Post Number 4000

Yes, Dear Readers, today I have reached a milestone - this is my four-thousandth post!

Yes, Post Number 4,000!!

I created this blog twelve years ago, after I was asked to leave an online discussion group whose members thought I was insufficiently conservative. My first post was published on March 8th, 2006, and I have posted more-or-less regularly since then.

As you know, my topics vary depending on what interests me at the time I start writing. Over time, I've established certain "regular" posts: Cartoon Saturday appears weekly; Great Moments in Editing and Signage and the Left- and Right-Cheek Ass Clown Awards appear on alternate Fridays; and Sundays alternate between Poetry and Music. The rest of the time, it's whatever I feel like writing.

Many of you have been with me for a long time, and have tolerated (if grudgingly) the full range of my random thoughts; some posts are, of course, better than others, but I think that all have something worthwhile (or at least, entertaining) to say. Here are links to a few of my favorite posts from the last twelve years:

Don't Dig Here! As a linguist, I'm fascinated by the uses and designs of language and communication, and in this post, I looked at the challenges of designing warning signs for radioactive waste dumps that will be deadly for tens of thousands of years.

Another Word for "Hero." I wrote this post after the death of American astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon; it was based on a speech I gave to my Toastmasters Club in 1977. The bottom line was that we don't need another word for "hero;" we need men and women who can live up to the meaning and expectations of the word we have.

The Ways We'll Be Remembered. This genesis of this post was a quote from a book I'd been reading - "Most human beings have vanished into the past without leaving a trace of their existence." The author's point was that few people leave anything of themselves behind after they die, such as diaries or letters to families and friends, and so there's nothing for future generations to remember them by. I think that's sad beyond words.

DUMBCON 1. This was the post in which I introduced my concept of the National Stupidity Condition (DUMBCON) based on the military's system of "Defense Conditions" (or DEFCONs). My original construction, like the military system, had five levels; I have updated and revised the system a number of times since then - it now has nine levels to accommodate the ever upwardly-spiraling level of national stupidity, and we have been at the new highest level, DUMBCON -3 (Minus Three), since June 5th, 2017.

Thoughts About Flags. On July 7, 2015, I wrote a post about the principles of flag design, and what makes a particular flag meaningful and memorable. I proposed a revision of the American flag to change the outdated symbolism of 50 stars and the red-white-and-blue motif to reflect modern American values. Check it out.

Celebrating a Life. My father passed away in January of 2015, and I wrote this remembrance of his life and the lessons he tried to teach me.

When Walls Don't Work. This post from two years ago was the latest iteration of my detailed plan for solving our contentious immigration debate. Most of you liked it as written or posed valid and well-reasoned issues; I also sent it to all of my elected representatives, who replied with the usual "thanks for your interest" form letters and went back to talking past each other.

Okay, that's enough self-congratulatory back-patting. Go back and look at those posts if you're new to the blog, or are interested in golden oldies, or just want to kill some time. And keep coming back - you're always welcome.

I want to close by thanking each and every one of my just-dropping-by readers and my regular readers and friends, some of whom I've been lucky enough to meet in person: John, Mike, Andrea, Amanda, Kathy, and Buggie, among so many others. You make writing this blog worthwhile every day.

Have a good day. Lots more thoughts coming!

Bilbo