Welcome To The Best of Everything!

Hello!

If you're reading this, then you've probably already read the header, and you have an idea why you're here, but let me elaborate.

I was listening to my iPod while biking today at the health club, and watching E! without the sound. They were doing some sort of countdown where the listed various people who were #1 at something -- Prince had the number one album, for example -- and at the same time I was updating the ratings on my songs. (You iPod users know what I'm talking about.) And I began to wonder about rankings and things like that.

And then I remembered a phrase I heard a few times in the past: The wisdom of crowds. You can read more about that on the Wikipedia. But the gist of it is this: individuals, with their individual experience and knowledge and opinions, when allowed to give their opinion unfettered by expectations of those around them -- give an opinion without knowing what the popular choice is or how your neighbor will react -- get things right more than they get them wrong.

And I am an individual. And you are an individual, and they are all individuals.

So I decided to harness that, with me as the leader (because it's my idea) and find out what the best of everything ever is. And this is how I'm going to do it: using my lead and your suggestions and ultimately voting.

For one year from today, I'll take suggestions on what the best of anything is -- subject to some rules:

Nothing NSFW or otherwise unsuitable for general consumption. I want my kids and my parents to be able to read this.

And no nominations which are designed to hurt or tear down. This is to celebrate the best, the truly best, not as measured by critics or professors or magazines or Congress, but by the people that love something.

You can create your own category. I'm going to be creating them and posting suggestions, but feel free to subcategorize and subcategorize those subcategories. But I reserve the right to stop the subcategorizations when they get too specific. We'll know that line when we get there.

To nominate something, post a comment. I'll review it and post it, with no changes in content -- but I will edit for readability and grammar and spelling. If you think I've changed your meaning, you can always re-comment and tell me.

Oh, and this is the most important. No nominations without explaining why it's the best, for whatever reasons you choose, but you have to tell us.

That's it. Let's get to it.