Probably too late to change their names by deed poll. From wesh on Flickr – nothing to do with this post, but it got your attention! |
Ever since I started blogging in 2002 I’ve tended to concentrate almost exclusively on reading and interacting with other Australian blogs. It isn’t that I’m all that parochial by nature, just that my primary interest lies with Australian public affairs.
However, now that I’m making extensive user of a feed reader (partly in order to compile the Missing Link blog digest feature – which I hope will be back in action next week), it occurs to me that I really should add some international blogs to my feed reader subscription. But which ones? I already take a Crooked Timber feed, but what other anglosphere blogs consistently produce high quality, thoughtful writing?
Comment box recommendations of worthwhile international blogs are solicited. Generally speaking I prefer blogs that fairly regularly produce original thoughtful writing rather than those that specialise in short “links ‘n quotes” posts (although there are exceptions e.g. Andrew Leigh’s blog is mostly of that nature but is one of my “must visit daily” list).
Some general indication about a recommended blog’s country of origin, typical range of subject matter, and political orientation if clearly detectable on a crude left-centre-right axis, would also be useful if you can be bothered.
I should explain that I’m in the process of restructuring the Club Troppo blogroll to include a range of new and (I think) useful categories like online digests, alternative media magazines and outstanding international blogs, while simultaneously culling quite a lot of Australian blogs that I don’t read very often (unless via Google Reader as part of the Missing Link editing team). It doesn’t mean that we’re snubbing any blogs that have been delisted in this exercise. We review somewhere between 300 and 400 blogs for Missing Link several times per week, including every one that has ever been listed on the Troppo blogroll and many more besides. However, it just isn’t feasible for me also to attempt to maintain a huge and comprehensive blogroll as I’ve done until now. Moreover, most bloggers’ blogrolls simply list blogs they like reading often and I’m simply reverting to that model because the comprehensive, public-spirited coverage objective is satisfied by Missing Link.
Marginal Revolution – thoughtful economics blog with libertarian slant
http://www.marginalrevolution.com/
Greg Mankiw – think of a right of centre less shrill version of Paul Krugman
http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/
Ilana Mercer – if there were any justice she should be more famous than those airheads Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin and sell more books. Usually thoughtful though politically incorrect paleo-libertarian – principled on civil liberties, and free markets, sceptical of the war but socially conservative on immigration and gay marriage
http://blog.ilanamercer.com/
Will Wilkinson – thoughtful high brow philosopher who works for the libertarian Cato Institute
http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/
Seconding marginalrevolution. Really really good. You would have to add this if you added just one. In fact, if you didn’t add any, you would have to swap this for crooked timber :)
Also, from a legal-econ-politics perspective, The Volokh Conspiracy is pretty good. Lots of feature-length analysis by experts, although obviously focused on US law and sometimes economics. Slant: libertarian/conservative.
Professor Bainbridge provides conservative US corporations law, wine and politics blogging (he’s a chair in securities law at UCLA).
Samizdata I suspect you already know since there is a strong Aussie element there. Slant: not-quite-too-paranoid Anglo-libertarian.
I always read Certain Ideas of Europe for interesting tidbits but that is mainly because of my particular interest in the EU. Slant: The Economist.
Well, what else did you expect from me?
Here’s my trifecta of sites whose each post in Google Reader has me stopping to read rather than just pressing “j” for next:
Chris Dillow.
John Robb’sGlobal Guerrillas.
And of course in this age of walls, Subtopia.
Defective Yeti – a very funny bugger who also occasionally comes up with excellent double-take observations.
Rigorous Intitution – the ultimate conspiracy website written by someone who treats it all as a marvellous mythopoetic exploration.
Global Ideas Bank – choc-a-block with thread-starting ideas.
A fat, left-wing, Welsh, gingernut stockbroker who knows how to intelligently shit stir like very few other bloggers. Shorter DD summary: V. smart, funny and always up for a good punchup.
Intelligent, eccentric, sharp-tongued and surprisingly knowledgeable for some beyond the Pennines pinko about international and local security issues – but none of that changes the fact he’s still unfortunately from Yorkshire.
And of course one of the wired world’s great work time wasters. If you search hard enough you can find both Evil Pundit and I there. In the same photo.
Hmm, interesting Liam: John Robb and Subtopia are on my weekly visit list too.
Speaking of which do you know William Gibson has a blog too? Sparse but always ponderable entries.
I’d absolutely second dsquared’s digest. But these days he more often posts at Crooked Timber (as does John Quiggin) and at his Guardian blog.
For those interested in Europe with a less UK/right wing perspective than A Certain Idea, A Fistful Of Euros is the go.
Dani Rodrik’s blog is the one for those interested in globalisation and economic policy for developing countries, and for macroeconomics and economic history you can’t go past Brad deLong (as well as good discussions of US politics from a liberal – in the US sense – POV).
For US politics from a lefty perspective (but with a good token Republican poster for variety), try Obsidian Wings. And if you want to find out what is happening in the Middle East from a true expert who is big on historical context of events, rather than from the very facile version in the MSM, you need to read Juan Cole.
Only read Juan Cole if you also read Michael Totten!
