Sphere Itself?

Yeah, I know. The name of this blog is maybe too clever by half.

"Sphere Itself" traces back to the word "blogosphere," which was coined by someone back in the late 1990s or early 2000s, I think, as blogs began to compete in small ways with larger news-gathering organizations. I view this competition as a good thing—accountability, puncturing the self-regard of institutional journalists and all that—and it wasn't long before my imagination had merged the potential fears of media heavyweights with the most quotable line from FDR's first inaugural speech: "...the only thing we have to fear is 'sphere itself!"

The idea that this humble blog could be feared by anyone—much less anyone with real media power—might well serve as the defining example of "tongue in cheek." But here we are.

Or, at least, here I am—and with much more modest ambitions. Rather than attempt to bring you, dear reader, anything that approximates a distillation of the wider blogosphere, I present here the contents of a different sphere: My own observations and perhaps links to those of others within my circle of family, friends, and acquaintances.

Thanks for visiting!