Blogger Universe

Save Me From the Trains of Mumbai

2007-02-22T00:59:00.000-08:00

Blessed Musings & Malluisms!!! is worth a read simply for the entries on train travel in Mumbai. And Londoners think they have a miserable commute. Xavier makes me feel as if I have experienced those crowded trains.

Mindsigh - It's A Good Thing

2007-02-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

Mindsigh by Jerry Everard is one of the few blogs I read outside my narrow world of needlecraft. He reminds me that I have a few grey cells available for other disciplines.

His academic credentials are legion, his interests those of a Renaissance man but he is able to make rather ethereal subjects approachable by those of us without his academic background.

Elephant Reintroduction Foundation

2006-12-30T19:30:00.000-08:00

Elephant Reintroduction Foundation is the page for you if you are fascinated by these awesome pachyderms. Bravo for the foundation.

Inquiring Librarian

2006-12-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Jenn Riley aka the Inquiring Librarian writes a blog that is not only interesting to her fellow librarians but any bibliophile, library hanger-out, or amateur slave to information.

Her review of FictionFinder makes one scramble to try it out. And wouldn't you know - it's another one of those search thingies that covers a lot of territory and many formats.

Rob in China

2006-12-14T05:55:00.000-08:00

Rob in China has a stupendous number of links about China. If you can think of a question, he has a link to answer it.

Afghan LORD

2006-12-08T00:35:00.000-08:00

Afghan LORD a good example of how blogging affords opportunity to otherwise obscure photo/journalists.

Diary of a Goldfish

2006-11-28T22:34:00.000-08:00

Diary of a Goldfish a good read - AND I can empathize with the author's difficulty with transportation and disability.

MattBites

2006-10-04T01:00:00.000-07:00

MattBites -- I could happily go to lunch with this guy. BUT I no longer live in LA.

Mikuni Sushi

2006-09-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

Mikuni Sushi is a splendid example of a whimsical restaurant site and blog. Hey, I'm ready for the sushi bus.

Lex Culinaria: A dirty little secret

2006-09-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Lex Culinaria: A dirty little secret for lighthearted cookery comment.

DB’s Medical Rants

2006-09-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

DB’s Medical Rants worth a read. Commonsense sort of approach not often seen. As a retired RN, I certainly appreciate primary care folks. They are our frontline heroes, our advocates.

The Food Monkey - Eat No Evil

2006-08-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

The Food Monkey - Eat No Evil is a good readable food blog with appropriate illustrations - nice literary style as well.

The Seasonal Chef

2006-08-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

The Seasonal Chef by Chef Debbie is absolutely the WRONG blog to read before a trip to the local supermarket.

She has great photos, straightforward recipes and a literary style that puts her "up there" amongst food writers.

It's All In The Trade

2006-08-16T04:04:00.000-07:00

One Red Paperclip recounts Kyle MacDonald's adventures which started with one red paperclip and a trading history of upwardly mobile trades which helped him reach his eventual goal of becoming a homeowner.

Crochet Bijou e outras peças em Crochê e Tricô

2006-08-12T02:41:00.000-07:00

Crochet Bijou e outras peças em Crochê e Tricôis written in Portuguese, but I think I could crochet the stunning necklaces on this site. How simple but elegant.

offbeatliving.com :: living dining and gardening

2006-08-04T04:53:00.000-07:00

Offbeat Living is one of the most attractive looking blogs around IMHO. Elegant and spare.

Our Mothers

2006-07-31T02:55:00.000-07:00

Our Mothers is a journal/self-help blog about caregivers and problems incurred whilst advocating for the elderly. A good read destined to give you a good think.

design matters

2006-06-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

Design Matters by Brian Sooy is a thoughtful look at "what it means to be a designer." Much of what he discusses is applicable to all sorts of creative endeavors.

The Pontifications of Pensioner Pete

2006-06-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Pontifications of Pensioner Pete is purported to be written by a "grumpy old man". Hey Pete is my kinda guy. A good read with friendship, gentle humor and a winsome way of letting us in on his day.

