Link Analysis

I've been pondering what my links say about me. 

I regularly visit about 30 different sites, loosely categorized according to humor or technology or comics/graphic novels or design or games or random or environmental issues or consumer issues. There is also a small category called People Behind the Curtain which consists of blogs by people I know here in meat space.

That last category was not part of my analysis of my link habits. However, the other ones are a batch of inconsistencies I cannot resolve. For example, since we are beginning a lifetime long remodel here at Meanwhile Manor, I check in on Apartment Therapy much like I flip through design magazines in the library. Usually my reaction to this blog is that peoples' lives must be very small indeed if they lose sleep over just what shade of eggplant goes with the divan throw. However, the site is useful from the mechanical side of design. I have seen lamps made of egg crates, ball-point pens, and milk jugs. And why the hell not? I love it when the function of an object is not changed but its form is so radically different from what came before. But why should I replace the small bowl my change collects in with one that has been designed for just that purpose and has some famous designer's name stamped on it? The bowl works fine. This is the part of design I do not understand and refuse to be a part of: the lemming-like dash to re-do my house with the year's hottest trends. ... but I still like looking at the evolution of the lamp.

That site is in direct conflict with another site I visit regularly: Unclutterer. This latter site makes me feel bad over my consumer side. I have guilt over my gadgetry habit and I go back to the site because of the taint of Original Spend on my soul. There is great info like ideas for thinning my material possessions and organizing what is left.

Two other sites I visit are also in direct conflict with one another. Treehugger and Cool Gadgets. The first is all about trying to save the planet from the wasteful habits of the virus known as homo sapien while the second announces the latest toy that may be entertaining or useful but will also have to be updated in 18 months resulting in even more finite resources being wasted so I can watch tv shows on a handheld device in better resolution.

So what is a humble web-surfer to do? Do I shun my gadgets and gadget sites to reduce the temptation to buy the next one? Do I say minimalism or bust and not bring anything new into the house unless something of equal mass is expunged? (My, that sounds much like life in a bubble; is that type of existence possible for lifeforms above krill?) And can I ever truly expunge anything when all that means for me is throw it on the communal pile at the end of the road known as the dump?

I'm off to ponder this more, iPhone in hand while I turn the compost pile.