It would be amiss to separate my own academic influences from my desire to return to school - there were a few Ph.D applications in there along the way :) It is also entirely possible that as someone interested in such theoretical things, my career has subconsciously drifted to a road less traveled.

Indeed, this post was not meant to be bitter - and I think I would do it again - but it was meant to point out that the longer we take to pin down a definition, the more out of control it will get. I have half a mind to start some sortof of "Desingineers Association" to help get this solidified, in much the same way the Interaction Designers Association was so crucial for solidifying that movement in the late 2000s. Thoughts on that would be appreciated.