Information is beautiful, and so is this blog! Writer and designer David McCandless finds gorgeous ways of illustrating information: "I'm interested in how designed information can help us understand the world, cut through BS and reveal the hidden connections, patterns and stories underneath. Or, failing that, it can just look cool!" Check out the posts on the oil spill, Twitter, and selling music online. McCandless also highlights the work of other cool designers. The blog even has a fun interactive games section--all beautifully designed, of course. We love that this visual approach to information helps us look at the world in new ways.

The motto of zen habits: "Smile, breathe & go slowly." Even the blog's homepage is calming, with its minimalist design and lack of ads. zen habits focuses on living simply--check out posts like "Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life" and "75 Simple Pleasures to Brighten Your Day." Where other lifehacking blogs might focus on multitasking and tech-y ways to speed up your workday, zen habits is much more, well, zen, recommending you "eliminate all but the absolute essential tasks" and even go on a media fast. Wait...doesn't that mean getting off the computer? Well, yeah. So if you're going to read just one blog, you might want to make it this one.

How About Orange is a non-intimidating decorating-and-crafts DIY blog. You do not need to be Martha Stewart to create the projects here: Anyone with a little bit of patience and time really can make these 5 things with crepe paper, or make decorative thumbtacks, or create gift bags from envelopes. The projects aren't hard, but they look good when they're done and they are no less impressive for being easy. How About Orange also offers tons of free, stylish downloads, including Twitter backgrounds, printable invitations, and cute fonts.

Visit Design For Mankind and you'll immediately feel a bit cooler: Even the blog's layout is stylish. The blog describes itself as "always quirky, never reverent...a daily addiction for design lovers across the globe." Posts highlight inspired, unusual art, products, and trends from around the web--always from new and interesting sources, not just the same old design blogs you're probably familiar with already. And because the site doesn't stick to just one type of design, you never know what you'll come across here: editor Erin Loechner features everything from sand drawings to weird YouTube finds. We particularly like her emphasis on works from artists' websites.

Also check out Design for Mankind's recent posts on MyLifeScoop:

You might actually look forward to renovating your house if you've got Remodelista bookmarked. But even if you're not giving your home a major makeover, this home design site has tons of ways to make your living space more beautiful. "We love Ikea as much as DWR; we believe a mix of high and low--and of vintage and new--animates a space," the editors write. "When we need to make a daunting investment decision (ever bought a couch?), we research it to the ends of the earth. We favor classic and livable over trendy and transient; streamlined interiors over cluttered environments. Our style is minimalist but not monastic. We choose thoughtfully designed products over mass-market, disposable goods." In other words, they'll do the work for you and your home will get the compliments. You can browse the site by room, or check out the "10 Easy Pieces" posts, which highlight the best of everything from colorful modern deck chairs to white freestanding bathtubs. When you find something you particularly like, you can digitally "clip" it and stick it in your own virtual design file.

Check out Remodelista's story on Design-Worthy Cord Control Solutions on MyLifeScoop!

Omiru is "a style and shopping guide dedicated to real style for real people," and by "real people" they mean "you can actually afford this stuff." The site consistently spots fashion trends that are truly affordable (the "What to Wear May 2010" post, for example, featured items ranging from $16 to $168 and included "a number of pieces that exemplify the key trends of the moment -tie dye (very Proenza Schouler), liberty style prints, a basketweave bag, and slim cut joggers (aka sweatpants)." The ongoing "Figure Flattery" feature suggests clothing for different body types and answers reader questions. Street Style calls out fashionistas on the street, and Q&As answer questions like "What's the best way to keep clothes looking new?" The site is also unusual in that it offers many clothing tips and trends for guys.

Design*Sponge is a blog dedicated to modern home and product design, run by a former Domino editor. The constantly updated site has been around since 2004 and is a veritable treasure trove of stylish tips for your abode (and life). We love the product guides (for stuff like wallpaper and mirrors under $100 and modern flatware, plus the most stylish holiday gift guides around). "Mini Trends" posts highlight hot trends, and there's plenty of material for those on budgets and DIY-ers (like a paper clock and Ukrainian eggs). Our favorite feature is "Before and After," which spotlights readers' efforts to give tired rooms and furniture makeovers--the results, and everything else on this site, will inspire you to make changes in your own house.

