Linkety-Linkety

by Robison Wells

So, I don't have much time to blog at the moment, and I likely won't have time to blog later this afternoon either. Consequently, this blog won't be saying too much. Instead, I'll link you to other things that are much more entertaining than me.


First, here are a bunch of websites that I frequent:

Chickens Don't Have Armpits, which is the marvelous blog of my friend and fellow writer, Matthew Buckley (Marion Jensen). Let me tell you why his blog is better than mine: he's really smart, and he thinks about interesting things. (And then he blogs about them.)

A Motley Vision. You read this, don't you? If you're at all interested in the Mormon arts, you should. It's fascinating and diverse. It's one of the few places that actually discusses all aspects of LDS literature without seeming to really pick sides or get negative. It's run by William Morris who, I can attest, has good taste in restaurants.

I have probably linked to this before, but I love me some Little People. It is street art, and it's very clever.

I also love me some Dinosaur Comics. This is, by far, my favorite webcomic. It can occasionally get a little crass, but just don't look at it those days, 'kay? Here's one of my favorites. Here's another.

The webcomic XKCD has a tendency to be crass more often than not, so I won't recommend it. However, take a look at this one, and laugh. If that does not amuse you, then you are neither my age nor my friend.

Writers in Heels is basically Six LDS Writers and a Frog, except not quite as awesome. (Almost, but not quite.) :) It's a collaborative blog that features many of my favorite author friends. (All of them are women, hence the "heels". But it'd be funny if Matthew Buckley joined them.)

If you happen to be a marketer with an affinity for consumer packaged goods as well as a love of art, go look at The Dieline. If you are not those things, then don't.

The Selby is a photo blog that has very little explanation, yet it is strangely addicting. Again, this might not be everyone's cup of tea. It's both weird and fascinating, and I'll happily admit that I don't really get it. But I like it.

I also read a whole bunch of political blogs, which I am choosing not to link to, because I don't want to really get into a political discussion. Suffice it to say that I disagree with almost every single political blog I read, mainly because political bloggers tend to be extremists and crazy. But they're still fun to read.


Podcasts
You thought I was done! But I'm not. I bought an MP3 player this spring, and I've been enjoying the glory of podcasts. Here are some that I enjoy.

(However, I need your help! I seem to have really bad luck finding good podcasts. About once a week I'll poke around the corners of the internet looking for good ones, and 90% of what I find is CRAP with a capital K. Do you listen to podcasts? Tell me about the where they are!)

Writing Excuses is a podcast featuring Brandon Sanderson (writer of Elantris), Howard Tayler (writer of Schlock Mercenary), and Dan Wells (my brother, who has a horror series coming out next year). It's really, really excellent, and I'm not just saying that because they're my friends. There are an awful lot of articles about how to write floating around the internet--I've written several--but these guys are SMART. In fact, after reading many authors write many mediocre articles about writing, this podcast is a breath of fresh air.

Every Monday morning I download the latest Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and Car Talk. They're my Monday traditions now.

I also listen religiously to This American Life (another NPR show). We on this blog are all writers, and I think that we could all learn a lot from the storytelling genius of This American Life.

I also somehow found a weekly radio show in Texas (also NPR), called Think, that is mostly authors being interviewed about their books. They've had some really great stuff.

Lest you think I always listen to NPR: another of my favorites is Skeptoid, which debunks a lot of urban legends via science and intelligence. (For example, they talk about how the Large Hadron Collider is not going destroy the earth and how cellphones are probably not going to give us brain cancer. Some of my very favorite ones focus on health-related silliness, such protests against flouridation and such.) (If you're the type of person who is annoyed that I just referred to protests against flouridation as silliness, then this probably isn't the podcast for you. Because you don't like science?) (Disclaimer: again, I don't always agree with this guy. He points his skepticism gun at religion every once in a while, which gets annoying. But it's fairly rare.)

One of my favorite writers and actors, Stephen Fry, podcasts occasionally. I have to say that while the subjects of shows aren't anything phenomenal, he's a joy to listen to.


So... What have I missed? Of course, this is just a sample of my overstuffed Favorites list, but what are the gems that I need to add? And please: send any podcasts you have. I love what I have, but I have terrible luck finding new ones.