Saturday, February 8, 2014

Best Blogs of 2013!

Every year, Time Magazine lists the 25 best blogs of the year. In December 2012, I happened to stumble over their list for 2012 and then posted what I thought were the best of the best blogs of 2012. Today, I searched for Time's list of the best blogs of 2013 and found some new and fascinating sites. As Time says, "pundits have been knowingly declaring that blogging is dead, rendered irrelevant by alternative means of personal publishing such as Facebook and Twitter," but judging by Time's list, blogging is anything but dead. Whew! That makes me happy because not only do I enjoy writing a blog, I really like reading other blogs. 

Out of Time's list of 25, I narrowed it down to my favorite 4:
  1. Beer Labels in Motion: This blog features a bevy of craft beer recommendations by blogger Trevor Carmick, but he adds a little more excitement to the recommendations by creating animated gifs of the beer labels. It's very fun and clever. This is a must read for any beer aficionado but even a teetotaler can find enjoyment in his site. One of my favorite gifs features two owls toasting each other. Of course, two pigs belly slapping is pretty amazing too.
  2. Elemental: Perhaps a blog about poisons isn't usual, but this slightly macabre blog is fascinating.  Pulitzer-Prize winning science writer Deborah Blum writes mostly about poisons and the poisoners in a witty and engaging way. She recently posited that perhaps Yasser Arafat was poisoned and list of the dumbest poisoners.
  3. What My Daughter Wore: Brooklyn artist, Jenny Williams takes a different approach than the usual fashion blogs. She playful sketches "the sartorial choices of my daughter, her brothers, and their friends." Ms. Williams has been posting sketches since 2011, therefore the sketches go deeper than just about her daughter's sense of fashion. As Time noted: "...the colorful drawings also tap into the depth of feelings - whether they are mischievous, charmed or tortured - that come with the onset of teenage years." 
  4. World War II Today: There are so many people who have an interest in World War II, but one blogger (Martin Cherrett) took his fascination to a whole new level with his blog. This blog is a daily accounting of what happened during the war - 70 years later. He's been "following" the war for 5 years (since 2008) and should have enough material to cover a couple of more years before he runs out of material.  If you are interested in delving deep into World War II, this site is a  must read.
There are 21 more blogs on the list which run through a variety of subjects from boxing to tech advice to the minutiae of movies and television. Therefore, there's a little something for everyone.
What My Daughter
Wore

2 comments:

Tom said...

Interesting stuff.

Sandi said...

I thought you might like the animated beer labels.