TypePad Featured Blogs

Hyperconnectivity

Alex Lewis and Carlo Longino of Nortel have turned their blog, Hyperconnectivity into “a center of thought for the business of hyperconnectivity and the emergence of a seamless communications model”. What’s hyperconnectivity? It’s the “state in which the number of devices and applications connected to the network exceeds the number of people using it.” With the number of cell phones and iPods alone outstripping the population of entire continents, hyperconnectivity will change the way networks and applications are built to handle the load. The advantages of unified communications are many – as are the problems that could result ignoring the upcoming “traffic crunch”. Some businesses are already taking the lead in the field, and the results are exciting. Geared to technophiles and those looking for areas of opportunity, the site is a fascinating peek into the world of communications, technology, and business – areas that one way or another will ultimately affect us all.

Rodrigo Sepulveda Schulz

Internet entrepreneur, consultant, and venture capitalist Rodrigo Sepulveda Schulz uses his blog to post about what’s current in the business world. Blogging from Paris, Rodrigo adds his insights to such as collaborative tech, ecommerce, and mobility. Lots of personal insights and examples combined with videos and live feeds provide for an insider’s look into the business side of tech.

Geek and Poke

Giggle at gigabytes? Laugh at product launches? You will, in the pages of Geek and Poke, a comic strip detailing the wired and wacky world of technology. Anyone who has ever labored over a project timeline, worked in the tech business or just wondered what it’s like  will get a kick from these cartoons. (To give you a taste, we’ve linked to the first in a series of cartoons; once there, just click to read the rest of the series.) It’s not all laughs, though – there’s a neat slideshow with some wonderful photos, graphics , and a cool “geo counter” (actually a live traffic counter) that shows where everyone is posting from (all over the world). This is a fun site that will have you smiling every time you turn on your computer!

Consumer Generated Media

Pete Blackshaw believes in "the power of the Internet to give individuals a voice and change the way things are done". His blog, Consumer Generated Media, helps promote  ideas on marketing, consumer advocacy, multi media, and more. There are thought-provoking pieces on text mining and how it "undresses" advertising, 10 important takeaways from Steve Jobs' recent iPhone pricing apology, and lighter commentary from one of the original "Mad Men" of advertising.  Many of Pete's categories, from actionability to consumer affairs, relate to consumers themselves, and offer ways in which they (and we) can stay "in control"!

Phil Bradley

Internet Consultant Phil Bradley runs his UK-based blog around topics such as web design, search engines, and "anything that will interest librarians". And if you love to read, you should check out his new fiction list, read how the PHONifier can make travel easier, and indulge in a little bit of libriarianship. Reports on recent reads, humor, daily life, and much more enliven the pages of Phil's blog, too. Take a look!

Loose Wire

Why doesn't someone invent an alarm clock that knows when it's Saturday and won't wake you up at 6 a.m.? Someone did, and you'll read about it in the pages of Loose Wire, a blog that reports on what's happening in tech. Based in Jakarta, Indonesia, blogger Jeremy Wagstaff observes the happenings in tech, from what's up with Xdrive, to what happened with the Foleo, to commentary on Internet life. You don't have to be a tecchie to enjoy Jeremy's posts; they range from the fun to the far out and everywhere in between, so take a look today!

Irwin Lazar

Principal Analyst and Program Director Irwin Lazar specializes in convergence and collaboration (perhaps better known as technology and communications).   Irwin posts about VOIP, unified communications, and presence, and in the pages of his “real time” blog, you’ll read about his experiences with Mobile Instant Messaging, the iPod Touch, and Web 2.0’s place in the enterprise. Irwin’s insights into the industry, combined with a robust blogroll and news briefs, will keep you connected 24/7!

