some of you have noted it's amazing what i can produce on this substack despite using time on the margins for me (eg before i go to sleep usually). two things
- the editor does a lot of work, so a lot of the writing is the editors even though the ideas/facts originate from me
- i usually do almost zero original research for the posts. all about stuff i have been reading since i was a kid. 'i write what i know' so to speak. that makes a huge difference time wise
Happy anniversary and thank you for all the work you do Razib. I did better on the quiz than I expected, most of my wrong answers came from choosing between two options rather than pure guessing. Now I know I need to review the Yamnaya/Sintasha content as well as wrap my brain around the haplotype stuff.
Congratulations! I find myself wishing that more of my favorite writers would join Substack. I prefer paying for what I find worthwhile. An example: Glenn Reynolds. I have zero interest in the crap that the other people hitchhiking on his blog write. I’d love to be able to pay for what he writes, whenever he might feel like writing it.
I’m not as optimistic as you, though. I can’t see this platform bucking the headwinds we face for much longer. I’ll enjoy it while I can.
And again, thank you sincerely for your work here. I read far, far more than I comment. But almost everything is worth my time.
Hey Razib, I've been reading your Substack for about 6 months and so far yours is the only one I've shelled out $$ for. Not that there aren't other worthy ones, but I really appreciate the flow and clarity of your writing, which is important for someone like myself who isn't fluent in the sciences but has developed a mid life interest in prehistory and ancient DNA. Congratulations on your continued success and keep it up!
Your affirmation of Substack is admirable, but your work in elucidating ancient genetics is the lodestone. Your writing being non-pareil, I delight in that. Your professional expertise is priceless, a needle in our adopted Substack.
I had thought your research and writing on genetic history was your full time profession. It's humbling and somewhat awe inspiring to learn that in fact this is your side gig. Would love to learn more about your start-up.
Flabbergasted to hear you have a "day job" as well as being a man of such prodigious output. I'm a recent subscriber but have been a reader for far longer. I'm glad things are going well for you and having taken the test (16), it confirms the large number of articles I will need to read now I am beyond the paywall.
I find it hard to credit the energy and discipline it must take to read and digest the source material let alone turn it into such engaging and informative narratives. I imagine that the long term discipline of writing has been beneficial to organising, clarifying and synthesising your wide ranging interests into a coherent whole.
From the comments and your numbers its apparent that I am not alone in appreciating your work. I just hope that Reich and his ilk keep finding and analysing the DNA and that you keep using your alchemy to turn the base data into golden histories for your readers.
Razib, I know this is WAY off topic, but I've heard that Mbuti (African pygmy) people have shockingly short natural lifespans, and this is apparently largely due to genetic factors. Surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be much research on this. I'd be very curious if you have any thoughts on this.
some of you have noted it's amazing what i can produce on this substack despite using time on the margins for me (eg before i go to sleep usually). two things
- the editor does a lot of work, so a lot of the writing is the editors even though the ideas/facts originate from me
- i usually do almost zero original research for the posts. all about stuff i have been reading since i was a kid. 'i write what i know' so to speak. that makes a huge difference time wise
Happy anniversary and thank you for all the work you do Razib. I did better on the quiz than I expected, most of my wrong answers came from choosing between two options rather than pure guessing. Now I know I need to review the Yamnaya/Sintasha content as well as wrap my brain around the haplotype stuff.
Congratulations! I find myself wishing that more of my favorite writers would join Substack. I prefer paying for what I find worthwhile. An example: Glenn Reynolds. I have zero interest in the crap that the other people hitchhiking on his blog write. I’d love to be able to pay for what he writes, whenever he might feel like writing it.
I’m not as optimistic as you, though. I can’t see this platform bucking the headwinds we face for much longer. I’ll enjoy it while I can.
And again, thank you sincerely for your work here. I read far, far more than I comment. But almost everything is worth my time.
Good luck!
Belated happy anniversary! This is one of the best blogs/substacks and your writing is engaging and superb. Looking forward to more articles.
Hey Razib, I've been reading your Substack for about 6 months and so far yours is the only one I've shelled out $$ for. Not that there aren't other worthy ones, but I really appreciate the flow and clarity of your writing, which is important for someone like myself who isn't fluent in the sciences but has developed a mid life interest in prehistory and ancient DNA. Congratulations on your continued success and keep it up!
Your affirmation of Substack is admirable, but your work in elucidating ancient genetics is the lodestone. Your writing being non-pareil, I delight in that. Your professional expertise is priceless, a needle in our adopted Substack.
This the only Substack I pay for, keep going Razib! I truly hope your prediction on Substack remaining an open platform comes true.
When will you be able to share an update on that startup? :)
I had thought your research and writing on genetic history was your full time profession. It's humbling and somewhat awe inspiring to learn that in fact this is your side gig. Would love to learn more about your start-up.
Flabbergasted to hear you have a "day job" as well as being a man of such prodigious output. I'm a recent subscriber but have been a reader for far longer. I'm glad things are going well for you and having taken the test (16), it confirms the large number of articles I will need to read now I am beyond the paywall.
I find it hard to credit the energy and discipline it must take to read and digest the source material let alone turn it into such engaging and informative narratives. I imagine that the long term discipline of writing has been beneficial to organising, clarifying and synthesising your wide ranging interests into a coherent whole.
From the comments and your numbers its apparent that I am not alone in appreciating your work. I just hope that Reich and his ilk keep finding and analysing the DNA and that you keep using your alchemy to turn the base data into golden histories for your readers.
Thank you and best wishes
Razib, I know this is WAY off topic, but I've heard that Mbuti (African pygmy) people have shockingly short natural lifespans, and this is apparently largely due to genetic factors. Surprisingly, there doesn't seem to be much research on this. I'd be very curious if you have any thoughts on this.