TOP FORTY

TOP FORTY is a list of 40 of the most interesting, intelligent, vibrant, crucial, important, inspiring, and vital online journals in the internet, as picked by The All Knowing Human Search Engine thinktank. If you are feeling a sense of deja vu, it's likely because you were eating fermented foods along with something high in acid content. Oh, also, perhaps because this is describing what you are reading right now! Don't click on that link, above, because it will only take you back to where you started. Though sometimes that's not a bad option.

Henry Reed's Journal

This is the personal journal of Randy Russell, named after the Henry Reed books, by Keith Robertson, which were written in the form of journals. Thus, HENRY REED'S JOURNAL. Music, writing, movies, TV, food... anything might come up.

Blasé

In a world of intense, focused, hard hitting media, sometimes what you really need is an underwhelming, BLASÉ few minutes. This journal is unambitious, rarely updated, and not really about anything. It's just kinda... 

The All Knowing

THE ALL KNOWING is an experimental search engine—human powered, human scale, and deeply introspective and complex the way only humans can be. It may not be as fast as some of the search engines out there, but loyal users have found it to be much more complex, in depth, and reflective of the actual world. If there is something you REALLY want to know, just ask, and be patient.

Restaurant Time Tunnel

Based on yesteryear's restaurant guides such as The Ford Times Cookbook and Roadfood, RESTAURANT TIME TUNNEL reports on what was there then, and what is there now. Descriptions, photographs, and artists' renditions of the past, present (and, well, not the future, but hey, that's an idea, just thought of that! I'll suggest it to the editor. The mind reels!)

Home For Wayward Creatures

This dynamic online journal, now known as HOME FOR WAYWARD CREATURES, has a new name, a facelift, a new identity—you'd think it was in the Witness Protection Program. At this point, however, there's no new content, mostly because a certain person has been working too much and hasn't had time to sew.

Speen's Crib

Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to have been among the first dozen or so people on facebook? Well, now's your chance! SPEEN'S CRIB is the newest, most exciting social networking site of the world wild wild web. Recently having advanced from Epsilon Stage to Delta is exciting news, and most of the bugs have been worked out (they were in Speen's serape, which has been burned). Admittedly a long way off from such innovations as "Farmville," now is the time to join (by requesting an invitation from Mr. Speen) while real estate is still dirt cheap.

The Moss Problem

The all new THE MOSS PROBLEM is sleeker, easier to use, has a modern new look, no ads, and much less about college football. Voted number one website in the world by an independent panel of blindfolded (metaphorically) hostages (metaphorically) in the nation's most esteemed mountaintop (metaphorically) thinktank, "TMP" was championed by none other than "Our Man in Seattle" as the "the one website I would access on my smartphone if, God forbid, I was able to only access one website on my smartphone."

Air France

Don't look now, but AIR FRANCE has designed the new GOOGLE logo, so you better get used to it. Please vote and let Google know what you think!

This is the online journal of the notorious conceptual artist, and it is about a little of everything, including cooking, painting, art, music, life, France, travel, drinking, mental health, love, omelets, walking, seasons, nature, sports, photography, jazz, sex, politics, ID, me, it, I, and complex delivery systems.

DJ Farraginous

Ray Speen has taken on the task of reviewing all remaining phonograph records at DJ FARRAGINOUS starting with those of his estranged record collection and moving onto his ex-roommate's record collection, in strict alphabetical order. In Stylus! magazine (print version) has called Mr. Speen "the true heir to Thomas Alva Edison, deafness notwithstanding, or perhaps withstanding. He pays as much attention to the cover art as he does to the recording, and virtually ignores lyrics..."

The Secret Goldfish

Once described as "kind of like Groundhog Day, but with goldfish, and not as funny, THE SECRET GOLDFISH is a novel of epic proportions, though in progress, which is to say there is a great deal of potential and not much else, but there will be, little by little, and you know, the greatest achievements of all time were built one brick at a time, or one bad metaphor at a time, as the case may be, by guys who put their pants on one leg at a time just like you, or women who put their dresses on one leg at a time, or guys who put on dresses one leg at a time, or sequined jumpsuits or robes or what have you, as the case may be.

Roman-Fleuve

ROMAN-FLEUVE:

1. A piece of autobiographical writing, usually more comprehensive than autobiography, especially as it is used in publishing today, often trying, and capturing, certain highlights and meaningful moments in the past, including contemplations of the events at the time of writing emotional and particularly capturing scenes and serieses of bizarre events documenting every fact of life.

2. An open-air, public toilet.

3. Ray Speen's online journal in which he documents his ongoing underground exploration and search for El Dorado at the Earth's hollow core.

