Favorite blogs, favorite authors

I really have faded back from doing all the meme things, but Last Hussar entices me into it by naming me a Kreativ Blogger (complete with valuable graphic).

Playing Yang to Les’ Yin is ***Dave, a SEB regular, on ***Dave does the blog. The *** isn’t anything rude- just a hangover from when you actually had to type into computers, rather than click. Many posts are composites of links to other stories- why write the same as someone else, makes sense. He has a little family of blogs, including his RPG and ‘WIST’- “I wish I’d said that”.

I find myself in very nice company there. Thanks, LH. That “yang” is the light/sunny side and “yin” is the dark/shady side is an interesting twist. 

You’re right that I’ve been doing a lot more link-posting (with comments) than I used to. In fact, I used to hate blogs that did a lot of that.  That’s sort of where my head (and availability) is at these days, though — I plow through a lot of material on Google Reader and “Share with Note” — which gets summarized daily in the “Unblogged Bits” posts. Similarly, my various Tweets get summarized, too.

I am trying to write more “pure” posts, but they take a lot more time. Like, um, this one.

Unfortunately, aside from the graphic and the egoboo, the award comes with Ponzi-like work, i.e., I now have to pay it forward:

I now have to name 7 favourite blogs, and then 7 favourite authors. If they pick this up they are supposed to do the same.

In no particular order on the 7 favorite blogs:

1. I have to mimic LH and call out Les at Stupid Evil Bastard. Though he discusses tech stuff and media and the like, most of his meatier posts are about politics and religion, the both of which find him strongly atheist. But for the most part, Les belies the stereotype (on the right) of the bitter atheist who mocks but can’t stand being questioned, and who is only interested in tearing down not building up. He has a strong, laudable humanistic streak. a tolerance for differing views on any subject (though an intolerance for sloppy reasoning or incoherent arguments supporting those views), and has built up a very nice community of people who are by no means an echo chamber. Les is high on my list of bloggers I’d like to actually meet someday.
2. Another is George at Decrepit Old Fool. DOF is a bit more quiet than some, but he tends to speak very wisely, on everything from atheism to politics to bicycles to technology. I don’t always agree with him, but he’s one of those guys who one disagrees with very carefully and thoughtfully.
3. Right Wing Watch is the blog for People for the American Way, so it’s liberal/progressive, and focuses on the antics of the Right (hence the name) to restrict liberties, impose their ideology on the nation, and generally prove what evil doofuses they are.
4. Think Progress is the blog for the Center for American Progress, and is another progressive news blog. They cover much the same as RWW, but usually in a different enough voice, or with enough lack of overlap, that I read them pretty extensively, too.
5. Obsidian Wings is a group blog that also tends toward a left-wing perspective (with some exceptions), but does more thoughtful essays on foreign and economic policy, too. Often thought-provoking, even when I disagree with the conclusions made.
6. On a lighter note, I make a point to read Brand New whenever it is updated. It’s subject matter is new corporate logos and brands, a pet fascination of mine.
7. Even more lighter, and probably the newest blog on here, Topless Robot is all about pop media, especially of the SF / Fantasy / Comics / Stuff I Tend To Read-Watch-Enjoy variety. It’s written in a tone that varies between ecstatic fanboy geekout and bitter fanboy cynic, often on the same subjects, with expletives never deleted, and almost always darned funny (and informative (and disturbing)).

So, those are the 7, though I read a ton of blogs, and there are many other very good ones (personal, commericial, political, media, whatever) that I simply didn’t have time to include above. I probably need to update my blogroll to highlight the best (since that is generated out of Google Reader, too).

Unlike the unstated-but-implied rules of the game, I won’t be tagging the individuals/blogs that I’ve so named. I don’t play that part of the game.

As for (incongruously) 7 favorite authors … this list often shifts and flows, but how about …

1. Robert A. Heinlein
2. Steven Brust
3. Neil Gaiman
4. Andre Norton
5. Rex Stout
6. Robert Parker
7. Peter David

I won’t claim these are the 7 best authors evah — though I think they’re all pretty good — but they are authors that I will generally make a point to read anything they write, and that I go back and reread often. I guess that make them my favorites.

And … there you go. Hopefully I’ve entertained and justified the Kreativ Blogger award. Now back to your normally scheduled linklist …