What Josh Reads: Blogs, part one

As promised. This is largest individual category with about sixty entries, though I'll be omitting some of them, either because they deal with strictly personal subject matter or they're no longer updated.

Because of the large number of entries in this category, I'll break it into into several individual posts and stagger them between the other categories. Alphabetically, we have:

A Principal's Reflections: A blog from a grade school chum who went on to become a principal and who recently published his first solo book. I like it because it's by a subject matter expert in an area about which I know little, and I always enjoy hearing about topics directly from the experts, without having their words filtered through an intermediary.

Adventurous Endeavors: A blog by my friend Phil, the Amish Stallion, similar to this one. He writes about random stuff, video games and tabletop RPGs.

Aletheia's Herald: Aletheia is a Greek word that's been translated several different ways. (From Wikipedia: is a Greek word variously translated as "unclosedness", "unconcealedness", "disclosure" or "truth". The literal meaning of the word ἀ–λήθεια is "the state of not being hidden; the state of being evident" and it also implies sincerity, as well as factuality or reality.) This blog is maintained the brother of my friend Karen, the one who loves giraffes. I like it quite a bit, as he deals with video games and science fiction (including some posts specifically about Roger Zelazny), but it's been quite a while since it's been updated. Still, it's fun to dig through the archives.

Bloggety Blog: This is Trent Zelazny's blog. He's been very clear that he doesn't want to cash in on his father's fame, and I have to respect that. Although I enjoy his fiction, that sentiment is the main reason I haven't covered his works here, because I think that would give the impression that I was only covering it because of that connection, and he deserves better than that. I like his writing on the blog a lot as well, and it's worth checking out even if you don't know his fiction.

By Ken Levine: Not the Bioshock Ken Levine, but the Ken Levine who wrote for M*A*S*H and Cheers. Another blog with a fun, conversational tone.

Dean cameron: I really enjoyed him in "They Came from Outer Space", a low-budget TV show from the 90s about two brothers from the Planet Crouton I liked his writing a great deal at first, but less so as he descneded deeper and deeper into liberterian territory.

Design Matters: A blog by my friend Seth about the fashion industry. I read it for many of the same reasons as I read A Principal's Reflections. It's a comprehensive but accessible look at an area about which I know little.

Diary Of Amy Rigby: AMY RIGBY HAS THE BEST BLOG EVER!! Anybody want to hear the story of how I saw her open for Warren Zevon again?!

(I saw her opening for Warren Zevon back in the 90s, and she really struck me as a classy act. She was doing her pre show banter. She's like, blahblahblah, it's an honor to be touring with Warren Zevon, and somebody in the audience shouts out, "ARE YOU SLEEPING WITH HIM?!" and she goes on like she hadn't heard, and I was thinking that she probably gets that shit at every show, and it's a testament to her character that she still keeps touring.)

She's one of those performers (like Zevon himself to a certain extent) who just deserves to be more famous than she is. I love her songs, and her writing for the blog is just phenomenal.

Ephemeris Arturianam monumentum transferens: This is a blog by my friend Doctor Greg, PhD. He must thank his stars every day that the title wasn't already taken by another professor of Mordred studies. I enjoyed reading it, but this is another blog that only lives on through its archives.

Gaming with the Gnomies: What a piece of work is a Gaming with the Gnomies! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The Viscount is my Call of Cthulhu GM for our biennial game sessions. He writes about that, and wargaming and topics of general geekery as well.