Apparently I really enjoy making lists, plus it helps me procrastinate a little more before I respond to some lengthy emails (NASA has some “griefing” fanboys mad at my latest piece).
Some news junkies subscribe to dozens of periodicals and buy copious amounts of books in order to stay on top of their industry each year.
Because I am poor and because it exists, I use an RSS reader to fulfill most of the habitual need to stay ahead of the curve. I made the switch from Bloglines to Google Reader this past fall and look forward to the healthy competition in the future. Below is a list of sites I tend to frequent and heartily recommend (the actual list is 100 or so):
Techdirt: despite my disagreements with Mike on some issues, I think Techdirt offers some of the best commentary on the technology news industry bar none. Mike & Co. also have a useful information analysis service called: Corporate Intelligence. Not that he would hire me, but this is certainly an endeavor I would like to be part of. It is the long-tail of tech micro-news (think: a lower-cost Forrester Research or Gartner subscription, but with more frequent updates similar to that of Bloomberg wire reports).
DealBreaker: if you don’t have time to read The Wall Street Journal, or get annoyed by Cramer yelling all the time, yet you need to stay on top of the interesting stories in world finance, this site is for you. As I told founder John Carney, DB is much more interesting and informative than any finance class I took in college… and has a spunky refreshing attitude that makes me look good at cocktail parties. Plus, if a 20×20 grainy jpg is any indication, Muffie is kinda cute. The sometimes Austrian-bent also doesn’t hurt either.
ArsTechnica: I’ve been reading these guys daily for about 8 years now. ArsTechnica is one of the largest sources for original computer news and reviews. Plus, they have two excellent supplements: Journals.ars and Nobel Intent, both of which discuss the latest reports found in numerous scientific journals.
Organizations and Markets: If you have spent much time working for The Man or consider yourself an entrepreneur of any stripe, then you have at some point thought about how firms should be organized: flat, horizontal, vertical, Terry Tate-ish, ad nauseam. I find the academic debate surrounding these issues interesting, though at times, completely Ivory Towerish. However, Peter Klein and his Denmarkian friend make the discourse interesting and germane. Plus I have a soft-spot for their Austrian-esque approach to Bureaucracy.
DamnInteresting: What’s not to like about a site that frequently posts informative, typically historical, articles? Not only is it well-written prose, but they actually cite sources and allow readers to publicly critique and comment on a piece… proto-Open Peer Review?
CoyoteBlog: While one of the few non-tech-centric feeds on my Reader, Warren Meyer posts some interesting cultural brain droppings he finds around the intarweb. If you like him, you will probably find Overlawyered of interest too.
The GMU Four: I have mentioned that I think academic institutions should consider using blogs as a cheap means to advertise departments, recruit passionate students, and keep the public informed of current events (especially research). Over the past several years, numerous economics professors at George Mason University have maintained frequently updated blogs on topics ranging from economics, culture, statism, technology, and just about everything else (even sports). They also happen to be somewhat libertarian-leaning and Austrian-friendly:
- Cafe Hayek (I’ve met Boudreaux, good guy, plus having the legal background adds more flavor)
- Marginal Revolution (a friend in the PhD program says Cowen is as eclectic and informed as his blog posts)
- The Austrian Economists (articulate)
- EconLog (I’ve corresponded with Kling several times, he’s on top of the game)
People that should post more frequently:
- Rose Blog (who is trying to disprove this status and my inability to predict winners)
- LibertyGuys (they actually respond to emails)
- Cantillon’s Paradise (a grad student I snookered into the blogosphere)
- lettuce have peas (I’ve coauthored a piece with him)
- lowercase liberty (”my” grammar editor)
- Crash Landing (I interviewed Gene Callahan here and I use to harass Murphy on a listserve)
- Not Even Wrong (he wrote a critique of String Theory which I discussed here)
Note: despite the fact that I think most of their users are complete morons (RTFA), I still read Digg and Slashdot everyday. And the emo-marxists at BoingBoing can be interesting too.
If I didn’t mention you or your blog, I might start if you happen to be a hot chick or want to fund an empty scholarship. Or both.