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"Dark Roasted Blend" - All Kinds of Weird and Wonderful Things, Discovered Daily!"
This site
- www.darkroastedblend.com
(all espresso-lovers & "coffee shop dwellers" unite!)
- is one of the favorite destinations on the web for all things weird and wonderful, updated daily. Our in-depth articles in many fascinating categories make DRB a highly visual online magazine, bringing you quality entertainment every time you open your feed reader or visit out site.
Started in 2005 by Avi Abrams (based in Canada, formerly called "Thrilling Wonder Web Reviews"), it is now among the top 500 sites on Technorati, has more than 35,000 subscribers and welcomes approx. 50,000 daily unique visitors - around 1.5 unique visitors per month and more than 3 million monthly pageviews.
The "Dark Roasted Blend" is also a part of "Thrilling Wonder" family of sites, dedicated to the on-going quest for wisdom and beauty, for all things cool and wonderful in our world, and beyond - in the spiritual realm.
The name should reflect the sense of wonder that has been largely neglected in our cynical times. To that end, our "Thrilling Wonder" sites try to promote "the intense, wonderful and never-boring" side of things:
These interviews shed more light on how DRB is run: Interview 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
DRB has been also featured on USA Today, TIME Magazine, National Geographic, Wired, The New York Times, Smashing Magazine, etc.
John Malkovich, one of the most talented actors of our time and a connoisseur of great taste, starts his day with Dark Roasted Blend. This is what he had to say in the August issue of the TIME Magazine:
"Dark Roasted Blend is a perfect morning wake-up - a site filled with images of Earth's strange dreamers, oddballs, visionaries, travelers and destinations"
-- Time Magazine, August 31, 2009, p. 55, John Malkovich's Short List.
Dark Roasted Blend is also read and appreciated by many great artists, writers and other creative types - including Neil Gaiman, Jeff VanderMeer, Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens), Ted Nesmith, et al.
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SUGGEST A COOL LINK OR A STORY
by writing to: abramsv@gmail.com
More information about the themes we are looking for is here
Connect with DRB on Facebook and Twitter.
We are also very keen on interviewing and promoting the creative types - see our growing collection of fascinating interviews with fantastic people - DRB Exclusive Interviews
NOTE: It is our policy to credit all images with known sources and to ask specific permission from the original owners of content, especially when 2 or more images are used. The credit and the link should be right below the image. If you see an image that you'd like to remove for any reason, or to correct the attribution info - or if you know the source for the "original unknown" images - please email us and we'll respond asap.
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"SciFi at DarkRoastedBlend:
Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Experience"
- publishes weekly reviews of Science Fiction & Fantasy books and magazines.
- SF&F Toplists
- "Wonder Spyglass" Book Reviews
- Rare Pulp Magazines
(with original illustrations)
Music, Writing, Prosetry & Fairy Tales, Artwork, and Photos
are periodically updated sections with our current projects. We update these as we have time.
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THANK YOU FOR VISITING.
Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts about the site and the ways we can improve it.
Shalom,
Avi Abrams
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SITE REVIEWS & FEEDBACK:
Thank you for your good words, and welcome suggestions! Comments like these keep us going...
"I am a true Canadian and find your site at least as good as our best coffee chain, Tim Horton’s. Just like real Java, I find this site addicting. Keep up the great blend of interesting and informative stuff."
- Brent Froese
"You will likely want to subscribe to Dark Roasted Blend. Updates are curated with such care, and contain a number of parts that add to a single theme. I keep it in my "lotstosee" folder that I read while drinking my morning coffee."
- Andre Torrez, Happy Notes
"I love your site.... It is one of the most interesting I have ever come across the Web, in about 5 years now. I am really amazed at your ability to develop full, interesting stories...."
- David Appell
"Every once in awhile a web site recaptures the original wonder of the Internet. An amazing set of images and themes. I browsed for hours!"
- Prof. Stephen Cysewski, Wandering Photography.
"LOVE your site... Any suggestions? With a mission statement that includes "wisdom and beauty"? Nah, don't change a thing... just continue! I'm really impressed by your taste and the depth of your explorations... and you have LOTS that nobody else has."
