around the planet in any way for over a decade, like clockwork? Consistently?
So I study it. And so don't worry about me. Not much fits into nice boxes with my story, which is how I like it.
James Harris
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