25 Best Blogs 2009

synthesis

synthesis, written by engineer and marketer Shafeen Charania, is that rarest of digital creatures: a blog about ideas. The posts on synthesis are long by blog standards, and cover serious topics like education, healthcare, geopolitics and leadership, but Charania's writing is accessible and engaging. A recent post notes how Barack Obama's campaign strategy is similar to that espoused by Sun Tzu in The Art of War ("The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy's will to be imposed on him") and points out some uncomfortable truths about why healthcare in the U.S. is broken ("Americans are horribly lazy and believe that pills can cure bad behavior.") synthesis is not just smarter than the average blog — it's practically at the head of the class.

Sample synthesis post: The current educational system is based on an Industrial Revolution mentality, where students are widgets (all the same) and the system's job is to turn them into widgets that can pass an exam.

Entry you'll never see: Has anyone noticed how fat Jessica Simpson looks lately? I blame it on her relationship with superhunk boyfriend Tony Romo.