Robots Games

Do androids dream of electric sheep? Who knows. Do robots play soccer? You bet! We know this thanks to Robots Dreams, a comprehensive survey of all things automaton. Robot design, robot video, robot events, robot games -- if you’re talkin’ robot, you’re talkin’ here. But if you're still not in a cyborg frame of mind, check out this robot rumble from RoboGames 2007 -- that oughta do it. Perhaps the premier robot event is Robo-One in Japan. That's where all the top electromechanical systems with artificial intelligence in human form hang out and compete. All we can say is: May the best machine win.

iPhoneFreak

June 29 is upon us! If you’re an Apple fan (and even if you’re not), you couldn’t have escaped the onslaught of iPhone fever that seems to have swept this gadget-frantic nation. iPhoneFreak is an homage to this madness, and gives you up-to-the minute tidbits about this shiny, long-awaited device. Launched in September of last year, iPhoneFreak is a blog ahead of its time, and has counted down the months to when the iPhone would at last be available to the rabid public. Full of news, reviews, accessory spotlights, and even a contest (not for an iPhone, sorry), you’ll have everything you need to make the decision on whether or not you truly want an iPhone (oh please... of course you want it).

David Finch

David Finch lives and breathes social media. As content developer for S Planet Media, a company specializing in online and print communication, it’s his job to stay on top of all the newest methods of communicating via technology. Luckily for those of us who don’t have time to keep up with the ever-changing world of social media, David shares his findings with us. Filled with insights on blogging, podcasting, and video, there’s plenty for the novice as well as the social media butterfly. Peppered throughout are updates from his Twitter and Jaiku accounts (practicing what he preaches) and a list of resources to further your education. If you’ve ever wanted to jump into the social media space, David Finch can help you take the plunge.

Sandy's Blog

Okay, so, Sandy isn’t a real person. I Want Sandy is an email assistant application designed to help you maintain that wildly disorganized inbox of yours (yes, we can see your 2,253 emails, and you really should do something about it). Yet, real person or no, she’s launched a brand-new blog, Sandy’s Blog, to help you tame the email beast. The blog is filled with tips and tricks on how to set up meetings using email, debate the subject of paper vs. digital, and decide once and for all if the one-word "thanks" email is proper etiquette or mere spam. Sandy insists, "everyone deserves an assistant," and we think she’s the right person -  er, or something - for the job. 

bigWebApps

BigWebApps makes software for businesses and educational organizations, and they also maintain a pretty cool blog. Anyone who uses their products will want to consult the bigWebDesk for the latest developments. But browse the rest of the site, and you'll also find a plethora of observations about the business world, customer service, and technology. A hyper-honest post titled, "When You Fail at What You Do" relates one bigWepApper’s sense of inadequacy at mishandling a client. Another describes a bad experience with a particular airline. Then there’s the commentary on a school district ban on iPods; a post on Ferrari making hard drives as an example of the ascent of design in manufacturing; and an all-too familiar rant about cell phones. (We’d say “this is not your father’s business blog,” but your father may not even have a business blog, let alone a computer.) A fine business blogging/personal experience crossover. Check it out.

Chad Richard

Chad Richard is the founder of SimpleStar, maker of PhotoShow software. PhotoShow enables multimedia presentation of digital photos and videos, complete with captions, special effects, animation, and musical soundtrack. Chad uses his TypePad blog to promote the latest PhotoShow developments and showcase instances of the software in action. For one example of much-touted but infrequently realized digital convergence, check out PhotoShow TV, which allows users to upload and share photos via their cable service. Chad also devotes bandwidth to commenting on digital media trends and general tricks of the trade, such as how to make a time lapse movie. And finally, there's Baxter, who does not appear to be digital, but just screams "photogenic."

Wonderland

Alice Taylor invites you to visit Wonderland, her excellent TypePad blog on computer games and gaming. She spends her days working for the BBC, but in her free time she explores her "socialable software of choice." Whether it's applauding the latest release in the Guitar Hero series or noting off-beat discoveries like Super Mario plush toys (with sound effects!), Alice and her colleagues (Jen and Jez) are observant, insightful, and well-versed in the trends and transitions that the game industry faces. Keeping up with all the latest hardware and software innovations can feel like falling down a rabbit hole, but happily, for readers of Wonderland, it doesn't have to be a disorienting trip.

Bitemarks

Bite Communications is a world-renowned public relations agency committed to building brands and squelching the status quo with the "tenacity of a mule." The employees of Bite (affectionately called "Biters") needed an outlet to express their numerous and varied opinions, and turned to TypePad to host the appropriately named Bitemarks blog. Chock-full of tidbits from the world of public relations and social media, Bitemarks explores and waxes philosophical about a wide range of communications, marketing and media -- and sometimes indulges in a little bit of soapbox venting. Written in an engaging, conversational style and thoroughly entertaining, Bitemarks is a blog you can really sink your teeth into.

