BlogDay 2006

As I mentioned yesterday, today is BlogDay 2006.  Usually I find it difficult to work up too much excitement about these blogging love-ins.  However, this one gives me a good excuse to blog about something other than food.  I can therefore break a cardinal blogging rule: always stay focused on your core topic.  I'm a rebel.

My rebellious credentials are further enhanced because not only does this post contravene a blogging rule, it also contravenes one of the rules of BloggingDay 2006.  Rather than recommending five other blogs, I'm recommending six.  I know, I'm cr-cr-cr-crazy.

Gadi Taub is a lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  He provides a very sane and measured voice on Israel and the conflict in the Middle East.  His blog hasn't been going long but whatever he writes is worth reading.

Oliver Kamm is a fund manager and political commentator.  I don't really understand how one leads to the other, or if one does lead to the other.  His politics are hard to pin-down, he probably errs towards a nineteenth century concept of a liberal, he is Mr Rational.  His arguments tearing apart Noam Chomsky are legendary and well worth a read.

Francis Sedgemore is another lefty who blogs.  He's a British scientist with a speciality on space flight by training, but luckily for us, he also blogs about politics and society.  Again, he takes a very rational and even-handed approach to the Middle East and is not afraid to argue against received wisdom.  His writing is all the better for it.

Pickled Politics is a blog with a focus on South Asian society and politics in the UK.  If you read the About Us page you'll get a good feel where they're coming from.  The blog is clearly written by a group of people who think long and hard about the society they live in and question what they see around them.  They're quite happy to point out the negatives but are not shy of making the most of the positives either.

Smallworldmedia is a change of tack.  This is a blog that contains very few words but tons of the most stunning photographs.  All the photos are taken by Christopher Sleight, a UK based journalist.  I reckon his post from yesterday could be a good treatment against mid-winter blues.

The Long Tail is a blog that has spawned a book of the same name.  I found the book fascinating and I love reading the updates by Chris Anderson on his blog.  His ideas are the antidote to the dotcom boom and bust of the late 1990s.  He provides a level-headed answer to the question: What does the internet mean for markets?

I found it hard to pick such a small number of blogs that I enjoy, although it is refreshing to write about non-food blogs.  For those who are interested, you can download my current list of the blogs that I read here.  N.B. The file is in a format (OPML) that can be inserted into any RSS reader like Rojo or Newsgator.

Comments

[Jeanne]

Interesting list - I must go and check them out. I'm glad somebody other than me selected blogs from outside of their usual field - I thought the whole idea was to broaden your horizons a little. I mean, we are forever recommending new food bloggers to each other, why not push the boat out a little on Blogday?

[Silverbrow]

I know that's what I thought. Anyway, good to see some of us stick to the rules.