Link: nourishing obscurity.
The Blogpower bloggers have nothing in common but difference. Their distinct personalities come through both in their writing and the visual style of their blogs. Of no-one is this more true than of our founding father, James Higham. His blog, nourishing obscurity, attempts something to which I would never aspire. It is a one-man magazine. Not only does he blog about a wide range of subjects, sometimes individual posts cover a lot of ground! His is a magpie mind and nothing human is alien to him.
Perhaps his main claim to fame is the "Blogfocus" feature. To a casual observer, this appears to be a full-time job. My current project is, at his request, to review just 10 blogs from the Blogpower list. For "Blogfocus" James appears to scan the entire blogosphere. He never fails both to come up with a diverse collection of interesting posts and to notify his circle of blogging contacts individually. The more I struggle to write these reviews, the more impressed I am that James does something quite similar twice a week, as well as holding down a full-time job.
Blogfocus is a great point of entry for anyone looking to explore the world of blogs. James choices are sometimes quirky but always interesting and he keeps things fresh by making themed selections from time to time - such as his current edition on "ranting" or an earlier one featuring "simple homespun prose." I can only agree with The Tin Drummer,
How he finds the time, I'll never know ... it would take me hours and hours to put that lot together.
I'm just glad that he does. He has led me to excellent blogs I would never otherwise have found. Blogpower was another of James' ideas. It's so simple that Tim Worstall can't understand it. It's just a club of bloggers who undertake to visit and promote each other's blogs. In fairness to Tim, I didn't get it either at first. I signed up because James asked me. But I have been pleasantly surprised at the sense of community that has developed in a very short time. Despite the recent BNP kerfuffle, I hope we can retain the essential simplicity of the idea and continue to help each other out.
I promise you won't regret adding Nourishing Obscurity to your regular reading. James' posts are so frequent, his interests so varied and his contacts so extensive that his blog is rather like the Scottish weather. If you don't like it now, just wait a few minutes.
Next up: Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe
