First, the query: Is Protein Wisdom at all pertinent without Jeff here?  TSI, Darleen, JHoward, the folks at the Pub and I have done our best to keep the ball rolling while Jeff’s been gone, but nobody at PJM will link to us, so pariahish have we become.  What, apart from begging for links, can we do to raise the profile of the site and better serve the faithful audience? (Note: Maybe I don’t see those links on Google or Technorati).
Second, the proposal: it wouldn’t take place on these pages, but if I were to offer a course on Shakespearean metapoetics (how Shakespeare inscribes his theory of language into his plays), would there be any interest among readers for such a course?  Last semester I was overemployed, and this I’m underemployed, so this would be a paying proposition, though I’d try to keep the price reasonable.  I think Jeff might be well served doing something similar, but we don’t communicate much these days, and I don’t want to bother him.  We’d do Riffaterre’s Fictional Truth (buy it used), Shapiro’s 1599, Garrett Stewart’s Reading Voices, and David Quint’s Epic and Empire as background reading to the Arden editions of Julius Caesar and Antony & Cleopatra, before turning to Othello and Hamlet. We’ll consider the nature of pre-lexicographical English, punning, censorship and interpretation, the legitimacy of reading playtexts as written texts, and the theoretics of what I like to call “hallucidation.” I think I would need a minimum of 6 interested people to offer the course.
Let me know what you think.
Ooh OOh, Mr. Kotter!
Advocate Democrat-Lite policies!
Be on the bleeding edge of wingnutterdom!
That’ll sure bring ’em in.
I just got back here after a month away. Where the hell has Jeff gone to? That website again? And why aren’t those graverobbing zombies at PJM linking to you?
Jesus.
BTW, you could open up a community college here. Maybe Glenn will advertise for you on Instapundit.
First, the query: Is Protein Wisdom at all pertinent without Jeff here?
Well, I’m enjoying it.
Second, the proposal: it wouldn’t take place on these pages, but if I were to offer a course on Shakespearean metapoetics
Sounds great. I’ve never done any formal Shakespeare studies, though I’ve read quite a bit of him. I can’t commit to a class this semester, though — I’m up to my eyeballs teaching a new graduate class that turned out to be *way* more popular than I thought it would.
However, I’d be glad to help you out with the technology end of things, if you like (volunteer basis, or maybe tuition credit toward a future course). Let’s discuss it in email.
Thanks, section9. Jeff’s on sabbatical working on a novella. If Roger’s response to my email is any indication, we have to grow up before we’ll be linked. I’ll take under advisement the community college suggestion.
I think Jeff said he was going to be working on a novel, section9.
Very kind of you, SBP. Be forewarned: I may take you up on it.
First: No, it is not the same without Jeff.
Second: Insty still links to PW. I don’t know about the causes of other non-linking/bad blood with PJM.
Third: If you want to do Shakespeare, Dan, I won’t complain. I seriously read Shakespeare about twenty years ago, and I was struck by how Shakespeare really got into how humans thought and behaved. The language was old (which was part of the charm), but Shakespeare really understood humans. His characters still live – they are comprehensible. Prince Hal and his relations with Falstaff aren’t just musty-dusty.
It is one of the difficulties with history, to try and present the truth and explain the actors with more than one motivation driving them. I think it would be a good thing to do – your own niche here.
Thanks, Mikey. I hadn’t noticed Insty linking here, but if he does, my apologies.
Who’s Shakespeare?
One cheap way to get eyeballs on your links is to go to the end of an LGF post (related, if possible, or a really recent open thread will do), then post a link, and the Lizard Army will click over, maybe give it a thumbs up, and if you’re lucky, it makes it to the top-rated links page.
It would probably look better if someone other than the author posted the link. Maybe Conservative Grapevine will give us some love, but I don’t know if they take suggestions.
Yeah, I’ve seen some Insty links from time to time, even with Jeff’s absence.
And I got a Pub link from Steve McIntyre over at Climate Audit, which made me blush. It also seems to have sent David W. scurrying back to his NY co-op.
Silly Little Country linked to TSI, wondering whether his last was the funniest blog post evah! That’s pretty good.
More Darleen pics from the 1970’s and 80’s will increase the sites profile.
Dan,
I’ve been dropping in more often now that I’ve figured out Trollhammer. (Putting some sort of link to an explanation might be helpful.) The traffic stats aren’t bad at all – is there some reason to want them much higher?
The Shakespeare course sounds interesting – why not list a sliding scale from 6 up and see what happens? No start until X signups, etc.
I’ll work that out, Rick, thanks.
I don’t know how to look up the traffic stats. I used to, but I forgot. I’m just saying that there are places that I link to that seem to have a POLICY of not linking to us.
If Roger’s response to my email is any indication, we have to grow up before we’ll be linked.
PJM wouldn’t link to PW when Jeff was posting. Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke.
What does KNOBrain say? That’s what counts.
Dan,
Click the 11.6 million number at the bottom of the page.
That sounds so cool. We should do it just to have given it a shot cause it’s such a cool idea. I have a beautiful huge The Annotated Shakespeare thingy what has all the stuff Shakespeare wrote in it that I nabbed from my uncle after he was put in the home what he never came out of. I don’t think it’s Arden it says Potter. But I can get Arden. I’m in.
Thanks, Rick, but, ugh! Steadily down from September.
