Bringing Research-Life to Centerstage

Abstract

Like many in our community, I learn a lot from theory blogs. But earlier in my career I couldn’t imagine that I will become a blogger myself. Planning aside, by now, I have founded and managed three research blogs – “Windows on Theory” in Microsoft Research Silicon Valley, “Theory Dish” in Stanford’s theory group and recently “TOC 4 Fairness” as part of Simons Foundation’s collaboration on Algorithmic Fairness. So, what changed? The first reason for which I thought I couldn’t blog is that I didn’t perceive myself as being enough of an exhibitionist to be a blogger. Turns out that this is much less of a problem than I’d like to think. In fact, with age, I am even more excited to talk about, hmmm, myself (so thank you Luca for this excellent opportunity). In addition, I always saw the value of blogs for the communication of ideas within a discipline and as a powerful tool for popularizing science. But I also always felt that I am too busy, that I write too slowly and that I will have enough time to focus on popular writing once I get tired of research. What convinced me to take the plunge is the wonderful theory group that existed in Microsoft Research Silicon Valley and whose brilliance I wanted to share with the theory community at large. It’s not a coincidence that my final blog post on “Windows on Theory,” before living the blog in Boaz Barak’s most capable hands1 was titled “A Social Blogger.” Blogging for me is something to do with a community and for a community.