evolgen

This is the final post ever at evolgen. It was a fun 4+ years, the last three spent at ScienceBlogs, but it has come time for me to close up shop.

When I first got into blogging, I did it as a way to share what was on my mind to the few people who would read what I had to say (usually in topics related to evolution and genetics, but not always). It was a fun hobby, and my blog gave me a public venue to talk about articles I was reading, concepts that I found interesting, and summarize important areas of research.

However, the blog has begun to feel more like a burden. I no longer post because I feel like I have something I want to say, but rather out of obligation (to my contract with Seed, to the five readers who read this site regularly, to my own need to keep generating new content because the blog needs new content). It wasn’t fun anymore. This is reflected in the sporadic posting over the past year — small bursts of inspiration surrounded by frequent periods of ennui (what you now call meh).

I had a really good time blogging at the ScienceBorg, but the time has come for me to move on. I’m not sure whether I’ll ever start blogging again, but, if I do, it will be at a new venue. I’ll make sure to let y’all know what’s up via obnoxious emails and requests for more highly-trafficked folks to link to my new internet cave.

Comments

#1 John Lynch
January 16, 2009

Sad to see you go, my friend. Take care.
#2 Sheril R. Kirshenbaum
January 16, 2009

always enjoyed your blog and sad to see you go…
#3 Kristjan Wager
January 16, 2009

Sorry to see you stop. Thanks for you blogging
#4 Jason Rosenhouse
January 16, 2009

I guess this is one way to solve the problem of people getting our blogs confused. Good luck in your future endeavors.
#5 Quiet_Desperation
January 16, 2009

This is my first time here! D’oh!

I’m perpetually late to parties as well.
#6 Gerardo Camilo
January 16, 2009

There were a lot more than five consistent reader. A couple of your posts made it to our lab meetings. Good luck!
#7 scicurious
January 16, 2009

We’ll miss you.
#8 Sandra Porter
January 16, 2009

We’ll miss you. You always make me feel guilty when I refer to Drosophila melanogaster as a fruit fly or squish one when it’s floating in my wine glass. Watch out for those manatees!
#9 Frank Anderson
January 16, 2009

Oh no! What about Phylogeny Friday? Where am I supposed to post my jejune comments about phylogenetic taxonomy now?

Best of luck, and hopefully we’ll see you back on the blogosphere again someday.
#10 Comrade PhysioProf
January 16, 2009

So long, dude.
#11 Chris Harrison
January 16, 2009

Damn.
Thanks for all the great posts. I continually use them for references etc.

Good luck!
#12 Carl Zimmer
January 16, 2009

Farewell! Who will set us straight on population genetics now?
#13 MissPrism
January 16, 2009

Sorry you’re leaving – good luck with the job search, and I hope you’re back again some time.
#14 ihateaphids
January 16, 2009

Alas! Now I will have to go with John Hawks for all my population genetics discussion.
#15 Eric J, Johnson
January 16, 2009

Enjoyed reading you.
#16 bfy
January 16, 2009

sorry to see you go. best of luck on the next phase.
#17 Erik Sotka
January 16, 2009

you had interesting takes (as the sports radio folks say), and i’ve enjoyed it. good luck on things. and thanks.
#18 Jacob
January 16, 2009

I’ve always enjoyed Evolgen. Good luck with wherever life takes you next.
#19 Rich Lawler
January 16, 2009

Adios. I enjoyed reading what you had to say. Thanks.
#20 Neil
January 16, 2009

Best of luck mate, always enjoyed your posts. Sounds like the right time to quit for you. Tried FriendFeed yet?
#21 Pedro Beltrao
January 16, 2009

I will miss some of your ranting
#22 kemibe
January 17, 2009

As a fellow science blogger, I’m sorry that I know too little about the science you discussed here to have followed your undertakings more closely. Keep in touch.
#23 Jonathan Badger
January 17, 2009

I had a really good time blogging at the ScienceBorg, but the time has come for me to move on. I’m not sure whether I’ll ever start blogging again, but, if I do, it will be at a new venue.

