If you watched The Daily Show last night, you saw a very nervous Steven Levitt banter with Jon Stewart for a while. Orator he may not be, he’s a great writer and researcher. If you haven’t read his book, Freakonomics, read it. It’s worth it.

The two things that impress me most about the Freakonomics guys (it’s not just Levitt) are (1) they’re ability to find statistical, factual reasons for things that aren’t apparent at all, and (2) the sheer number of interesting stories they tell. Because Freakonomics isn’t just a book, it’s also a fascinating, must-subscribe-to blog.

That link will take you to a video on another fascinating blog sponsored by the good folks over at Volkswagon called The Fun Theory. It’s just a few videos right now, but I guarantee that they’ll make you smile (but probably not buy a Volkswagon). The idea is that good, fun design can change the world for the better. That’s something I can get behind. See the video below:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lXh2n0aPyw&feature=player_embedded]

Finally, if you haven’t already subscribed to the blog 1,000 Awesome Things, do it. Prepare to smile and nod in agreement. I loved the line yesterday in the entry I linked to here about new things where the batteries are included (in reference to what the manufacturer is saying to you): “The first round’s on us.”

Also, while I’m on this blog kick, if you’re tired of clicking on 50 different sites/blogs a day to see if there’s new content, sign up for Google Reader. It’s free, it’s easy to set up, and you’ll be able to read more interesting stuff in much less time than it takes you to see what’s new right now.

See a list of all blogs I recommend here.

I should preface this entry by saying that I read a lot of blogs. Google Reader makes it easy that way. Very, very few of them are personal blogs. I’d say about three.

Why is that? Well, I generally think that for me to get something out of a blog, it has to be about something that could help move my life forward or increase the information I have to make good decisions in my life. Whether that’s in regards to technology, business, publishing, etc–those blogs give me useful information that I’m glad I have. The rest are humor blogs.

Given those parameters, I recently found a very personal blog that really makes me think about things. I don’t know the person who writes this blog, but she shares stories from her life (which is completely different from mine) in a way that makes me evaluate my own life. It’s called “my life, incomplete.”

Other blogs I’ve talked about here:

The Makansi Effect (writing)

In Search of Monsters (writing, humor)

Judicial Peach (cooking)

The Wellinghoff System (college football)

The Creative Cooler (advertising)

In any given entry, The Creative Cooler will dissect a recent ad, design, or marketing campaign. For example, one of my favorite entries was about how the newly redesigned Tropicana carton made it look generic, not smooth (even though by modern standards the new design was technically “better”). The entry were completely right. I went to the grocery story and couldn’t even find Tropicana because it blended in with all the generics. And I wanted to find Tropicana!

Right now the blog has devoted a few entries to the world of models and airbrushing. Very interesting commentary.

If you watch commercials or see advertisements and think “What’s up with that?”, you need to read The Creative Cooler.

Also, I should probably start keeping a tally of the other blogs I’ve recommended. They’re below:

The Makansi Effect (writing)

In Search of Monsters (writing, humor)

Judicial Peach (cooking)

The Wellinghoff System (college football)

I joined a freshly formed writing critique group earlier this summer, and Jason is the other male member of the group. His writing style is unique and he gives great feedback that’s to the point.

The thing I most admire about Jason is that he writes prolifically. I mean that he’s always writing. He’s overcome the barrier that gets in the way of most of us writers–he actually writes. He puts pen to paper on a consistent basis.

The other really cool thing about Jason is his family–his wife and two daughters are all quite creative, and they all enjoy reading and writing. I hope when I have kids that they find some creative passion, and I hope I foster that creativity. One of the traditions that Jason and his family have is that they rent a cabin in the woods for a long weekend every year and just go out there and write and read and talk about writing and reading. That’s it. How cool is that? I bet that cabin is bursting with creative energy.

Check out Jason’s site and sample his writing. His style(s) is quite different from mine, but I think you’ll appreciate it.

Josh created his site mostly to start getting the word out about a collection of short stories he’s publishing called In Search of Monsters. Josh is an extremely talented writer who deserves to be read–I can’t praise his work enough. I particularly like anything he writes with southern flair, old people, or creepy stuff. I have a feeling there’s lots of all that in his collection.

He’s also writing a blog on the site about writing and, of course, monsters. Today’s entry was particularly amusing, but I’d recommend that you check out some of his older posts on writing. They’re really insightful. I talk to Josh all the time, and he’s way more insightful on the blog than he is on the phone. So just read his blog–don’t start randomly calling him.

When I write a blog entry, I basically pull from a list of ideas/schemes/ponderances and write something off the top of my head with as little research as possible.

Charles, on the other hand, puts legitimate time into every entry, because every entry is based on something he cooked. And sometimes it’s something that he had to cook multiple times before getting it right. And he researches the origin and meaning behind the dish. And he takes professional-grade photographs of his food.

If you love to eat, or even if you just love to think about the idea of delicious food, check out Judicial Peach. Feel free to salivate.

A friend of mine went out on a limb today and started a simple blog on WordPress to post his weekly college football rankings. This friend is a huge college football fan, and he has a complex system for determining rankings. If you like college football, his blog will be a must-read over the course of the fall season.

Check out the Wellinghoff System today.

…that there’s time remaining on the meter.

Even a few minutes is a delight without comparison. But 30 minutes? Sometimes in the 40s?! That’s a free ride, my friends. Pocket that change.

I had this happen today as I parked to meet a friend at Wasabi. 32 glorious minutes remaining on the meter. Witnesses may or may not have seen a hop in my step as I walked to the restaurant.

If you like Pet Pleases, check out a similar concept called 1000 Awesome Things. It’s like every pet please, ever. In fact, there’s already even a post on there about Pet Please #11.