- Christopher Panzner
"This has to be the best website I have ever come across for interesting stuff.
WARNING: Do not click this link unless you have many many hours to spare. It scrolls down forever and each link will divert you for hours................"
- mybroadband
"Just wanted to drop you a line and say thank you. Every article on your wonderful site is interesting and intelligent. I check it most every day. Keep up the good work."
-lee
"All of us at WebUrbanist are big fans of your site!"
- Kurt of WebUrbanist
"Today's Way Khool Blog is: Dark Roasted Blend
The caption at the top reads, "All sorts of weird and wonderful things, updated daily". This caption is so true! With categories for nearly everything under the sun, you could spend hours and hours laughing your way through this amazing blog!"
- WayKhoolSites
"Fantastic webpage, the most interesting site I have ever been to, even beats the porn sites !"
"In my opinion your website is THE BEST WEBSITE EVER. I visit it every day and I love it."
-Konrad Caban
"A personal favorite and, as far as we are concerned, one of the net's true gems offering mainly image collections based on subjects that are as eclectic and original as they are brilliantly researched. A site that defines bookmarkability."
- Andrew Tingle, TFTS
"Dark Roasted Blend, a site that seems to find some of the most amazing photos, ads, and just plain weird stuff I've ever seen.... Be aware, however, that once you check it out, we probably won't see you for weeks as you could get lost with all the great stuff there, from cool ads to monster machinery to amazing cloud formations to just
odd pictures. By the way, it is safe for work as there is no erotica or anything of that sort. So expect your productivity to drop."
- Aerie22
"DRB is great, super site, interesting posts and eye candy. It is really is a top notch collection of weird and wonderful things."
- Digg
"Dark Roasted Blend is a segment of a wonderfully written Blog, The Thrilling Wonder, that will keep you updated on some of the best links to be found on the internet. The variety of links is what will make you bookmark this site. And yes, the name of the blog, does come from the blog owner's love of all the wonders, on this Earth, to be shared with one another. Thank you."
- Stumbleupon
"I browsed around your site, and it's very entertaining, interesting, and
downright funny. I've used the internet long enough that I seldom do much
browsing around, but couldn't get away from your assortment of topics, and
had some good laughs; nicely done."
- Gary Robertshaw
"A joyous and inspirational celebration of creative diversity."
- Learning2share
"Coolest site, ever..
This is ridiculous. I discovered Dark Roasted Blend and now all of a sudden it's three hours later and I'm so ecstatic. This is the best website ever invented. EVER."
- KiwiKat
"...Some incredible photos and interesting artwork. My life has actually been enriched by discovering that website!"
- Alexander Van Wingerden-Cross
"Cup of coffee + your site = good morning!"
- Suzy Rust
InventorSpot's review of DRB: Read Here
"I have noticed this site has some of the neatest pics. WTG Dark Roasted Blend, keep giving us things that are actually interesting! ..."
- digg
"Coming to Life" - made for DRB by xmerry
"We have visited your site, and found that it is very interesting!
Your pictures and layout are very nice, and your articles are very well written.
It is obvious that you have put in a lot of effort to make it a pleasant experience for your visitors."
--- Yuki Kimura, Tokyo Fantasy, Japan
"I don't know what I did before I discovered DarkRoastedBlend.com. It's a never-ending source of wonderment. Just go ahead and bookmark it. It's that good.
They're featuring an interview with Jeff VanderMeer right now that's probably one of the best I've ever read"
- Matt Staggs, skullring
"I frequently read Dark Roasted Blend, in particular the link section you post on the weekend(s). Keep coming with the awesome content. DRB is actually so good, I keep it in my quick link section because I check it out daily and often times first before my own email/ facebook/ myspace... It has a fresh feel to it when the rest of the internet tubes are clogged with the mundane."
- Robert Haas
"Recently I found a really cool blog called Dark Roasted Blend. As its own motto says, it is a collection of "All Sorts of Weird and Wonderful Things". Basically, it has collections of really cool photographs on (what I think) are some really interesting subjects. "Cool Ads", "Weird Signs" series are just some of an array of subjects covered on the site. There is a very wide variety of picture sets, but nearly all of them are interesting. Some of the good ones are "Moscow: Futuristic Concepts from 1900", "Strange Towers of the Third Reich" and "The Most Dangerous Roads in the World".