Dan,
I think that PW is still pertinent and that all of you guest authors are doing a great job filling in during Jeff’s absence. While it has a distinctly different flavor without Jeff’s contributions, it’s still interseting, relevant, and has plenty of freewheeling topics…
With respect to the traffic? I am really at a loss there; some of the more savvy web denizens here would know better than I. Jeff has been complaining for a while now about lack of PJM links. My truthful opinion is that there are manifold reasons. Chiefly, I believe that sometimes they think the topics are surrounded by too much academic heft, and that they may be a bit too competitive with the writers they have in their own stable. Also, I think that they may be looking to satisfy a more partisan, as opposed to purist, audience. And I believe that there may be far too many flame wars that erupt here, often over percieved trivial insults. I don’t think that registration is necessarily the answer, but moderation may be required; not full blown censorship, but perhaps limiting the completely adversarial and asinine commentary, so that threads don’t get derailed as easily. PW isn’t as sophmoric as Ace of Spades, but it approaches it at times; and I don’t mind humor but the mindless insult throwing grows tiring…
Then again, the other sites may be looking for some vigorish, or perhaps the probability of gainng an equal number, and quality, of reader/commenters as they would offer.
These are the best observations I can offer. Again, you all are doing a great job during Jeff’s most recent sabbatical. The only improvements I could suggest would possibly be to woo Karl back; maybe you could allow him moderation rights to his posts. Or, maybe Ric would consider taking on some topics, as he is very knowledgable and good with turns of the phrase.
I know that good times are right around the bend, if we all stick to it!
Until then,
Best Wishes, and keep up the good work!
Oh, I’m no prude, but less profnity would probably help with PJM…
I like the blog. Jeff, I miss. But that’s just cause he’s gone.
And Dan, having put in many years in the academy, I would suggest that in these times Steal This Book is most appropriate and socially and politically relevant. And ironic. That is all.
oh. Karl. I will happily beg and beg for his return if that’s the plan. It sorta bugs Jeff when I do that though cause then stuff gets all rehashed and that’s no fun for anybody except maybe that one guy.
Thanks, hf. There’s a reasonably priced First Folio, and for reasons that I’ll go over, I think it’s important to keep those representations always in mind, but I’m going with the Arden because it gives the notations and the history of the quarrels. I’m of the school that thinks any “emendation” is an imposition, unless there’s overwhelming evidence in its favor, and the Arden (and the New Variorum even more–but that’s overkill in most instances) demonstrates this well.
And Dan,
Your Shakespeare course sounds lovely, but alas, I have too many irons in the fire right now to commit to it. I’m working up a text book and series of lesson plans on flight science and rocket science for talented teens, working on a serious design project of my own, as well as working on a renovation project at my house…
I know I seem to be here at PW a lot, but it’s not indicative of purely free time…
So, maybe another time my friend. You seem extremely knowledgable, competent as well as possessing of academic demeanor and dignity. And if Jeff considers you in his league, well then, nuff said! But I stand to be busy until at least mid June…
Thanks for the offer though, and good luck with the course!
PJM is marketing and distribution. Marketers like nice neat packages that fit in their nice neat niches, they don’t understand originality or nonconformity. If you really want PJM links start acting like the generic wingnuts tuberhead insists we are, maybe we could let him start editing posts for Authentic WingNut Content.
Thanks, also, Bob and cynn. I will look into stealing those books.
Because, do you know to whom Shakespeare belongs? The Ages. And I don’t think The Ages will sue.
ok. I can charge it.
Thanks, also, Bob, though I have to admit that is the first time I’ve ever been accused of possessing dignity.
If you ever find out, let me know. Someone’s got hell to pay for my boobs.
Dan
We need to “grow up”? What does that mean? I’ve actually had a couple insta-launches lately so does that mean Glenn slips out from Roger’s leash or something?
Sorry, didn’t time comment correctly. That was meant for the Ages.
I don’t much like Darleen, but I agree her posts are provocative.
I don’t know what it means, exactly, Darleen. I’m guessing it means not being so OUTLAWISH.
That’s a guess, though. And congrats on the ‘lanches.
Roger hurted my feelings. He’s mean.
Dan
I consider the ‘launches as PW’s, not “mine” since I’m just helping keep the place warm until Jeff’s return.
BTW… it’s been way way too many years since I last read/studied Shakespeare … I might like to be on the waiting list for your next class as I’m afraid I’d be way too rusty and fall behind. I’m both intrigued and intimidated by it.
Feh. Even with hf there, you’d keep up just fine, Dar.
Except for the gay puns. You’d probably fall a little behind us, there.
Instapundit has linked PW several times in recent months and he’s part of PJM.
“have done our best to keep the ball rolling while Jeff’s been gone, but nobody at PJM will link to us, so pariahish have we become.”
Why do you care about PJM so much? They are the suck.
Y’all have got a good thing going here, save for the predictable one note parasites. If you still enjoy doing this, then great. If not, then so be it. Y’all would be missed.
And he wears a silly hat while playing at newsman. So, while we’re on the subject of growing up…
Who does he think he is? Drudge?
He’s mean.
That goes nicely with his lack of anything resembling ethics. Think of it, if you must, as a package deal.
I would note that the molto famoso “Instalaunch” has become a bit reciprocal in nature due to a, well, let’s call it a lack of substantial growth, wrt traffic to his site. That does not detract from the fact that he has linked but some consideration should be given to the fact that the two way street helps him a bit.
Fuck those pricks if they can’t take a little goddamned profanity.
#23 cynn:
‘Steal This Book’.
As one who has had to pay much more than the book was worth (either as a measure of the physical thing or by that professor’s babbling) I can appreciate the title. In my experience, the academic community is so not amused when certain advocated ideas are actually acted on.
We need to “grow up� What does that mean?
Maybe no more thor taught me to cheat on my taxes jokes?
He’s the one in the videos a lot, right? He a lot belongs to the Ages too I think. I’ve never made it all the way through one of his. Bill Whittle I like cause he reminds me of Bruce Campbell.
Dan – I do have my Big Book of Shakespeare still. I think it is the Folger Library thing, but I would need to check – tissue-like paper pages. The one college work (other than an English text book – Heffernan and Lincoln(?)) that I have and still reference.
Dan:
The query: Yes, absolutely, PW is still pertinent despite Jeff’s sabbatical. Sure, Jeff’s voice is missed, I still check every day to see if Protein Wisdom (Actual) has posted, but I always read the entire front page, regardless. You and the other co-bloggers are carrying the torch in fine fashion. Keep up the good work.
