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Sending Wintercow to the Digital Slaughterhouse
July 1, 2012 Economists

Well folks, after much reflection I have decided to end my time here at the Unbroken Window. After 2,500+ posts, with a new post  every weekday for over 5 years, I think it is time to move on. The site and archives will stay up for now. Many thanks to those of you who took the time to visit and comment and share with others. There are many reasons for this decision, one reason (but definitely not the entire one) is simply because the site is not very good (and no I am not writing that to solicit e-mails of support, but I thank those of you who are inclined to do that anyway). I think it  is good to force yourself to sit down and write something each and every day, as my children will soon learn and will probably hate me for. But I will be committing myself to other ways of writing for now, and making some other much needed changes in my life despite there being more to write about than I possibly can tend to in a lifetime. I may use the site from time to time to write pieces that I will use in my teaching and other places, and perhaps as a way to make notes to myself – I certainly will use the back-end of the site as an organizer of my thoughts even if I decide not to publish them. I also plan on taking some of the old material from the site and turning it into something a bit more useful. The site may be reborn in the future, and I suspect that if it is reborn it will be much better and more useful or take a different focus than I've presently chosen for the daily writings. 

So, thanks for putting up with the rambling, the frustration, and so on; and thanks for allowing me into your phones and laptops and your heads for a few minutes a day. May you all be healthier, happier and freer people the next time we chat. 

"21" Comments
  1. Many, many thanks for an outstanding blog – I've learned so much on this site.
     
    Also, lots of thanks for keeping the archives up, and good luck with whatever you choose to do in the future.

  2. This is a great website and I've appreciated the daily reading it has provided immensely. Because of your class, I've learned that economics is the field I want to go into and the posts from this site have solidified that. Repeating Martin, good luck with your endeavors in the future!

  3. Sorry to hear it.

  4. I’ve enjoyed your blog a great deal. I’m keeping you in my reader for a while, in case you change your mind, or need a space to vent!

    Maybe you could dial it back to the occasional post?

  5. I've saved quite a few posts from this site, and I hope that you'll get to share your thoughts in blog-form again.

  6. No!
    Great blog, and I'm very sad to see it go.  All the best.

  7. I will certainly miss the “Hmmm” factor.
    I have enjoyed the thought provoking this site evoked.
    And thanks for the recommendations on reading material.
    Regards,

  8. Very sorry to see this, but certainly understand. I've been free-riding here a long time.  😉

  9. So long, and thanks for all the posts!

  10. Thanks for challenging the way I think about the world.
    You have shaped the way I think, for the better.

  11. You'll be missed more than you know.  Good luck.

  12. I'm deeply saddened.  This was one of the first blogs I read each morning.  I'll miss your writing immensely.

  13. Very sad news – as others have said, you've helped shape the way I think about the world.

  14. What am I supposed to do now when I first get to “work” in the morning?

    Thanks for the posts Rizzo!

    Cheers

  15. Thanks so much for all the effort you've put into this site.  I do hope to see it again someday in its new form, as it has been one of the best resources I've had for introducing people to economic thought.

  16. I too will miss The Unbroken Window terribly. For me it was almost like being in your class. As Speedmaster says above, we are free-riders.
    Just this morning, Nancy Pelosi was talking about the justice of penalizing "free-riders". Maybe she could team up with Chuck Schumer and establish a penalty for not joining a "members only" version of The Unbroken Window.
    Knowing how much work you put into your teaching, It does not surprise me that the additional task of doing a daily blog is one more candle burning at both ends. I have often wondered when you would get around to writing books, op-ed pieces, and the like. You have the talent and the creative mind for it. (In that regard, I would gladly volunteer as a proofreader.)
    You are too modest when you say the blog is not very good. Not every time, but quite frequently you deal with familiar subjects in an original way, at least original enough that I had not thought of. Also, many commentators have much to say (I will miss them, too). I guess you edit out the jerks, because generally people stay on topic; very little clutter.  I know you read every post, and I as a frequent commentator (until the wordpress plugin) each time took you away from other things.
     
    It is my hope you will keep the blog alive, and I gather you are not shutting it down entirely. I, for one, would be content with an occasional piece, maybe done in combination with lecture prep. Maybe you can let us know where you are hanging out (Coyote Blog?) these days.
    Best wishes.

  17. man, is this cause of the divorce? Hang in there, bud, it's never easy.

  18. Great comment, Coyote.
     
    I'm not giving up with a goodbye, Mike, and thanks for everything.
     
    Where else but The Unbroken Window do you find unabashed support for free trade? Opposition to the Negative Railroad, and breaks in the tracks? Advocacy for unbroken windows? These are big questions. Do we have to go to Steve Landsburg now?
     
    The very fact that you, Mike, have influenced so many young students to think clearly about the world obligates you to spread your thinking. We, as your devoted friends will understand pulling back, Taking  time with your family, writing some books, getting a part-time job as a talking head, selling more books, and writing textbooks, too.
     
    However, I cannot say goodbye. We have enjoyed this selfishly for too many years, and I do not want to forego the comments of JB, Speedmaster, Chuck Martel, and others too numerous to mention. Do it weekly — just let us know when to show up.
     
    When you added this wordpress plugin, and when I was trying to get my phone to function, I set up a blog on wordpreess, which you may notice. So far it is not an operable blog, although it has bovine allusions.
     
    I hope Wintercow is continuing his migration with his herd to summer pasture, and I do not want to suggest that Wintercow attend to this matter that concerns his fans soon. Rather, should he meet with an angry coyote near his pasture, the coyote probably is worried about epistemology, as in how do I  know if I can figure out how to find something edible, when I am a coyote?
     
    Seeya, WC

  19.  
     
    its hard to articulate very clearly all of the bullshit that is going on in the world and all of the stupid crap, scientism, and false religiosity that gets peddled around by our "betters" these days, but few do it better than you and I can only hope that you quickly regain the itch to blog because i will miss your wit and intelligence that snaps me to attention every morning.
    reading your blog and taking your class has expanded my horizons and has opened new avenues of thinking, questioning, and considering the world and the challenges we face better than any other program or class could have.

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