Taxi Tales

2006-05-21T21:41:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what that driver is thinking? Read Taxi Tales for an always amusing dialog by Bob. Wonder why he'd rather drive folks to a funeral rather than a wedding? Read and see.

play-play in the kitchen

2006-05-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

play-play in the kitchen is just that -- a playful look at Asian cuisine. Enough to make you want to heat up a wok.

Middle East Window

2006-05-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

Michael J. Totten seems to have an evenhanded approach to the middle east. Of course, no outsider can fully understand a culture but his blog puts faces and observations on our screens.

What it means to be an artist

2006-04-12T01:12:00.000-07:00

It's something that faces many individuals, the issue of materials used, pride in work, originality and supporting others who are also individuals.

There is a huge problem now of Chinese imports overtaking many niche markets that were the income for individual artists. Now's the time to search out these individuals and make sure you know your sources for art and adornment.

Here's a blog about artists of the Karen Hill tribes. Projects to help them become self-sustaining and make their own art rather than turning to such things as opium production have been assisted by people such as Shiana. Here's their blog on the art and the people. Yes, it's commercial as they sell what they make. But it's what they make and how that is important, and why.

http://karenvillage.blogspot.com/

-Su

The Five Lesbian Bloggers

2005-07-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

The Five Lesbian Bloggers

Hopefully this blog will continue - either as a group effort or as individual blogs.

Theater, Gay Pride, Summer In NY - what more could you want.

eat stuff

2005-07-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

eat stuff

Attractive graphics, text that connects with my thoughts on food. Today's entry - utensils.

Oh, also it features a cat which is always a plus in my book

Autumnsnowdust

2005-04-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

Autumnsnowdust Confessions of a Koigu Yarn Junkie. Now she has a marvelous method of achieving yarn stash. Wonder if it will work for silks?

MIST 7680 Globalization & IT

2005-04-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

MIST 7680 Globalization & IT Commentary and links to articles on the phenomena of blogging, social implications,e tc.

The Pope Blog

2005-04-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

The Pope Blog will post news concerning the rites and rituals following the death of John Paul II as well as news about the conclave which is charged with election of the next pontiff.

Heather Mac Donald on Diversity & Blogosphere on National Review Online

2005-04-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

Heather Mac Donald on Diversity & Blogosphere on National Review Online

A different thought. I happen to subscribe to the "better mousetrap" sort of theory about blogs. If you blog well, nobody cares about your census stats. You could be purple and have 6 legs - folks will come and folks will read.

James' World: The Reality Soapie

2005-03-14T15:16:00.000-08:00

James' World: The Reality Soapie - a blog that comes complete with Glossary/cast of characters.

A soap indeed. Life Downunder with a twist of Gay pride. A good gossipy read.

Breaking the English Barrier

2005-03-01T08:14:00.000-08:00

As a student in the 50's I endured an isolationist public school education. Modern languages were not recognized as important and I grew up handicapped as an English Only speaker.

It is refreshing to see a blog providing commentary and links to German publications in English. Sign And Sight consists of a blog and an attractive set of links to other sites in English.

Blogger Universe News and Trends

2005-02-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

Those who don't blog write about blogs and the blogger world these days. The Post Intelligencer leads with an analysis of Six Apart's growth and then throws in a few blog stats(?)

Blog Hints, Tips and Tricks

2005-01-30T09:43:00.001-08:00

Want some tips on how to customize a package-deal Blogspot blog? Try Susie's Design Blog. She is an educator and it shows. Good simple directions on working with CSS for novices.

Blogger Universe News and Trends

2005-01-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

I learn something new everyday. We all tend to assume that because we know something, those in our interest groups have the same knowledge. Not! I was at an event this past weekend and out of 12 people in the room, only one knew what a blog was and/or blogged.

It seems to those of us who have entered the blogging world that "everyone" blogs. Not! These were intelligent, web savy folk who just had never found the Blogger Universe.

I hope some of them follow the byte crumbs I strew about and enter our world.

