Somewhere in the midst of discussing the Case of the Communion Cracker I wrote my 1000th essay.
It’s also my birthday.
As a result, I have decided to relax a little, sit back, and enjoy myself.
So . . .
Hello readers.
I want to thank all of you for showing up. Some of you have been here a while, and you still show up. I am honored.
Some people might be surprised that, after all of this time and effort writing blog posts, that I still do everything wrong. My posts are way too long. They are boring. They are poorly proofed and edited. It is, in short a surprise that people show up at all.
Nobody comes here so that they can breeze through the atheist news of the day. Or, if they do, they quickly leave again and swear never to return. Coming here takes a certain amount of commitment to whatever the subject of the day is going to be.
I’m sorry about the editing problems. I just run out of time. You see, when I go to edit a post, I usually end up rewriting it. I remove all of the old mistakes (because I simply block off whole sections of text and delete them) but introduce new mistakes in their wake. At the end of the day, when I am finishing up my post, my head is typically bouncing off the desk as I fall asleep at the keyboard. That has something of an adverse effect on quality. I’m sorry about that.
Yet, I’m still up at 4:30 the next morning to start my research for the next post.
Tell you what. If somebody out there will give me $1.7 million, I’ll quit my job and work on these essays full time. That will include editing. C’mon. What do you say? It’s my birthday, after all. Clearly, I deserve $1.7 million.
Oh well. Until the $1.7 million or something similar shows up, I will continue to do what I can.
I’ll be back tomorrow to continue working on the second 1000 posts.
Alonzo Fyfe
Heh, I'm still here Alonzo, subscribed as ever. You're, fortunately, one of the few voices in the Atheosphere who does not rehash the same ol' news I've read from 10 others blogs as well. Sometimes I can just skim the headers of random atheist blogs and find out what the news of the day or week are. Once you've read about a subject two of three times, any more commentary on it just repeats itself.
ReplyDeleteI honestly can't believe how fast you're posting but I do consider it a waste that you're doing it on blogspot with very little SEO which means that you end up missing a lot of potential visitors and views. Depending on how many you get, you could even monetize it. Since your google pagerank is high, you can certainly start earning towards that 1.7 million!.
By now you should have had you own site and domain and self-hosted wordpress blog. In all honesty, it's not difficult.
Anyway, just keep doing what you do and know that the people who DO read you, at least get something unique.
Happy B-Day!
PS: You may not be able to improve your editing but you can try to improve your comment system for more intense discussions ;)
Please have a happy, enjoyable day Alonzo and thank you for your efforts.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday Alonzo! I'm a long-time reader (first time poster) and in my ever-growing feedreader subscription list, your posts are the ones I always ensure I reader.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!
Considering the depth and the thought that goes into your posts, I don't think there's any problem with the rapidity with which you're posting. You have one of the few blogs I'd consider a "must" on an atheist's subscription list.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! I'm going out to buy a Powerball ticket now. I pledge $1 million if I win.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday.
ReplyDeleteYou should ask the Gates Foundation for a grant. It worked for Nox in the first Tim Burton Batman movie.
Yes, your posts do take some effort; however, I've found it very much worth the effort to read and ponder your posts.
ReplyDeleteI first found you through Atheist Blogs Aggreagated; however, I've since added you to my RSS reader.
Hey Alonzo, happy birthday and congrats on the 1000 posts. I have read the majority of them, but it's difficult for me to read them as fast as you post them - leaving me awed at how quickly you write such intelligent thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI actually do visit your site for atheist news... once I've read your article I rarely need to visit any other pages for additional insight.
Happy birthday, Alonzo, and many happy (carriage) returns!
ReplyDeleteHappy B-Day Alonzo! The internet needs more long-form writing such as yours. You're always a pleasure to read.
ReplyDelete"I want to thank all of you for showing up. Some of you have been here a while, and you still show up. I am honored."
ReplyDeleteYeah, well you almost lost me during the continous Pledge of Allegiance posts! :)
Sorry I can't give you a million dollars. But I am considering giving a small donation in your honor to Iraq Veterans Against the War.
But happy belated Birthday anyway.
Thank you, everybody, for your kind words.
ReplyDeleteDbo
I have no doubt that the projects you describe are easy. The problem is that, when I try to carve out time for such things, I find that I do not have time to carve.
I have attempted to work on a wiki site for desire utilitarianism, and to set up my own web site with a forum and the like, but as each day gets crowded with activities those are the ones that get pushed off.
I have my own site and domain, but not the time to learn what I need to learn to work on it. (If I was still in college, no doubt I could do much more, but regular work takes much more time out of one's life than college work.)
If anybody wants to work as a consultant, look over my stuff, offer me free advice as to where to go and what to do when I get there, I would be pleased to listen.
Hey alonzo, I would be glad to enable you to do all that. I don't have the most free time in the world but I like building stuff like that, especially if it's for a worthy cause. In your case it honestly pains me to see you still using blogspot (with a default template, like someone who just started)
ReplyDeleteI may not be a professional web designer but I do administer 3 sites so I think I have enough experience.
I thought that some people were already helping you build your personal site which is why I hadn't volunteered earlier.
So, if this sounds interesting, contact me and we can see what we can see ;)
Since reading your Pledge of Allegiance story a few months ago, I’ve been lurking here trying to digest all the rest of the valuable insights you come up with each day. Your body of work is truly impressive. Since I don’t have a background in either philosophy or logic, and have come only recently to atheism, I enjoy hanging out here to learn about it all. Some of your posts are easier for me to get my head around than others, of course, but all are edifying.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most important reasons I come here is to learn how an intelligent person responds to those irrational types we all come in contact with from time to time. Your debating prowess is inspiring. Thanks so much for sharing with us and happy birthday.
Happy Birthday Alonzo
On your day,
We send you wishes
For delicious things
That come in dishes,
Like birthday cake,
And ice cream treats
That make you happy
Down to your feets.
On top of that,
We hope your day
Is filled with hugs
And fun and play.
Our wish for you,
Is quite sincere,
So Happy birthday,
Alonzo dear!
Belated Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteI've been following you and your ideas off and on since first running across your posts on the Internet Infidels forums years ago. You've got good things to say. Keep 'em coming (post length and editing be damned!)