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Question of the day

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Illinois

What is your favorite non-political website, blog, etc.? Explain why it’s your favorite and provide a link. But, please, no porn. lol

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 9:33 am

Comments

Wikipedia. It’s an amazing non-profit global effort, showing the power of governance by consensus.

Comment by Squideshi Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 9:36 am
A little bit off center…but fairly dead on most of the time… http://urbansurvival.com/week.htm

Comment by Siyotanka Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 9:36 am
http://www.blueheronkayaks.com/kayak/index.html

For those who have ever wanted to build a kayak, this site has a free CAD program to design a kayak. It also provides support for design and building a strip built kayak.

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 9:43 am
Geek porn - Wikipedia

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 9:44 am
http://www.Fark.com
a little bit of everything with a reader forum.

Comment by Wumpus Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 9:49 am
http://www.damninteresting.com/

Strange stories and odd facts

Comment by Poli-Sci Geek Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 9:58 am
“The Reluctant Blogger,” a blog by Henry Kisor, the retired book editor of the Sun-Times and Chicago Daily News. Henry’s musings include his interest in books, piloting, railroads, photography and the mysteries and non-fiction books he has written. Just amazing! http://henrykisor.com/blog/

Comment by Marshall Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 9:59 am
http://www.worth1000.com/

Photoshopping skills I wish I had.

Comment by Big Red Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:05 am
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/

Comment by bored Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:05 am
The best food site around:

www.lthforum.com

Comment by Skeeter Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:10 am
www.profootballtalk.com Quality NFL discussions, rumors and lots of snark!

Comment by Ravenswood Right Winger Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:10 am
I don’t visit too often, since they post new de-motivators only every few months, but www.despair.com never fails to crack me up.

I have worked and gone to school with people who plaster traditional motivational posters all over the walls, but I identify more with posters that say:

“Consulting: If you’re not a part of the solution,there’s good money to be made in prolonging the problem.”

Comment by South Side Mike Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:11 am
http://snopes.com/ Shoots down all of that silly “urban legend” e-mail that everyone with email gets on an almost daily basis…

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:13 am
Don’t know why but I love looking at what is called “alternative housing.” Sorry, can’t choose between the three:

Tiny houses: http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com
Yurts: http://www.yurts-r-us.com/
Earthships: http://www.earthship.net/

Comment by yinn Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:17 am
For all my technology need, yah cant beat http://www.tomshardware.com/

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:24 am
www.detroityes.com as a member of the sadly growing detroit diaspora, it keeps me in touch with what’s happening in one of America’s most interesting cities and has links to great sites on detroit’s Fabulous Ruins and the motor city’s unparalleled musical legacy.

Comment by corvax Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:25 am
www.cryptomundo.com It feeds the other side of my things-that-can’t-be-explained quest for knowledge (besides politics).

Comment by hollyringo Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:31 am
http://icanhascheezburger.com/

Pictures of cats with large text captions. Hilarious!

Comment by Meredith Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:42 am
http://www.illinoishighschoolsports.com has all the latest in small-school high school sports. Great site. Great group of people.

Comment by Fan of the Game Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:44 am
http://www.monzyummylunch.blogspot.com

Monz Yummy Lunch — some guy (guys) from my grandparent’s hometown (Waukegan) who blogs about his lunch and whatever else is going on in his life. I think I’m missing part of the joke, but the pictures are great!

Comment by lake county democrat Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:47 am
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/index.php - I have a passion for fine photographic gear and B&W photography.

Comment by Ken in Aurora Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 11:04 am
www.theonion.com. However, recent events in Springfield have made The Onion look prescient.

Comment by Glass Onion Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 11:06 am
mobot.org — from the Missouri Botanical Garden. An excellent source of info for selecting plants and other issues of interest to gardeners.

Comment by patient advocate Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 11:07 am
Thanks, PA, that is a great site.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 11:15 am
Hmmm. “Mobots.” Are you sure that’s not political?

Comment by Glass Onion Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 11:25 am
YouTube is the best overall non-political website outside of The Capitol Fax Blog. Can you also ask us to suggest the worst political and non-political websites? Examples, as always, are legion.

Comment by Serendipity Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 11:33 am
Might be a generational thing, but I’m going to say Facebook.

While it’s addicting, it’s probably the most efficient way for me to find new links, organize photos, read friends’ blog posts and keep in touch.

Comment by Kiyoshi Martinez Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 11:39 am
ndnation.com. This is collection of links to Notre Dame football comments and articles. Not very joyful these days.

Comment by General Assembly Watcher Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 11:40 am
Aside from countless sites for old cars, car parts, and car shows, then throw in a few Christian websites and the Southern Illinoisan, I would have to say my favorite place to go and do nothing but waste time is Jigzone.com for jigsaw puzzles.

Comment by Little Egypt Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 11:54 am
I like refdesk.com. Links to all the current news and info. Makes a great homepage.
http://www.refdesk.com/

Comment by TJ Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 11:55 am
http://www.urbandictionary.com/

So I can keep up with what the ‘kids’ are saying…

Comment by 312 Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 12:01 pm
Fark.com and

http://www.Makezine.com, the web site for MAKE magazine.

http://www.Worth1000.com has awesome photoshop images from their contests, make for fun desktop wallpaper.

Comment by Just a guy Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 12:41 pm
http://www.avalanchepress.com/

Nice games, and you get a daily history lesson with fun facts.