Bella Web Design

Based near Atlanta, Georgia, Bella Web Design is a small business that offers a a big menu of services -- from writing and editing to search-engine optimization to the eponymous web design their name promises. That said, every firm that helps businesses succeed online needs to "walk the walk" by successfully promoting themselves. For Bella, a big part of that self-promotion is their TypePad blog, which shares the lessons that working on the Web has taught CEO Desiree Scales and her team. The blog posts are a candid look at what it's like to work with clients big and small, delightful and difficult, and even to work redesigning their own site. If you are a potential client, here is a crystal clear picture of the team you'll be working with to make your web site more successful. If you're a entrepreneur in the design world or the Georgia business community, here's a colleague you'll may very well want to get to know. Stop in and say "hello!"

ThreeMinds

Organic, one of the big names in digital marketing, was recently honored by Advertising Age as one of the top ten interactive agencies. With that kind of pedigree to protect, they could be selfish and keep all of their keen insight to themselves. But no -- they graciously share their wisdom with the rest of us on their blog, ThreeMinds. Focusing on the exceptional (and near-exceptional) experiences in digital media, ThreeMinds is a bounty of innovative ideas and campaigns. More than just a catalog of media, ThreeMinds offers thoughtful analyses to engage and educate the reader. From the latest YouTube happenings to wistful remembrances on video game culture, ThreeMinds takes you through it all. We suspect there are more than three minds' worth of good stuff in here.

Lessons from a Garage

Barry Spencer, whose license plate reads CODE GUY, is a computer programmer who has experience starting up software companies. His blog, Lessons from a Garage, is a place where rookies going after similar endeavors can gain virtual mentorship and build confidence. Barry speaks freely about lessons he's learned the hard way, and graciously offers advice that we can all bet he wishes someone had told him before he got started. Both an inventor and a problem solver, Barry's advice on trust and finding venture capital is applicable to all, no matter the enterprise. Make sure to check out his family vacation photos, too, as they are great reminders for all computer-centric folks that life is equally rewarding, if not more so, outside our caves. For those who speak geek, Barry is a two-time winner of Chris Shipley's DemoGod award, and inventor of Reality Fusion video interaction technology.

Amber Mac

Canadian TV host Amber MacArthur is smart, savvy, and passionate about tech trends and all things Web 2.0. Her blog, Amber Mac, is a space to show off the latest and greatest for consumer technology. This is a site for those who are fascinated with the way the Web is connecting people, delivering news, building business, and entertaining the masses. Where geek toys meet Pop culture, Amber is there. Her excitement for tech treats is contagious, and she's totally dialed in. Don't bother looking for categories, use her del.icio.us links, or better yet, watch the CNI videos in the right navbar. Fans can also subscribe to AmberMac for assurance that they're up on everything hip and new in technology -- before the next job interview, or Wiifest.

Zane Blog

Zane Safrit is in the business of creating customer evangelists. He is the CEO of Conference Calls Unlimited, a company dedicated to offering simple and affordable ways to conference. Zane's blog is an outlet where he shares his wisdom on the Web 2.0 world, as well as cool stuff that crosses his browser. While it’s a CEO's blog, there's less about what's going on in their office and lots about the buzz of the marketing world with pointers to tools and sites that can help you create your own kingdom. Connect the dots and you'll find a directory of innovators. The personal essays are what really sets this blog a part from other marketing blogs, and we love that Zane includes his interests in Iowa and health care, too.  Tap that RSS feed and let tips on branding, building customer trust, and "creating word-of-mouth" inspire your business plan.

Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing

Don Dodge is Director of Business Development for Microsoft's Emerging Business Team. Put into plain English, Don is looking for winners. Winning business models, winning technologies, winning trends. If he can spot them, then he can help Microsoft and their partners with make better decisions and ultimately better products for their customers. Right now, Dodge is working with companies like Adesso Systems, Onfolio, Newsgator, and Portaga, and even in the ultra-competitive world of technology startups, he's blogging about what he knows and what he thinks. While you might imagine the work of an Emerging Business division of tech's top dog would be top secret, you'd be dead wrong. Don Dodge knows that sharing knowledge helps accumulate knowledge, and he'd rather deliver frank blog posts from the front lines than squirrel away his expertise in emails.

