web Blogs and podcasts

I was just taking an NPRListens.org survey, and they asked me what some of my favorite blogs and podcasts are, and why. My answers are succinct and pretty comprehensive, so I thought I’d share these links with you guys too. All these sites are really highly recommended. The blogs all have RSS feeds, and podcasts are super easy to subscribe to in iTunes. Give it a shot.

Blogs:

Dooce, for humor and irreverent stories of parenting; Comics Curmudgeon, for humor and a feeling of community; Jay Is Games, for recommendations of software; Daring Fireball, for sane, succinct Mac news; Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, for beautiful photography and a glimpse into a lifestyle utterly unlike mine; Consumerist, for good advice on finances and shopping; Gizmodo, for announcements and reviews of new electronics, computers, and gadgets; DCist, for local entertainment reviews and photography; SwissMiss, for an insight into great design; and BoingBoing, for hit-or-miss miscellany and even-more-liberal-than-me politics.

Podcasts:

NPR Story of the Day, for its completely unpredictable variety and never-misses quality; NPR Driveway Moments, same reason, wish it published more often; NPR Sunday Puzzle, for Will Shortz, of whom I’ve been a fan for decades; New Yorker animated cartoons (video), because they’re ridiculous and very, very short; Brickfilms (video), because I’m a Lego nut; Slate Explainer, because they answer questions I didn’t know I wanted to ask; and Happy Tree Friends (video), because everyone needs to see cute cartoon animals get killed in creative ways sometimes.