So, no linky-love from PJM? Look down, not up. There are a lot of us small-time bloggers with four-digit hit counters who link to PW and ThePub often. (I freely admit, I haven’t linked much lately, but then again, I haven’t really blogged much lately.)
The Proposal: Maybe next year for Shakespeare. I’m interested, but in light of the “current conditions”, I’m devoting 2009 to a self-directed study of Ayn Rand’s work. “Who is John Galt?” indeed.
As our host would say: “Developing…..”
Michael
Supply Side Politics 2.0
Dan, I think you have my email addy – contact me as I have an idea…
I like Bill Whittle because he’s sharp as a tack. Roger makes me sleepy.
Maybe some links to Buxom Blond Buttfloss Bikini Babes would get the PJM prudes linking over her a little more often???
Dan:
Yes, I miss Jeff, but you and the other guest posters keep PW on my list of daily blog scans. Thanks.
Count me as interested in the Shakespeare course.
I’m devoting 2009 to a self-directed study of Ayn Rand’s work. “Who is John Galt?†indeed.
Try Terry Goodkind’s Faith of the Fallen, a little more optimistic take but the same basic message, and magnitudes better writing. Several orders of magnitude better.
Dan,
For what it’s worth, I think you, Darleen, TSI,et al are doing yeoman’s work in Jeff’s absence. I still read you everyday and comment once in a while. I enjoy the site.
Again, take it for what it’s worth, but you brighten my day. Thanks
Mikey, thanks. If that’s James Heffernan, I studied with him.
And Michael, thanks, too. You and other folks like Juliette/Baldilocks, Sister Toldjah, Carin, Melissa Clouthier, Kathy Shaidle, Clarice Feldman Kathleen and Beth, have kept me going.
As you see–it’s almost all women. That must be because I’m such a charmer.
psychopaths always are, aren’t they?
Before I hold forth, I just want to determine whether I can create an ordered list (or will it get eaten). Here goes:Item 1Item 2
damn
BobM, thanks, I will count you in, and JHoward, I will email you right away.
JHoward–or no, I won’t, because I can’t find you in my email: vermontaigne-at-gmail.com
And thanks, maggie, for keeping it real ;-P
Honestly, I hardly ever kill and eat anyone.
any time, Dan.
Dan,
One more thing. If it’s any consolation all of the major blogs have been experiencing a major downturn since the election really became a forgone conclusion in October; and definately since November 4…
IIRC I read that Kos was off by around 75%..! There are folks here that know how to reference that stuff…
Dan,
What do you need PJM for? I thought we were supposed to be OUTLAWS now. Can’t be an OUTLAW and run with the pack.
I think it’s that Irish thing.
I married a Welsh/Irish lass, she’s a charmer too.
Thanks, Bob. I suppose you’re right.
And Big D, too. It’s just that we want more members for our scofflaw Hasidic moped gang. For the gravitas.
Oh Jeff! Where is thy sting?
I love this blog, but, please Jeff, how about posting (posing?) just once or twice a week?
No dis to anyone who posts here at all (always interesting and open), but your “glow” is sorely missed. There are amazing people who are keeping PW going, and I love them all, but Jeff, you da bomb.
Maybe just an occasional post? I know you have grown bored with PW, but we haven’t. An oasis of sanity needs a charismatic leader, and whether you want to admit it or not, “it be you”.
I thank and admire everyone who posts here, but I think they would all agree that a post or two every month from “Our Leader” would stir up much excitement.
C’mon, Jeff. You created this Frankenstein. How about looking at a post now and then as relaxation?
You da bomb, Jeff, and we all miss you. Now that the real shit is hitting the fan, it’s hard to believe that you don’t have any desire to ream these assholes (I am watching Olberman right now).
Whatever. We miss your take on stuff…
Moped? Crap, do I have to sell the Vespa now? Did someone send out the OUTLAW handbook when I wasn’t around?
Vespa’s cool. Keep the Vespa.
Hot dog, I’m in.
As long as I don’t get a 404 page not found error, I will be lurking. I guess my small circle of friends is not enough to boost the numbers around here…. Will have to try harder
My husband has a new hackintosh for me all ready for when I’m back on my feet, with real photoshop and some video editing finally.
A few ideas roiling around but I don’t want to say yet.
PW is my home. I’m not going anywhere until PW dies a horrible flaming death.
#53 B Moe
“Try Terry Goodkind’s Faith of the Fallen, a little more optimistic take but the same basic message, and magnitudes better writing. Several orders of magnitude better.”
Thanks for the tip, B Moe. My “required reading list” keeps growing, it’s no wonder that I don’t have time to blog properly.
Michael
Supply Side Politics 2.0
I’ll do it the old fashioned way then:
To begin: Roger is part and parcel of my complaints from the Obamagasm thread over the weekend. He and his ilk have simply dragged the calcification online and proceeded to pat themselves on the back for their lack of vision.
Here’s my prescription, which, feel free to ignore it:
1. Much as I disagree with the politics of the nutroots, their arbiters have demonstrated a deeper understanding of this medium than, well, certainly PJM. The diary thing at Kos is really brilliant. The impetus and ictus of PW must and can only be Jeff. That said, the vitality, as Dan notes is the traffic. And not just any traffic – participatory traffic. I love the pub, but it’s too hidden and still feels too prescribed (not talking about content – talking about organizational concept). I don’t know how to start posting there, or indeed even whether I could.
Create a diary system that allows regulars to easily create accounts and start creating content. Then aggregate that content and elevate to the main page as useful. This would require some redesign to the main site so as to feature Jeff and still easily allow users to get to community-generated content. It has the serious potential to create much more content.
