About Us

theDiagonal is Mike Gerra’s personal blog. The premise is simple: help me make sense of the world and find some humor in the process.

theDiagonal is a founding member of the Smarten-Up Network, which aims to increase the intellectual content of our planet.

About My Articles
On an almost daily basis I read, collect and sift through the web’s best intelligent content and present it on theDiagonal. theDiagonal also offers original material from its diagonally-oriented host. theDiagonal curates a path through the fascinating worlds of science, art, technology and literature. theDiagonal is voice for fresh content that excites and refreshes; I present articles from diverse sources but weave them together on theDiagonal to give a vibrant new perspective, to feed both sides of the brain.

Why Did I Build theDiagonal?
For years as theDiagonal’s founder, publisher and chief blogger I have subscribed to and soaked in diverse writings from around the the world and the web. Unfortunately, there was no single good place to find intelligent, provocative thought covering science, art, technology and literature. So, I brought it all (well, at least a small fraction of it) together, here at theDiagonal, all in one place, and hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Why is this Place Called theDiagonal?
Great innovations, serendipitous discoveries, new scientific understanding, ground-breaking art and momentous literature, and, yes, even true love usually comes at us from the diagonal, that tangential place where the unexpected and hidden becomes obvious and clear, where the different, less-traveled path brings new insights, where the altered visual angle offers us a fresh perceptual space, where far from the left-field we are struck to move on a fascinating new idea; these are the idea places that drive theDiagonal.

What is theDiagonal?
theDiagonal is a curated blog featuring fresh original content and filtered articles from the worlds of science, art, technology and literature. theDiagonal is curated in much the same way a thoughtful and erudite editor makes a good magazine shine or a talented gallery director can make a seemingly disparate collection of paintings speak with one collective voice.

What theDiagonal is Not
I avoid trivia, gossip, politics (as much a possible) and all things 24-hr “news” (unless something really irks or excites me). Hype, hyperbole, hot air and faux news fodder have many appropriate homes elsewhere, but not on theDiagonal. Importantly, I try avoid cramming theDiagonal with content from major content sources — other filter blogs do this well already. Instead, I prefer to highlight independent authors, bloggers, op/ed writers and publishers with a great voice but a smaller (for now) footprint.

About the People on theDiagonal
theDiagonal was founded by Mike Gerra, writer, editor-in-chief, technology strategist, art gallery owner, itinerant corporate flunky and entrepreneur, psycholinguist, fine art photographer and proud parent. Mike lives on theDiagonal feeding on the multi-dimensional currents of information to keep his quest for reason and beauty vibrantly alive. He is aided in his efforts every now and then by fellow, non-aligned, diagonally-oriented contributors who share a passion for fresh, intelligent ideas and well-reasoned discussion.

Writer’s Submission Guidelines
theDiagonal is always looking for fresh, intelligent and previously unpublished content. Contact submissions [at] thediagonal [dot] com for more details.

Want to Know More?
If you’re still not satisfied and want to know more about theDiagonal contact me at: editor [at] thediagonal [dot] com.