I think there are many good reasons for people to write, even if they're not at the cutting edge of a field, or doing something totally original: * Information

I think there are many good reasons for people to write, even if they're not at the cutting edge of a field, or doing something totally original: * Information that's derivative of cutting edge knowledge, but not worth the bother for the academic researchers to work on, especially in the area of turning it into practical things. * Stuff that can't be documented by the experts because they can't write, unless it's for an audience of fellow experts, or they feel no reason to. Virtually all technical documentation is impenetrable without supporting commentary or explanation, often written by non-experts. * Practical projects, that might have only one interested user (myself), but whose pieces might be of interest to others. This is most of my blogging. * Keeping old arts and obscure techniques alive. * Invitation for critique. Am I wrong? Show me. Make my day. So far as writing papers or giving interviews, some folks might feel that the "overhead" of doing those things does not justify the benefits. For instance I have no academic career to advance.