21 January 2024
Swan song
Posted by Callan Bentley
Trumpeter Swan observed last week at Ragged Mountain Reservoir, near Charlottesville, Virginia
Well, this is it:
The last post at Mountain Beltway here at the AGU Blogosphere.
AGU has been so accommodating, hosting my blog for these past 13+ years, but they’ve let me know that it’s time to “sunset” the AGU Blogosphere. This didn’t come as a shock – the pace of posting around here has slowed way down over the past several years. I figured at some point, someone would pull the plug.
I will migrate all the content here to another site, and I may choose to continue blogging there, but at the moment my three-years-plus of low blogging inspiration feels like it’s going to continue. I’ve found more inspiration to write when I’m adding content to my free, online Historical Geology textbook.
I’ve also been motivated to make video lately, and have produced a lot of YouTube videos over the past year. I’d hope to continue doing that.
And I’ve found a new social media home – Bluesky, a very oldschool-Twitter-feeling service, with none of the odious baggage that comes with the actual Xitter. (Quitting that when I did feels very prescient; I’m proud of that move.) Bluesky feels like the premuskian days at Twitter, complete with a lot of familiar “geotweeps” — I hope more geoscientists find their way there.
I’d like to thank María-José Viñas for recruiting me to be a founding blogger at the AGU Blogosphere, and grateful to all the technical support AGU staff has extended my way through the years, in particular Larry O’Hanlon, Mike McFadden, and Anthony B.
So long, compadres. Happy trails!
Callan Bentley is Associate Professor of Geology at Piedmont Virginia Community College in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. For his work on this blog, the National Association of Geoscience Teachers recognized him with the James Shea Award. He has also won the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council on Higher Education in Virginia, and the Biggs Award for Excellence in Geoscience Teaching from the Geoscience Education Division of the Geological Society of America. In previous years, Callan served as a contributing editor at EARTH magazine, President of the Geological Society of Washington and President the Geo2YC division of NAGT.
I remember when we geo-bloggers were special enough to have our own meetups at GSA and AGU. I realize now that we were forerunners of the “creator” economy, but we never even got a free Brunton for our efforts.
My old-school blog at oaklandgeology.com will continue, I hope, as long as I do.
Here’s a high-five for a great run, Callan.
Right back atcha, my friend!
Thank you Callan for the work you put into the blog and I look forward to reading your work where it appears next. Your efforts are much appreciated.
Thanks for so many many wonderful posts Callan! You have long been an inspiration to me!
I’ve benefitted from, and immensely enjoyed, your writing over the years, Callan. I’m continuing to do so through your (amazing) Historical Geology text and am now looking forward to your videos and Bluesy posts. Carry on!
I will miss your blogs – I did my degree in Appalachia and enjoy going back to those locations with you for new insights and just refreshing old knowledge.
I guess my Friday Folds will be relegated to the laundry. 🙁
Thank you for all the posts over the years! What sticks out to me is how personable they all were – “Hey, I found this cool thing! You’d probably think it’s cool too!”. Good luck in all your future stuff.