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10,000,000

i-987121d295bbc656c927d593cb59bfd2-500px-Dr_Evil.jpg

I demand the sum of…..ten MILLION visits! Muhahahahahaha!

Yes, I know I did that bit before—twice, three times, even!—but I liked it so much that I wanted to do it again, at least until my readers run screaming away, annoyed that Orac, of all people, would recycle the same old joke over and over.

Of course, after 3,000,000 visits, I basically gave up even noticing at each new million visit mark; so it’s been nearly three years since I recycled this particular joke. This time’s different, anyway, even though it’s been six years, four months, and ten days since December 11, 2004 that I’ve been at this.

Sometime yesterday while I was in the O.R., this blog hit another milestone. Sometime yesterday afternoon, Respectful Insolence™ recorded its 10,000,000th visitor. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Sure, I know there are for whom 10,000,000 visits equal about three or four months’ worth of traffic, but this box of blinky, multi-colored lights does what it can.

Inferiority or superiority complex notwithstanding, I still remain incredulous that there are that many out there who are willing to read what I lay down almost every day. (You might have noticed of late that I rarely post on weekends anymore.) All I can do is thank you all for reading and hope that you keep it up as I continue to lay down the Insolence, both Respectful and not-so-Respectful, on those who need it and crave it most desperately. In the meantime, maybe I’ll take a day off…

Or not. Stay tuned if you want to find out.

By Orac

Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as David Gorski.

That this particular surgeon has chosen his nom de blog based on a rather cranky and arrogant computer shaped like a clear box of blinking lights that he originally encountered when he became a fan of a 35 year old British SF television show whose special effects were renowned for their BBC/Doctor Who-style low budget look, but whose stories nonetheless resulted in some of the best, most innovative science fiction ever televised, should tell you nearly all that you need to know about Orac. (That, and the length of the preceding sentence.)

DISCLAIMER:: The various written meanderings here are the opinions of Orac and Orac alone, written on his own time. They should never be construed as representing the opinions of any other person or entity, especially Orac's cancer center, department of surgery, medical school, or university. Also note that Orac is nonpartisan; he is more than willing to criticize the statements of anyone, regardless of of political leanings, if that anyone advocates pseudoscience or quackery. Finally, medical commentary is not to be construed in any way as medical advice.

To contact Orac: [email protected]

57 replies on “10,000,000”

Nah, I need my almost daily dose of Insolence. Keeps me sane while I am doing data analysis.

MI Dawn

I, for one, adore the daily dose of insolence you provide. Reading your blog along with PZ’s, Starts With A Bang and Isis’ throw downs have opened new vistas and avenues to further my understanding and learning of a multitude of subjects.

The best part? The cold, hard facts that back up the information contained therein.

Keep fighting the good fight, you sexy box of blinking lights, the world needs your form of insolence!

Hey, as long as you keep laying down the rationality and reason, facts that, like a good steak, are generously marbled with tasty insolence, we’ll keep on a-readin’.

Hmm. Steak. Is it too early for steak?

Congrats Orac. I’ve been keeping an eye on your ticker… pretty awesome.

Todd:

It’s never too early for steak. Or beer. Preferably together! Cheers!

If you’re following an exponential scale, does that mean the next announcement will be for the 10 to the 8th visitor?

Congratulations and keep that insolence coming! 🙂

Orac: You are *l’ordinateur sans pareil* and thus cannot have _any_ complexes- inferiority, superiority, or slipshod revenants from the collective unconscious- since you are breathtakingly *perfect* in every way. We loyal minions are simply more aware of this fact than are scoffers because we ain’t too shabby ourselves. Basking in your light, DW

BTW- ironic, but 10,000,000 *yesterday*- wasn’t that the “bad day”? You know.

Not too shabby. Congrats!

Keep up the insolence, and your loyal minions will keep giving you hits.

Just keep ’em coming, Orac. I must be responsible for at least 1,000 of the 10 million “hits”…and I’m a relatively new visitor.

My new morning ritual along with the coffee…a good dose of insolence. Congratulations!

Congratulations Orac. I certainly enjoy your posts, and the good-natured banter in the comments, of course.

I don’t know if anyone mentioned it at the time, but Orac made a rare, brief appearance on UK TV recently. Check it out here: (probably NSFW) at about 6:50. Those who are unfamiliar with the reference might find it enlightening.

Charlie Brooker’s description seems a little harsh though: “A whirring, winking, smartarse in a box who loved himself almost but not quite as much as an I-Phone.” Some mistake, surely…

Maybe a few more need to read your vaccine blogs:

Europe, especially France, hit by measles outbreak
Published April 21, 2011

GENEVA – Europe, especially France, has been hit by a major outbreak of measles, which the U.N. health agency is blaming on the failure to vaccinate all children.
The World Health Organization said Thursday that France had 4,937 reported cases of measles between January and March — compared with 5,090 cases during all of 2010. In all, more than 6,500 cases have been reported in 33 European nations.
***
“One of the problems is that people have fear of the vaccine more than the disease,” Martin said. “People forget how severe measles can be.”
***
Measles symptoms include fever, cough, spots on the cheek and a rash. It is spread through close contact including coughing and sneezing and is especially serious in babies and people with weak immune systems. Health officials estimate complications affect one in every 15 children infected, including pneumonia, seizures and encephalitis.

Rest of article at:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/04/21/europe-especially-france-hit-measles-outbreak/

Big article on Wakefield in the NY Times today. Can’t wait to get your take on it.

I am very thankful your blog exists to cleanse my mind after reading so much woo that happens in the world.

At Li: Thanks for the heads up about the NY Times article.

