Floribunda/Suzanne here. Mandi has asked me to guest blog a post or two while she’s away, and I was thrilled to be asked! With one of my favorite blogs quiet, I thought it might be interesting to post a few links to the sites I love.
I waste tons and tons of time at Ask MetaFilter and MetaFilter. MetaFilter (MeFi) is one of the oldest blogs on the web. Any member can post an interesting set of links and a little write up to the main page, and then everyone else can post comments. The quality of the posts and the discourse is exceptionally high, in part because it’s a $5 membership fee to join. There are several subsections, but hands down my favorite is Ask Metafilter (AskMe), where people ask for answers or advice on everything: relationships, travel, cars, tech support, book and movie and music reccomendations….or maybe something a little more particular, like could a baby rip an ear off? or what are good scientific articles about Neandertals? or the perinnial AskMe favorite, should I eat it?. Have you ever wondered about anything? Chances are someone on AskMe has already posted a question. Best $5 I ever spent!
The Big Picture is an incredible photo blog, generally on something in the immediate news. A photo editor at Boston.com puts together a collection of stunning photos on one topic. Maybe it’s robots. Maybe it’s the Indian festival of colors, Holi. Maybe it’s Antarctica. Maybe it’s Mexico’s drug war. Another great photo blog, but just about New York, is Scouting NY, photos by a movie location scout. BAGnewsNotes looks at news photos and analyzes the messages news outlets send with their photo selections. And for the wtf factor, there’s Photoshop Disasters.
One of my favorite aspects of reading blogs is learning about someone’s life that’s completely different than mine. Have you ever wondered about living life as a homeschooling mom on a working ranch in Oklahoma? Try Pioneer Woman. What about life as a Boston EMT? There’s Other People’s Emergencies. Or maybe you’re curious about life as a cat in Somerville, MA? Abbie the Cat has a Posse is your blog (not updated too often, so read the archives). One of the alternate careers I dream about is nurse practitioner; I’ve learned a lot about daily life in this job at What school doesn’t teach about being a nurse practitioner.
And for impressive, single-minded focus about fascinating topics, there’s Strange Maps, Street Anatomy, Morbid Anatomy, or It’s Lovely! I’ll Take It!
I really do do something besides surf the internet all day, though, I promise.