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Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. I keep the website clean from pop-ups and annoying demands. Instead, I depend entirely on my readers to support me. Though this means I am sacrificing some income, it also means that I remain entirely independent from outside pressure. By depending solely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, no one can threaten me with censorship. You don't like what I write, you can simply go elsewhere.

 

You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are five ways of doing so:

 

1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.

 

2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
 

3. A Paypal Donation:

4. A Paypal subscription:


5. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
 
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652

 

You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above. And if you buy the books through the ebookit links, I get a larger cut and I get it sooner.


Birthday bleg

Behind the Black officially premiered July 1, 2010, and has been up and running now for twenty months. I make it a point to post often and regularly on issues of space, science, technology, politics, and history, subjects that interest me personally. Except for one short period a year ago when family matters kept me away from the computer for several days, I have managed to update the webpage frequently every day during that entire time.

Because of this, traffic to the site has steadily grown. For this I thank you, my readers, especially those who love to add their own two cents to the webpage in the comments. While I certainly do not agree with all those who comment, I very much appreciate the open and intelligent nature of the discussion.

During that time I have resisted begging for contributions. Though I added a tip jar link to the webpage about three months ago (located in the right column below the search box), I have made very little note of it because shilling for dollars seems crass, and I feel that if I am doing a good job people will naturally look for it in order to donate to the webpage to keep it going.

However, today is my birthday, so I feel I have the right to do some self-promotion. Moreover, for the past fifteen years I have made my living as a freelance science writer. The business, however, is changing, and I am finding that I am becoming increasingly reliant on the income I make from at my own website over that earned by selling articles to magazines.

Thus, if you are a regular reader of Behind the Black, please consider giving the website a donation, no matter how small. Not only would I appreciate it greatly, it will help make it possible for this website to continue and grow.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

9 comments

  • Kelly Starks

    I was honestly going to subscribe – you grovel well, and it is your birthday- and found my paypal accounts locked now that I pulled my checking account from it.
    ;/

    Not my best weekend.

  • JGL

    Dear Mr. Zimmerman,

    Happy Birthday.

    When will you look into and do a story on Andrea Rossi’s E-cat energy catalyser (L.E.N.R.) ?

    Very interesting technology and I beleive he has a device under U.L. application and also an application with the patent office.

  • Mr. Zimmerman thank you very much for your work on this site! By stopping by here once a day I am alerted to many intersting things I would have missed otherwise . I can’t afford to donate at the moment but I will say I often post links to your site elsewhere and tell my friends and family about you . one of these days I’m going to get a real job …. i’m so tired of parking cars . and happy birthday!

  • holy smokes i just read the cold-fusion wikipedia article . it is kinda long

  • jwing

    From one transplanted New Yorker to another, I will be donating to your site. I don’t normally donate to websites but honestly, your site is one of the most infomative, eclectic non-news sites I’ve experienced. I most enjoy the science angle. Please don’t change it to a more current news site as I believe this is its greatest appeal. Hope Arizona is treaing yo well…and don’t forget to visit the Black Hills of South Dakota as we have some excellent caves (Wind Cave and Jewel Cave). If you visit Rapid City, don’t hesitate to email us. We’d love to meet you at a local public house on us. Jim

  • Mike

    Happy Birthday Bob! I discovered you and your website listening to The John Batchelor show, and find both your interviews and site to be informative and interesting. Please keep up the excellent work.

  • Kelly Starks

    Could have sworn I included a happy Birthday wish! :(

    Hope you had one!!

  • Happy Birthday Bob! Spoke with you a few months ago on The Space Show. Will try to make a donation soon. That reminds me; gotta go check PayPal. Expecting some money myself :-)

  • Do you have an address, perhaps a PO box to which I can send a check? Keep up the good work.

    -David

Readers: the rules for commenting!

 

No registration is required. I welcome all opinions, even those that strongly criticize my commentary.

 

However, name-calling and obscenities will not be tolerated. First time offenders who are new to the site will be warned. Second time offenders or first time offenders who have been here awhile will be suspended for a week. After that, I will ban you. Period.

 

Note also that first time commenters as well as any comment with more than one link will be placed in moderation for my approval. Be patient, I will get to it.

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