Things Missing from the Internet
Aaron Swartz reports on weblogs he would like to read:
Blogs I Would Like to Read (Aaron Swartz's Raw Thought):
The Wonk Wing: Thoughtful exploration of important policy issues by decent writers who are clearly fascinated by their subject. Not only would you get a first-class education in the relevant issues around health care, global warming, urban sprawl, zoning, traffic, sewage, etc. but you'd have fun while doing it. Think Ezra Klein for more than just health care. Think The Wonk Room but more Sorkin and less Pennebaker. (Sorry, Wonk Room!)
Perfect Devices: Coverage of things which are simply the best-in-the-world at what they do, and the stories of how they got there. I want stories from the people who calibrate bathroom-mirror lighting to be the perfect combination of brightness and diffusion "so that it's diagnostically acute without being brutal" (ASFTINDA, 302). I want stories about the kitchen at French Laundry and Alinea. I want the start-to-finish story of HF&J designing a typeface. (Yes, I'm eagerly awaiting Objectified.)
17th and Pennsylvania: This is the address of the Starbucks outside the White House, where apparently executive branch officials regularly grab coffee, chat, and meet with a wide variety of famous-for-DC types. Why doesn't an enterprising Gawker Stalker simply sit there and write down what happens?
This Academic Life: Stories of new papers and research results -- not just a summary of the work itself, but the story of how it fits into the field's debates, the personal intrigues of the players, the implications for the wider world. Basically, Lingua Fraca returning as a blog.
Evisceration Quarterly: A daily selection of the finest in insults, takedowns, and general argumentative evisceration. The motto: teaching you how to think by showing you how not to. And, to not be entirely negative, the occasional model of clarity. With special blogging consultant, Brad DeLong.