This is also useful from an SEO standpoint. Google’s algorithm is heavily weighted these days toward quality inbound links; the more you’ve got, the better your page rank. By allowing the community to generate content in this way, you’d have potentially lots of outbound links (or at least more anyway) and this would encourage reciprocation. Reciprocal links are (generally) quality links.
2. Start using other social media tools to expand reach. Witness the proteinwisdom twitter page: http://twitter.com/proteinwisdom
Jeff hasn’t posted one tweet and still he has 46 followers, which I think speaks to the value of Jeff’s and PW’s brand. Twitter is growing fast. Perhaps a small coterie of core PW authors could take responsibility for updating that page. By providing links to other sites vis-a-vis twitter (with occasional links back to PW and the diarists) will generate more traffic. Additionally, it will generate more goodwill because of the outbound links and again generate more reciprocation.
Additionally, there are other social media tools that could be leveraged. Seesmic (http://seesmic.com/) is socially networked video. All you need is a webcam and you can participate in open video conversations. These are syndicated and the videos could easily be embedded into posts and diaries.
There’s also friendfeed ( http://www.friendfeed.com/) which aggregates feeds from almost every social media tool and facilitates more discussion. A PW presence there, aggregating from all the sources of content generated through my above suggestions would, again, generate more traffic, exposure and facilitate more conversation and more inbound links.
The top-down hierarchical models that are foundational to the enlightenment paradigm are the basis ofâ€â€but are no longer paramount toâ€â€new non-deterministic models. The blogosphere is itself an example of what I speak. I contend that a combination of the fact that conservative thought is generally advanced by people who are either too old or too invested in old paradigms to understand how the internet really works and the fact that anything that remotely looks “communitarian” is eschewed by conservatives has left it (conservatism) in the dust with respect to new media. I’m convinced that Obama was elected, not because of the power of his ideas (which I’m sure many here agree he made certain to obfuscate throughout the race), but because he used these new tools effectively when his opponents basically ignored them. Obama is the most followed user on twitter, just as an example.
I’ve gone on too long. I just wanted to share my thoughts.
malalcypse the tertiary
What you say about dKos is true. It has it’s mainpage/authors/stories and then the diaries that are off to the side but still on the front page. It creates a kind of dynamic community, as insular as it is.
I miss Jeff’s posts, but PLEASE don’t stop posting in his absence. Sometimes reading this site is the only thing that gets me through a day at the academy. To know that there are so many intelligent and thoughtful (in both senses of the word, actually) people out there in the world is a wonderful thing.
As for the Shakespeare course, sounds like great fun Dan! But alas, it is not in the cards for me at this time.
I wrote Jeff a check to go to the Democrat convention and comment. He didn’t go, but he cashed the check. Disappointment.
I wrote you a check to send your boy off to some school. He didn’t go, and you didn’t cash the check. Wonderment.
Right now, I trust you more than Jeff (see above). So, while I don’t understand all those polysyllabic words, feel free to sign me up for something. Make it full of curse words, and the best way to form curse phrases, and I will be in thrall to you forever. Though, not as a golem or anything. I’ve read Cavalier and Clay, etc. Got that?
Am I widgeting on?
I’ve read Cavalier and Clay
Weird synchronicity. I just finished that yesterday, as it happens.
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union is better. Though you should read it yourself.
Sorry, “for” yourself.
Oy gevalt. Etc.
Give me a break. I;m Irish. I’m trying.
Actually, Patrick, I did go. Got in costume, too. They had no microphone for me, as it turns out. I was told that if I stood close enough to somebody that they HAD miked up, they could maybe pick me up in the background and separate it out later. So I ended up in Denver, waiting at a bar for my wife to drive all the way back down from up north to pick me up.
Give me your address or PayPal account and I will happily return your money.
“Try Terry Goodkind’s Faith of the Fallen, a little more optimistic take but the same basic message, and magnitudes better writing. Several orders of magnitude better.”
Excellent suggestion…thank you.
Dan, love it whether or not Jeff is posting.
You guys are doing a great job.
I’d be interested in the class…Mom was an English teacher before her symphony career.
Mike
This site is no longer for me.
You’re a paradox in crisis, that’s all.
Did Celine quit when the mob held burning torches and chanted his name?
Did Limonov quit when Putin threw him in a rotted cell?
Did Anne Murray quit for lack of youthful elasticity in her tits?
I’d like to do a song, if I could, it’s called Snowbird.
Beneath it’s snowy mantle cold and clean,
The unborn grass lies waiting for its coat to turn to green.
The snowbird sings the song he always sings,
And speaks to me of flowers that will bloom again in spring.
When I was young my heart was young then, too.
And anything that it would tell me, that’s the thing that I would do.
But now I feel such emptiness within,
For the thing that I want most in life’s the thing that I can’t win.
Spread your tiny wings and fly away,
And take the snow back with you where it came from on that day.
The one I love forever is untrue,
And if I could you know that I would fly away with you.
[familiar guitar solo]
The breeze along the river seems to say,
That he’ll only break my heart again should I decide to stay.
So, little snowbird, take me with you when you go,
To that land of gentle breezes where the peaceful waters flow.
[repeat chorus]
[smash guitar into amplifier]
The site is great. We miss Jeff.
Dan:
I’m not tech savvy enough to know anything about increasing traffic.
To me, the quesition isn’t necessarily how to get PJM to link to PW, but rather, how can PW best make enough money to stay afloat, right?
PW is my internet home, and certainly not because it provides what PJM does–in fact, quite the opposite. As others have said more eloquently than I can, if I wanted what PJM now does, I’d watch CBS Evening News.
I think what you, Darleen, SI, and JHo do here in Jeff’s absence is much more than mere substitution–I really enjoy your posts. Of course, PW is Jeff, and to that degree I really miss his perspective on things.
One of the things I miss is when Jeff posts as frequently as he was before leaving to pursue his novella, his output was so varied in content and style. We’d get to see the whole “Goldsteinian Range”–from quirky, to snarky, to deeply analytical. That’s what first brought me here and what brings me here first, whenever I log on to the ‘net.