Home Office Lawyer

Grant D. Griffiths is a WiFi-loving, Mac-toting, comfy sweats-wearing, family law attorney who works from home and encourages other lawyers to do the same. Home Office Lawyer reports on all sorts of tech tools that enable him to work from home, law office management, marketing, and many innovations newsworthy for bloggers of all genres. Check the left nav-bar for a list of other like-minded attorneys and if you're interested in following suit (not filing suit) read his new book, Ten Ways To Benefit By Being A Home Office Lawyer (Howtomakeitrain.com). He is also the author of four other blogs including Kansas Family and Divorce Lawyer. Clients need not worry about a lack of formality, Griffiths wears a suit to trial.

Telstar Logistics

Todd Lappin is a Senior Editor at Business 2.0 and he's written for Wired, The New York Times, Make, and many other fine publications. He's also the Group Leader for the Telstar Logistics Strategic Development Taskforce. What exactly is Telstar Logistics, you ask? Well, it's either an "ongoing experiment in corporate phenomenology" or a clever way to avoid parking tickets. Or maybe it's both. In any case, what began in a van in Providence, Rhode Island, is now a burgeoning media empire, with a great blog and flickr stream documenting Lappin's curiousities, which include, but are not limited to antique automobiles, classic avionics, naval hardware, and modern ruins. Don't have the opportunity to interview San Francisco legend Frank Chu? Don't have time to visit Boeing Field and photograph the first 747 to ever roll off an assembly line? Don't let any of that stop you. Live vicariously through the on-demand fact-finding services of Telstar Logistics. (And have yourself a Merry Christmas!)

Comtemporary Art + CGI

Italian blogger Ernesto Bracciante investigates the intersection  between Contemporary Art and CGI (computer generated imagery). He offers posts about events, shows, artistic theory, and, of course, individual artists who work with CGI. On the right-hand side of the blog, you'll find a detailed blogroll that serves as a great introduction to the world of computer-generated art, with special focus on artists who produce work "almost entirely through 3D-graphics software such as Maya, 3D Studio Max, Zbrush, [and] Softimage XSI." With more and more CG images touching our lives, whether through movies or games or virtual worlds, it's only natural that this genre of imagery will grow as a fertile ground for art and artists.

Business Communicators of Second Life

Business Communicators of Second Life details an interesting trend that seems to have taken off in 2006: Companies, marketers, and other institutions staking their claim in virtual worlds. Linda Zimmer of MarCom:Interactive hosts this well-written blog that follows all the comings and goings in Second Life, one of the most popular virtual worlds online today that's not specifically geared towards gaming (like World of Warcraft). And believe it or not, Business Communicators isn't the first TypePad Featured Blog to come from within Second Life. So businesses take note -- there is a whole new universe out there on the Internets, and if you want to interact with customers where they live, work, and play, you're going to have to learn where they're heading to spend their free time.

The 81-Day Experiment

Pierre Khawand, founder of People-OnTheGo, decided to take his sweet time picking a smartphone. Most of us research and test drive our gadget purchases for a couple of days. Maybe a week or two, if we're obsessive. Pierre took 81 days to make his choice. And not only did he make a big production of product-testing, this productivity expert was thoughtful enough to share his experiences on his TypePad blog: The 81-Day Experiment. By using 9 different phones for 9 days apiece, Pierre found an excellent avenue for discussing the issues that each smartphone buyer should consider as they weigh their mobile options. And guess what, while the experiment was ongoing, even more models came onto the market, which Pierre has dutifully decided to check out. So what's the verdict? Which phone made the cut? Tune in to the blog and the free web-based seminar that Pierre is hosting on December 5th to learn the  experiment's ultimate solution.

