Summer Treats

Over time, the blogs appearing on my sidebar and in my RSS aggregator shift. I can't tell you that my tastes are more refined now than they were a few years ago, only that interests evolve and that some blogs close down. When I look back at posts I've written where I've made recommendations, it's surprising how many of those sites are no longer functional. In spite of the unstable nature of the Internet (and my own interests, ahem), I've run across a few bits of fun you might enjoy adding to your own rounds.

Fresh Photons aggregates a variety of science related graphics, like the view of amaryllis pollination shown at the right (via FEI Company). The site really is like a box of chocolates---you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes it's a New Yorker cartoon...other times you have vintage photos of apparatus and scientists. Graphics representing nearly every discipline make an appearance. Having this site in Google Reader is a bit like having a palate cleanse between blog posts and news stories: a beautiful brain break in a sea of text.

Meanwhile, I am completely addicted to Comically Vintage. I was never a comic book fan at any point in my life, but I still love this site. The "paleocomicologists" who post a stream of non-sequitorific panels from old comic books. We don't know whence they came or any aspects of the story. Frankly, it's more fun not knowing. Having this site as part of your feeds is guaranteed to make you laugh, shake your head in wonder, and want to take a closer look at that box of moldy comic books at garage sales.

While you're busy updating your feeds, stop by Playscapes, a blog about playgrounds---focusing on the non-commercial variety. I love the various ideas for kids' spaces. I also like thinking about the kinds of play we engaged in as children. They might not have been "safe" enough for today's bubble-wrap-your-kids society, but imagination was king while you were there. I miss seeing those places.

I am sure that I am missing many more good sites and blogs out there. It has been fun for me to see all the new standards-based grading blogs sprout. As the Internet grows, it's not always a simple matter to find new blogs I might enjoy or who might link here. If you're a regular reader and blogger, you might consider dropping me a note in the comments with a link to your blog to check out. I'd love to freshen up my sidebar some more.