Karl was traded to Patterico for parsnip and a bag of Funyuns.
Talk about sweet deals.
Now thor,
I don’t know exactly what went on between you and Karl, but folks here give me the impression you ran him off, or something like that.
I can’t imagine what went down, but I know that you seem to infuriate some of the folks here; me, not so much…
That parsnip person is maddening though; unlike yourself, he/she can’t seem to stay focused on a train of thought and refuses to answer any questions I pose or counterpoints I make…
But I don’t hate parsnip or anything like that; it’s just hard to carry on a conversation…
Have a lovely day
They say blogging is therapy, and if so, parsnip reverses the nurse/patient relationship here.
He/she funnies the interwebs.
Jeff, why is this site no longer for you? Why so cryptic and mercurial about it? What would it take to get your reliable support? At least give us that.
I just emailed Dan with an idea I hope strikes his fancy — it’d be a viral outreach I think the movement needs. My point is that there are ways, as MtheT points out in #75, to get things done, but cooperation, even in handing over reigns, is everything. Ideas we all have, feet on the ground we need. We’d need a conference in Denver and a gameplan, a challenging pair of requirements to pull off even in good times.
I write most poorly of the PW stand-ins and I don’t have time to take from just surviving to do more than the few I already do, but I can visualize and could contribute a platform that I think would give the movement, such as it is, new energy. That I can contribute. Let’s see what Dan thinks and if he feels the concept has legs — it’d be all guerilla marketing but that falls right in with what made PW, which is your talent, Jeff. This whole place was done virally.
So to come back to it, at least define your position, okay? Too much, too far, too long to just throw the key in the street. This was good enough to support financially before and I’d do it again.
How about the rest of you? I refuse to believe we couldn’t undertake a little remodeling, reestablish the tip jar, and start writing the next chapter. Jeff, I think you owe (yes, owe) the community a commentary on reviving public speaking. Yours. Under what conditions would you write here again? There must be some.
Love ya, man. Pls do it.
#55 Dan:
Yes. Writing, A College Handbook 2d Ed., James A.W. Heffernan and John E. Lincoln. I keep it in the office.
Wow after a night of Carlo Rossi and bitterness, someone decided to clean up the mess left over. And I thought Jeff was angling for Mayor of Portland with his advice (either that or to take over Dan Savage’s gig at the Stranger).
Sorry for saying you needed a trade. It was a joke.
“Comment by Jeff G. on 1/27 @ 2:30 am #
This site is no longer for me.”
For you? It is your site. I would suggest fixing/altering/rearranging it as you see fit.
Joe, your empathy was overwhelming.
Dillo-ku
Armadillo sighs
it dances, dances, dances
They shoot ‘dillos, too.
Jeff, your mark is all over this site, even if you don’t post for a while. It’s why we’re all here.
I’m looking forward to the novella, too.
Speaking of Jews what write, I enjoyed Neil Gaiman’s reaction to winning the Newbery yesterday.
It’s refreshing to see something like The Graveyard Book win rather than some piece of PC crap. Hope and change indeed.
Your son would probably like this book a lot, assuming that he doesn’t already have it.
“Try Terry Goodkind’s Faith of the Fallen, a little more optimistic take but the same basic message, and magnitudes better writing. Several orders of magnitude better.â€Â
Thanks for the tip, B Moe. My “required reading list†keeps growing, it’s no wonder that I don’t have time to blog properly.
I would recommend this book to anyone feeling a little down at the way things are going in the world. I just finished it and it really cheered me up a bit. A warning, I am a geek, and it is a wizards and warriors fantasy so it might not be for everybody, and it is in the middle of a series so it might be kind of confusing in the beginning, but it is a great read with an optimistic outlook on our current times.
Looks like I went to bed too early last night. What the heck happened?
“Is Protein Wisdom at all pertinent without Jeff here?”
No, it is not. Protein Wisdom is Jeff. But Jeff can live up on his mountain and just come on down into town and raise hell, throw some rocks, and then leave for a while.
Like Ernest T. Bass.
Big D. Most of the mess is cleaned up now. But the house got trashed during the party.
Joe,
I followed the thread until 12 eastern time. What happened after that?
A synopsis would be nice. I left too soon last night as well.
Personally, Dan, I’d think there is no meaningful way to define pertinence of a website other than by the viewership data. On the basis of viewership data, I think you need to define your own baseline for pertinence.
And I don’t think you can count on PJM for any help, whether you ban profanity or not. They’re developing a business model that just does not include a site like this. I remember a few years ago when Hugh Hewitt praised Jeff and this site heavily on his nationally syndicated radio show. And that was when the site was 100% Goldstein, with full-throttle cock-slapping and Shannon Elizabeth’s nipples. I don’t think that would happen anymore. Guys like that, who are joining PJM or Townhall, are just moving in a different direction.
I’d think the site best pulls through by not worrying about what PJM does, but instead catering to its own market. Which would obviously be much more easily done if Jeff G. decided to get involved again, but that doesn’t sound like it’s happening any time soon.
Lest that sounded too negative, let me point out that I think you guys do a very good job, given what must be the difficult task of writing for a readership that was formed on the basis of another guy’s distinct style.
BMoe: I’m reading through that series now even though I’m not a fantasy maven. Faith of the Fallen is by far the best of the series (so far) and has a message that is both uplifting and sobering.
I’ve got a query of my own, Dan. It is, what provoked your query “Is Protein Wisdom pertinent?”?
You are in the woods, you have selected your tree, you’ve chosen your fall path, you’ve made a clean sharp facecut, you’re two-thirds the way through your backcut and you stop to ask, “Do I really need this tree?”
“Talk about sweet deals.”
