Why do I read blogs?

Blogs are a great way to exchange views with others whose opinions I respect. I can find out what they are thinking, maybe leave a comment or two or (this happens rarely) write a post in response to something I read.

But equally importantly, a daily dose of well-written blogs has the advantage that they refer to other material - often something well worth reading that I wouldn't have found on my own. Here's a sample of what I read today because someone else thought it was worth writing about.

• Presentation Zen. Garr Reynolds on presentation lessons from recent TED talks
• Dean Kamen shows off the Luke arm at TED
• How Green Was My Valley. Glenn Kelman, founder of Redfin and resident of Seattle, criticizes Silicon Valley
• An Outsider's Flawed View of Silicon Valley. Michael Arrington of TechCrunch responds to Kelman
• Free Speech and Radical Islam. Very thoughtful op-ed piece on WSJ.
• Six Principles for Making New Things. Paul Graham.