Best Local Blog

Being creatures of the Internet, we can't help but snoop on the lives of others by reading their online diaries, or blogs. Lucky for us, Kansas City bloggers consistently produce lots of fascinating content to satisfy our curiosity. Among the best local blogs are Jay Manifold's astronomy-themed "A Voyage to Arcturus"; Heidi Schallberg's take on metro politics, which she calls "Me, My Life + Infrastructure"; and sci-fi writer Mac Tonnies' smart obsession with weirdness, "Posthuman Blues." But nothing gets us hitting the links in the morning like Greg Beck's epic ruminations on "Death's Door." A mountain of a man (we actually met him once), Beck is an African-American employee of a federal agency who, before going to work for Uncle Sam in his forties, spent much of his life tossing drunks out of nightclubs and stripper bars. That's given him an, um, earthy outlook on life, sex and the local nightclub scene, a viewpoint which spills out of him in diverting daily essays. Among our favorites are Beck's long dissertations about what late nights were like in Westport in the 1980s and about Beck's experiences as a trusted ally to some of the city's more colorful strippers, musicians and club owners. Naturally, Beck has a loyal following of readers, who comment heavily, particularly when he has the occasional health scare. Following along with Beck's every ache and pain is just part of the fun.