Pocketables

Gadget blogs are a plentiful commodity, but finding bloggers that actually own the products they feature is a bit more tricky. Pocketables author Jenn K. Lee has tinkered, toyed, and given a full on test drive to more than 60 products so that we can be better equipped before turning over our cash at Best Buy. It's fun to see items like a Hello Kitty MP3 player and the James Bond 007 UX Spy Gear bundle mixed in with more serious tech toys like the Sony Vaio UX180P. Unlike other gadgetheads, Lee admits that she wants the toys on her site, and it's not just about "needing" them. Readers will appreciate that honesty overrides hipness in the posts and not all the reviews are raves. She feels very comfortable telling us what gripes and grievances come up in her product testing, and even fields questions from readers.

The Diff

The Diff, as in "What's the Diff?," is a beautiful new site from the folks at Quicken Loans, which takes a unique approach for a corporate blog. Instead of listing news and updates about the company's products (a blog format we love in its own right), they've decided to create a blog about the values that Quicken Loans hopes to embody, as suggested by the tagline "Exposing the Gap Between Average and Excellent." The examples of excellence come from the world at large -- not just Quicken Loans -- and make for a compelling experience that readers can return to again and again. Beyond the usual community engagement from comments and trackbacks, The Diff also offers a place for its audience to submit their own stories about something or someone who made a difference. As you can imagine, we love the idea of outward-looking blogs, not just outward-facing blogs. A company that is actively engaged with the world around it is the kind of company we like, and the kind of company we're proud to have as a customer.

Inside ISPCON

Internet Service Providers, known more commonly as ISPs, are the unsung heroes of the Web revolution. There are thousands of networking companies offering access, server space, and additional services to consumers and businesses alike. From November 7th through 9th, those companies gather together in Santa Clara and swap information and expertise about keeping everyone's favorite series of tubes from getting clogged. Jon Price is the Managing Director of the conference and he's blogging Inside ISPCON. For the scoop on all the booths, badges, get-togethers, giveaways, presentations, and podcasts, don't miss this eventful blog.

Lunch over IP

Bruno Giussani is a powerhouse European writer who has worked for a whole range of notable publications (International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week). He's also the producer of the TEDGLOBAL conference. His award-winning TypePad blog, Lunch over IP, is a treasure trove of insights from the front lines of business and technology. Giussani's dispatches inhabit the spectrum between quick commentary to long-form articles, with his main focus centered on Internet-related stories. So whether you're a tech veteran hopping from conference to conference or just an interested observer looking for a fresh perspective on technology, check out Lunch over IP.

Brightcove

Is 2006 the year of Internet video? If the recent Google / YouTube deal is any indication, it's hard to find a hotter online trend. That said, Brightcove is right in the thick of the race to build the next-generation platform for video content. Founded by Jeremy Allaire, Brightcove has already lined up an impressive list of customers, including Sony, Discovery Networks, Newsweek, and the Tribeca Film Festival. For more on the business model that Brightcove brings to the table, check out their detailed tour. To keep up with the latest news and press clippings about Brightcove and their vision of net-distributed video, their TypePad blog offers updates and insights from this exciting company.

Maxthon Blog

A lot of us have emotional attachments to favorite software products, whether it's a blogging tool, a word processor, or our trusty web browser. It's hard to believe that the "browser wars" have been raging for more than a decade, dating back to before Netscape was even a gleam in Marc Andreessen's eye. (Lynx v. Mosaic, anyone?) Fast forward to 2006. Internet Explorer is the big dog. Firefox is the scrappy underdog. But don't count out Maxthon, a browser based on the IE engine, with some really interesting twists -- tabbed browsing, skins, mouse gestures, privacy protection,  RSS reading, blogging extensions, and a bunch more. With over 50 million downloads, a dedicated community of developers, and a great blog written by the company's cofounder, Netanel Jacobsson, Maxthon has attracted plenty of fans. Thanks to the software's growing popularity, those users, and anyone who keeps track of the latest web apps, can certainly look forward to exciting new developments from this Beijing-based startup. If you're already a Maxthon user, you can even download a plugin for posting to your TypePad blog.

the del.icio.us blog

The landmark social bookmarking site del.icio.us recently turned three years old, which in Web years is like, six or seven. Congrats to Joshua Schacter and entire del.icio.us crew, who, like most dedicated developers, spend most of their time, heads down, coding a better tomorrow for everyone. That said, every once in awhile, they'll gopher up over the cubicle wall and use the del.icio.us blog to post about a cool new feature, a key milestone, or helpful documentation. Frankly, we love how blogs have become de rigeur for software startups and, better yet, don't get the boot when the startup gets bought up by a bigger company. Seems like developer blogs, just like del.icio.us, are here to stay. (If you want to celebrate the site's birthday and visit the Yahoo! campus in Sunnyvale, California, check out the birthday bash that's scheduled for tonight.)

