In the book, I address the issue right away when discussing domain names and niche vs general topic blogs. It really depends on what you're trying to achieve.

In the book, I address the issue right away when discussing domain names and niche vs general topic blogs. It really depends on what you're trying to achieve. Generally speaking, if you're being strategic about it, it's better not to mix professional and personal posts. This is because a person who's interested in your insight on, say, Kernel hacking, will probably not care too much about posts pertaining to your passion for bikes. So, in order not to betray your readers' expectations, I would advice starting a dedicated professional blog as soon as possible. Or vice versa, keep the existing blog for professional purposes, and then create a personal one. Regarding the domain name itself, the most logical choice in the example above would be something akin to kernelhacking.com, but once again it's a matter of what you are trying to accomplish. If your main goal is to promote yourself and your name in the industry, land consulting gigs, or attract prospective employers who might be interested in you... simply going with namelastname.com is not a bad idea. EDIT: Just saw your EDIT. :)