I had no plans of making a blog a few months ago. Here are the reasons that changed my mind.
For Inspiration #
Blogs can inspire people. Let me explain how.
Inspiration has two ingredients. First, you have to see something awesome. Then you need to convince yourself that you can do it.
I’ve experienced this first-hand. At RoboCup 2019, I was blown away by the insane robots we competed against. But after talking to the people who built them, I realized I could make awesome robots too. The same thing happened when I went to my first FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). I began to realize how much I could do if I set my mind to it.
You don’t have to talk to your role models to be inspired by them. There are fantastic resources on the internet. Here are a few online sources that inspired me.
- Paul Graham’s essays inspired me to pursue startups
- Team Transcendence’s Website inspired me to build better soccer robots
- FRC Reveal Videos made me fall in love with FRC
- Build-its and other MITERS blogs inspired me to make a blog
These websites made me believe that I could build something awesome. If I do something cool and write about it here, maybe someday someone will read this and be inspired to do something cool themselves.
Recognition #
I can use my website to showcase my projects for research and career opportunities. It’s also a good way to share what I’m working on with friends and family.
Science and Technology #
When I was building competition robots, I spent an absurd amount of time reading blogs, scrutinizing CAD, and watching videos of other teams. Documentation is super valuable for those with less experience.
Newton has a famous quote attributing his success to “standing on the shoulders of giants”. We stand on other people’s shoulders. But in order to become one of the giants yourself, you have to share your work with others.
Somebody once told me
An engineer has done nothing until it has been documented
Conclusion #
Other people’s websites have helped me a lot, so making my own blog is an attempt to pass it on. Consider making a blog yourself! I’ve written a blog post on how to get started.