Blog and Podcast links - 2013

I wanted to give a quick shout-out this morning for Invader Stu, a fellow expat blogger up in Amsterdam.  Stu tells wonderful stories about everyday life among the Dutch: he’s asking readers if they might support his nomination for a 2013 Bloggie award.  This is a good opportunity to recognize an insightful writer, and it only takes a few minutes to complete the entry. Instructions are on Stu’s blog, here.

I’m also taking the opportunity to update my NetVibes aggregator page of Dutch blogs and podcasts.  This is an collection of pages and broadcasts that I follow, more complete and up-to-date than my lists on Facebook or Google Reader.

I get a bit wistful updating the Blogs I Follow page each year: there are usually four or five blogs that go silent as writers repatriate or lose interest.  But a number of good new essayists have emerged this year, and I’m pleased to add them to my list. 

The left column has more general interest news and business blogs: the center and right have expatriate blogs.  The entries are in no particular order, except that I follow the top few more closely: Stu, Nick, Judy, Flamingo (all in the Netherlands), Harry (for the Dutch perspective on Minnesota), and Aly (now moved to Korea from Georgia and still going strong).

The Podcast page is a good mix of news, perspective, technology, and analysis, simply arranged alphabetically.  I lost patience with a number of shows this year (Adam Curry has lost all touch with reality), and I still regret that there aren’t more Dutch language podcasts to recommend.  Still, there is likely to be some shows in there that enlighten and entertain in varying measure.  And the Sinica Podcast remains my recommendation for the year if you want perspectives on expat life and China.

..and there are a few links to my personal pages and feeds.  I’m available to family and friends on Facebook (up to my Dunbar Number of connections), professional associates on LinkedIn, and preferably, a koffie or biertje along the rivers Maas or Cam.