I seriously recommend you check out the site, it's just so good!"
- flagrance
"In the rich, hearty depths of Dark Roasted Blend, a treasure trove awaits you: a stunning series of spectacular lightning strikes, captured and displayed in all their digital majesty. If you don't happen to believe in a Divine Creator, ponder the power and glory and beauty of these for a moment. Perhaps you'll reconsider."
- dancingintongues
"This is the most awesome site on the internet!!! I am shocked at how many things on this earth I know nothing about. Thank you so much for all the info!!!!!!"
- Anne Birch
Allmightys.com review of DRB - click here
"Your website is one of my very favorites. Thank you for your time and effort in providing an enjoyable place to spend some time and also a place to learn amazing things."
- Tim
"Dark Roasted Blend = long time fave. A gem."
- SteveW, via BoingBoing
"A former Blogspot Blog of Note that actually deserved the honor - Dark Roasted Blend is a site to Get Lost In, scrolling through the oodles and oodles of photo- and picture- essays that are uploaded to it practically daily, on subjects ranging from the humorous to the profound to the scientific to the amazing to the plain old weird. Great fun."
- Menachem G. Jerenberg
"Have you ever stumbled onto a web site that just won't let you go? We're not talking about not letting you log off or anything like that but one that captures your interest so hard that you just can't quit digging in it. This weeks Site of the Month was discovered by Ken's brother Ron and since he sent it to us we've spent many hours checking out all the interesting photos that it has to offer.
The subject matter is extremely broad and covers everything from cars to robots to animals to Presidential airplanes to ... well you get the idea.
The web site can be a little slow to load but that's because of all the pictures that you get to browse through. For a truly different web experience set aside some quality time and start surfing www.darkroastedblend.com, we don't think you'll be disappointed!"
- runnerduck
"Thanks again for pointing me to DarkRoastedBlend.com website, it is awesome and never fails to lift me up... "
- xbitlabs.com
"My choice for the "Awesome Blog of the Month"...Each day Dark Roasted Blend posts a new thrilling wonder running the gamut from serious to humorous - be sure to check out the "Nuns with Guns" (Feb. 27) or the "World Imbalances Maps" (Mar. 5)."
- 423smith.com/
"They want to promote "the intense, wonderful and never-boring" side of things. And do so beautifully. If you have some hours (days!) of free time and are in serious need of inspiration, spend some time on their website. I have no idea how they could amass such a beautiful collection of images, but they are all worth a look, so check out DarkroastedBlend: Something old. Something new. Something cool."
- take big bites
"Presumably takes a special breed of hyper-caffeinated noodler to maintain this kinda relentless flow of delicious. On a given day, spectacular cloud formations, bizarre roadsign collections, an amphibious cars photo series, and it was worth subscribing for one picture alone this week.."
- skynoise.net
"Love your site! I've been enjoying your site for quite some time, firing it up at least once a day with, you guessed it, my morning coffee. I find your compelling blend of images and curious stories both fascinating and extremely enjoyable.
Many congratulations on the super-entertaining site!"
- Wayne Barlow, WayneBarlow.com
"I really enjoy your blog. I'm amazed at how many wacky things you come up with that I've seen nowhere else."
- Marylin Terrell, National Geographic.
See more in comments below...
DRB GIFT STORE
We love the support of our loyal audience, which keeps this site going. Now we can offer you some very special products - with more designs and options to come!
John Martin has captured the feel of DRB in his latest print
Special art commissioned by DRB:
The intrepid explorer girl riding some sort of espresso-powered flying machine, with her father - a renowned inventor - trying to catch up in a steam dino vehicle. There is excitement in the air and plenty adventures to catch.
Art exclusively for DRB by John Martin - Click to see bigger version
This artwork is available for purchase as a limited-edition print on John Martin's website, and also as a DRB-branded version in our online store.
CONTINUE TO "BEST OF DRB: 2009" ->
CONTINUE TO "BEST OF DRB: 2008" ->
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