Favorite blogs of 2004

1. Marginal Revolution. Tyler Cowen and company explain the world in economic terms, illustrating that the dismal science is one of the humanities; MR frequently examines the human animal in the emotional world.

2. Bull Moose Blog. Marshall Wittmann is the rare animal (albeit one with a broad, pendulous muzzle) who understands the American body politic. A former GOP staffer in Senator John McCain’s office, Wittman quotes lodestar T.R., writes with a distinctive voice, and dispenses level-headed advice for the Democrat seeking his way from the wilderness. My new favorite political blog.

3. Pullquote. Steadfastly literary and without peer on life in the dark, the semi-anonymous “Cinetrix” covers the movies and the examined life in Gotham City with an admirable verve. Essential.

4. Coudal Partners. A wondrous collection of “signals,” as the Coudals refer to them: a truly international collection of (predominately) visual and cultural links that you shouldn’t miss.

5. The Decembrist. The wisest of the new pragmatists, Mark Schmitt doesn’t write as often as I like to read him. Eminently commonsensical.

6. Steve Clemons. Another young Turk—vice president of the New America Foundation and director of the Japan Policy Research Institute—Clemons is a man in a hurry, well-connected, and has his feet on the ground. Always organizing conferences and dispatching prescriptions, he’s a contemporary and future star.

7. Maud Newton. One-stop shopping for things literary.

8. Boing Boing. Somewhat too wonky and Burning-Man-like for my tastes, BB remains a magnet for things I don’t find elsewhere.

9. Whatevs. Exhibit “A” for those who don’t understand how (1) the use of words not found in the dictionary can be smart; and (2) gossip can be smart. Underappreciated.

10. Modern Art Notes. One of the three to repeat from 2003, Tyler Green's blog about the visual arts is the most comprehensive, the most readable, and the most lively of the genre; essential.

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11. Giornale Nuovo. Doesn’t qualify for the criteria I’ve established for this list; for one, it’s rarely updated and, as a result, often slips off my radar screen. But: so gorgeous, and quiet, and Renaissance-like, it deserves mention.