You, on your most inebriated days, don’t believe that shit. Alphie is worthless. You know this. I wasn’t a huge fan of Karl’s stuff as I don’t really care for the “politics” of well, politics. But, Karl was informative at least.
Jeff, this site DOES need you. It IS you. I appreciate Dan, Darleen, JHO and TSI’s posts, too, but the fact remains any and all lurkers, occasional commenters and prolific commenters are hanging around waiting for you. I can’t wait for the book, so there’s a double treat for your fans. The book, and you, roaring back claiming your site. You da man. You know that.
Or, yannow, we could just tell each other dirty jokes.
Comment by Bob Reed on 1/27 @ 9:19 am #
“Joe,
I followed the thread until 12 eastern time. What happened after that?”
In response to Jeff’s comment about Stephen Green, “the other Colorado Jew blogger” (in Jeff’s words) I suggested that at least Green can make a decent drink and that perhaps Goldstein should work on a trade of his own. Jeff, channelling his inner Glenn Greenwald, suggested I blow him. Things went downhill from there.
“I followed the thread until 12 eastern time. What happened after that?”
Well, Jeff took down the thread, so I don’t want to say too much. I will say this.
Some idiot started complaining about his donation, and how Jeff hadn’t properly responded and been grateful.
I put up a spirited defense of Jeff, with Jeff coming in once or twice for support.
We finally got the guy to admit he was wrong, for about 10 seconds.
He then flipped and complained about how Jeff hadn’t given him special treatment.
We both threw up our hands, and said the hell with it.
I can understand why he is pissed…the frustration has to be seriously stressful at times…
Mike
Joe,
I see, said the blind man…
So how long after that was it deleated?
Some people can’t seem to distinguish between donations and purchases, it seems. Meh.
Lt. York, I did not help matters when I suggested all the talk of rebates made me think I was at G.I. Joes. But I was annoyed by Jeff telling me to blow him (and he got graphic about it).
Thanks for your take on it Lt…
Sorry I didn’t stay up to soldier on with you…
Best Wishes
It seems that I go to bed just before the bottles start breaking and the SWAT team busts down the door. Which is stellar timing, if you ask me, and you didn’t, but I’m gonna say it anyhow.
I agree with Lt. York on the whole donation thing, but Jeff was on a tear long before that. It was entertaining and disturbing at the same time (like most good parties).
No question Joe did not help, but the private emails Jeff and I traded seem to indicate that the money issue had him annoyed.
Bob, the deletion didn’t take long, maybe 5 minutes.
I think this is all I should say on behalf of Jeff, and let him address the rest if he wishes.
All I know is that Patrick Carroll seems to lack a certain amount of…personal honor.
Jeff started quoting Calvino and I corrected him by explaining the nuances lost in the translation into English. Jeff then declared himself a member of the Communist Red Brigades and claimed he’d from now on spend his remaining spare time teaching himself Russian. It was bizzarro. I was simply trying to help!
Well Lt,
Some folks have no shame…
Thanks again
Sorry about stirring the pot the money issue. You spend time doing a blog, it is probably a losing money proposition or barely covers the bills(you really got to either suck cock or slander Sarah Palin’s uterus to get a well paying gig in blogging). Then to have posters demand a refund is really is enough to get the host ready to flip tables and crash chairs over people’s heads.
I’m sure you all have your strengths, but I read this for Jeff. Without Jeff, I’m just not interested. I know I’m in a minority, but that’s because of the community that built up in Jeff’s previous absence. I’m sure I’m not the only one reading less. But others are reading more.
Not trying to start a flame fest here. Just giving an honest answer to your first question. PW’s only still in my RSS reader in the hopes of Jeff’s eventual return. Don’t cost nothin’.
It was more the suggestion that I’m unethical or that I tried to scam people. Trust me, I planned on covering that convention. I went to ridiculous meetups with groups doing coverage. I appealed to PJM to get me credentials. I went downtown as planned and got kinda frozen out.
Then I saw Steve Green doing on the spot reporting for PJM, and it really bothered me. Now some douche wants his $20 back because I got stuck downtown with no ride home and no microphone and couldn’t give him the personal lapdance he thinks he paid for?
Let me put it this way: had it been me with that mic when Alex Jones was trying to incite the crowd to hurt Michelle Malkin, I wouldn’t have been standing around looking like a deer caught in the headlights. He made threatening moves toward Michelle, and I would have put him down instantly.
That’s the kind of footage that would be played forever. And they missed out, because they’ve decided to go the sanitary route and become a “respectable” news agency — over and against what they told me their mission was initially.
This site needs to grow up?
Whatever. I’d rather fail on my own terms than succeed as a partisan stooge in a fedora of “objectivity.”
Rock on.
Joe,
We all come here to read Jeff’s writing. He’s busy with another project now, so we read the posts by those folks kind enough to contribute in his absence. They are not Jeff, and do not attempt to be; but they have merit in their own right, and Jeff seems to think they are worthy of front page publishing…
We all look forward to reading Jeff’s stuff again; whether it be the novella with the famous/infamous “Fuck” chapter or his PW essays. Until then, we’re enjoying what we have got…
Your honesty, and reply to my questions, is appreciated; you seem like an OK Joe (no pun intended). While the obvious best way to “improve” PW would be by Jeff returning, none of want him to sacrifice his aspirations on our behalf. And anyway, I’m pretty sure that Dan was looking for suggestions outside of the obvious one that is Jeff returning.
I’m not bein’ scolding or adversarial, friend. I’m just sayin’
Best Wishes
Oh, and Jeff G,
If you see this, I would suggest you make more video posts of your commentary, analysis, and discussion. Perhaps more folks, especially ones daunted by the intellectual flavor of PW, would more easily get into that if they coud vid you, and get some of the connotations of your expressions, demeanor, and tone…
You don’t need no stinkin’ PJM; you’ve already got PW! And a place to showcase your own TV type stuff, if you wish…
Best of luck with the novella,
Best Wishes to you and yours…
I think me, JG and Lost Dog ought to start a country rock band.