Science was never really the focus of “scienceblogs” anyway — unlike you, the majority of the sciencebloggers haven’t published a paper in years, if indeed ever, and has plenty of time to blog because they don’t have any pesky research or grant proposal writing to do. The typical scienceblog consists of 1) the blogger complaining about something stupid a Creationist said 2) posting an angry and incoherent e-mail that another Creationist sent the blogger 3) something random about US politics. And repeated ad-nauseum. It was amusing circa 2006 but it gets old — although I suspect the formula generates more hits for Seed’s ad revenue than anything actually about science would.
#24 Dan
January 17, 2009

I can relate to the many “meh” moments of blogging, especially out of obligation. Getting involved in Bitesize Bio created that blogging-out-of-obligation sense for me too – but I still have Migrations, which I do for me and for nobody else.

If your heart isn’t in it, then by all means stop blogging. Evolgen will be missed though. Best of luck!!!
#25 gaffa
January 17, 2009

thank you for all them posts!
#26 Monado
January 17, 2009

Thanks for all the science posts! And good luck in the future.
#27 Jonathan Eisen
January 17, 2009

Michael Jordon. Brett Favre. Lance Amrstrong. Mario Lemeiux. All the greats who retired too early eventually unretire. I look forward to your return.
#28 Jude
January 17, 2009

Rats.
#29 Hsien Lei
January 17, 2009

All the best!!! Getting rid of unnecessary obligations is a good thing.
#30 JE
January 18, 2009

No regrets. It was a good run and fun for me. Thanks for telling us instead of just fading away. And you underestimate your readership. You always gotta count for lurkers. Anyway, maybe see you Iowa City or Chicago and beyond.
#31 JOSH
January 18, 2009

I enjoyed reading your BLOG because it helped me stay up to date with chatter in the field. Sorry I didnt take the time to join the discussion so you knew I was a subscriber. Best of luck!
#32 David
January 18, 2009

Your rant on the definition of the gene was one of the funniest things I ever read on this series of tubes.
#33 Alex Palazzo
January 19, 2009

So long Rich, I know how hard it is to blog and work in the lab.

If you happen to be in Boston in the next 6 month, or in Toronto after that, give me a shout and we’ll knock down a few on me.
#34 DNA Lady
January 20, 2009

Sorry to see you go. Best of luck!
#35 Kevin Zelnio
January 20, 2009

Take care Rich and good luck with the postdoc. Lets keep in touch (especially since I am doing pop gen now!). If you consider twitter or friendfeed, make sure to give me an add. I’ve always enjoyed the posts and know many lurkers who did as well.
#36 John Logsdon
January 20, 2009

I’m now #36 to say that you will be missed. That’s a few more than your estimate of five. Sporadic posting is Ok (perhaps not for SEED), so I hope that you will revive the blog someday in a way that works for you. See you in Iowa City in June!
John
#37 Louise
January 22, 2009

I find it interesting that your good-bye to the blog coincides with my good-bye to many years of temporary teaching and research positions in systematics and population biology and hello to a PERMANENT technical lab position, and hence, good-bye to blogging about job related stuff… Thanks and good luck!
#38 Kris
January 23, 2009

Sorry to see a fellow blogger hang up his keyboard. I enjoyed reading your well thought-out posts. In particular your post about Palin and the fly comment was the best I read on any blog out there. I can’t pay you anything at this point but I would like to invite you to contribute to our blog. It has the larger theme of free-thought and is called Tom Paine’s Ghost. If you are interested in contributing whatever kind of post you like you are more than welcome. At this point we have a few dozen subscribers but we are growing our readership every week. This week might be a higher traffic week with Thomas Paine being quoted in the inauguration and his birthday coming up on the 29th of January.
Good luck in whatever you do.
-Kris