An article appeared in The New York Times last week about two tech bloggers who blogged themselves to death…or so Matt Richtel, the author, would have you believing. Russell Shaw, age 60, died of a heart attack; Marc Orchant, age 50, died of a massive coronary. May they rest in peace. But unlike Matt Richtel, it is my belief that wherever Russell Shaw and Marc Orchant may find their “heaven,” I will bet you, they are blogging about the newest heavenly gadget or exposing heaven’s gaffes.

Just recently retiring from a similar sweatshop business — court reporting — I know what it’s like to work 12-hour days, I know what it’s like to work out of a home, I know what it’s like to be paid by the piece — not garments or blog posts, but pages. The more pages I wrote in a deposition or a hearing, the more money I made. Yes, it beat me up physically. As a result, I have bulging discs at almost every level of my spine. Yes, it beat me up emotionally. There were times that I couldn’t hold back tears when a child of two would testify in terms more graphic than a prostitute as to how her uncle molested her. But if I had the chance for a do-over, would I take it? No. I was as passionate about court reporting as I am about life, as I am about blogging.

I am sure Russell Shaw and Marc Orchant spent too much time blogging and not enough time taking care of their health, and if they had a chance for a do-over, I am sure they would try to find a better balance in life, but in death, as a result of their passion, their spirit lives on.