Simple Mom's tagline: "Live simply, stay sane. Life hacks for home managers." Editor Tsh writes, "Moms are busy, and we don't have time for heavy-duty blog reading. I hope you find a nugget of encouragement, apply it to your life, and then roll up your sleeves and get to work." The site is definitely full of useful nuggets. It's divided into categories like "Green & Frugal," "Money Management," and "Taking Care of Yourself," so you'll find posts on 20 indoor activities for kids besides TV nestled alongside posts on creating and sticking to a holiday budget and 19 tips for making your home paperless. Quite simply, it's a great, eclectic mixture of posts for everyday life.

Think of Dabbled as a fun, crafty online community center packed with "artwork, craft projects & designs, tips & tutorials--both original, and links to other great stuff from the vast internets." The site is packed with cute, quirky projects that don't require a lot of time or money to do. For Easter, blog owner Dot made cake-filled eggshells (see above); green crafting for Earth Day linked to lots of projects made with recycled materials, and the ideas for a photo safari are helpful for any parent looking to get their kid out of the house. Plus, we can't help loving the recent Cephalopod Week--rounding up projects related to all-things octopus.

describes itself as "a gallery where food bloggers can showcase their food and photography skills. It's a place for you to discover new sites, dishes, recipes and ingredients to inspire your own cooking." We think of it as a visual recipe search engine: Browse by food type ("bread," "beef," "soups and stews") or by concept ("daring bakers," "pot luck," "gluten-free"). Or just hit "randomize" and let the gorgeous photos wash over you (and whet your appetite). Attribution is mandatory and only photos from blogs are accepted. Click on a photo and it leads back to the blog and recipe, so you'll learn how to cook these gorgeous dishes yourself--plus discover new food blogs and see the best food photography out there.

Uncrate calls itself a blog "for guys who love stuff," and each day its editors feature the coolest new products--everything from clothing to food. While some of the stuff featured is clearly for boys only (the ongoing "Garb" feature puts together outfits with themes like "Midwestern Man," and we don't know too many women who need this mustache and beard comb), there's plenty for those of both genders to covet, like a solar-powered birdhouse and bacon peanut brittle...and bacon vodka! Furthermore, as Father's Day approaches, keep this site in mind--you can get your dad something he actually likes this year, instead of another tie. In fact, it's a great place to find goodies for any hard-to-shop-for person.

Your coworker spends most of her time talking about her sex life, your mother-in-law wants to wear white to your wedding, your best friend keeps skipping out on the check at dinner...what to do? Vent about it on the internet, of course. Yup, get yourself over to Etiquette Hell, "the internet's largest repository of over 6,000 firsthand bad etiquette stories submitted by thousands of ordinary people tired of the selfish, rude antics of their fellow man...Rather than one etiquette maven waving the finger of disapproval, the impact of EtiquetteHell.com is a grassroots movement of thousands of people defining society's parameters for good manners and thereby providing a cyber peer pressure on society to change the bad behavior." That sounds pretty serious, we know, but it's a fabulous crowdsourced selection of I-can't-believe-she-did-that stories, plus real-life modern etiquette tips...or a nice reminder that maybe your own family isn't that bad after all.

Mind Hacks is all about "neuroscience and psychology tricks to find out what's going on inside your brain," and every post provides incredibly interesting tidbits that help us understand ourselves--and other people--better. What's the role of the "mind's eye"? Why is e-mail so addictive? What is in Hitler's psychiatric file? Why does flattery work even if we know it's insincere? You'll find answers to these questions and more, with posts divided into categories like "Attention," "Hearing and Language," "Other People," and "Reasoning." Plus, the Nonsense section debunks myths, finds extra-weird brain-related tidbits, and occasionally has funny videos. The blog's authors point out the best and stuff from scientific magazines and journals you may not (okay--probably don't) read. Visit this blog and, not only will you feel a little smarter, you will find out why learning is fun.

Good Wine Under $20 does exactly what its title promises: It's devoted to tasty wines that won't break the bank. The blog is perfect for those of us who want to learn more about wine, but aren't totally sure where or how to start. Instead of getting a numerical rating, each wine receives a "QPR"--quality to price ratio--score, and the author writes about wine in a chatty, not-too-technical way (recently, on Pinot Grigio: "I often feel like Goldilocks when tasting Pinot Grigio. Some of them are too bitter. Some of them are too sweet. Some, too tart. Some of them are too fruity. Why are wines made with this grape so often out of balance?") This blog is an especially good place to start if you're just getting into the wine blogosphere because of its long blogroll of other wine blogs (including winery blogs and international wine blogs). To browse the site by topic ("Africa," "gifts for wine lovers," "Friday nights in"), scroll all the way down the left-hand column. You'll definitely find something new to try next time you go to the wine store, and you'll learn a lot about wine in the process.