TED Blog

At the risk of repeating ourselves, we'd like to point out that the TED Blog continues to post great video content from their TEDTalks series. When we first featured TED back in June, they had only released a couple of clips. Now, there is a real wealth of material, including recent additions from Nicholas Negroponte, former director of MIT's Media Lab; Larry Brilliant, winner of the TEDPrize and executive director of the Google Foundation; Julia Sweeney, actor and playwright; Amy Smith, MacArthur grant-winning inventor of amazing low-cost products; and Jennifer Lin, 14-year-old concert pianist. Every week, the TED blog features a pair of new speakers. With the amount of whimsical video frippery that circulates online (which we love!), it's great to see that enlightening filmed content is also finding its place on the Web, giving everyone a chance to enjoy new ideas.

Charlene Li

Charlene Li is a top analyst for Forrester Research, a company that helps businesses understand how technology is changing the competitive landscape. Li's beat is "media and marketing" -- the companies that bring you information and advertising -- or, in other words, just about every important consumer-facing web site outside of the realm of e-commerce. Charlene has been a long-time blogger, and she covers blogging software companies such as Six Apart in her research. While we're excited that she includes our products in her work, we're more excited that she uses our products to do her work. Of course, you don't have to be a high-powered executive to get access to Li's insights. Her blog is open to everyone, where you can read her impression of everything from online classifieds to podcasting to social networking.

New Media Musings

A few years back, journalist J.D. Lasica decided to focus his considerable talents and energies on  "citizens media and the personal media revolution." His main TypePad blog (Pro subscribers can have as many as they want), New Media Musings, is just one of the venues that J.D. has at his diposal, along with his not-for-profit Ourmedia.org, his book (and blog), Darknet, and numerous articles appearing in publications far and wide. Lasica's latest  mission took him to the International Citizen Reporters' Forum in Seoul, South Korea, where grassroots journalists and the organizations that connect them were meeting to discuss the future. If you have an interest in the trends that will define personal and public media in the years to come, check out Lasica's point of view, which not only includes posts and commentary, but an amazing array of photographs and video. Lasica is a new-media triple-threat who uses a multiple blog strategy to keep his readers coming back.

The Long Tail

The Long Tail is Chris Anderson's blog about the economic shift from "big hits" to smaller niche products and services. The Internet is changing the way companies do business and the expectations that consumers have about choice. Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, has a keen eye for spotting those changes and a deep understanding of where they will ultimately lead us. Anderson originally suggested the idea in an article in October 2004, and ever since he's kept up his lively Long Tail blog as a proving grounds for developing the ideas in the article into a full-length book. That book, of the same name, was just published by Hyperion, and is available everywhere fine visionary books are sold.

Beet TV

Video is changing things. And video is key to both the form and content of Beet TV, a blog about "the dramatic transformation of traditional media and the emergence of new media platforms." It's a production of PR agency Plesser Holland and each post includes a video interview clip with an influential analyst (Charlene Li), writer (Ken Auletta), blogger (Robert Scoble, Jeff Jarvis), or new media impresario (Andrew Baron of Rocketboom) -- the list of interviewees is long and very compelling. As we mentioned, video is both the format and the subject -- topics include citizen video, corporate blogging, and video search, among others. The wealth of content on Beet TV is especially impressive when you consider they've only been blogging since April. Of course, you don't have to post as many clips as Beet TV to be a video blogger. Want to add video to your own blog? There are several (free) ways to host inline clips. Learn how to embed video clips into your TypePad blog by reading about it in our Knowledge Base.
 

Hybrid Blog

Visit the Webby-award-winning Hybrid Center and you'll find a ton of useful information about vehicles that are using fuel-efficient, emissions-cutting hybrid technology. A production of the Union of Concerned Scientists, the site offers news, reviews , and technical overviews of cars and trucks that consumers can buy to make a personal choice about their own impact on the environment. The Hybrid Blog complements the main web site and serves as an open dialogue about the issues -- political, commercial, and technological -- that surround fuel-efficiency and hybrid vehicles. Comments are open, so responses and additional information is encouraged. One look at the wealth of content the blog has shared over the past year and you realize that a blog serves really well as it's own kind of "hybrid vehicle" -- it shares the road with normal web sites, but it beats them hands-down for time-and-effort efficiency.

