Sometimes you just need a good reason to laugh – or to wonder at the brightness of one fine-tuned, creative idea. There is a certain joy in thinking, 'who thinks of that?".
I've found that joy with some awesomely specific blogs. Call then Niche Blogs, Specific Blogs or Single-Topic Blogs, these are sites dedicated to chronicling just one pinpointed topic. Computers in TV shows. Moustaches on cats. Misspelled Signs. Street art in the country. (I don't know if any of those exist, but I wouldn't be surprised if all of them do.)
This week I round up 11 of my favourites for your viewing pleasure. Grab a coffee, sit back and smile.
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Used to Be a Pizza Hut
This blog documents buildings that used to be Pizza Huts, and are now something else. The inspiration? The fact that no matter what you put in it's place, the building will always be identifiable as a former Pizza Hut. I discovered this one through an excellent episode of the 99% Invisible Podcast. You'll find Pizza Huts transformed into Subways, 'Fresh Mexican Grill's, Chinese Restaurants and even funeral homes. Yep.
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All The Buildings In New York
Another tip-off from 99% Invisible, this charmingly ambitious site is, in its own words, "An attempt to draw all the buildings in New York by James Gulliver Hancock, an illustrator originally from Australia currently based in Brooklyn, New York."
Yes, he means ALL the buildings.
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Evangelical Pop Culture Pinterest Wall
Not technically a blog, this Pinterest wall from my good friend Tim Bratton functions just the same. Tim is collecting shrapnel from the Evangelical Pop Culture explosion. Much of it is hilarious. Some of it just makes me hang my head.
Who else remembers the Power Team?
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The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks
This is the may have been the first time I thought there should be a blog about something and then discovered that there already was. It certainly was not the last time. I find misused quotation marks hilarious, because they so often say the opposite of what is intended. This blog is rife with great examples.
Quick tip - Quotation marks are "not for emphasis".
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Vintage Edmonton
Edmonton gets her own niche blog! This blog posts ephemera from days of Edmonton yesteryear, like old newspaper ad spreads, along with sporadic articles and info from other sites related to Edmonton's past. Like this awesome video featuring the Edmonton Public Library's book trolly.
http://www.vintageedmonton.com
Of course, I could have just as easily mentioned (the other) Vintage Edmonton, or Maybe Edmonton, "An attempt to fall in love with Edmonton, Alberta (plus added diversions)"
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Dear Photograph
The idea here is simple. You take a new photograph of you holding an old photograph in the same spot that original photo was taken, bringing two moments of history together in one image. Well, it's simple when you see it. And heartwarming.
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Post Secret
Perhaps the grandaddy of single-topic blogs, "PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard."
It is fascinating, endearing, and a warning, it is sometimes disturbing.
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Garfield Minus Garfield
What happens when you take Garfield comic strips, and remove Garfield? Well that's easy. Exactly this. http://garfieldminusgarfield.net/
Less easy is understanding why the results are so fascinating.
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The Wes Anderson Bible
This one is wry and dry, like Wes Anderson's own film sensibilities. The author simply takes images from old Bible storybooks (or one in particular?) and superimposes them with Wes Anderson text. I don't think all of the text is directly quoted from Wes Anderson films, but it certainly could be. I find it helps to read these in the voice of Owen Wilson or Bill Murray.
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The Brick Testament
Not really a blog, The Brick Testament is a massive project recreating scenes from the Bible with lego. I find it particularly interesting that there are a variety of content warnings included here, because, well, the Bible can be a little adult at times.
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Goths Up Trees
You don't even have to visit this site for it to be funny. I just discovered this in my research this morning, but it epitomizes the very heart of this topic. This blog proves that no matter how narrow your scope, there is content out there in the massive media wasteland that is the internet.
Yes. This is just pictures of goths up trees.
Bonus!
Not enough? Okay, a few more quick ones. There is the ultimate expression of the niche blog - the blog with only one repeated post. The Same Picture of Dave Coulier Every Day. There is, of course, the self-explanatory AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com, also available in book form (as are some of the above). If your Google skills are up to the task, you can even find other collections like this, and entire single-topic blogs about single-topic blogs. Really.
What uber-specific blogs would you recommend? Please do share in the comments below. (Just keep it to one recommendation per comment, or the robots will think you are one of them.)