Daily reading

I was just reading an academic article my roommate is using for a paper, and it reminded me strongly of the best writing on Slate.com. Have I mentioned yet how much I love that site? The breadth of topics covered, even if sporadically, makes it a must-read for me on a daily basis. I know it's owned by Microsoft, but somehow they manage to convince me they've stayed editorially independent. For instance, I'm using Mozilla Firefox now instead of Internet Explorer based on an article on Slate, and I love it. Tabbed browsing is fantastic. And hiring Henry Blodget to officiate the Martha Stewart trial and explain his old job, despite his history of legal problems regarding same, was truly enlightening, if for no other reason than giving us a window on how people in his position think. Seed managed to maintain forward momentum for months, even adding some suspense in the search for "genius" sperm donors and their anonymous kids. Sure, sometimes the political commentary gets old, especially when multiple columnists publish basically the same article, but their obituaries are always informative in ways I don't expect, and their willingness to try new things keeps me reading about stuff I wouldn't otherwise, like Jurisprudence, or Heavy Petting. I'm still mourning News Quiz, the first time any of my jokes were published anywhere (along with dozens of other people's). OK, enough sucking up. Just let me know if Mickey Kaus gets tired of complaining about The New York Times, Slate. If you need another blogger, I'm your man.