View From The Glen

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Bouncing Around the Internet

I hate finding new, awesome, informative, fascinating web sites.

No really.

Hate it because it makes me think there is not enough time in the day. Because I don't have enough memory to store all the fantastic snippets of knowledge I find. The internet is bad enough with all those great blogs (which I struggle to read regularly and comment on, but I love you, I really do!) and I have stacks of books piled up that I want to get to, and so having a constant feed of new material is dizzying.

I want to have an eidetic memory. I want to slow down time to savour articles instead of rushing through them. I thirst for new knowledge, but don't know what the heck to do with it once I have it. Even the fashionable cocktail party where such remarks would seem pithy and intelligent is, sadly, a thing largely of my past (more of that in another post).

But I have to, I must, introduce you to some of my favourite web sites. They shadow me on Facebook (or rather I shadow them) so just when I think it's safe, I get a sniff of a great story and bam, I'm gone. I'm like a kitten chasing a beam of light, bouncing from one idea to the next.

Medievalists.net - Facebook page and web site. This site might be off beat for some of you but, fixated as I am on medieval history, it's just my cuppa tea. Of course the tea always goes cold while I'm reading...

Arts and Letters Daily Oh my, so many cool stories to link from. This site scours the internet for noteworthy news, book reviews, critiques and columns to pique your interest: What happened to irony? askes one; Bram Stoker's notebook, declares another; Know your Wine, a third beckons. Marx and Prostitutes, Feminism on the Internet, PG Wodehouse, Questioning moral progress...all matters philosophical, literary,scientific, aesthethical, cultural...a modern modern major general, in fact.

Book Riot How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... Reading Pathways (or how to read Dickens, Austen, Atwood...ongoing series); Critical Linking, Reading for the Apocalypse (I mean, who can resist, really?) and loads of great questions on Facebook that make me think.

There's so much more I could say about these sites, but--oh look, is that a light? (Kitten bounces off to look at cool new thing glimmering on the horizon).

3 comments:

Capital Mom said...

The problem with the Internet is that there is always one more thing to look at. It's hard to stop myself. Like right now. I am reading your blog instead of writing. :-)

Bibliomama said...

Oh my god, SO TRUE. I was just going through my stack of newspapers because I hate throwing them out without at least skimming them, and there's just so much stuff and... well, yeah, what you said. Oh well. Time flies is better than time drags - that's how I console myself.

Leanne Haines said...

It is truly addictive! I have almost resorted to setting timer before I sit down to the computer, or I'll get sucked in and lose track of the day!