GOOD BLOGS

How many blogs are there out there now, five, six trillion? One for every man, woman, child and goat who have ever lived?

Maybe not that many, but there are an awful lot of them. There are so many that it's impossible to read them all, and to be honest, not all of them are worth reading. And, it's hard finding new ones that are worth reading, simply because it's hard to sift through the noise to get a good signal. I use all kinds of tools--InstaPundit, Blogdex, Popdex, etc--to find new stuff, but they're imperfect instruments. Using the Technorati Link Cosmos I accidentally stumbled into one the other night that I might charitably describe as the highly uninteresting tale of a swinger trying to get some chick in the sack, while he was out on a date or something with some other person. Believe me, it's less interesting than I've made it sound.

But there are lots of quality blogs out there that never seem to get the Instalink but are great nevertheless. They're characterized by good writing, some wit, clearly articulated thought based on a set of actual facts and solid first principles, and I don't know, they just make you want to keep reading. They're just good.

This blog, which will remain the JunkYardBlog for the forseeable future, isn't the biggest blog in the world but it isn't the smallest either. We do get traffic from all over the world (shouts out to you Italian and Dutch readers!). To the extent that it's possible, I'd like to draw attention to other blogs that deserve some, so I'm starting a haphazard and poorly thought through little promotional item called "Good Blogs." If you have a blog or know of one that by all appearances isn't getting the attention it deserves, send me a link. Tell me what you like about it, or if it's yours, what's good about it. Don't be shy. It doesn't have to be one that aligns with my religious or political philosophy--it just has to be good. If I like what I read, I'll make it a Good Blog. It'll get a post here, and a link over on the right. I'd like to do a couple of these a month.

As an example, the first Good Blog is one I've highlighted and linked to before, and in fact it already has a link on the right, but is always worth a read. A. M. Siriano is simply a killer writer. His site includes a blog as well as poetry and very well-written commentary. Unlike some bloggers (ahem), he always thinks before he writes and posts. If you haven't been there before, go now and spend a little time there. You won't regret it--it's a Good Blog.