The State of the Blog

This is my 100th post, so I thought I'd celebrate by answering 100 questions, so you'd get to know me a bit better!

Then I realized how many questions that was, and said, "Nope!"

So, we'll look at you instead. According to my stats, most of you are from the U.S. No big surprise there, but a special word for my international friends - you are abnosome! (I know who you are.) A lot of you use Firefox or Chrome - good for you! I'm a Chrome girl myself. 5% of you still use IE. Why? Seriously, I'd like to know. More than half of you use Mac OS, and only 7% use Linux. Wow! I like Linux. Mostly. (Although, to be honest, I sometimes long for Windows's easiness. Linux takes work. Sometimes it's fun; sometimes it's frustrating.)  Some of you like to check out my blog on your phones; does it look okay?

My most popular blog post ever was on TPP; far behind, the second favorite was on King Cake. I don't know, I really don't. I have very little focus in my blog posts - I just write whatever come to mind, if anything comes to mind. It's mainly to give you guys a list of links I found interesting. Before I started this thing, several people said they liked my links - but there were so many of them. This way, you could just look through, find what you like, and not be bombarded by a million individual posts on FB/Twitter/Tumblr. I hope you guys all like it - I think you do. I don't hear much back from you, but the stats look okay.

Anyway, thanks for checking it out, and now we can move on to the heart of it...

Links!

• Libraries, Books, & Authors:
• Books on Wheels
• Buildings and Books
• For my librarian friends: Your Role in Reader’s Advisory. I'm a big fan of What Should I Read Next? and NovelList Plus (check your local library's database page). But, whenever I can, I base recommendations on what I've read and loved. 
• Chuck Wendig - who may or may not be a bearded lady, but who is an excellent author - discusses Burning the MRA Playbook (Or, #YesAllMRAs). He ain't wrong. Related: 14 #YesAllWomen Tweets That Everyone Needs To See. 
• Here's LeVar Burton saying thanks for the Reading Rainbow Kickstarter campaign funding. On a related (though sad) note: Brace for the Backlash to the Reading Rainbow Kickstarter! IMNSHO: Anything that makes kids more interested in reading is good. And Reading Rainbow does that pretty darn well. 
• Sight Words 101 : What is this list of words, and why does your child need to learn them? 
• Net & Tech:
• Growing up digital: How digital culture is changing the way kids play Food for thought. Follow it up with Growing up digital: How digital screens are changing the way we read and Growing up digital: How the Internet affects teen identity. If you have kids, plan on having kids, or intend to still be around in twenty years or so, when the kids take over - you should read these. While the first two are interesting, and continue the debate about tech exposure to kids (before and during early school age), the third (focusing on teen identity and the Internet) is vital - real "life and death" stuff. If you have a teen, please read this!
• iBraryGuy has a great series on Searching Social Media.
• Freedom of the Press in the Post-Snowden World Food for thought...
• Your State's Most Popular Unique Google Search Is Super-Embarrassing Some of these...are really disturbing...
• Science:
• Pluto’s big comeback: Why it could be reclassified as a planet Fingers crossed...
• Universal Snake Venom Antidote On The Horizon 
• Canadian Weather Forecasters Forbidden From Discussing Climate Change
• Other:
• My new favorite subreddit: Artefact P0rn. Some really gorgeous stuff in there...
• How Could BP Think We Aren't Fishermen? The BP disaster is still far from over. 
• Jaw-Dropping Time-Lapse Of A Supercell