You’re getting a triple dose of my weekly shout out today due to some interlinked blogs.
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:
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.