Smor internet. Don't get too bored!
The internet provides a number of avenues that open a window to the rest of the world. These are a few of my frequents when gazing out that window to stop me from getting too (smorgas)bored.
Mental Info
Shots of Awe: Cappuccino for the soul, philosophical espresso, inspired nuggets of techno-rapture.
Tim Ferriss: His books, his blog, his podcast. It's all endlessly interesting to me. I try to listen to every Tim Ferriss podcast that I can. He's a very curious guy who is willing to experiment on himself and doesn't conform to many dictated "norms." The guests are always varied and interesting and accomplished.
Screen Info
Collider: I try to occasionally watch the daily movie news on the youtube channel along with the weekly Jedi Counsel and some television recap shows. The website provides an excellent written source for information as well.
Coming Soon: A place to see movie trailers and read various accounts of entertainment news.
Sound Info
Pitchfork: a location for all manner of information and news relating to music.
KCRW: The local NPR station. Every week day, 9-12, KCRW plays the music show, Morning Becomes Eclectic. Sometimes in the evening and on weekend afternoons DJs play more songs. KCRW also offers an app, Eclectic 24, for a constant stream of music in the same vein as Morning Becomes Eclectic.
Food Info
Eater: The national site provides some helpful general information. However, various local sites exist that highlight the particulars in that specific area. The site also provides maps that identify the location of the various restaurants. It's hard for me to oversell the usefulness of this feature.
Yelp: I utilize Yelp whenever I visit somewhere new, and often when I stay within the semi-familiar too. It provides great insight (as long as you don't pay attention to extreme comments one way or the other) and proves it usefulness beyond the realm of eating.
Sports Info
Ringer: Bill Simmons, the man in charge of the Ringer, harnessed my attention to ESPN for a long time, even when my attention threatened to wander. When ESPN cut ties with Simmons I felt less loyalty to the company. I always listen to Simmons' podcasts and count myself as super excited to see what he surprises the consumers with at HBO into the future.
ESPN and SI: While I just assume that a few big purveyors in all categories exist, these two so dominate the landscape when it comes to sports that it doesn't hurt to at least skim them now and again. I will admit that since my move to Los Angeles my interest in sporting events may have waned slightly. Must have something to do with the weather.
Los Angeles Info
LA Weekly: (It was) a well known and well liked (at least by me) periodical that details living in this grand mishmash of Los Angeles. While the LA times scratches a more refined itch, maybe near the cheek or nose, this digest aims for the more guttural. More of a street feel. But, after altering the pay model I guess we'll if there still ends up being a worthy product.?
LA Times: More polished than the LA Weekly, this newspaper attempts to act as LA's equivalent of the New York Times. While not quite at that level of prestige, the LA Times services the large and diverse LA area well.
LAist: The LAist feels as if it provides the electronic love child of the LAs Times and Weekly.
Hidden LA: Similar in nature to the LAist, this offering provides a unique look into the making of the LA sausage.
Curbed LA: While this site primarily focuses on housing and architecture, those particular two aspects define human connection to a place. That makes them relevant to me being a human who must occupy a place. Not only do design and price effect practical living considerations but aesthetics directly impact an individual's interaction with an environment. Aesthetics thus importantly relate to the quality of life in an environment and that makes Curbed LA very relevant.
KCRW: The local NPR station makes the list twice. When it doesn't play music it plays stories that contain info usually very relevant to life in Southern California and life generally.
General Info
Thrillist: Similar to Eater and Curbed, this general concept satellites into various localities to explain events, food, drink, and other happenings.
Nerdist: The Nerdist provided an outlet for many of my unexplored interests when I benefited greatly from the existence of such an outlet. Even in a niche it still supplies a variety of information. I have no interest in video games so, when I see the topic of video games, I feel comfortable skipping it knowing a wealth of useful knowledge to me still exists. The website provides a "smorgasbord" of information, Nerdist News provides even more information on the chosen topic, and, of course, the podcast even more. I enjoy them all.
YouMadeItWeird: Speaking of Nerdist, the Nerdist hosts this podcast. More than any other podcast, I loyally listen to all the YouMadeItWeirds. Pete's personality and humor endeared me and he helped to shepherd me with him as we traveled a humorous path together towards a small amount of broader perspective. I constituted one of, apparently, the few fans of his short run as a nighttime show host on TBS and now I look forward to discovering more about the continuation of his collaboration with Judd Apatow on HBO.