The ethics of blogging

2005-01-30T05:09:00.000-08:00

While following blog links from one place to another, I found this site which has a wonderful discussion of the ethics that should be in place for bloggers.

Rebecca's Pocket discusses in a wonderful, concise and useful style the issues that face bloggers and what they should consider when they are putting their words out there for everyone in the world to read.

-Su

Wow, I am amazed that microbes can run computers...

2005-01-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

... or so it seems from my recent stint coping with the machinations of various customer 'service' people in the insurance companies purporting to provide insurance to cover emergencies.

Do they jump from key to key in order to create chaos and misery? I am convinced that each one of those little microbes in the insurance and let's be honest and add in the banking industry too, are there to spread misery in the same way their microbe buddies do diseases of the body, only they spread diseases of the soul.

Nuff said on that, really. Let's talk about software and the big folk that make us pay so much for the software we need that our ears bleed at the thought of the cost of these payments. Such excessive costs for software on occasion give me a sneaking sense of sympathy for the casual copyright pirate. Not the organized clots of them who skitter and scamper and 'share' everything and anything, but that person who needs some software to do the work they want to do and yet when they search for something decent at a reasonable price (reasonable being defined as less than a month's wages for anyone outside the third world) it's impossible to find such an animal.

Are we forced into casual piracy by such greed? Are our morals stretched to the point where they feel like a pair of pantyhose after Mardi Gras? When we resist the urge to pirate a piece of software and do without, are we taking the moral high ground or are we just scrambling up the lemming hill to the top where we huddle with the other honest lemmings, unaware that someone from a supercorporation is coming with a broom to shove us over the cliff anyway.

It seems that blogging about the issue of overpriced software isn't as popular as I'd hoped, so I will offer this site instead for your enjoyment. Overlawyered.com is worth a read, simply for the incredulity factor.

My apologies for not being more vocal, I had expended all my surplus irony lately on the microbes. I will be better, I promise.

-Su

Blogger Universe News and Trends

2005-01-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

Jeff Tweiten has parked himself in front of a theater in Seattle to await the premier of the new Star Wars episode in May.

Of course this made for news in blogs of journalists.

I can't say Jeff's blog itself is all that interesting - but then people will blog about anything from anywhere, won't they? Follow the link in the article if you must see some of Jeff's pearls of wisdom from the big wait.

Youssouf's Sheepish Adventures

2005-01-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

This sheeplog by Youssouf and Flapser has delighted me for sometime now. How did someone become so obsessed by sheep? Youssouf and Flapser (a soft sheep if you ever saw one) travel to foreign lands distant from their usual home in the Netherlands. They scour the web for all things sheepish - cartoons, jokes, clothing, sheep sightings, etc.

Art That Makes Me Smile

2005-01-06T13:53:00.001-08:00

Jerry Dreesen's Blog With Watercolor and Pen has me saying "more, more". This Cicero, Indiana retiree blogs poetry and watercolors that make me smile. They invite a zen like contemplation. His art is spare and elegant and appeals to me greatly. On another note, his is one of the few blogs with a black background that is actually aesthetically appealing.

Blogger Universe News and Trends

2005-01-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

The military have their hands full when they provide internet access to active duty military in combat zones. In wars past censors read military mail and scissored as necessary. Today's conflicts require more draconian tactics as a USAMC physician apparently discovered.

Blogs monitor the politicians...

2005-01-05T04:36:00.000-08:00

HobbsOnline

Now, here's a useful thing. With the immediacy of the blog as a way to present opinion and to correct misconceptions, the weblog can be an incredibly useful tool for presenting views that may not be available in any other media. Of course, each blog will only tell you what the author wants you to know but it's certainly going to be more interesting and possibly more legitimate than the news you receive from the main media.

Another Continent Blogged

2005-01-04T22:21:00.000-08:00

I've looked for and found blogs from about everywhere in the world and suddenly I said to myself "self, I'll bet somebody is blogging from Antartica."

And sure enough they are. Try out Antarctica Blog, An austral summer at McMurdo Station written by Luke and Luci.

