25 Best Blogs '09 according to TIME: Talking Points Memo, Huffington Post, Lifehacker, MetaFilter, Good2BeGreen...

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Talking Points Memo

Journalist Josh Marshall began publishing Talking Points Memo in November 2000, during the Florida recount. More than eight years later, the winner of the recount is clearing brush in Texas, while Talking Points has become the prototype of what a successful Web-based news organization is likely to be in the future. Last February, Marshall's blog won a George Polk Award for its coverage of the firing of eight United States attorneys, the first blog ever to win a major journalism award. Talking Points makes good use of crowdsourcing, soliciting news tips from readers and even giving them assignments to sift through government documents. The biggest difference between Talking Points and most traditional news organizations is that Marshall assumes some of his readers might actually know more than he does, which makes him very smart indeed.

The Huffington Post

Co-founded by socialite and aspiring talking head Arianna Huffington in 2005 as a kind of online salon, HuffPo quickly established itself as a serious go-to destination for political news and commentary. The Observer of London rightly has ranked the Huffington Post as "the most powerful blog in the world." HuffPo hasn't fallen into the usual blog trap of mistaking a rant for analysis; the site publishes consistently thoughtful commentary, lands its share of inside-the-Beltway scoops, and provides ample links to outside news sources so readers can run down stories for themselves. To top it off, Arianna Huffington seems to have come up with the first truly successful business model for blogs: most of the site's hundreds of guest bloggers write for free.

Lifehacker

When Lifehacker debuted in early 2005, a blog dedicated to tips and downloads for getting things done seemed an inconsequential addition to the blogosphere. But times have changed; these days, Lifehacker reads like nothing less than a survival guide to the Great Recession. Lifehacker is a "Hints from Heloise" for the digital age; it's all about doing more with what you already have. There are tips on brewing the best possible coffee without spending more money, making simple low-cost crock pot dinners, and improving your resume by eliminating over-used phrases (ditch "team player" and "detail oriented"). Lifehacker is especially good on getting the most out of your digital devices; one of last year's most popular posts was "How to Turn Your iPod Touch into an iPhone."

Metafilter

This is the community weblog that gives crowdsourcing a good name. Every day, MeFi (as it's known to fans) posts a dozen or so detailed items (with copious links) on subjects that users thought interesting enough to share with the rest of the class. The result is a ludicrously diverse encyclopedia of surprisingly useful and shockingly useless knowledge — the latest findings on string theory and evolutionary biology share space with fond remembrances of the TV show Charlie's Angels and rumors of a new Spinal Tap album. Plenty of blogs traffic in pop culture ephemera, but Metafilter takes it seriously. A recent online food fight over whether the lead character in the old Road Runner cartoons said "beep-beep" or "meep-meep," was finally settled by a MeFi contributor who once had dinner with the cartoon's animator. The verdict: Meep-meep. Now you know.

The Daily Dish by Andrew Sullivan

Sullivan was defying political labels long before it became fashionable. He describes himself as being "of no party or clique," and his blog is daily proof of his stance. In a blogosphere choking on its own partisan entrees, The Daily Dish is a welcome meal that's good for you.

Got2BeGreen

The momentum of the Green movement has been slowed by everyone's preoccupation with the economic downturn, which is a shame, since Green done right can help save the other kind of green. Got2BeGreen is a blog devoted to highlighting ideas and products that are friendly not only to the planet but to your budget. For instance, did you know that the economic stimulus package includes dozens of tax credits for energy efficient products, everything from a $150 credit for a new furnace or boiler to $2,000 for a ground source heat pump? Or that you could be saving up to $100 by plugging your computer and electronics into a switchable power strip instead of letting components suck up electricity in standby mode? Or that you should never place hot food in the fridge because it uses up more energy? Got2BeGreen is a daily reminder that being eco-friendly is just plain smart.

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Read more, including Freakonomics, BoingBoing, Zen Habits, Mashable, Slashfood, and The official Google blog, at original source: Time