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Captain Matt wrote:On average I don't think blogs are any worse than newspapers today.

I wouldn't know. I don't read newspapers anymore.

WildBill wrote:Second, a poor choice of font style/size and background color causes me to immediately close web pages. IMO, there is no blog worth reading that has purple text on a black background.

I suspect the garish colors and hideous fonts on some facebook and myspace pages are designed to take advantage of that factor so teens can have some privacy without their parents knowing every little detail of their lives.

Reading all the other perspectives regarding blogging is enlightening.

"Vanity Blogs" - A perfect term and one unheard of by me until now. These are the ones I find so repulsive.

As for the public service benefit of sponsor free blogging, "Hallelujah"! Although, I still don't know how one goes about separating the chaff from the wheat in the "blogosphere". There's so much narcissistic garbage out there, I'm at a loss.

Nor do I know a single person (until this thread) who actually reads such things.

P.S. I do get a chuckle when I read advise suggesting I not read something - from those who are obviously peeved. Offering me advise they could sorely use...

WildBill,

I too suffered eye trouble with reading the posted word. So much so at times I'd get a headache.

To help cure this problem, I got a flat screen monitor and went to the optometrist who prescribed "computer and reading glasses".

I'd scoffed at the extra expense of such things as I thought my many lens, everyday, dreadfully expensive glasses should do the job. I was wrong. Specific glasses for reading my P.C. are something I should've gotten years ago...they make all the difference. Perhaps, they'd help you too?

Abraham wrote:WildBill,

I too suffered eye trouble with reading the posted word. So much so at times I'd get a headache.

To help cure this problem, I got a flat screen monitor and went to the optometrist who prescribed "computer and reading glasses".

I'd scoffed at the extra expense of such things as I thought my many lens, everyday, dreadfully expensive glasses should do the job. I was wrong. Specific glasses for reading my P.C. are something I should've gotten years ago...they make all the difference. Perhaps, they'd help you too?

Thanks for the tip. I will look into it. I am due [actually long overdue] for an eye exam. My new health insurance kicked in this year, so I should see how bad it really is. Although I am sure that it won't pay for a flatscreen monitor.

Abraham wrote: Reading all the other perspectives regarding blogging is enlightening.
...

Nor do I know a single person (until this thread) who actually reads such things.

...

Yes it is (enlightening, that is...). Until you posted I hadn't really considered that there were still other-wise internet savvy people, especially on a forum like this, who didn't know anyone who read a blog or who didn't realize what a huge resource blogs are. Yes there are lots of mediocre ones, but it is not all that hard to find some really good ones, and as someone pointed out above they can have huge impact (e.g Rathergate).

http://thelawdogfiles.blogspot.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; that someone mentioned above is an entertaining one, and besides his short stories he also provides some interesting self-defense tips!

http://Instapundit.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is a huge one, one of the early ones, law professor with strong libertarian bent. I radically disagree with some of his conclusions, but he has some strong 2A positions and legal articles.

Clayton Cramer has two blogs. Software engineer by trade, amateur historian (especially on the Second Amendment) by avocation. He is the one who initially torpedoed professional historian Bellisle and his fraudulent work claiming gun ownership was rare in early America, he worked on a brief for the Heller case, had some of his other work cited by the SCOTUS in the Heller opinion. His main blog is http://www.claytoncramer.com/weblog/blogger.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, but he also publishes the Civilian Gun Defense Blog, collecting all newpaper articles on the use of guns by citizens (as a counter to a professor who basically claimed that self-defense gun usage was rare). You can find it here at http://www.claytoncramer.com/gundefense ... ogger.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

"Of Arms and the Law" by David Hardy (http://armsandthelaw.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) is another excellent one for keeping up with 2A legal issues. Hardy is a practicing attorney (who most recently handled this gun-related case: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/200 ... a-rancher/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;).

These are all vastly more interesting and informative most personal journal-type blogs, but they are blogs none the less, just different subject matter (and writers). They are basically one-man bands (altho the civilian defense blog has a couple contributors), just like your buddy who murders music. Try some of them out, and check out a few of the blogs they list on their side bars. You might find some very interesting stuff... like this one: http://www.guntrustlawyer.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; I just found him, and I am going to check this out carefully...

Blogs are definitely one of the premier pluses to the internet. There's a lot of dreck out there, true, but even here, I think 3/4 of all the threads/posts I read are...less than entertaining/informative. But just like here, there is enough good stuff to keep me coming back.

I enjoy reading blogs. There are a few people in the world that I enjoy keeping up with. I have a few friends that used blogging as an outlet during tough times in their life.

These things have really spread like wildfire and taken on a huge role in our culture.

ELB,

Wow, I've visited some of the sites you provided and was thunderstruck by their high quality.

I very much appreciate your guidance.

I wonder if there's a clearing house of sorts separating the dreck from the quality blogs? I plan to start looking and if I find something along those lines I'll pass it on.

No question, my view of blogs was misinformed. There's a world of difference between the hopelessly lame vanity blogs and those with something to offer. I was under the impression that vanity blogs were, for the most part, all that was out there in the blogosphere. They do seem to be popping up like poisonous mushrooms all over the net...

I'm quite happy to find I was wrong.

Excellent! Glad I was able to help.

elb

p.s. try http://www.powerlineblog.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; too...