I located it by keying in:

The Crash and Burn of an Autism Guru

Andy is so dopey and such a publicity whore that he agreed to being interviewed by a journalist from the NY Times; definitely not the best decision he ever made.

St. Andy the Martyr now labels bloggers and posters as “paid” co-conspirators who are “out to get him”.

Oh, BTW he is now seeking funding to investigate “Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome”. We can only hope that Andy’s “expert” testimony in Family Court doesn’t result in abused children being returned to their abuser-parents.

I thought it was a revision of the number of vaccines one individual could easily handle before safety concerns can even be questioned.

Any questioning the program before this number is simply dabbling in woo or psuedo-science.

@17 Simple Sidney

Oh sid, you’re so reliable! No matter what the topic, you can always be counted on to say something that shows your astounding ignorance. And you’re ignorant of so many topics! A real Dark-Ages man, you are.

@19 Augie Doggie

Oh, but Sidney, you do have a challenger for the Stupidity-crown! Augie is here bringing the heat. Fortunately, the two of you are of very little brain in different ways so there’s no real conflict. You repeat your own inanity so often I’d hate to see you repeating each other as well.

@ Sid Offal: 10,000,000 is the number of anti-vax articles you would have to crank out on your blog, to score the number of hits that RI receives in one hour.

@ lilady (#18): Well, are you “in”? After receiving my latest payment, started planning a trip so that we ladies can spend our filthy lucre in style. St Bart’s? Nevis? Mustique? Whatcha think?

As a grad student, I came here looking for this “filthy lucre” by becoming a BigPharma shill, but I can’t even figure out how to send them my address so I can start receiving the checks. I’ve looked all over this website, so a lot of the hits are mine, looking for the contact details, but I’ve come up empty. How does one become a paid pharma shill?

@ DW: I’ll be “in” once I get the payment. We need to get our payments in cash (no paper trails) so that we don’t get caught by the tax man. What about the other ladies who are on the payroll…any suggestions…any itineraries?

Yes, I was debating whether to blog on that here or have my “friend” do it on Monday.

I know! Maybe I’ll do both!

I only wish PZ had linked to Age of Autism. I know I hate linking to those loons, but there is the rel=”nofollow” tag, and the influx of skeptics would have driven Dan Olmsted and JB crazy. 🙂

Is there a prize for being the 10,000,000th visitor? I think it was me–I clicked on an article, I heard a mysterious musical note, and a beam of light hit me in my chair. I hope this means I’ll start getting my pharma paycheck now. Funds are getting tight…I might soon have to shill myself for that dinosaur-saddle museum in the states.

Thank you for writing this blog, Orac.

As a biology undergrad in a medically underserviced area, relatives frequently ask me for medical advice I’m not licensed or qualified to give (it seems to be a common problem for us Ontario undergrads!) I limit myself to being a pseudoscience gatekeeper. (I’m not into practicing medicine without a license.)

The links you provide to original source material are very helpful. Also the comments here, because usually Relative X will ignore my own efforts to debunk rank pseudoscience and demand to hear it from a religious person, which means I have to dig through comments for some time when Calli Arcale said the same thing I’ve been telling ’em for the last three days… Oh well.

Keep up the good fight.

Scott:

You might want to look over at Making Light (which is hosted on nielsenhayden.com) for Jim MacDonald’s posts on first aid and emergency medicine. Assuming your relatives will accept a practicing Catholic and EMT as a source of advice. (Jim is not a doctor, and the posts are not medical advice, but they’re worth reading.)

We all came for the respect … and stayed for the insolence.

Congrats. You even did it without the amazing powers of Enneman!

Along the lines of the Muhahahahahaha! photo above:

399% Increase
The headline might be a bit more shocking that the reality of the dollar figure, but the truth is that the City of Ithaca has increased the price of Cass Park docks used by the Ithaca Dragonboat Club by $399 – a 399-percent increase from the $1 it paid in 2010…

They’re only off by a factor of 100.

Congrats Orac, I am proud to have helped you hit that 10M mark. I come here in the mornings to read some sanity before being enmeshed in the craziness that is corporate life.

10 megavisits? That’s a pretty Respectable number. Congratulations.

Daily, this is usually the first blog I check. The information and logic here are fantastic, and that includes the comments (trolls excluded – they’re not worth the electrons it takes to post a rebuttal). Yes,I do like the insolence, particularly with regarding pseudoscience. I live in Florida and hear way too much boneheaded crap, and this place is the perfect port in the storm.

More than the number of hits, I’m impressed by the map of where readers are located. Now to find a way to support yourself off us and retire.

@ lilady: Although I’ve been known to accept the odd Prada bag stuffed with Benjamins or a Birkin full of hi denom pound notes, there are *so* many more creative ( and discrete) ways to be paid than cash- AmEx or VISA gift cards, *credit suisse* mini ingots, bespoke clothes.

Daniel J. Andrews: I think it was me–I clicked on an article, I heard a mysterious musical note, and a beam of light hit me in my chair.

That was the Master Control Program downloading you into the Game Grid.

Congratulations!!!

I look forward to contributing to the next 10 million.

All those thousands of immunizations I administered and all I ever got were a few cheap pens with logos on them.

DW: I was thinking of a larger haul…If I were to find a new small SUV in my driveway and keys and owner’s registration contained in a unmarked brown envelope in my mail slot…I would be delighted. Large denomination AMEX gift cards would be fine to gas that sucker up and for some fun money for our island getaway.

Liz: Great idea about Hawaii…they take AMEX gift cards there as well.

Good grief, you started on my 71st birthday, and now I’m six years, four months, and 11 days older! You are making me get old with all this insolence.

REH

Orac: dishing out doses of Respectful Insolence for 10,000,000 visitors!

Dr Evil: Still looking for a few sharks with frickin lasers.

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