RebelDad is a blog written by Brian Reid, a stay-at-home dad who couldn't find a lot of resources for other men in his position, so he started his own: "This site is an effort to catalog what is out there about us in the media (and in society, broadly)." Reid says that when he started out he had a hard time finding "how many of us are out there," and has a great page of at-home dad statistics; many posts cover new research, studies, and news. He also keeps a gigantic running list of other dad bloggers and sites and has tons of tips about starting a dads' group. While the blog is obviously a great resource for others in RebelDad's position, it's also a really good home/life blog for all parents interested in the family/career juggle.

Life in a Venti Cup and Life in a Sippy Cup are sister blogs for, as you might have guessed, the stylish adult and kid set. Blogger Franki Durban finds bits of style and inspiration around the web and posts them here. "I feel it is my duty to free the rest of you from tacky baby apparel, crappy baby shower gifts and trite design ideas," she writes. Recent kid-related posts covered cute food on a stick, handmade baby blankets, and scooters with storage, while adults might like office space inspirations and visual-based e-mail applications. Durban is generous about promoting the work of other bloggers and sells her own prints in her store.

Need a little pickup? It's hard not to get bogged down by endless depressing headlines, but even this blog's title gives a small lift. Things Are Good aims "to make positive news easy to find," and while the site's not oblivious to the bad stuff, think of it as a little internet corner of good news. Many posts revolve around the earth and sustainability (pennies can clean the air, wind power shelters sea life), and there's news about art, body and mind (naps help learning!) , and more. Or click "Random Good" for a random pick-me-up.

Since we're major animal lovers, we love Dolittler, "a veterinary blog for pet lovers, pet voyeurs, and the medically curious," written by real-live vet Dr. Patty Khuly. Some posts answer curious pet owners' questions ("Why do dogs eat grass?" "How cold is too cold for animals?"), while "Vet P.O.V." posts cover topics in the news like debarking and microchips, and "Vetcetera" posts look at random topics like pet poop and best pet presents. The regularly posted entries are fun tidbits to get in your Google Reader and might inspire you to look at your pet (or your vet) with new eyes.

Know Your Meme is a database and web series documenting internet culture: "viral videos, image macros, catchphrases, web celebs and more." If you keep hearing about something and aren't quite sure what it is, head here: Recent episodes covered Balloon Boy, "Nom Nom Nom," and Where the Hell Is Matt, and users can submit their own memes. Don't miss the top 2009 memes.

Written by a former Oprah.com staffer, The Budget Babe is a fashion and beauty site that covers clothes and products you can actually afford. Dress by Numbers posts break celebrity styles down into affordable components, while an ongoing feature allows readers to write in for fashion advice (recently: how to find multi-buckle belts on a budget). And Designer Looks for Less posts spot trends and find the best inexpensive knockoffs. The site also features occasional giveaways and posts detailed info on deals and sales.

The Job Bored is a careers blog devoted to tips and tricks to help you get ahead, both on a day-to-day basis and in your career in general. There are tons of great ideas here about getting organized in your career--the blog suggests creating your own personal personnel file and organizing your job search using the rule of thirds. Readers can write in and ask for career advice, too; recent questions included how long to wait for approval on a vacation request and what to do when your boss has "horrible time-management skills." And don't miss "40 things I wish I knew when I started my career" and "how to find a job using Facebook." By the way, it's also a great blog to read while you're at work.

Almost Frugal is a blog about learning to be more frugal. We love that the author, Kelly Rigotti, isn't an expert--she's learning along with the rest of us. "For me, being frugal doesn't mean deprivation, it means being smart with your spending, saving and money goals," she writes. Since Rigotti is an American living with her family in France, there are cool glimpses of her life and kids abroad, and many posts cover frugality in the home and with kids--recent topics included frugal pregnancy tips, childcare, and paying for kids' after-school activities, and one of the site's most popular posts is how to cut a little boy's hair. An ongoing series, This Is What Frugal Looks Like, interviews regular people about frugality in their lives.

