The "blog revolution" was so 2005. Weblogs, or simply "blogs," have officially taken over the Internet. Now, the problem is teasing out the worthwhile ones from the 55 million or so crowding the web. But you can be sure that whether you're a fashion queen or a tech guru, there's someone out there writing for you, just you.
The Superficial
As gaudy and salacious as the industry that it polices, the Superficial makes one thing clear about Hollywood: Some celebrities are more entertaining off-screen. Lindsay Lohan smoking the competition in her talking VW bug? Yawn. Lindsay Lohan smoking something suspiciously blunt-shaped? Yowza!
This sort of celebrity misbehavior is the only type of behavior covered in the Superficial, a gossip blog along the lines of Star. But don't let the word "gossip" mislead you: The Superficial is hardly all talk. Its biggest draw is the full-size photographic evidence — visual verification of Paris's latest late-night boozefest, Britney's drug-of-the-month or Pink looking like a man in her bikini. These are the pictures that terrify PR agents and warm our hearts, pictures that remind us no matter how beautiful and rich the famous are, they can also be pretty pathetic. http://www.thesuperficial.com/
Wonkette
Some blogs have a conservative bent, others are more liberal. Wonkette is 100 percent "screw you." What more can be said about a blog that accompanies every post about Barack Obama with a picture of him lighting up; that will not refer to Senator John McCain as anything except "WALNUTS! McCain"; whose recent post about Dubya's niece is called "Hottest-Ever Bush is Weird, Helps Poor." Wonkette is D.C. gossip at its cattiest — and its most entertaining. Just wait until the primaries, when the mud is really going to fly. http://www.wonkette.com
Engadget
Other tech blogs preoccupy themselves with Microsoft lawsuits and nerd politics. Engadget knows better. Voted "Best Tech Blog" at the Weblog Awards for the past three years running, this perennially amusing read devotes its attention to electronic toys — iPods, cameras and, of course, all the latest oddities from Japan (USB sushi drive, anyone?).
When Sony debuted the Playstation 3, Engadget was there running analysis, commentary and reviews. When Apple shocked the world with the iPhone, Engadget was there issuing live, minute-to-minute updates from the conference room. And when mainstream media began warning of exploding Dell laptops — well, Engadget had broken that story months prior. The editors' wacky sense of humor only adds to an experience that is equal parts window-shopping, helpful hints and pure geekness. http://www.engadget.com
Lifehacker
Despite everything they've done for humanity, computers have ruined our productivity. That, at least, is the premise of Lifehacker, a blog offering daily tips on improving efficiency and improving relationships with your computer.
It's hard to argue against Lifehacker's founding tenet: After all, who hasn't fallen victim to YouTube's sweet siren's call, or battled the cold sweats of Facebook withdrawal?
Tip by tip, Lifehacker shows us how to reclaim our lives. You'll find links to the web's top productivity-enhancing applications (how else do you think Writely, now part of Google Docs, ever became so popular?) and advice about the human side of the man/machine equation (how to avoid procrastination at your workstation).
For anyone who's ever felt controlled by a computer, Lifehacker is indispensable. http://www.lifehacker.com
My Damaged Goods
It's rare to find a personal blog that isn't mired in the mundane. Ginger Baran (pictured at right) of MyDamagedGoods has found the perfect balance between personal reflection and punditry. A Montgomery County native, Baran accurately captures the flavor of living in one of the most diverse and richest counties in the nation. (She calls Montgomery Mall "the armpit of yuppie-dom.")
Her stories, impossibly pithy and colorful, are surpassed only by her well-researched critiques of the MCPS school board. Baran's entertainment and night-life reviews round out what is quickly becoming a one-stop destination for everything MoCo. http://mydamagedgoods.blogspot.com/
Jeff Guo. Jeff has a very short attention span. He hopes this is not because he was dropped on his head as a baby, but then again, there's this odd flat spot near the top of his head... More »
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