Yeesh, three years (as of 22 MAR). 9.7-plus million unique visits to the main site (5.4 million in the past year alone) and 23.6-plus million unique page views, and many more at the continental sites. 2.3-plus million absolute unique visitors (according to google analytics and sitemeter) to TOD:Main. A 501c3 in gestation. A lot of smart people just trying to get smarter. There's a lot going on around here.

Mostly, all of that is because of you, the readers. We wouldn't do this if we didn't think people were listening and helping us spread the word, even as oil gets bearish for a while. Thank you from all of our staff.

Even more importantly, there are now more websites (most of them in our blogroll, but there are others) and more smart people talking and thinking about energy and our future than there were when we started this thing three years ago, and that's a good thing. We need to have as many informed discussions as we can.

At TOD, we try to be the bridge between the doomers, the technopians and the cornucopians, to present as many sides of the myriad arguments as we can, so that we do not become too rooted in any mode of thought. This allows us to test raw ideas through your eyes and critical thinking in a way that doesn't happen most places. We don't tell you what to think, we just ask that you think critically and empirically. Most days, it feels like we are walking an ever-narrowing knife-edge with icy gusting winds blowing across a shrinking and very loosely anchored tightrope (nice Goosey, way to mix a few metaphors there...). Anyway, you get the point: this is not easy.

It is still quite rewarding to be a part of helping the world realize that we need to be having these discussions now more than ever. This (sometimes dauntingly and overwhelmingly) complex topic continues to fascinate and grow in salience and importance--we will do everything we can to ensure that The Oil Drum continues to be a medium where these high quality discussions take place without cutting into folks' ability to speak freely.

I am surrounded by an amazing set of people with mind-blowing talents, all part of a diverse community respectfully presenting evidence and argument. I learn from all of you, and I am thankful every day for each one of you and what you bring. Thank you dear people for doing what you do.

Please remember that it is all of you who create and reinforce the norms that shape the environs here. You make this space; without you, it's just blown bandwidth.

Somebody I think a lot of, Jerry Michalski, shared a concept with me a while back, which he learned from Quaker meeting: "Speak only if it will improve upon the silence."

We thank you for continuing to improve upon the silence here at The Oil Drum.

Who knows what the future holds other than that change will occur and time will pass. We have informed guesses, and some of them will be right, some will be wrong. Either way, we will be here while we have the means to keep the lights on and the will to persevere.

Happy Birthday, TODers. Happy Birthday indeed! May the next year continue to bring all of you community, happiness, insight, and understanding.