One hundred today!

Well, here we are. My one hundredth post. What then, should I do with it?

I suppose I could talk about how blogging has been a small epiphany. I could explore how writing has gone from being a work tool, to something that I do, simply for the pleasure of it.

Given the Sans God theme, I should really talk about why I feel that now, more than ever, spirituality and interconnectedness have a place in a world without Gods. In doing so, I could indulge in a bit of reminiscence and summarise all that I've learnt since the 12th of November, 2006. But that would be dull.

So, I've decided not to blather on about myself. You, my dear reader, have had this dubious pleasure for ninety nine posts already.

No, I shall tell you about the other blogs that I enjoy. I've discovered much greatness over these four short months. Some of this, perhaps inevitably, is very famous. Blogs such as Violent Acres, The Dilbert Blog, Pharyngula and Postsecret. There's good reason why they're so popular. They are well written, funny, thought provoking and novel.

However, popularity begets popularity and there comes a point, when people start to think a blog must be good, because a lot of other people like it. Thus a critical mass is reached, and 'fame' ensues. Reaching this tipping point, is due to a specific convergence of talent, hard work and luck. And given the size of the blogosphere (over 10 Million Blogs), there's little doubt that luck, in large dollops, is the main ingredient of blogging popularity.

The following blogs are those for whom the magic triad consists of two; talent and hard work. As yet, super-stardom has evaded them. Many I would hazard, actively avoid this fickle nonsense, so's to concentrate on the job at hand. Either way, they are as great as the greats to me. So, in no particular order;

Route 79

Jag lives in London. (S)he has my sympathies. I don't know what Jag does for a living, but I do know that Jag travels on the 79 route between Alperton in West London and Kingsbury in North West London to get to work of a morning. (S)he uses this time to capture the most wonderful images, and to think about stuff. It is most beautiful to watch.


The Synchronicity of Indeterminacy

Indie is "an American living in Europe since the late 80's". Each week he posts a random photo, either found on the web, or submitted by a reader. For five days, readers invent narratives for these images. The best is then posted on his blog. It's invariably Indie's. This man has an eye for absurdity and beauty that makes the hair on my neck stand on end. Much joy to be had here.

Everything is Pointless

By any logic, this blog should not exist. It's an existential crisis, lived out for us all, right here on the Internet. It's creator looks directly into the eye of existence and concludes that Everything is Pointless. Which of course it is. So why bother? I'm glad that Louie does bother, though. He reads. A lot. He shares this reading with us, and posts swathes of stuff to consume, on a daily basis. Most of it is fantastic. It certainly makes me think. What I like most about Louie however, is his brutal & up front style. This is particularly evident in his comments. Ha! Some like it, some don't. Me? I admire it greatly. Louie? Perhaps he doesn't care...

Mind on Fire

John and Miko preside over this blog. They've built a temple where "critical believers can explore doubt and compassionate atheists can experiment with spirituality." I very much admire this openness. This creation drips with respect for the fellow woman/man. It makes me warm just reading it. John and Miko have intellects and an appreciation of humanity that are inspirational. If you want to observe the middle ground between belief and atheism then this is a great place to start.


The 4th Avenue Blues

Andrew describes himself as a "paranoid schizophrenic with obsessive compulsive tendencies". He also talks about recovering from alcoholism, in doing so he draws heavily on his experience of being homeless. For me, these labels are a smoke screen behind which Andrew hides his narrative genius. In his blog, Andrew writes about day to day life with a tenderness and attention to detail that is astounding. He writes primarily in dialogue, and is particularly skilled in this respect. I feel that I know him. I can smell his fried egg breakfasts.


Atheist Ethicist

Alonzo Fyfe "wanted to leave the world better off than it would have been if I had not existed." I truly believe that he will. Alonzo has set out to help us understand that even though there are no moral absolutes, we can still behave in moral ways. I admire clear thinkers. Probably because I think in blurry ways. Alonzo is crystal. Perhaps clinical, one may say. His writing however, has helped me enormously. Read it now.

The Hamlet

I stumbled upon The Hamlet some time back, via the next blog button. Ham, its proprietor is a Sixty year old teacher of English, somewhere in America. He posts each day, a deeply introspective musing. In fact, his last post bears remarkable similarities to my "I" prison effusions. I like to drop by, once in a while, to see what he's up to. I think I like him.

Atheist Revolution

Vjack in my view, hosts an atheist blog that's distinct from the many. It's easy, if you hold no theistic tendencies, to ridicule those that do. I've fallen into this trap myself. In his "what do I believe" posts, he separates himself from this amorphous mass. He writes precisely, and explains himself with a clarity that is admirable. His post about an awe-inspiring natural world should be a standard text in any child's education.

Deep Thoughts

Not only does Mojoey give us the atheist blogroll , (for which I credit much of my traffic), he also has a feel for Saganesque numinous experience. I don't know whether he'd thank me for saying it, but this guy understands spirituality. Just take a look at his related photo blog to see why.

The Candy Store / What the Hell is a Blog?

These blogs should be taken as a pair. After all they're man and wife. While Murph is in exile in Ohio, and estranged from his Canadian wife Holly, they use their blogs partly to give us a glimpse into a small part of their marriage. You may imagine these blogs being all pink and hearts then. Far from it. Both have rampant intellects and independence. Murph, for me, writes beautifully. Each post, each word for that matter, seems well placed and 'right' somehow. Yashua-"V", be he real, imagined or both, is a formidable force to be reckoned with ;). Holly has just posted her thousandth message! Now that's blogging.
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So, this is my bloggosphere. And 'tis lovely.

Thanks for reading.