14 Oct 11 The Snobby Blogger: These are the best blogs ever.
I think everyone knows that I am an avid reader, but I think I’m going to start doing consistent updates in regards to the blogs I have been following for, well, the better part of a year. Each of these blogs stands out for their excellent, broad content and wonderful authors. I present to you, the top 10 blogs I follow on any given day.
MMO Champion
Technically not a blog, this is more of a community site, but something that I check every day. Focused on World of Warcraft, they compile community news, datamine the latest Public Test Realm (the WoW test server), and serve up class, trade, and game secrets. Run by near-Blizzard employee Bouboiuille (interviewed by WoW Insider in 2009), the site is one of my favorites for the sneak previews it gives in upcoming Warcraft content and Blizzard games (all of which I am a big fan).
The Big Picture
Who doesn’t read Big Picture? ….really, who doesn’t?
Pharyngula
One of my all-time favorites, Pharyngula is written by PZ Myers, a professor at my alma mater (UMM). Often incendiary, often ridiculous, but always reasonable and logical, Myers is well-known in the atheist circles as a good friend of Richard Dawkins and often at the forefront of the ‘radical atheist agenda’. His writing style is both clear-cut and wonderfully funny. Plus, he doesn’t forget his roots in biology–every Friday he posts a cephalopod picture, always reminding you that while there is a lot of silliness in the world, there is always something awe-inspiring (…by squid).
(Incidentally, PZ Myers is apparently famous enough to warrant his own enchantingly nasty article on Conservapedia! That only makes him more of a hero in my book.)
Guffaw
Ran by two friends of mine and their brigade of hipster-esque funny-men and women, Guffaw lists both funny blog entries, comedy events, and just general zany fun. Guffaw covered the Minnesota Beard-Off this past year, which I had the fortune of winning in the Freestyle Category.
The Skeptical Juror
Sister Catie got me hooked on reading the CNN Justice section, but their excellent coverage of the Casey Anthony case quickly degenerated into essentially celebrity news. And now, I don’t want to read about celebrity hackers or missing white girls or Amanda Knox. They focus on the biggest cases without actually delving into any of the details–evidence, courtroom experiences, outcomes and details.
Skeptical Juror solves all of this. He dives deeply–very deeply–into case details and essentially acts as a how he expects a juror would on that case. He’s clearly an expert on legal matters, and some of his analysis has even been published into books. I love his work and his focus on the real element of the legal process–justice.
This Is My Next
Focused on technology and tech buzz, the latest gadgets and widgets, and interesting news and articles. This has been billed as their temporary home, but I am hoping that this site either becomes permanent or is strongly integrated into the author’s next project.
Catalog Living
As someone who did not grow up with the tomfoolery of Better Homes & Gardens and Good Housekeeping strewn about the house (our coffee table had Tolkien, Salinger, Lewis, Brontë, etc…), I find these pictures hilarious. Especially as someone whose house is essentially the opposite of a catalog and who relies more on “This rearrangement will look fun!”.
Three Pound Brain
I revere R. Scott Bakker as an author, and for his incredibly complex and beautiful trilogy of trilogies (The Prince of Nothing, The Aspect-Emperor, and The Trilogy That Shall Not Be Named). They have, in very short order, become a favorite of mine for their level of detail, treatment of philosophy, epistemology and religion, and for their kickass sorcerers and wizards, who sing to cast their incredibly powerful spells.
Bakker also has a very wry sense of humor, as evidenced by my favorite post of his this year: Questions to Fuck Up Your English Professor.
We Got Served
Being a lover of food and vaguely incapable of cooking good food for one person, We Got Served is typically where I go when I want to learn about something new to experience, food-wise, in the Twin Cities. And they cover everything–cost, drinks to eat with the meal, appetizers, and everything from fancy to street vendors. It’s a bad, bad idea to look at this blog when you are hungry and/or between grocery cycles (when you only have rations like EasyMac or leftovers in your fridge).
Some of my favorite recent articles have also introduced me to new dishes and experiences at places I know and love, like 128 Cafe or Bad Waitress or Black Forest Inn. I thought I had tried essentially everything on the Bad Waitress menu, but a chorizo sausage, bacon, and cheddar cheese burrito never made its way to my table…yuummmmm!
Mac Wilson at the Current
Call me biased, but Mac and I went to college together at UMM, and now I find myself listening to his show every weekend and following his music recommendations online. I used to be fairly active and continually publish my iPod playlist every month, but since having transitioned to Google Music and long having lost my good connection to tons of music at Best Buy, I’ve fallen off the path. So now I follow Mac and his excellent recommendations! His latest articles cover a bunch of my new favorites–Hot Chip, Girls, and Middle Class Rut.
Recruiting Geek’s Blog
It’s always good to keep up-to-date on your company’s leadership, especially when they write and make it public online. Doug Berg (and I think other elements at Jobs2Web) handle this excellent online blog focused on the geeky aspects of recruiting–namely, data, analytics, metrics and measurement. More often than not I listen to these competitors and analysts who talk about recruiting online but never bring up the numbers–namely, the data! I like how our company focuses on the unambiguous, scientific, measurable results that good online recruiting can bring.
As I’ve
Tags: big picture, blogs, catalog living, jobs2web, pharyngula, skeptical juror, the Current, world of warcraft
