Happy birthday to Metamagician and the Hellfire Club!

This blog is now six years old. In fact, I'm a day late wishing it happy birthday, as it was on 26 March 2006 that I made that very first test post, followed by a batch of others on the same day, including my first post of any substance (relating to a talk that I gave in Melbourne shortly before on the concept of sinning against nature (complete with a couple of photographs from the night)).

So much has happened since, both bad and good. I had a peer-reviewed paper on the topic of sinning against nature published later that year in The Journal of Medical Ethics, and I've had various other peer-reviewed papers in good academic journals, and other articles in good magazines and online publications ... plus chapters in wonderful books (and even a stray short story in yet another wonderful book). But this same period also included the death of my mother, after long illness, in early 2008. About the same time, I took over as editor-in-chief of The Journal of Evolution and Technology, and I brought that second Ph.D to successful completion later the same year.

I've had books published (50 Voices of Disbelief, co-edited with Udo, in late 2009, and Freedom of Religion and the Secular State in early 2012 (with the Kindle edition apparently available in the UK in late 2011, but that's a complication)), signed other book contracts that I now need to fulfil, had numerous overseas trips (including five to the USA alone), and shifted 600 miles north. And there have been other events, some dramatic, some less so, in my life. I've met all sorts of people, including the likes of Richard Dawkins, AC Grayling, and Daniel Dennett, and on and on (too many fantastic people, famous or otherwise, to list). I've been mixed up in all sorts of debates and controversies. What a six years it's been!

So happy birthday again to Metamagician and the Hellfire Club! And thank you to all who have supported this blog throughout that time, and/or supported my work in other ways. It's much appreciated. And to my dear friends, family, loved ones in general, who give me your love and support amidst the ups and downs and controversies ... well, you know who you are, and (I hope) you know how I feel about you.