I'm a wireless/mobile analyst....so why do I have an environmental blog?

OK, first things first. I have no direct connection with the environmental "industry" - I'm not a member of any NGOs, environmental charities, pressure groups or similar bodies, with the exception of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. None of my clients is environmentally-oriented, or conversely, energy-oriented.

Professionally, I'm a mobile & wireless technology analyst. This is my company , and this is my "work" blog. My clients are generally software and widget vendors who make chips & gizmos that go inside cellphones, telecom operators, or assorted other IT/technology firms.

Basically, as an analyst, I'm opinionated for a living. I enjoy arguing, and given I'm on the receiving end of 100s of tech companies' persuasive & experienced PR departments, I'm reasonably proficient at de-spinning jargon, and spotting flaws in superficially-compelling arguments. I'd like to think my BS-detector is pretty finely honed.

The environment (and related topics like energy, biotech and nanotech) happens to be an area where I have opinions I work on "in my own time". I've always been interested in sciency-type issues, and I have a fascination with how issues cross over between science, social issues, politics, personality, economics and the media.

So, I've created this blog to give myself a platform to spout forth on stuff that interests - or irritates me.

Some other disclosures - I have a degree in physics but haven't been a "proper" scientist for a long time. I used to work for an investment bank & have some views on how the economy works, the role of globalisation and so forth. Politically, I tend to fall into the awkward un-represented quadrant of "socially-liberal but economically-conservative" (low taxation, more power to the individual, fewer social controls & interventions by government, anti-censorship, anti-"nanny-state", pro-private enterprise). I'm a Eurosceptic. I travel a lot, both for work and for pleasure, which gives me a decent understanding of how different parts of the world work, but which also means I contribute a disproportionate amount of CO2 through air travel. I also have a liking for sports cars, but as I love TVRs (wonderful handmade British cars that are notoriously unreliable, for people who don't know the brand), they probably average out having less environmental impact than a Prius, as they spend a lot of the time stationary & waiting for a tow truck, emitting nothing but steam.