BLOGS AND SUCH
These days I'm happier surfing blogs than I am playing with books and magazines. The blogosphere is a refreshingly freewheeling universe, and one that's full of personalities whose spirits come across very directly in their blogging.
Blogging and blogsurfing is also an informal, ongoing way to make contact with other people and brains. The always-there possibility of leaving a comment is its own kind of high.
I visit a lot of blogs and think the world of many of them. In the interests of keeping things manageable, here's a very short list. But it'll certainly get you going. One of the many great things about bloggers is their habit of linking to many other blogs. So once you've found a bit of footing, an entire universe opens up to you.
Art and Culture
- Arts and Letters Daily. Not really a blog but kinda-sorta, and what the hell. Culture and ideas links. The grand-daddy of the daily best-of-the-web anthology form, and still the best of them all. Edited right from the outset by the great Denis Dutton.
- 2Blowhards. Cultureblogging from a contrarian and often populist point of view. Someone once called this blog "the talk-radio of culturechat," and that's about right.
- David Chute is a first-class film critic with all kinds of quirky interests. David was among the first film critics to discover the Asian action films. These days, he's deeply into Bollywood movies.
- Anne Thompson is a showbiz reporter for Variety. She's smart and enthusiastic, she's seen it all, and she's always worth checking in with.
- The Man Who Is Thursday blogs from Canada. He's as thoughtful and as good a writer as you could want any culture-writer to be.
- There's no reason Jon Hastings shouldn't be a professional critic. He's smart, fast, observant.
- Colleen Wainright is a performer and designer who blogs as The Communicatrix. Colleen has talent, invention, and personality enough for an entire crowd of mere civilians, and she has skill and gusto to burn as well.
Economics
- Marginal Revolution. Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok are youngish economists from George Mason University. Of all the econ-blogs, I like theirs best, partly because the boys have such a wide range of interests, partly because (unlike many economists) they seem human, well-grounded, and culture-aware, and partly because of their often whimsical spirit. Both guys have a knack for zesty, clear English too, so no need to feel apprehensive about being overwhelmed by techie-talk or econ-talk. It's a very popular site, and it isn't hard to understand why.
- Dean Baker.
- Greg Mankiw.
Science and Technology
- GNXP. Brash young science brainiacs swap ideas, info, and observations about genes, evolution, and how to land hot chicks.
- John Hawks
Interesting and Entertaining Individuals
- Stephen Bodio's Querencia. The best range-of-interests in the blogosphere: ancient sight-hounds, falconry, archaeology, nature, science, and writing. Quirky and inspired musings and observations from three smart guys: Stephen Bodio, Matt Mullenix, and Reid Farmer. Bodio, the blog-host, is one of the country's very best nature writers.
- Searchblog. The pseudonymous woman blogger here is a brainy academic who began blogging as a way of dealing with a surprise bout of depression. It's a moving and enchanting (and, despite the depression, often mischievous and playful) work. Searchie is a lushly poetic writer, with a deep appreciation of beauty and a rather amazing objectivity about her ordeals. She's fascinated by art, Eastern Europe, and blindness, among other things. In fact, she's got so much going for her that it's sometimes hard to remember that she's contending with a dreadful emotional state.
Politics
- I despise politics and mistrust few people more than politicians. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would ever put their trust, let alone their faith and hope, into politics. Just, y'know, let that all be said.
- Crunchy Cons. With his articles and his book about what he labeled the "Crunchy Con" phenemomenon -- hippie / organic / home-schoolin' types who are more conservative than leftie -- Rod Dreher struck a nerve and located an audience. This is the blog he writes on the same theme. I'm a little Crunchy myself (though not very Con). Far more concerned with day-to-day politics, with religion of the Catholic / Orthodox sort, and with family life than I am, but about half the issues Rod and his visitors yak about interest me very much. Rod seems like a very decent and approachable guy, and he's a terrific journalistic writer.
- Jim Kalb is that rarity -- a true traditionalist conservative. Jim's also a generous, brilliant and thoughtful guy. His point of view may or may not be your cup of tea, but I always feel enriched by my visits with him.
- Lew Rockwell and the Mises Institute are free-market to the point of anarchy, as hardcore as they come. They'll either open your brain or make you want to hit them -- but either way your blood pressure will certainly go up. But be prepared: Some critics of these places accuse them of being "neo-Confederate."