I especially liked the one they ran when Gerald Ford passed away.

http://www.avalanchepress.com/WarPresident.php

Comment by Pat Collins Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 12:44 pm
“- Meredith - Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 10:42 am: http://icanhascheezburger.com/ Pictures of cats with large text captions. Hilarious!”

OMG - I almost messed myself with a few of those!

Comment by Ken in Aurora Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 12:53 pm
Heads up Rich, the JRTC building in downtown Chicago is now shut down due to a protest going on. ADAPT I guess didn’t get to meet with the gov.

Comment by Crimefighter Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 12:53 pm
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-ap-il-disabilityprotest,1,7308354.story?coll=chi_tab01_layout&ctrack=3&cset=true

Comment by Crimefighter Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 12:55 pm
whitesoxinteractive.com

Totally Biased white sox talk

Comment by unbiased Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 12:58 pm
ESPN.com

I need my sports more then politics!

Comment by scoot Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 1:17 pm
This is my secret obsession, the site is updated every Sunday night

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Comment by Secret Obsession Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 1:50 pm
Also for the gearheads and those who like to work on their cars: http://www.uneedapart.com/

This site has used car parts from all over the US. It lets you comparison shop for the parts wou need to work on your car or truck.

Comment by Huh? Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 2:05 pm
Second City Cop Blog

Comment by The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 2:37 pm
Rogers Park Cheeto Bag Blog.

Comment by The 'Broken Heart' of Rogers Park Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 2:39 pm
www.TelevisionWithoutPity.com

Hilarious!

Comment by Queen B Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 3:27 pm
www.bookslut.com and www.bookslut.com/blog

It’s literature, so it gets political at times. But mainly it’s a website that worships all things fiction and nonfiction, and is full of smart columnists.

Comment by ZC Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 3:38 pm
Another vote for http://www.fark.com wacky news kicker type stories

Also like http://ispeeved.blogspot.com views on things from our state police

Another http://www.woot.com shopping deals with an attitude

And a new drinking game. Go read http://www.illinois.gov/news and every time you see the guvs name, take a drink.

And of course http://thecapitalfaxblog.com

Comment by Concerned Voter Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 3:52 pm
Concerned, if you participated in that drinking game, you’d die of alchohol poisoning withing a few minutes.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 3:54 pm
“Concerned, if you participated in that drinking game, you’d die of alchohol poisoning withing a few minutes.”

No, I’d probably get sick reading about all the “wonderful” that have been done by the guv.
My question, where’s the press release on state govt running smoothly and everyone acting like adults, not little backstabbing children?

Comment by Concerned Voter Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 4:07 pm
www.bostondirtdogs.com

Comment by Jay Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 4:08 pm
When not reading the tidbits of wisdom here, I most often find myself deep within the pages at http://davesgarden.com/ where I can plot and plan my next landscaping adventure, and check out the reputations of nurseries.

Comment by Also a gardening geek Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 4:15 pm
Food Network.com, pick a topic, pour an adult libation and, if we ever get outa here enjoy a homecooked meal!!!

Comment by dis-connected Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 4:38 pm
Baseball Think Factory.

Finally a watering hold for statnerds like myself.

Comment by Some Guy Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 5:03 pm
Achewood is the reason God invented billionaire talking cats.

– SCAM

Comment by so-called "Austin Mayor" Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 5:16 pm
My favorite non-political site is the Virtual Stamp Club (www.virtualstampclub.com). I have been a stamp collector since the age of four, and I am presently the Secretary of the Chicago Philatelic Society (the oldest stamp club in America in terms of continuous operation, dating back to the 1880s). This site provides the latest news that a stamp collector wants, and often scoops members of the Postal Service about what other Postal Service departments are doing (sound familiar?).

Comment by Randall Sherman Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 5:16 pm
I have 2: www.copcar.com and www.sicarnews.com
gotta have a hobby!

Comment by Hazardman Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 5:41 pm
A couple of AA’s favorites:

www.aviationplanning.com

The site owner is a well-known aviation consultant with definite opinions about the FAA, TSA, and a number of other issues. His writings are usually on point and often hilarious.

www.autotrader.com

where else can you find the car (or truck, of you’re a truck person) of your dreams with a few keystrokes, even if you’re just a tire kicker?

Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 5:58 pm
My favorite cultural and news websites on Chicago, culture, the Northwestide and muckracking (some politics) are:

www.frankcoconate.com
amd
www.chicagoclout.com

Comment by James D Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 6:48 pm
Check out, not only for Jews, but some great Jewish websites, or from a Jewish perspective

www.aish.com

www.chabad.org

www.askmoses.com

www.kabbalahonline.org

www.meaningfullife.com

www.inner.org

Comment by Moshe Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 7:13 pm
Parody articles and just good clean humor

http://www.bbspot.com

Comment by Kevin Highland Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 8:13 pm
I second http://www.lthforum.com (because of its Chicagoland and beyond foodie tips) and http://www.achewood.com (because it makes me laugh, esp. the Great Outdoor Fight thread). Also, you don’t need to be an Irish Catholic to get some solace from the Irish Jesuit website http://www.sacredspace.ie –when you just need to chill out and pray.

Comment by 32nd Ward Roscoe Village Resident Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 8:45 pm
The two best sports sites:

http://www.celticfc.net

www.autosport.com

Nobody covers F1 like Autosport, and nobody covers the SPL at all other than the Celtic site. You can’t even get up to date results on places like ESPN or SI.

Comment by Skeeter Tuesday, Sep 11, 07 @ 8:46 pm