Obsidian Wings is pretty good, too, for a lefty site…
FuturePundit – more of a linky site but still good
http://www.futurepundit.com/
Butterflies and Wheels
http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/notes.php
Sic Semper Tyrannis, hosted by a retired US Colonel Patrick Lang, who has been amongst many other things former director of HUMINT for the Defense Intelligence Agency. Tends to focus on Middle East military, intelligence and political matters, with frequent forays into US domestic politics and other topics that grab his interest. The site has some very well informed regular participants. Though a military man and a very patriotic one at that, Lang is often scathing about the conduct of US foreign and military policy.
AntiWar.com provides a wideranging overview of news links, articles and commentary about current and potential wars as well as developments in politics, intelligence and civil liberties. Unapologetically partisan but a source of some very interesting info.
For anyone interested in finance, and in particular the slow motion catastrophe currently unfolding in the mortgage, banking and derivative markets, the following two sites provide intelligent and at times amusing analysis. The principal focus is on the US markets with occasional sidetrips into Europe and elsewhere. Calculated Risk and Naked Capitalism.
Sic Semper Tyrannis, hosted by a retired US Colonel Patrick Lang, who has been amongst many other things former director of HUMINT for the Defense Intelligence Agency. Tends to focus on Middle East military, intelligence and political matters, with frequent forays into US domestic politics and other topics that grab his interest. The site has some very well informed regular participants. Though a military man and a very patriotic one at that, Lang is often scathing about the conduct of US foreign and military policy.
http://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/
AntiWar.com provides a wideranging overview of news links, articles and commentary about current and potential wars as well as developments in politics, intelligence and civil liberties. Unapologetically partisan but a source of some very interesting info.
For anyone interested in finance, and in particular the slow motion catastrophe currently unfolding in the mortgage, banking and derivative markets, the following two sites provide intelligent and at times amusing analysis. The principal focus is on the US markets with occasional sidetrips into Europe and elsewhere.
http://calculatedrisk.blogspot.com
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com
Huh. My first attempt at posting appeared to be rejected so I reposted without using links, which looked like the problem.
Would someone be good enough to delete the last two?
Don’t know where everyone gets the time to go blog reading. I’m flat out getting to Troppo and one or two others. Good to see you updating, Ken. Troppo provides a service to the ‘sphere that few other blogs match, I find.
Dizzythinks – very good coverage of UK politics, especially scandals, stuff ups and government failure. Leans to the right in a classical liberal kind of way but critical of politicians on both sides of the spectrum.
he’s also an IT guy so there’s also a mix of interesting tech themed posts.
The Cunning Realist has a good, conservative-centric line on the deleterious interaction of finance and the Iraq War – or at lest that’s the topic I read him for. Based in the US.
Charlie’s Diary is the blog of Scottish sci-fi author and creator of the two coolest races in First edition D&D, Charles Stross. He’s a mix of career news and internet issues. I guess he is a filthy lefty but it rarely comes up.
Stephen Fry is a geek; who knew? He mostly blogs about geekery like gadgets and internet issues, but it is Stephen Fry, so the writing is rewarding regardless of content.
Brad De Long also edits Egregious Moderation, collecting like-minded essays from across the interwebs. So centre-left and mostly American.
Steamboats are Ruining Everything http://www.steamthing.com/
A Don’s Life http://timesonline.typepad.com/dons_life/
Tears of a Clownsilly http://skittlesmaze.blogspot.com/
Eddie Campbell http://eddiecampbell.blogspot.com/
BLDGBLOG http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/
Making Light http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/
Easily Distracted http://weblogs.swarthmore.edu/burke/
I also meant to add that the headstone in the picture reminded me of a doctor who used to practice near where I lived: Dr Tom Katspis.
Laura, that’s comedy gold. Made my day :)
Yes, BDLGBLOG is very cool, I’ll second that one.
And on unfortunate names, my year 12 Physics reader was edited by Dr. F. Huq.
For unfortunate names, the most prominent in the news I thought was Dick Pratt.
For a male pornstar hilarious name, you can’t go past Dick Pound.
Or Rod Brown for that matter.
So many blogs so little time. I’d highly recommend the following blogs:
Michael Nielsen doesn’t exactly blog daily but he was one of the first big name physicists out there blogging and showing the way it should be done. Nowadays he’s a bit of a Science 2.0 evangelist which would probably make for some interesting reading for Troppo readers.
It hasn’t been mentioned here but it isn’t exactly a secret but I think that Wonkette is the best of the big American political blogs. It’s basically a blog which is all about maximising the snark, which makes for hilarious reading. Their analysis, though hidden in uber-snark is normally more spot-on than the big pundits.
Also on US politics there is Obsidian Wings.
As for science blogs I would check out the ScienceBlogs page and take you pick. My favourite is The Quantum Pontiff.
I like Nourishing Obscurity, written by a long term resident of one of the Russian Republics with a right wing slant. Interesting range of topics from an expat Brit who grew up in Geelong. He has a very good blogroll and is the most dedicated blog visitor I know.
For irreverent and often caustic spin on the UK from a Scottish perspective try Mr Eugenides. His blogroll would also be a good place to get good UK blogging.