Via Tom Nelson
Stranger than fiction: A little background on the cartooning and cricket blogging of John Cook of Skeptical Science, Al Gore’s Climate “Reality” drop partner.
From this Wikipedia Entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sev_Wide_Web
On February 17, 2010, Cook made the decision to virtually shut down the Sev site for good, aside from the occasional A Time to Laugh cartoon. [15] This decision was not unexpected, since the site had been floundering for the previous year and a half, with updates being late and missed. Cook originally was caught up working on Cricket Blog, a cricket website, but his interests turned towards Skeptical Science, a site about information on global warming. This site was said to “take over [his] life so dramatically” that all other projects, including Sev, Cricket Blog, and a site dedicated to web programming, are now “sorely neglected.” The decision was preceded by fans complaining on the Discussion Board about Cook’s “hobby” taking over, and it rose to the level of “personal attacks” on Cook. Cook denies any of the accusations in these attacks. Cook apologizes to all who enjoyed his cartoons over the years that they won’t be getting any more. Cook’s critics are disappointed in his decision, as shown by the following quote:
It’s very sad to me that he seems to be abandoning a decade long project to bring humor to the world in order to set up a website that filters global warming articles for people. In a few clicks I can get really scientific articles from very credentialed people on both sides of the issue, so I don’t know why we need another web site that says one side is totally right and the other side is totally wrong.
I hope he did more for cricket than he’s done for the warmists.
“duckworth lewis” say no more.
Brain before wicket.
http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/head-before-wicket/xhorhbg?cpkey=2f49a0a0-4270-44ea-b083-ed62d3ad8c43|||
Cook is just engaging in Bio-diversity.
Bloke down the pub says:
May 13, 2013 at 11:10 am
Considering the state of Oz cricket, probably not.
Danged kids being all reasonable and mature, with your internet searches and youtube, little razzer frazzer something-or-others!
Huh!
What a small world. I remember reading Sev Trek now and then, but I never really found it very funny, either. In that sense, at least, he gets more laughs out of me these days.
“A time to laugh” is completely separate from Cook’s other cartooning endeavors. It is a weekly service for Christian church bulletins and newsletters. http://www.atimetolaugh.com.au/
Ironically, the usual subscribers are the fundamentalist churches whose members are so often ridiculed by SkF supporters.
Gary Pearse says:
May 13, 2013 at 11:28 am
Cook is just engaging in Bio-diversity.
*
Yes, but is he sustainable?
WUWT is giving far too much importance to Cook and his silliness. Only gives him traffic and attention does not merit.
Me thinks Cook will be neglecting SkS next. He is a scientist now don’t you know, conducting valuable research into crowd sourced online surveys of peer reviewed climate science papers and with 12000 of them to review, he really has his work cut out.
Cook WHO???
Perhaps John Cook will gradually drift away from Skeptical Science, like he did with his Sev website (over 16 years of work!).
There was a thread on the Sev Discussion board asking John Cook to put them out of their misery (the scepticism of the comments was funny)
Sev Discussion – JC-Put us out of our misery
http://web.archive.org/web/20120303170647/http://forum.sev.com.au/thread.php?ThreadId=1080
John responded below, in the news archive
John Cook – Feb 2010:
“Official decision on the fate of Sev
Okay, apologies for leaving everyone hanging. I’ve been so busy, I completely lost track of how much time has passed since I was last active on sev. So I understand the discussion thread where many have expressed impatience (and my appreciation to those who expressed patience). There are many questions and comments on that thread so let me first clarify where sev is now headed.
I’ve still been cartooning even over the last few months but the only comic strips I’ve been drawing are A Time To Laugh cartoons for my church’s weekly bulletin. I will be continuing these and from now on, will be posting weekly cartoons (in fact, hopefully over the next few weeks slightly more than once a week to get the website up to date).
However, I’ve decided I won’t be drawing Sev Space, The Pits or Twist cartoons anymore. This means no more punchline contests as the occasional A Time To Laugh contest is not regular enough to sustain a contest. My apologies to anyone disappointed at this decision. Cartooning has always been my passion and how I define myself but I’m learning it is possible for a person to change their priorities.
The reason I’ve stopped drawing is because I find myself spending so much time working on Skeptical Science, a website about global warming science. It was never my intent for the website to take over my life so dramatically – it began as a nerdish little hobby amidst other websites about cricket and web programming (which are also sorely neglected).
For those making personal attacks against me on the discussion thread (and believe me, I’ve got a lot worse), I will add that I’m not working on Skeptical Science because I’m a tree-hugging hippie – I’ve never been an environmentalist (and don’t really consider myself one now). I have little to no interest in politics or economics (I’ve actually voted conservative most of my life).
The reason I have such a fire in the belly about global warming is because I can just see myself as an old man being confronted by my daughter Gaby (and hopefully a bevy of gorgeous grandchildren, all born in wedlock) asking what the hell were our generation thinking?! Ice sheets are melting, glaciers are retreating, sea levels are rising and yet there’s an increasing effort to deny man-made global warming is even happening. I’d like to at least be able to look her in the eye and say I tried to do my bit. And my contribution is to fight the disinformation and confusion that is being sowed about global warming science.
Let me finish by thanking all sevilians for the contributions they’ve made to sev over the years. It’s been a wild and unexpected ride, going in many crazy directions. The generosity and kindness of spirit expressed towards me from so many sevilians has been overwhelming at times and I’m very grateful for the many friends I’ve made from all over the world.”
——————-
his old readers just sounded ‘Skeptical’
“Now skepticalscience seems to be too narrow minded. Much like you sometimes see with other topics like religion and/or ideologies. Again, not to say that that’s all bad, but meh. 😉
”
http://web.archive.org/web/20120303170623/http://forum.sev.com.au/thread.php?ThreadId=1073
I did tip Tom Nelson off about this one. (BW) via wayback machine, Skeptical Science’s early days and Sev is quite interesting….
recognise a theme in this cartoon?
http://web.archive.org/web/20120320175827/http://contests.sev.com.au/finalistvote.php?cartoonid=p446
The world full of badly draw unfunny cartoon’s so he won’t be missed in this field .
Bowled out, lbw (Lew-Before-Wicket).
Colin Porter says:
May 13, 2013 at 1:50 pm.
He may well begin neglecting Skeptical Science. He will eventually wake up that his site was taken over some time back by zealots and nutters who reinforced the bias for the CAGW view and drove away those contributors who brought open minds and provided original thinking which often made for thought provoking reading and discussion. Now it is a totally boring good old boys club with no tolerance for anyone who is not prepared to join in the patting of each other on the back.
I think John Cook is probably a decent bloke, but now has no control over his creation.
Eric seems a sensible chap.
It’s a pity John didn’t bring his sense of humor to SkS. Perhaps Josh can lend him a hand from time to time. 🙂
kalsel3294 says: May 13, 2013 at 3:50 pm
“……I think John Cook is probably a decent bloke, ….”
That seems unlikely, given his propensity for labeling and name calling and his recent habit of hanging out with Stephan Lewindowsky.
He doesn’t just “hang out”, he’s got a serious man-crush.