Recommended by Robin: Public intellectual-in-training Tim proves that almost any subject can be elevated by the wanton application of wit and intellect. Topics: Modernism, pop culture, everything else.

Recommended by Robin: Robin's friend Kevin works for a large software company in Redmond, Wash., but writes mostly about, like, what he had for dinner. Topics: Video games, movies, Kevin's laundry

Recommended by Matt: The title of this one pretty much sums it up -- a mother (in this case our friend and colleague) writing about her questions, discoveries, insecurities, hopes, and of course, her child. Always a sweet, familiar, curious read, for every mother, or everyone who's ever had one. Topics: maternity, Legos.

Recommended by Robin: Jay Rosen, press critic and chair of NYU's journalism school, is the anti-blogger: He writes long posts filled with original ideas. Topics: Journalism, democracy.

Recommended by Matt: A weblog authored by a group of liberal academics. One place where you really don't have to feel bad if you have no idea what anyone's talking about. Topics: Academia, culture.

Recommended by Matt: You won't get it at first. Don't let that scare you away. It's a blog, it's a society, it's a chronicle of our times. Just click some of the greenish-yellow words for a little while, and see how it grabs you. Topics: Weblogs, miscellany.

Recommended by Matt: Scholars of life have posited that extreme love and extreme hatred diverge so completely on the scale of human emotion as to be almost indistinguishable. Does Fametracker love celebrities, or hate them? Who cares? It's hilarious. Topic: Meditations on fame.

Recommended by Robin: Journalist Clive Thompson collects weird links and writes them up. Okay, yes, this sounds like every other blog in the world, but the difference is that Thompson is a really good, funny writer. Topics: Science, technology, culture.