I love Jeff too (not in a physical way as he suggested last night, but his writing). I have not posted recently but have been a long time poster and Protein Wisdom reader. I like Jeff’s writing and I like his fellow bloggers’ posts too. I made a joke about Green being better at making drinks and Jeff getting a trade and Jeff went off on me. Ok, it was a douchebag comment on my part. Sorry. But after Jeff’s blow job comments I felt compelled to serve back. If Jeff starts a verbal tennis game I am not going to pussy out of it either. I really take no offense, it is water off a duck’s back. But if Jeff is getting so fragile that this stuff bothers him (beyond immediate annoyance)and prevents him from blogging, he better get back to the book.
I made a joke about Green being better at making drinks and Jeff getting a trade and Jeff went off on me.
Really? Because it looked like Jeff made a joke back and you went off on him.
I used to wear Sarah Palin’s slandered uterus like a tube sock. It was all stretched out and caused foot fungus.
Check please!
Well, this:
“It was more the suggestion that I’m unethical or that I tried to scam people. Trust me, I planned on covering that convention. I went to ridiculous meetups with groups doing coverage. I appealed to PJM to get me credentials. I went downtown as planned and got kinda frozen out.
Then I saw Steve Green doing on the spot reporting for PJM, and it really bothered me. Now some douche wants his $20 back because I got stuck downtown with no ride home and no microphone and couldn’t give him the personal lapdance he thinks he paid for?”
would indicate that most of his grievance was with Mr. C. You just happened to be a small part of his immediate annoyance. Or at least that is my guess.
This blog is his property, as far as I’m concerned. I’ll tease him a little now and then, but it’s his property. That dictates a certain level of civility towards the host, at least the way I was raised.
If you are on a neighbors lawn, a bit of civility is required, particularly when the homeowner is dealing with the idiot living across the street.
What irked me about your comments is that you seemed to be obtuse to just how annoying to Jeff this idiot [Mr. C.] from his blog [a relatively small thing in a life with a wife and family] was being, and you were kind of poking someone who was dealing with someone who was really being a jerk.
You kind of pick the wrong time, imho.
Respectfully,
Mike
“Really? Because it looked like Jeff made a joke back and you went off on him.”
And your point is…? Have you ever been at a real party among friends or family that turned into a fist fight? You know, like a Polish wedding, or a bunch of firemen getting drunk. You should try it occasionally. It is something every man should do at least once in his life.
picked
I get the sense Joe doesn’t know me very well.
Jeff G: ya think?
Ya just might be right…got a seminar…see you guys later.
I guess not. I assumed you were not a pussy. My bad.
You’re making me feel all mature and stuff. Cut it out.
And your point is…?
That you are the fucking pussy, if you are so dense I have to spell it out.
Have you ever been at a real party among friends or family that turned into a fist fight?
Yep, and I hate fucking assholes who can’t stop crying about it the next day.
Jeff, reading all this (much less knowing the story of certain psychos that have careened into your life because of this blog)… well, I can certainly understand if you said “Screw it.”
Oh, Joe, I’ve already told you how we can settle the pussy bit. That’s twice or thrice now you’ve called me a pussy from the safety of a single name and a comfortable cyber distance.
I’m no pussy. On that you can bank. And if you’d like to arrange a meeting, I’m up for it. You can call me a pussy, throw a few roundhouse kicks my way, hit me with eskrima sticks, etc. It will be grand!
But make sure you put me down for good.
Fine. I was joking last night. I was joking today. If I deserve an asswhooping for not expressing my “intentionalism” properly as stated in another post, so be it. I do not think you are a pussy, but you are obviously thin skinned. It would be an honor to have you kick my ass, but I am going to make you work for it Mr. Mom.
Now get back to doing that laundry before your wife gets home. And start working on mixing those cocktails correctly, go to Green’s site if you need some help.
Will somebody get Joe a Kleenex?
I just got done eating a panda for lunch. NEXT!
On the proposal side, Dan, I’d very much like to read here a post (or two or more) on such stuff as the theoretics of hallucidation, or even, for that matter any Bardic ancillaria that may strike your fancy.
I’m a lurker, but I think this is a good site. I did/do enjoy Jeff’s posts, although they are pretty “brainy” (and I have a Ph.D.) to such an extent that I never comment(ed) on them.
Personally, I don’t find PJM helpful/relevant/interesting as a site — I never go there. I would not sweat the links (or lack thereof). You do get links from HotAir and neoneocon from time to time.
Profanity? Well, it’s not as rampant here as Ace of Spades. I can take it, although sometimes it — and the flame wars — drifts into a type of machismo that I don’t enjoy, maybe ’cause I’m a chick. Again, not as bad as at AoS, but a bit annoying.
My advice to increase traffic is to add a “headlines” section. The sites that I go to first, HotAir and AoS, both have headlines and it is one of the reasons I go there.
Cheers.
That is a good idea about the headlines. Or … I like the headlines in the post so you can comment on stuff I think. Also headlines are work. Also I don’t like clicking on MSM sites cause they are of the devil.
>> headlines are work
Yeah, I’m sure the headlines thing would be a lot of work.
One idea would be to focus on headlines that are a bit off the beaten path — in other words, don’t reinvent the wheel of what other sites that focus on political or military news are doing. Find a couple of niches in which to specialize. That way the quality would be more important than the quantity or timeliness.
For example, although I am not registered at LGF, I go there pretty frequently because I know I’ll be kept abreast of what is happening with the intelligent design movement (I’m cheating a bit b/c he doesn’t do that through a headlines section, but you get the idea). In contrast, I have become increasingly irritated by the “science” headlines section at Hot Air because they are frequently misrepresented (I gather the posters have a poor understanding of science) and the comments are inane, in part because the scientific work was misrepresented to the readers in the first place (and in part because of the readership).
