Retiring at Nine

This blog is now 9 years old. My first post was on February 26th 2003. Since then the early UK blog network that it was a part of has largely fallen away. Blogs then were used a bit more like Twitter, with multiple postings per day. These days, blogs have become less frenetic, have donned the corporate pajamas of old media, and twitter has become the initial chopping board for most issues. Sometimes for the good, sometimes, when perhaps more calm consideration is required, for the bad.

Some of the things I am interested in are now covered far better (and certainly more quickly) by others. The blog has at least outlived the credibility of Andrew Wakefield’s hoax theory about autism and MMR vaccine (if not the consequences of it), which was a pet hobby of mine (although my involvement in tackling anti-vaccinators goes back to internet newsgroups in the 1990s).

In any case, in the past year or two this blog had become moribund, despite a recent spurt of activity. As a procrastination outlet/tool, it allowed me space to think in a way that more formal and structured academic writing didn’t. Sometimes, the ability to write a quick blog post paradoxically seemed to get the juices flowing in order to tackle a bigger piece of work elsewhere (i.e. my PhD) and it improved my writing skills. Some of the material on this blog ended up in or inspired academic papers, posters, and letters to journals. However, it is time to move on.

Thanks to all those who have linked to, written comments on, and read the blog. Any future writings on the net will be hosted either at www.anthonycox.org, possible occasional pieces at Left Brain, Right Brain, or at another potential work-based project that is in the conceptual stage (or perhaps more accurately mild flirtation before dating stage).

Farewell.

Anthony