VH1 Game Break

A gaming blog from MTV's older-sister station? Wassupwidat? One glance at VH1.com and you'll see that the network that hosts shows like Supergroup, My Fair Brady, and Hogan Knows Best is also offering a bunch of browser-based games to help its viewers while away the sprawling hours of their cubicle-bound mid-lives (Rampage! Joust!). And if playing arcade classics at your desk is the hook, then Game Break may be the reel that pulls you in. Your host, Harold Goldberg, covers classic games (Monkey Island or Excitebike, anyone?), gaming gadgets and accessories, and, of course, casual gaming (think Bejeweled and the like). He's only been at it for six months or so, but Goldberg has found a nice rhythm and a good mix of topics. If you are a casual fan of arcade gaming or a hard-core fan of casual gaming, you're likely to find something here to amuse you.

TED Blog

We've always been fans of TED -- the long-running, annual Technology, Entertainment, and Design conference. It doesn't hurt that they're good bloggers, who are constantly sharing insights on an eclectic mix of topics from advertising to wunderkind.  (Check our their impressive tag cloud.) Starting today, they have some even more amazing material to share -- video and audio posts from the participants of the annual TED meetups. These are presenters like Al Gore, Hans Rosling, Sir Ken Robinson, Tony Robbins, David Pogue, and Majora Carter. The organizers of the event have always wanted the ideas discussed there to flourish and spread beyond the conference hall. Now, they've got the ultimate outlet -- their TypePad blog and the integrated VideoEgg service. That means you can get the content how ever you like -- via your browser, your feedreader, or iTunes. You can also visit the standalone TedTalks site, which compiles all the videos in one convenient location. You can even cut and paste a snippet of code to serve the videos from your own blog. According to June Cohen, the Director of TED Media, the the idea is simple, "to share these profound ideas with the widest possible audience." Look for more and more speeches from this amazing lineup of thinkers in the weeks and months to come.

Steve Parker, The Car Nut

Steve Parker is so nutty for cars it was only a matter of time before he added a blog to his long list of car-talk platforms. Parker is the host of Time Warner Cable's Car Nut TV, as well as the host on Newstalk 920 AM KPSI radio in Palm Springs, California, and produces American Racing Today which can be heard on radio stations across the country. The blog reports on road tests, classic and collectible cars, and has photo albums of motor shows. Most entries offer photos of the cars Parker is talking about, and he shares generous advice on how to care for your precious automotive possessions. Those not familiar with car parts might need to look up a few terms, but if you're thinking of buying a new car, reading the posts thoroughly will be well worth it. Truck and motorcycle lovers are in the mix, too, as Parker's blog is of interest to all followers of the automotive industry.

Internet Outsider

Henry Blodget edits the Internet Outsider, where he writes about companies whose businesses are built on the network -- Yahoo!, Google, AOL, Ebay, Microsoft -- you've probably heard of some of them. If Blodget's name also rings a bell, you may remember him from the infamous "Amazon.com shares will hit $400" call heard 'round the world. That was back when Blodget worked as a securities analyst. Now, he works as a consultant, writing about companies, trends, and research away from the perceived conflicts of interest that hung over Wall Street when the bubble burst. That said, Blodget goes out of his way to remind his readers that he's not giving investment advice, he's just sharing "informal analysis." Sounds like a decent business model. Accumulate.

