Some blogs educate, help people collaborate, spark ideas and just plain expand our thought universe. Others stir emotions or anger us or make us laugh. Here, I’ve listed 15 technology blog sites based on breadth of information, newsworthiness, design, frequency of updates and entertainment value.
Sure, the list is subjective, but I think this is one of the best catalogs of blogs that has ever been published. The entries ran the gamut, from serious technology news and reviews to commentary on games and the latest tech gadgets. I also included some honorable mentions at the end because the competition was so close.
Lifehackers’ motto says it all: “Don’t live to geek, geek to live.” This blog offers timesavers of just about every stripe, from Firefox shortcuts to tips from the “Getting things done” faithful.
IT Toolbox has a number of “in the trenches” IT pros who talk about technology and management issues. There are specialist blogs dealing with security, databases and project management, among other subjects. It’s a very versatile site.
Bring in the noise, bring in the snark. Valleywag is for those who believe that the tech industry lives or dies by the scuttlebutt pinging around Silicon Valley. And it’s amusing for those of us who prefer that the lotus-eaters of Northern California stick with the dishing and tongue-wagging, leaving the rest of us to get the real work done.
Kotaku is the snarky, gamer uber-blog. It has everything from reviews and gossip to cheat tips. Just about anything you’ll ever need, including which game to buy and how to play it.
Wired’s military and defense blog writes about some of the coolest and scariest military technologies; not to mention scandals, debates and other military news. Lots of video and imagery are included.
Gizmodo’s got the scoop on all the latest toys and cool and wacky inventions. From high-def TVs and coffee makers to booze belts and USB drives—you’ve got to love a site that publishes photos of a solar-powered bathing suit. They also blog about serious technology news too.
This is where you can read Tim O’Reilly (founder of O’Reilly Publishing) and others discuss networking, programming, open source, intellectual property, politics, Web 2.0 and emerging technology.
Techdirt is a newsy, “tell it like it is” blog that frequently features debates on the hot issues in the Internet and computer fields. Scandals are a specialty. Simplicity is its hallmark.
Groklaw’s raison d’etre is needling SCO in its long-running legal fights against IBM and Novell, but the discussion sometimes veers toward other issues that involve technology, intellectual property, and government regulations.
Want to learn how to add USB to a cheap Linux router? Create a snake robot? How about an XBox 360 laptop? Hack a Day has these basement projects and many more. This site is for the serious techie. At the same time, it’s good for a laugh or a new hobby.
As Coke is to Pepsi, so Engadget is to Gizmodo. It’s all about gear, gossip, techish issues and the occasional rant. It’s got great product photos, and the editors have access to pre- and early-release gadgetry. Also, it hosts some really funny homemade junk.
This Web page brings together blog sites about technology, sports, celebrity gossip, food, personal experiences, you name it. It also offers a blog search feature that allows you to input words or phrases, and it has a very cool RSS aggregator for news feeds. It also injects some great humor into technology news. An all-around great site.
Forever Geek is a great site with a myriad of blogs on diverse topics, from technology and general interest news to movie and game reviews. Definitely a tech paradise. If you want to learn about the upcoming Iron Man movie or read a review of Photoshop CS3, this is the place to go.
Nick Carr of “Does IT Matter?” has a sharp-minded blog that discusses all manner of issues and trends relating to technology. Always an entertaining read, Rough Type often locks horns with companies, people, technologies and policies that rub Carr the wrong way.
Billed as a site for gadget and game-loving geeks, this blog also serves up articles that cross over into the political and celebrity news of the day. The combination of entertainment value and tech news make Smorgasbord a top contender.
Honorable mentions:
TUAW offers collection of independent bloggers, that is independent but not undecided or uninformed. It’s a good source for Apple-related news. The only reason it didn’t make the top 15 was its singular topic focus.
A self-professed computer scientist, Elliot posts everything from his opinions on why XML sucks, to the Titanic’s passenger list and reviews of movies like 300. This site is diverse and well composed, offering great tips on topics such as increasing system performance and blocking spam.
There is a new crop of blogs that highlight poor customer service for consumer electronics, bad UIs and outright rip-offs, but Ed Foster has been doing it longer than anyone else.
This is a great site if you want to get the latest gadget and game news along with some topical opinion pieces.
This is a very useful with well-written tips and how-to’s for Windows admins.
Of course, not everyone will agree with my selections. If you think a blog site that’s not on our list deserved a top 15 spot, share it with me in the comments section!
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