Slightly, but not completely, off-topic: I used to subscribe to the feeds for Engadget and Gizmodo, two blogs devoted to the latest and greatest in high-tech gizmos. But I dropped those feeds because:
- I was getting inundated with dozens of posts every day, most on items I had no interest in
- Too much “gadget porn”: drooling and obsessing over the latest and greatest in gimmickry without asking the questions, “Do we really need this?”, and “Is it really worth it?”
So now I’m down to one gadget blog, and the one I highly recommend: Cool Tools from Kevin Kelly, one of the creators of Wired Magazine. Why do I like it?
- Usually no more than one post a day.
- Talks about tools that actually do something useful or interesting.
- Not just the latest and greatest, but brings existing but obscure tools to your attention.
- Posts are thorough and thoughtful reviews, not just rehashed publicity releases.
- Not just computers or electronics, but a wide variety of topics: Aural, Autonomous Motion, Backpacking, Big Systems, Clothing, Communications, Community,Computers, Consumptivity, Craft, Culture, Design, Destinations, Dwelling, Edibles, Family, Gardens, General Purpose Tools, Health, Homestead, Inner Space, Kitchen, Learning, Life on Earth, Livelihood, Living on the Road, Materials, Media Tools, Paper World, Photography, Play, Science Method, Somatics, Source Wanted, Tips, Vehicles, Visual Media, Workplace. It’s fun just browsing through the different categories to see what you’ll stumble upon. No geography-related categories, but a search for “maps” or”GPS” will bring up a bunch of posts.
Give Cool Tools a look; I think you’ll like it.
I’m also keeping my eye on a newcomer, BoingBoing Gadgets; perhaps a bit too techy for my tastes, but does branch out beyond the standard electronics stuff.
Thanks, will look for “Cool Tools”. Have the same situation – when my Google Reader became full of useless posts I had to remove nearly all tech-gadget feeds to get some freedom…