As you probably noticed, I didn’t manage a post yesterday. Nor did I manage one today, other than this. That’s because I was busy preparing for QEDCon, where I will be on a panel and giving a talk, and, of course, putting together my talk. As I write this, I’m horrendously jet lagged; so I probably couldn’t write much that’s coherent anyway. Consequently, there likely won’t be any new posts until next week. I will take a moment, however, to mention that there will be significant changes to this blog in the near future. It’s a process that will likely …
Category: Blogging
On a (hopefully) brief temporary involuntary blog break
It takes a lot to stop Orac from applying Insolence to pseudoscience and quackery. One of the biggest windstorms in his lifetime did it. No jokes about wind.
Déjà vu all over again, or: Orac goes, “D’oh!”
I don’t know if other bloggers out there have experienced anything like this, but I’ve experienced this a few times since starting this blog. Last night I started writing about an article that—or so I thought— was the perfect distillation of the message of the NCCIH and its desire to co-opt nonpharmacological treatments for pain as being “integrative,” “complementary” or “alternative.” As I sometimes do when I’m tired and, no matter how hard I try, can’t motivate myself to finish it before dozing off, I chugged through about half of what I saw as the ultimate length, meaning to get …
Leaving on a jet plane…
Today, I’m winging my way to sunny Las Vegas. Yes, in the middle of summer, when southern Nevada’s weather is most like an oven, I will be there. The reason? I’ll be doing a workshop and a panel with fellow supporters of science-based medicine at The Amazing Meeting. I don’t know how many of my readers will be there, but if you’re there and see me hanging out at the Del Mar or in the hall between sessions, feel free to introduce yourself. For everyone else, I guess we’ll have to consider this an open thread. Don’t worry. I plan …
Create your own Insolence!
As seems to happen more frequently, Orac has had his attention wholly taken up by contemplating a black hole. (Actually, he’s at a medical conference on quality care in breast cancer.) Consequently, after a four and a half hour drive to the hotel, dinner out with the conference staff, and preparing for his talk, he didn’t have time to deliver the Insolence you all know and crave. So he’s asking you—yes, you!—to create your own Insolence. That’s right. It’s open thread day, although I do want there to be a bit of guidance. Are there any particular topics or targets …
On “Orac,” Isis, pseudonymity, and anonymity
And now for something completely different. There was a time when, as a blogger, I would have been instantly aware of an incident like the one I’m about to discuss, instantly aware of it and all over it within a day. That it’s been a few days since this happened, and I remained blissfully unaware of it until yesterday tells me how much I’ve changed as a blogger since my early days. Sure, some things haven’t changed much, as anyone who reads my first post cum manifesto can see if he goes back and reads it, such as the subject …
Better late than never…again
Whoa. How did I miss this? Maybe it was all the other stuff going on last week, such as the Sarah Hershberger case, multiple updates on Stanislaw Burzynski, and Katie Couric’s sort-of apology about her awful segment on HPV vaccines. So much stuff was going on that I forgot that December 11 was my nine year blogiversary. Yes, nine years ago on that day, the wonder (or at least obnoxiousness) that was Orac was born (or at least stolen from an obscure 30 year old British SF show). Since I was so exhausted last night that I fell asleep on …
An anonymous critic complains to Orac’s employers over his post on the murder of Alex Spourdalakis
Antivaccinationists, quacks, and apologists for antivaccinationists and quacks (but I repeat myself) seem to have an illusion that I’m just swimming in pharma lucre, that I sit in my underwear grinding out magnum opus-worthy after magnum opus-worthy blog posts, all so that I can rake in the cash hand over fist, lead a life of pure luxury, and enjoy ruthlessly crushing any hint of dissent regarding science-based medicine. Even if that assessment were completely true, as Lord Draconis Zeneca tells us that it is, it’s not all easy being a prolific, logorrheic pharma shill servilely doing the bidding of our …
Keep calm and carry on, Insolently.
You might have noticed that I’ve been…preoccupied. I posted a “rerun” on Thursday, and yesterday I didn’t even post at all. That doesn’t mean that I don’t check in from time to time to see what you all are doing in my absence. That’s how I saw this comment from Dangerous Bacon (cool ‘nym, BTW—I’ve always wanted to mention that): Hey, enough of this “I’m working on a grant application” excuse. Orac needs to get back up to his mom’s attic and crank out some new posts. Fear not. The grant has been submitted. On the other hand, I’m giving …
Eight years
As I mentioned yesterday, Orac is currently away at an undisclosed location that is someplace warm. He is there, taking a rare pre-solstice break, preparing for the Mayan apocalypse that is to come on the 21st of this month. (Actually, he’s recharging his Tarial cell, the better to be prepared for the utter nonsense that is to come in 2013, given that there is, at the very minimum, going to be another Stanislaw Burzynski hagiography released early in the year.) In the meantime, as I mentioned yesterday, most, if not all, of the posts this week will appear…familiar. At least, …