As of this morning, I am 18 years old, making me eligible to buy as much porn, lottery tickets, and tobacco as I like (which is to say, not much). Also, voting, though that privilege comes about a month too late (and the timing on this bill was just dandy).
This also marks the 4th anniversary of Minipundit, which I started as a 14th birthday gift to myself. Granted, the first post was put up on February 24th, but I started constructing the site on the 20th. Let's take a look back at that first post, shall we?
P.S. By the way, my second post? A defense of Greg (erroneously dubbed "Stephen") Mankiw's views on outsourcing. Heterodoxy came early for me, I guess.
This also marks the 4th anniversary of Minipundit, which I started as a 14th birthday gift to myself. Granted, the first post was put up on February 24th, but I started constructing the site on the 20th. Let's take a look back at that first post, shall we?
Well, here it is. Up at last. I just thought I'd introduce myself to all of you: I am MiniPundit. I am a New Hampshire resident with a love for politics (specifically on the left). This will be a site of political rants and ramblings, and I'll try to limit all other topics to a minimum. So, let the show begin!Some things stayed the same; I'm still left of center, still love politics, still live in New Hampshire. But the plethora of music and random subject posts as of late put a lie to that fourth sentence, and the "p" in Minipundit is no longer capitalized. And, as of today, that moniker will no longer serve as the banner for this site. This is a change I've been meaning to make for a while now; pseudonymity made sense for a 14-year-old middle schooler, and the prefix "mini" was especially appropriate then, but it just seems a bit over-cautious and precious for an 18-year-old high school senior. I'm not changing the URL, since URL changes make the baby Jesus cry, but from now on I'll just be Dylan Matthews.
P.S. By the way, my second post? A defense of Greg (erroneously dubbed "Stephen") Mankiw's views on outsourcing. Heterodoxy came early for me, I guess.
Oh geez-- big changes around here... Happy birthday though, man.
Posted by: Arlen | February 19, 2008 at 11:52 PM
Happy Birthday! At least you'll get to vote in the general election, hopefully for President Obama (I love saying that).
Posted by: mike3k | February 20, 2008 at 12:23 AM
Happy birthday! If you do perchance take up smoking (which as a smoker I do not recommend at all), there is one accoutrement I have that you'll enjoy even more than I do. Yes, it's the New Hampshire ashtray, with a picture of the Old Man of the Mountain and "Live Free or Die" emblazoned on it. It was made by real Granite State prisoners, and was billed as a "candy dish", even though there are clearly indentations for a cigarette on each side and it's made out of the same material they use to make license plates.
Posted by: John Cain | February 20, 2008 at 03:27 PM
Yes, happy birthday. And darn, I thought that you would change your blog to Maxipundit.
Posted by: Greg Kuperberg | February 21, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Thanks, everybody. John, I need one of those ashtrays. Rather, I need to get one of those ashtrays for some of the chain-smoking NH primary workers I know. Do you have a URL? And Greg, I thought about that and concluded it would sound too much like a feminine hygiene product. But thanks for the suggestion.
Posted by: Dylan Matthews | February 21, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Well, I got it as a gift, so I'm not really sure. There can't be too many places they sell prisoner-made items, though. Right?
Posted by: John Cain | February 21, 2008 at 02:50 PM