For a little more than a year, I've had the fascinating job of managing EE Times' Crosstalk section. Far more than I ever expected, it has given me a chance to communicate with at least a few of our 160,000 subscribers.

Before taking this job, I suppose I was like most people, figuring that the letters came in, got moved to another file and the job was done. That's largely true, but the interesting part is in the rest of it. There are plenty of little time-consuming tasks that are maddeningly dull, but sometimes they blossom into something vastly more interesting.

One menial chore is sending out notes to see if those who write letters to individual staff members want them printed in the paper. One letter writer responded that he didn't want his name to run in the paper since he was already known as an engineer with an attitude. I sent back a note that began, "Well, if that's your attitude, forget it." Thankfully, he saw the humor in that rather than think I was a rude jerk, and he sent back a fairly lengthy response. He became both an anonymous letter writer and an anonymous source for a story.

That's an important thing for a reporter-to get some feedback from the average engineer. It's no problem at all for us to get the corporate side of things. But often, there's an individual, human viewpoint that's in marked contrast to the views of the corporation that employs him or her. That's especially true in the current debate over the shortage of skilled technical workers. All corporations contend that the need is acute, but if our letters are any indication, many engineers feel that this is just a ploy to keep wages down. It's tough to find an engineer who will publicly say that about his company, or a company that might employ him in the future, but it's critical for providing a balanced view of the real world.

Of course, how balanced any letters section is remains an open question. Overall, they probably are. But on certain days or certain issues, I'd sometimes say that our readers are extremists who don't care much about facts or any truth that doesn't support their ideals.

Far more often, the letters are surprisingly well-thought-out and eloquent. Even more so considering that many are written hastily during down periods, such as waiting for an Internet page to load. There's a solid, logical thought process that anyone has to appreciate regardless of their stand on the issue. Typical engineering thought processes, you might say, but they're often in fields that have little to do with technology.

Whether your view is on a technical article, a column that rouses your spirit or the ever-popular response to another letter writer, we're always interested in hearing what our readers have to say. This two-way discourse is an important way to share ideas, learn a little bit and sometimes have some fun. Especially if we all keep the right attitude.