10 Blogs You Don’t Follow (But Should)

When I began blogging, I did so as an educational service. So I could provide information to the general public that they would not otherwise receive. For, sitting on my high horse of greatness, I, obviously, know far better what is good for you mere mortals than you do, and hence, I started this blog to dispense my wisdom.

In this spirit, I thought I would provide you with this short list of blogs that I think everyone should follow. These are not political blogs. These are not blogs you follow to get the latest content or information. Rather, they are blogs that you ought read simply for the sheer joy of reading (remember that feeling?). Blogs where the language dances, and where every sentence puts a smile upon your face.

So, here, in no particular order, are my Top 10 relatively-obscure but brilliant blogs!

1 ) The Awl

There are very rare moments in time when history throws up Great Men: Alexander The Great, Julius Caesar, Sir Isaac Newton, Leonardo de Vinci, Mozart. Men who tower above all and seal their stamp upon history. Men whose essence transcends mere mortals such as ourselves – men who you bow down to in awe. Men who, if they were to steal your wife, you would send a Hallmark card to thank them for the honour. Alex Balk is such a man. Indeed, he is a man who transcends even the 5 illuminaries I previously mentioned and leaves them far, far behind in his dust. A hero, an inspiration, a true visionary. You think I kid? Just read this post and wish you could be him. He writes for The Awl. Read him, follow him, and be awed (note: there are other writers on this blog, but you can ignore them all. For they are but pale shadows compared to his greatness)

2) Free Range Kids

This is a blog I only recently discovered (courtesy of the IPA), but one that, despite a horrible, horrible, name (seriously, if you want to found a movement, please take care with naming) is a wealth of information about the modern state’s desire to turn future generations into mindless automatons, removing all danger, all risk, all excitement, and turning ‘life’ into mere ‘existence’. Remember the days of your childhood and all the fun things you did that are now illegal? Well, read this blog and see how we can get them back!

3) Dear Undercover Economist

The greatest self help column in the history of mankind.  Need help with a long-distance relationship? The Alchian-Allen theorem will help you. Wondered how to get your hosemate to clean the kitchen? You need to look at it through game theory and behavioural economics.  And if you’ve ever botched a fake tan, a central banker is who you need to ask for advice. You get the idea.

4)Barking Up The Wrong Tree

This blog trawls through peer reviewed academic studies to answer questions like “Do rain and assassination promote democracy?”. Do men with facial scars have more one-night-stands?”, Should you get wasted the night before a big exam, , how much of drunk-behaviour really is placebo effect and tells you why you shouldn’t watch porn while you trade stocks. Need I say more?

5)The New Adventures of Stephen Fry – It’s Stephen Fry. ‘nuff said.

6) Velvet Glove Iron Fist

Sick of freedom hating nanny state paternalistic socialist criminals  telling you to go to goal for having a cigarette? Then fight back by following this blog of a great, great freedom fighter

7) MindHacks – a somewhat quirky look at the latest psychological research. Which I needed to include here to get up to 10.

8) Don Colacho’s Aphorisms

This blog is little more than a posting of aphorisms b Columbian philosopher and political theoretician Nicolás Gómez Dávila. I do not say this lightly, but, from what I have read of him so far, he is the wisest man of our modern age. Pithy, astute, full of deep wisdom, I can not recommend this highly enough.

A random sample from the blog:

“The despotic decisions of the modern state are, in the end, made by an anonymous, subordinate, pusillanimous bureaucrat, who is probably also a cuckold”

“Complexes” which we do not reinforce by making them public, instead of poisoning us, often commit suicide”

“Revolutions have as their function the destruction of the illusions that cause them”

“Social justice” is the term used to claim anything to which we do not have a right.

“Happiness is the prickly flower of intelligent resignation.”

Truly glorious (and they come across even better in an RSS feed!)
9)Dr. Boli’s Celebrated Magazine

There is no possible way to describe this blog in human terms. There really isn’t. It is just… wow. Subscribe to it, and see why. Other than The Awl, it is my favourite blog on the internet.

10)Menzies House

Okay, so this one is shameless self promotion. And google-algoritym-bait. But hey, we’re awesome, so, subscribe! 🙂

(Note: I will actually be doing a post of slightly more serious blogs you also ought follow shortly, worry not. But seriously, do check out these blogs. Because I like them, and I think you will too! )