Attenuate

Attenuate
transitive verb : to lessen the amount, force, magnitude, or value of : to weaken

So I’m joining the world of 2003, finally, and starting a blog.

I’ve got a few reasons for jumping in - paying more attention to day-to-day events, documenting and reflecting on travels and life events, sharing thoughts on professional and not-so-professional topics - but the main one is to force myself to really sit down and think slowly about things in this new age of AI-powered immediacy. I’ve found that lately between the hectic pace of day-to-day life and using more and more AI in my work life, my attention span and ability (or willingness) to sit down and dedicate time to thinking deeply on a topic has taken a hit. Things that I know I am deeply interested in hold my attention for however long the screen is in front of my face, only to be replaced by whatever message or dog or other distraction pops into frame. Subjects to explore and learn more about are lost to more immediate concerns. I can’t imagine trying to go to school in this day and age!

In my line of work - satellite and space communications - attenuation is both a good and bad thing. Used as a tool, attenuating a signal can reduce unwanted noise and allow you to pick the important details out of an otherwise indistinguishable background. More broadly, the physics definition of attenuation gives us sunglasses attenuating bright light, earplugs attenuating a loud partner snoring (sorry, Katie), and many other effects that improve our lives.

Enter Attenuate. Following the dictionary definition of the word, this is an experiment. For me to sit and focus, to lessen the noise and level of the world at-large and really uncover what matters to me.