The Five Sites You Meet In (Blogging) Heaven October 26, 2010

Despite Prince’s recent assertions that the internet is dead, it has given us opportunities to shape each others’ interests in an unprecedented way. Video may well have killed the radio star, but the internet killed both the TV and the radio stars and might well kill the film star to boot (sorry, Robbie, but you’re wrong). Almost gone are the days of formulaic media spoon-feeding our opinions to us – we can go and get them ourselves. So the internet’s not dead, but if it was, here are the 5 sites I check religiously and would no doubt meet in blogging heaven, in no particular order:

SWISS MISS
Tina Roth Eisenberg’s inspirational collection of curious and clever design works, practical tips, tricks & enhancements to every day life, whimsical video clips and things that just plain “make her look” or “make her smile.” It’s also introduced me to her globe-spanning “Creative Mornings” series, of which I can’t wait to attend my first very soon!

SECOND AVENUE SAGAS
Without question, Ben Kabak’s blog leads the line for New York City (and sometimes further afield) subway and transport coverage. It’s no secret that I’m a keen trainspotter and SAS (named for the troubled Second Avenue Subway presently under construction) provides plenty of fascinating insight into what keeps a city ticking over, above and below the ground. In spite of his ruthless and laudable exposing of politicians’ ignorance, hypocrisy and negligence as it relates to NYC’s transport issues, the only issue I can take with Kabak is his banal obsession with riders who stand near the doorways between stations. Not all folks do it out of laziness…

SOUTH SIDE SOX
There are plenty of fantastic White Sox blogs and communities on the internet but SB Nation’s fan-driven community wins out for me, as it is maintained by a wide cross-section of fans who live all over the globe with the same enthusiasm for the Pale Hose. What makes SSS stand out from rival teams’ communities within SB Nation is the spice of the writing… infused with the sort of passion, knowledge, sarcasm, and character that set Sox fans ahead at the very least of any of their near rivals.

QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
I’ve never truly been a fan of comics but Jeph Jacques has created an indie-rock comedy set in a futuristic but plausibly real world in the future, concerning an ever growing circle of friends and their work/relationship issues mixed in among their just plain nonsensical, amusing day to day conversations. It’s a small town story where iPods and robots (or by their technical names, ‘AnthroPC’s') are sentient and subservient and the characters are friendly & likeable, despite their miscues which drive the story ever forward.

WANKEN
Shelby White’s curiously-titled (to English speakers) blog is an awe-inspiring collection of design masterclasses from around the globe, spanning the worlds of architecture, fonts, industrial design, music, ads & posters, music, and more. This site is a much more recent addition to my day-to-day reading list than the other 4, however its impact on my interests definitely justifies its spot on the list.

BUT ALSO
Credit should be given to a major portal I visit on a daily basis… BBC Sport’s football site, headed by editor Phil McNulty. His insight and analysis is among the best in the world, and he certainly stands head and shoulders above his BBC colleagues in terms of his direct, honest reflections on the beautiful game. Other football writers may be more impactful across other forms of media (e.g. Podcasts) but that’s another article for another day…

I’d love to hear other people’s top sites!