I don’t know your crew very well, but if there are subsections of less time-sensitive “news” that each of you enjoys — science, religion, gun rights, etc — perhaps you could divide up the labor that way.
>>Also I don’t like clicking on MSM sites cause they are of the devil.
And you’re right about the click-throughs. Usually in the comments at Hot Air someone will summarize the news for those of us unwilling to click to HuffPo or Politico or wherever.
Oh, and I should say I like the format of giving the readers a chance to comment on the headlines either in a general thread (like Ace) or in the individual threads (like Hot Air). Just straight news linking is a time-saver, but not as fun, imho.
I like coming here because the posters find stuff I can’t find. ALso Jeff G. ALso neat commenters.
I have absolutely no suggestions, mostly because I can’t stop hitting the caps key for one thing which shows I know little about blogging.
What, apart from begging for links, can we do to raise the profile of the site and better serve the faithful audience?
Don’t ask me, I’ve been at this for 3 years and I can’t get past 300 visitors a day. At around December 1st, my visitor numbers dropped in half. What happened? Who the heck knows? I send out stuff hoping for links, I write the best stuff I can… nothing really seems to work. If you can’t make it happen on a big blog like this, what hope do the rest of us have?
Man, I missed a lot by going to bed so that I could go to work today.
Also headlines are work
THOR TAUGHT ME TO CHEAT ON MY TAXES !!!
So-Called “Incarcerated Marmoset” Says
…
Nope, easy.
Oh,hell, I’ll link to you.
Cuz that’s just the kind of guy I am.
It is sometimes very difficult to click in to PW. Particularly in the small wee hours in the UK. I assumed it was because of hvi tfc. Best blog in the ‘Sphere, by a country mile, Jeff or no Jeff. As for Shakespeare – wish I could afford you and that my memory was still intact, I dip into PW and the Bard every day (and see the correlation). I see the man is back, anyway. Was this a ruse, Dan? Methinks the gentleman doth ….
and commits an injustice to himself in the process. I’ve been ear’oling since 1952, in Morse the Russians, Czechs, Hungarians Poles, Bulgarians, etc, behind that tin curtain; Yanks and dodgy Brits on this side, since then on the trombone taps crooks assorted – from petty villains, Mafia Dons (and Kosher Nostra Associates), then TV and deadtree media, inc. my heroine Melanie Phillips then in blogworld, and the wider MSM. No lurker has lurked more.
But nothing quite so entertaining as Dan Collins in full flight of fancy whether on PW or elsewhere. TDA days were great. How the hell do you do it with a fulltime family with all attendant problems, job et alia? Manic! Don’t underestimate your contribution to the world, man. Prolific.
Sorry to be patronising, as we Brits tend to be by birth. But I mean it.
Relevant without Jeff? Yes, but not the same. Not better or worse…just not the same.
I, too, miss Jeff.
As for the calss thing, not a topic I would really go for. Some other sort of topic…quite possibly. Whoever had the “community college” idea had the nugget of a potentially good idea. Could be a great way to drive traffic to the site…become sort of a outlaw educational commune.
Awww, who am I kidding? I just want to bang hippy chicks.
I want this to be respectful because I don’t want Jeff to even threaten to open a can of whoopass on me, but…
I’ve been following this site for several years now and I have a couple of observations.
First, I don’t really comprehend the obsession with PJM. I thought it was a great idea when Jeff did the video reports for Hot Air (& PJM?) but they were so short-lived. Perhaps that was because of timing of the flare-up with “She-who-must-not-be-named?” But it was a great idea that died in it’s infancy. Is the continued focus on PJM because of some unfulfilled promises made by them then? I don’t get it. To me, acknowledgement by Instapundit (who I read multiple times every day) is worth 10X more than anyone else (or the whole group combined) on PJM. I think they’re hurting their own brand by being exclusionary, but that’s no reflection on this blog.
Secondly, one thing that turns me off about PW sometimes is Jeff’s love/hate relationship with this blog and his petulance about it. Having said something so provocative I’ll now say that I get it. I have my own blog and I feel it too, sometimes. I think every blogger feels that way when they put a lot of effort and thought into something, and they’d like “something” back, but don’t feel they’re getting it. When we don’t get it we feel like “Why the hell do I bother?” Still, this blog gets a lot more attention and has a lot more devoted following than the vast majority of bloggers could ever expect. What is it exactly that you all want? Is it really all about PJM? Maybe you’ve picked the wrong set of peers in your search for approval…I don’t know.
Finally, I’m not going to pretend to be as clever as most of the people posting or even commenting here. I’m giving you something you rarely see here, a sincere comment. Many of your posts are way over my head and don’t even aspire to understand all of it. I come for the insights I do understand, I come for the giggles, and I come because of your community. I just wish you all could have more appreciation and some peace with what you *do* have.
Say, that was a good comment VAHighlander. I’ll leave it to you to defend its intricacies and only criticize this one aspect. Namely that you haven’t commented enough before and would do us all a solid by commenting more frequently. Come on join in the fray.
“Is Protein Wisdom at all pertinent without Jeff here?
What? Over? Did you say over? Hey nothing is over until we say it is! Was it over when the German’s bombed pearl harbor? Hell no!
[…] Why do I not care for them so much there as at their own sites? There are a lot of good ideas in that thread that I’ve still to properly digest, and others that I’ve received via email to which I […]
The Montgomery prison diaries-esque posts from your trial and imprisonment might just be what classical liberalism needs to explode into the mainstream. It is too bad you weren’t the correspondent.
One lurker’s take: Jeff is batshit crazy but at least he’s original. The rest of the posse is pretty boring. And frankly the ideas are pretty stale – – the market, as they say, has moved on.
One lurker’s take
One regular’s take: Buh-bye.
Yeah, you lurk here even though it’s “boring” and the “ideas are stale”.
Right.