Anyone who's searched for an apartment on Craigslist knows how deceiving (and occasionally downright hilarious) these ads can be. Lovely Listing is great for a quick laugh during the day--see the weirdest, funniest, worst real estate listings from around the world. Don't miss the T. Rex in the kitchen and Top Tips for Real Estate Agents.

Everyone loves Etsy, but the site's overwhelming amount of stuff for sale can make it hard to drill down and find what you want. That's why we love The Storque, which serves as a curator for the site, picking out the best stuff and featuring sellers you might never find yourself. The blog recently highlighted sellers from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK; "the serious art of cute"; and Sherlock Holmes-styled old-school gadgets and Victorian fashion. The blog's Shop Local feature finds sellers in your neighborhood, while Get the Look: Décor helps you find the perfect Etsy items to create a new style in your home.

Launched by a former Domino editor (so you know it's good), Lonny Magazine is an online-only home magazine. Read each free issue online, flipping the pages and all. The Winter 2009 issue is available online now and includes features on eco-chic fashions, tips for decorating small spaces, a gift guide, and more. We love that Lonny Magazine champions bloggers and takes great advantage of its online-only format--every product featured has a clickable buy link, for instance.

Edible Geography finds obscure, interesting food stories from around the world. Each story reflects larger cultural themes: North Korean food diplomacy, for instance, and an ongoing series on quarantine. We especially like the post on cupcake gentrification, which explains that "a spatial analysis of cupcake proliferation could also reveal the flow of capital investment in cities." The posts are quirky and fascinating and invite readers to think about food in new ways.

So your mother-in-law gave you a tropical bath-and-body set--the trouble is, you hate the smell of coconut. Can you pass it on to your beach babe best friend? Find out at Regiftable.com, which is the ultimate holiday re-gifting etiquette guide. "Regifting has gained in popularity since comedian Jerry Seinfeld first coined the term a decade ago," the site explains, and "[e]ven the etiquette experts at the Emily Post Institute approve of the practice in some circumstances." They lay out the info you have to have before you regift ("Some gifts that are good candidates for regifting include good (unopened!) bottles of wine, new household items and inexpensive jewelry") and explain what's absolutely not okay to pass along to someone else ("Do you have to be told not to regift free promotional items?") Send in your own regifting stories, and vote for your favorites. And make sure to play "Guess the Regift"!

Inexpensively combines ways to save, deal alerts, grocery best buys, and coupons into one very useful money-saving site. A network of bloggers covers ways to save on living, eating, shopping, sharing, and going green; we like the Christmas countdown with frugal holiday ideas (like gift wrap alternatives and inexpensive holiday decorating) for every day through December 25. And in the Grocery Best Buys section, weekly shopping lists match current coupons to grocery store sales. Each week, Inexpensively hosts Money Saving Monday, where bloggers are invited to share their frugal ideas about a given theme. The site is looking for bloggers nationwide to join its network.

Where did the word "dude" come from? Why is "front seat" two words when "backseat" is one word? Can you use "y'all" in writing? If these are the kinds of questions that keep you up at night--or if you just want a little trivia to share at your next holiday party--then The Grammarphobia Blog is for you. It's written by two former New York Times editors who are also the authors of grammar and writing books Words Fail Me and Woe Is I and columnists for the NYT's "On Language" column. It's a definite destination for the word-obsessed. Don't miss the e-mail IQ test and debunked grammar myths--for example, it's okay to end a sentence with a preposition (phew!).

"Living the First Class Life...at Coach Prices" is the motto for Upgrade: Travel Better. The blog is aimed at "the traveler looking to maximize comfort, style, and convenience, while getting a great deal," and what makes it so useful is that it focuses on "the mechanics of travel, seen from a consumer's point of view." There's no fluffy travel writing here. Instead, Upgrade: Travel Better focuses on deals (tips on finding discounted first-class fares, where to find cheap last-minute or emergency plane tickets), tips and advice (how to lounge in airports, how to avoid airport rental markups). Don't miss "Five ways to get an edge over other air travelers"--for example, try calling an airline's 800 number from the airport instead of waiting in a long line at the customer service desk.

Quite simply, reading Crucial Minutiae makes you feel smart. This group blog is "about the small things around us everyday. Some pieces are too small to take notice of, by themselves, but over time become part of the larger, crucial puzzle of culture and society." Contributors include journalists from Newsweek, the New York Times, and other well-known publications. Topics covered are incredibly wide-ranging, covering everything from a Texas teen sexual health summit to Obama and technology to swine flu to street art. It's a great place to get a little bit of knowledge about a lot of things.

