www.wired.com/thisdayintech/

Their blurb: If Wired.com had been there then, we would have covered it.

Why I love it: I love learning who, when, where and how technologies were invented. Did you know that on 27 July 1888, Philip W. Pratt demonstrated the very first American electric tricycle? Or that on 24 July 1950, the first rocket lifted off at Cape Canaveral? Neither did I, until I read this daily Wired blog! The site typically provides a brief summary and photo of the technology.

http://news.cnet.com/crave/

Their blurb: The name says it all. Crave is our blog about gorgeous gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.

Why I love it: Crave covers everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics. They always preview and review the new phones, video and audio devices I wish I had the money to buy.

 www.archive.org

Their blurb: The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was founded to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format.

Why I love it: I can spend hours viewing archived Web sites from when the Internet was first introduced. Since I only recently joined the Today’s Engineer family (2005), I was curious what the Today’s Engineer Online Web site looked like back in 2001. I found it has changed dramatically since then, when the homepage advertised two publications — one that focused on careers and one that focused on policy perspectives. In addition to looking at archived Web sites, you can also search for and download archived videos, texts and audio.

www.geeksugar.com

Their blurb: From simple how-to instructions for selecting the right digital camera, to tips for creating a personal blog, to reviews of gadgets that will make the neighbors drool, Geek is our readers’ guide to great virtual discoveries.

Why I love it: The tag line for the site is “Geek is Chic.” As a chick, sometimes I want to hear about gadgets, Web sites and apps geared to females and this site offers that to me. (Shiny Shiny is an alternative girl gadget site: www.shinyshiny.tv.)

www.damninteresting.com

Their blurb: Though we occasionally post bits which could be described as “news,” our primary aim is to collect and dispense damn interesting facts and ideas, whether they appeared in the past, the present, or the (anticipated) future.

Why I love it: Probably the same reason I liked the Wired blog! I’m easily sucked into history specials, so I love this blog of long-form historical summaries. In the days of 140-character tweets, sometimes I want to read something more in-depth and this site provides that. On this site you can read about the bizarre saga surrounding Challenger Deep — the deepest surveyed point in the oceans — or the story of the failed invention of wireless electricity. The stories are truly engaging and sometimes even lead me to read more about the topic.