I've read the National Geographic professional articles about the continent, the great chronicles of explorers and adventurers but this blog makes it come alive in a new and refreshing way. Complete with photos as well.

Blogger Universe News and Trends

2005-01-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

Better late than never. Marketing folks are struggling with the blog world and are finally waking up and seeing the potential of blogs as a marketing tool for their clients and as potential customers for targeted advertising.

The Logical Cook

2005-01-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

Michael Chu's blog, Cooking for Engineers, is a delight to the eye, well written, broad in range of content and features a spare, no nonsense approach to recipes and directions. His tables and timelines are elegant and appeal to the designer in me and the information organization freak that I am as well.

Equipment reviews are useful and photography of a good quality. Highly recommended for every level of cooking skill and a good read if you don't cook at all.

The World of Books

2005-01-01T16:16:00.001-08:00

An interesting concept being developed by the ISBN Database site. They apparently have already parsed web sources and have over 1 Million books documented online with ISBN numbers and MARC linking among other features.

I checked a couple categories and found a scattering of books in them. This is not surprising considering what a number of books have been catalogued since ISBN identification was developed.

I don't know how useful the site is as a tool at present (but then most of my book interest is pre-ISBN) but it is certainly worth a look just to wonder at the concept.

Blogger Universe News and Trends

2005-01-01T16:16:00.000-08:00

Much has been made of "blog" as the most searched for word of the year, but "blog" has also achieved the dubious distinction of being listed amongst the most useless words of 2005.

We blog to be heard and to hear

2005-01-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

Or so I think.

I'd better get the introduction over with first, I'm the other half of the Universe, and Linn has kindly asked me to participate with her in this project.

I had something wonderful all thought out carefully before I started typing but it seems to have evaporated. I do down-to-earth nicely which is probably a good thing because all the intellectual thoughts are gone for the moment.

I do believe that there is great value in blogging, and in being able to read the sort of thoughts that people give us the chance to see, thoughts that we'd not have any access to otherwise. Confessional, on occasion, fraught... certainly, and also deeply personal and enlightening. I almost always find as much of myself in other people and their thoughts as I ever do when I'm trying to compose something worth putting out for others to read. You'll find as you read my messages, I'm a deeply personal blogger, I tell a lot about myself and in return I hope to find out more about those who come here or who lead me astray to other blogs.

I love blogging, I love reading blogs; and having a chance to make lists of the ones that are interesting, worthwhile or simply useful is something I know I will enjoy.

And for the first review, I'd like to point out a lovely site with a wealth of not only information but also a sense of communal enjoyment of life and the beauty that surrounds us in even the most simple items.

Sharon B gives us so much in a beautifully framed blog 'In a Minute Ago'. It's more than just a textile blog, it's far more than a compilation of the best others offer, it's a chat with a friend and a cup of tea, a few of the special 'visitor's biscuits' that are always kept in a tin for the cherished guest. I spend a lot of time reading through the comments and offerings on this blog, and when I click on a link to find something unexpected and amazing, I'm always drawn back to the start to see what else is on offer. And it's always wonderful. Thanks, Sharon. And you can have my extra snow any time!

-Su

2005 - The Year of Quality Blogs

2004-12-31T17:26:00.000-08:00

Blogs have taken over our universe but their quality varies widely. My other-side-of-the-pond friend, Su and I read a lot of blogs in our areas of interest and we decided the public deserves some down to earth reviews and recommendations.

We find these blogs, we have no interest in reviewing a blog at the request of an owner. Do remember however that blogs change, they wax and wane and we may review a blog today and it may be gone next week. This is the ephemeral nature of the blogbeast. Blogs also change theme or content at every twist in a writer's life so don't blame us if we review a blog about gardening and six months later you chase it down and it is all about dog training. We live for the moment.

We are also interested in the blogging community and blogging trends. Both of us have been involved in online communities since their birth and have grown slightly more mature with them as they have evolved.

Read us if you like, or don't.
Link to us if you like, or don't.

We're not doing this for the greater glory of anything or anyone. We just like to chat about good blogs and sites and this is a way to indulge in that pleasure.