Call it an untraditional self-help site: Rather than sticking to a small set of topics, PickTheBrain Blog covers "anything related to self improvement." The blog chunks advice up into easily digestible lists--for example, the 5 signs your diet plan will last, 10 very common stupid tricks that wreck a good life, and 5 simple ways to increase intelligence. Most posts fall into a broader category: Motivation, Productivity, Psychology, Money, Health, Education, or Self-Improvement. PickTheBrain also reviews other self-help books and products and has how-to guides on meditating, learning a foreign language, and more.

Reading The Oatmeal is like reading the comics in the newspaper, version 2.0--except The Oatmeal's much more useful. The site is a really fun mishmash of comics, quizzes, parodies, and advice, and everything is written and illustrated by web designer Matthew Inman. The Oatmeal is your new resource for discovering how many germs live on your cell phone, 10 things not to Tweet about, how to use an apostrophe or  17 facts about your cat. Take a quiz to see if you could still pass a driving test or determine whether your loved ones are plotting to eat you. And don't miss the explanation of why people go crazy for Twilight.

The Penny Pinching Diva is the mom to four boys, and she writes that she started her blog because she wants "to help others out there, who like myself, live on one income and want to stretch their dollars as far as they will go. I love catching sales, finding amazing steals at yardsales, couponing, CVS'ing, frugal cooking and anything else that will make my family look like they're 'living large' on less then $10." The site features extensive upcoming coupon insert previews, deals at chain stores like Target and K-Mart, and other coupons available to print online. While these money-saving tips make up the bulk of the content on the site, the Penny Pinching Diva reveals a more personal side in her weekly "5 Things I am Loving" posts.

Money Changes Things is a blog about the good things you can do with your money, with a focus on "socially responsible investing, savvy consuming, [and] sustainable living." Much of the site's content focuses on changes you can easily make from your desk or within your home. Recent posts, for example, alerted readers to free-trade instant coffee and covered eco-friendly laundry strategies. The site also reviews philanthropic initiatives like micro-financing site Microplace and Join My Village and highlights readers' do-good efforts.

Clean Green Talk is a blog written by Leslie Reichert, who supervised a large cleaning service for years and turned to green cleaning after she saw the effects of chemicals in the home. Blog posts focus on how to keep your house spic-and-span without using those harsh products. This month, the blog features a countdown-to-Thanksgiving cleanup plan, which promises to have your house in great shape by the time guests arrive and even includes days to shop and a day to relax. Other useful tips include green alternatives to antibacterial soaps ("Fold some paper towels (recycled of course) neatly into a Ziploc bag and spritz with some water and lemon juice") and Teflon pans. Best of all, most of these tips require products you probably have around your house already, like baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice.

Written by Richard R. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, Nudge is a blog about "improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness" based on a popular book of the same name. Each post provides a great example of how little changes in perception can make a big difference. Plus, you'll feel smarter for reading. Recent posts cover ways to get people to take the stairs more often (think music and a view), a method for answering questions more accurately, and the benefits of using urinal flies when you have seven-year-old twins. The site's link roundups are especially interesting and will alert you to a scale that tells the world how much you weigh via Twitter and a recycling program that allows users to earn awards.

Lifestyle optimization blog LifeSnips just launched, but it's already packed with great tips for busy families. A recent post on surviving Thanksgiving offers tips to make Turkey Day go more smoothly...

A community-based wellness blog, SocialWorkout.com is based on the idea that "to get the best out of this world, we must stick together. Everyone can use a little help to fight the inertia, and to be our baddest ass selves, if you will. Hello 'social' workout. We can't actually wake you up at 6:30am (yet), but we can guide you to an emergency spinning class on Saturday afternoon, and pass along intel about life saving personal trainers and/or surf-yoga retreats in Costa Rica." The site regularly hosts "challenges" for members; the latest, Eat. Sweat. Blog., brought members together to blog about their experiences as they mastered "feats" of healthy eating like cutting out soda and being a locavore for a day. SocialWorkout.com is expanding its local sections; it currently has fitness resource guides for New York and Los Angeles, with more cities to come. And posts on topics like better workout buddies, the best fitness products on Etsy, and food/muscle pairings are useful and fun no matter where you live.