Thursday, April 26th, 2007
THINKING BLOGGER AWARD
Nonpartisan, the genteel founder of ProgressiveHistorians, was kind enough to “tag” me, along with four others, with the ” Thinking Blogger Award“. I thank NP for his gracious nomination, all the more pleasant as it comes from across the political aisle. I’ve always felt very welcome joining in the discussion over at ProgressiveHistorians and that kind of civility and serious intellectual engagement is a quality that far, far, bigger bloggers could emulate more often.
With the award comes the solemn responsibility to pass the torch to five new nominees., according to the hallowed rules as handed down by the thinking blog:
“1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).”
I gave the matter some serious thought. There are a number of blogs within my ” koinon“, certainly more than five, who make think on a regular basis and are duly rewarded with frequent links and commentary. A number of these bloggers have become my friends, yea, even unto the real world. Aside from not wishing to have to choose amongst friends, I would like to use this opportunity to highlight some blogs outside of the political-historical-foreign affairs-military-intel genre that figures so heavily here. It’s a little more objective too as I have no personal connection to the following nominees beyond reading their posts and leaving the occasional comment:
FIVE BLOGS THAT MAKE ME THINK:
5. Edge Perspectives With John Hagel: Hagel is not a frequent poster but each of his essays are strategically thought out, imply numerous ramifications across domains and are amply linked and sourced. A blog that will put you ahead of the curve.
4. Complexity and Social Networks Blog: This Harvard University-based group blog inhabits the zone between pure academia and making the discussions of networks and complex systems accessible to all intelligent and interested laymen.
3. Ideas: Professor David Friedman, who authors heroic fantasy novels and plays World of Warcraft in his spare time, is “an academic economist who teaches at a law school and has never taken a course for credit in either field”. He’s also a libertarian. Needless to say, the posts at Ideas have a certain quirkiness of perspective.
2. Milt’s File: University of Chicago professor and longtime ( I think since the late 1960’s) host of Chicago’s Extension 720 AM radio program, Dr. Milt Rosenberg’s blog. As a blogger, Milt is a linker but you can listen to him as a thinker online by tuning in to his nightly broadcast at his WGN site. A Chicago institution.
1. The Eide Neurolearning Blog: Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide deal in the meta-analysis of peer-reviewed research where most bloggers are offering mere speculation and they back that analysis with insights from their own research and experience as physicians. Expert blogging at its best!
Congratulations to the winners!