Poultry

Chickens aren't just for chicken farmers anymore. POULTRY, on the other hand, is a journal of the poetic form, and has little to do with feathered friends outside of its name.

Wine Expressions

In his spare time, RANDY RUSSELL is known as "Wine Bob" and enjoys crushing grapes, as well as his competitors.

His favorites are as follows:
Red
White
Rose'

The World of Ray Speen

For those of you who are saddened to be unable to find the long-out-of-print autobiography of Ray Speen, "Schmo from Kokomo," you can be excited about this new project, a work in progress biography of Speen, with the working title: THE WORLD OF RAY SPEEN.

Faulty Technology

This is the journal for Ray Speen to write about CD's, mp3s, and other forms of inferior music delivery, called FAULTY TECHNOLOGY. Until he finds his CD's, in those never to be unpacked boxes, however, this is the place to come for lunch!

45's

This is an online journal started by Ray Speen to write about this enormous shitload of 45's (that's 45 rpm records, not automatic pistols) which are all inconveniently located back in Milwaukee at this time. Until he gets them, this is where he will try out various banana smoothie recipes.

Nine Lies

In his online journal, NINE LIES, Randy Russell discusses his current writing and film-making endeavours.

The Sweet Ride

The online home for THE SWEET RIDE magazine is coming soon!

Diner Club

DINER CLUB is a small collective of food writers exploring restaurants of note throughout the United States.

Weblo

WEBLO is a weblog for Randy Russell which, when he actually uses it, illustrates his vivid world of flowers and frustrations, complaints and compliments, observations, overviews, outrageous viewpoints, and cats. Don't look here for the sordid and the gritty, except for maybe the "true grit" that is necessary to live each day to its fullest in this crazy world. Frequency of updates: seldom if ever.

Speen

Welcome to the mellow world of Ray SPEEN.

Lunch Is Just Life

Ray Speen's LUNCH IS JUST LIFE was at one time a 'zine, now it's a 'blog. Restaurant reviews from some of the region's best food writers with the focus on the inexpensive, diners, and places with personality.

We Never Close

Ruminations on restaurants in places he has lived in the past, Ray Speen's WE NEVER CLOSE starts with Cleveland, Ohio, 1989.

Everything Exactly As It Happened

Ray Speen's diary, journal, autobiography in progress, EVERYTHING EXACTLY AS IT HAPPENED, is just that, no more, no less. Read all about his life, constantly changing, as he has recently relocated to Union Point.

Cassette Tape Archive

The cassette tape was the greatest invention of the 20th Century, and CASSETTE TAPE ARCHIVE is an ambitious project to review and catalog all of the remaining cassette tapes in existence.

Collage and Decollage

COLLAGE AND DECOLLAGE is all about Randy Russell's collages (and decollages).

Financial Empire

Here lies the deepest darkest secret of a man, his financial dealings, including banking fiascos and credit card debt. Well on his way to being a "bankruptaire," this private journal called FINANCIAL EMPIRE my speak for us all, or at least for those on the fast track to monetary hell.

Plaza De Oro

PLAZA DE ORO is the name of the apartment building where Whitney Taylor lives, and this is the fascinating and often dull account of his life in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin.

It's a Travis-ty!

The very private journal of the very private country and western singer, Will Travis, is called IT'S A TRAVIS-TY! and can be seen here!

Booth in the Back of the Venice Cafe

BOOTH IN THE BACK OF THE VENICE CAFE is Virginia Martini's home away from home.

I Probably Slept With You

Even though you probably didn't sleep with her, I PROBABLY SLEPT WITH YOU is worth reading, if just to have a glimpse of the love life of Stephanie Katona.

Norm's On La Cienega

Read all about Tony Franciosa's move back to Los Angeles in his exclusive "weblo" NORM'S ON LA CIENEGA.

If You Can Read This You're Too Damn Close

IF YOU CAN READ THIS YOU'RE TOO DAMN CLOSE is all about Richard Skiller's life!

Houndstooth

Seems to have something to do with HOUNDSTOOTH.

Against The Day

Allison Pripet's celebration of Pynchon and Ikea is called AGAINST THE DAY.

Too Much Johnsonville

Ed Avery's online journal, TOO MUCH JOHNSONVILLE, is an intimate portrait of life in a small town.

Deaf Barfly

Carter Bryson's refreshing approach to the art world, DEAF BARFLY, is anything butt.

World Traveler

Who is this mysterious individual known as WORLD TRAVELER and why his he always drunk?

Ghost Town

"The paving stones on the road to Hell"

GHOST TOWN is a celebration of swell ideas, grand ambition, honest resolutions, and good intentions.