TypePad Hacks

TypePad Hacks is a blog by John T. Unger, a dedicated TypePad  customer who thinks that it's a great tool ("the closest thing to what I want"), but also believes it can be better. So Unger took a cue from other user-driven initiatives and decided that he wanted to be an active part of improving TypePad. You might think that Six Apart, as a company, would be embarrassed by Unger's focus on explaining tricks to extend TypePad's functionality, or chagrined that he polls his readers about what features we should implement next, but the truth is: We're thrilled. Not only is TypePad Hacks a tremendous benefit to all TypePad customers, especially those who want to ask unique questions or try to "push the envelope," but it's also incredibly useful for us to look over Unger's shoulder and absorb the feedback his readers are giving. And we can assure you, we are most certainly looking. Finally, we think it's an amazing testament to blogging and to TypePad that Unger thought the best solution for his effort was to start a blog and to use TypePad. We couldn't agree more. While no formal relationship exists between TypePad Hacks and TypePad, we have talked with Unger and consider him a wonderful asset to the community. So, whether you're a power user or just an interested customer, we encourage you to join the conversation at TypePad Hacks.

Popular Science

Popular Science magazine has been covering innovation in computers, automobiles, medicine, aviation, and other practical sciences for as long as we can remember. Their cover illustrations have fueled the dreams of countless gadget freaks for decades, and they're still going strong. Last month it was "Laser Warfare." One word: Sweet. We've been anxiously waiting for laser warfare since, oh, 1977 or so. All kidding aside, the PopSciBlog exchanges the speculative imagery for a more here-and-now approach. The writers and editors at PopSci.com offers great tidbits from the same categories as the parent publication -- automotive, aviation, aerospace, etc. -- plus some fun Internet finds, covered with all the enthusiasm and wit you'd expect. As the site's blogroll indicates, if you're a fan of Boing Boing, Lifehacker, Gizmodo, or Make, you'll probably want to add Popular Science to your bookmarks.

Renkoo

Renkoo is an online service that offers a fun way to organize events and impromptu get-togethers with friends. This little Silicon Valley startup is currently developing their software, making sure everything is perfect before trumpeting their story to the world. That said, they recently moved from a private to a public "beeta" test. You see "Beta" + "Bee" (Renkoo's mascot)  = "Beeta." Regardless of whether or not you are a candidate for Renkoo's service, it's great to see a company that recognizes the importance of keeping in touch with its community. Obviously, we think TypePad offers the perfect mix of ease of use, customizability, and control for small, smart businesses to take charge of their communications without having to hire an army of recruiters, marketers, and PR flacks.

Micro Persuasion

Showcasing Steve Rubel's site, Micro Persuasion, feels a little like stating the obvious. Technorati counts Rubel as one of its top 100 bloggers, and while it seems like Micro Persuasion has been around forever, in fact, the PR executive only started blogging a little over 2 years ago. His goal? To understand the way that individual bloggers were influencing people (and his clients' customers) and learn how to reach those bloggers. Of course, a funny thing happened on the way to enlightenment. By watching the influencers, Rubel has become one himself. Did he learn the tactics -- attributing ideas and links, being an active voice on his and other bloggers' comment threads, balancing short posts with longer pieces while doling out a steady stream of annotated links -- or was he a natural that just needed a fertile subject? In the end, it doesn't really matter. There's certainly more than one path to becoming required reading. So, whether you follow Micro Persuasion for the information that Rubel tirelessly offers his readers or as inspiration on how to become known as an expert in your chosen field, just make sure you read it.

New World Notes

If you thought "virtual worlds" were just the stuff of sci-fi flicks and pulp novels, think again. Second Life, from Linden Labs, is a persisent online world, populated by graphical representations of its users ("avatars"). Like any locality, virtual or otherwise, Second Life offers myriad stories to be told about the people, places, and goings on about, um, town. In New World Notes, Wagner James Au screenshots his way around the SLURLS (web links that spawn in-app locations) and sidestreets of Second Life. Recent missives include a tour of The Lost Gardens of Apollo and an introduction to NWN's Second Life ad sales rep. Yes, that's right, New World Notes, part of John Battelle's Federated Media network, takes advertising and lets sponsors pay in virtual money. Just make sure to check your real-to-virtual currency converter first.

Jason Bradbury

Gadget junkies beware. Jason Bradbury won't quell your desire to spend every cent of your income -- and then some -- on the latest tech toys. He refers to himself as a gadget maestro, and who can argue? Jason has been on UK TV for years and is currently hosting The Gadget Show on Five. If you are already addicted to finding out the next coolest thing in electronics, Jason will help you feel like a bleeding edgster. Note that Jason doesn't just talk about the latest and greatest, he's testing them out, and even making some of his own gadgetry as well.