I never understood why SDB even read mail from strangers. It would have been completely reasonable for him to ignore it, to not even have a public email address displayed. However, I will not email him this idea.

A great and important 'early' blog. I hope he comes back; I'll miss him.

SDB, if you read these comments:

Thank you. You showed me what a life of being an engineer might lead to, in terms of thought and perception. I hope that I can someday reap some of those benefits.

And thanks for explaining how cell phones worked.

-Donut

Damn, that makes my "So long, and thanks for all the fish," email to SDB seem rather paltry in comparison.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

SDB's opus during the runup to the Iraq War was simply brilliant -- particularly the dissection and analysis of the U.N.

His cold reason will be sorely missed.

  I'm so glad we had this time together
  Just to have a laugh and sing a song
  Seems we just got started and before you know it
  Comes the time we have to say "so long" ...

I owe a lot to SDB. I won't burden him with an email. But if he happens to wander by here—thanks.

I too refrained from mailing a short thanks to Steven just because reader e-mail seems to be his special pique.

Any publishers out there? I betcha a book of his collected essays would get a huge buzz from the blogosphere.

Ive only been blogging for two weeks, and Ive already had a spate of "death threats", so I can imagine what Den Beste mustve generated with his depth in the field.

It does wear on you. Its also hard to hold conversations with people who not only dont want to think for themselves, but are seriously annoyed that you are.

I hope he takes some time off, I hope someone gathers his works into an archive. I think many of the early generation bloggers have reached the same point that Den Beste has ( rachel lucas being another I can think of). It may be a great reason for co-blogging.