The most recent entrant in our semi-regular meeting the neighbors feature is the Critical Badger. CB didn't waste anytime getting into mixing it up with other bloggers and starting a handful of fiery discussions typically regarding the University and often regarding County Supervisor Ashok Kumar. He entered the Madison blogosphere in January of this year (in advance, happy one year) tackling the high profile issue of the muggings around the campus area adding a much needed student perspective. Without further ado, let's meet the Critical Badger.

Today we head down to the University and visit with student blogger Erik Opsal of Hippie Perspective. With three years in the Madison blogosphere Opsal can lay claim to having one of the longest running and most consistent student blogs. Often student blogs pop up for six months to two years, cause a brief ruckus, and then fade with senior year time commitments or graduation sends the student off to greener pastures.

Opsal may wear the moniker "hippie," but he isn't a slacker. In addition to being a student he also writes for the Daily Cardinal and is an active member of the UW students for Obama campaign (where he also blogs). let's meet The Hippie Perspective:

1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?*

Nearly two years ago we started a feature called "Meeting the Neighbors." The concept is simple, we seek to promote blogging in Madison by sending the same set of 10 questions to random local bloggers. We get to know the people behind the ones and zeros a little better and, hopefully, show others how easy it is. To date we have met 17 of our neighbors and only two of them have ceased blogging since their interview. This week, after a number of months off, Meeting the Neighbors returns with former Madison Mayor Paul Soglin. His blog, Waxing America, has been at the center of many discussions involving politics nationally and right here in our own backyard. Let's meet Paul:

1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?

Adam Powell, a.k.a. Christopher Robin, has been blogging since long before there was even a word for the activity. I was shocked to learn that he even predates my long defunct Geocities webdiary from 1997 that existed primarily to obsess over the Pixies - "Gouging Away." This year Powell clocks 12 years as a blogger and is currently running at least two, Fresh Foods and his Vox blog simply called "Adam Powell's blog." Dane101 caught up with this elderstatesman of blogging for our weekly episode of "Meeting the Neighbors." Random pointless fact, he shares his name with the founder of cult internet sensation, NeoPets.

1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?

I picked a silly handle, christopher_robin, that evokes the wonder of childhood to reflect my exuberance at DJ’ing—wait, I just made that up. Actually, I was using a lot of Disney records in mixes. I found these great samples like “have you ever noticed that grown up people always ask questions like ‘how are you today?’ or, ‘how did you like the candy?’ but mostly, ‘how are you today?” Anyway, it’s a pretty good nom de guerre, so I used it for the Fresh Foods site, which I’ve been writing since October 2004.

Kiki's Magical Music Reviews

*1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?*

My cousin Tony came up with the name when he set it up for me back in June of ‘03. I’ve always thought it was a tad silly, but I would never tell him that. The hip kids call it “KMMR.”

*2. What inspired you to start your blog?*

Tony asked if I would contribute to the family website writing about the thing I know the most about, live music. I said sure. I wouldn’t be here without him since I still have no idea how it works. Type it in, hit “publish,” and it’s posted. Magic I guess.

1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?

The Communist Dance Party (later shortened to the CDP) started in February of 2004. I wish I could tell you some interesting story that led me to choose those three words, but it was just something that I thought looked cool on a header and would interest readers. In a way, it accurately represents the sort of material I was publishing in 2004 (humor, pop culture, politics), but I can assure you that was purely coincidental. The first month, we got 50 total hits. Last month, we received 13,000.

For this week's Meeting the Neighbors we head into the newly developing world of corporate blogging. As print publications struggle to find a way to attract and retain readership, they have begun seeking bloggers to bring in those who may have forgotten what it feels like to hold a piece of paper with words scrawled across it in their hands. Some papers do it well, others, not so much. The vote is still out on the blogging project from Capital Newspapers, a.k.a. Post, but there are a handful of bloggers in the fledgling project who shine for their consistency, originality, and spirit. Hastings Cameron is one such Post blogger and today we knock on the door of Emcees Without Voices.

1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?

It's a variation on a few well-worn lines by Evidence of Dilated Peoples (off "Guaranteed"). First heard that track on a Beat Junkies compilation, during a period of extreme ignorance/enthusiasm. The disc was in a listening station at Reckless Records in Chicago, and I'm pretty sure I saw it and thought "oh, they mixed Soundbombing II--but that was J Rocc and Babu, who's Melo-D?"). I could say something about hip-hop's role as a voice for disenfranchised groups (especially in re: traditional/conventional media) but I don't have an Upski-complex, and the blog's essentially a selfish enterprise: I'm a white male writing about what interests me, that's it.

The second edition of "Meeting the Neighbors" for 2007 brings us to the door of Fearful Symmetries. FS was one of the first blogs I discovered when first moving to Madison nearly four years ago and when I was part of the "eastside mad bloggers" ring (because I had no friends, just my personal blog which has long since been buried). While a personal blog, FS stands out for being well-written and hitting numerous poignant topics ranging from humanism to brew news (he also moonlights as Skip, one of our beer writers) to Doctor Who. Seriously, there is little more poignant than Doctor Who and beer. I have also learned not to visit the blog on Friday's while at work or in a coffeehouse. FS runs one of the oldest podcasts in Madison called Up the Downstair.

*1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?*

The name came from the music I was listening to that fateful day back in September of 2003 - the piece by composer John Adams. (Luckily it wasn't "Nixon in China".)

Early last year we started a feature called “Meeting the Neighbors” based on the concept that the Madison blogosphere is one big neighborhood and that as neighbors we should get to know each other. The concept is simple; each blogger gets the same list of questions and can take them in any direction they wish. So far it has been fairly successful and this week is no different. We start the year off with Madison's top music blog Muzzle of Bees. MOB shocked Madison in August when it took third place for the Isthmus Favorite's poll for Favorite Local Blog Content. The title is a testament to the quality and energy MOB founder Ryan Matteson has invested into his website. On January 16 MOB will be hosting a two-year anniversary party at Cafe Montmartre. The picture to the left is of Matteson (on the right) with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco (the hairy guy).

1. What inspired you to start your blog?

In early 2005 I was about to embark on a backpacking trip across Europe with my best friend. I wanted to be able to keep an online diary for my friends and family back in Wisconsin that allowed them to follow along on our adventures as well as know that we were still alive.

Earlier this year we started a feature called “Meeting the Neighbors” based on the concept that the Madison blogosphere is one big neighborhood and that as neighbors we should get to know each other. The concept is simple, each blogger gets the same list of questions and can take them in any direction they wish. So far it has been fairly successful and this week is no different. We return with an introduction to Badger Blues, Madison’s preeminent left leaning political blogger. The author of the site is Ben Brothers, who is known for avoiding the knee jerk reaction tendencies of many poliblogs and composing well thought out and researched entries.

1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?

I started Badger Blues shortly after the 2004 election. I wanted to write about state politics, and also about national politics from a Wisconsin point of view, which explains the badger. And of course, blue had been designated the color of the Democratic Party, and since it was a pretty melancholy time for politics, I thought the name fit.

I play the trumpet, and I'm a fan of jazz and the blues, so there's a little inside joke there, too.

Oscar Madison prefers to keep his identity a secret. A professor in Constitutional Law at the University of Somewhere, the assumption has long been that he lives in Madison. It isn’t just his name that draws us to this conclusion (he could just be a Odd Couple fanatic), but fleeting references to places and things that seem very Madisonian on his blog, “The Columnist Manifesto.” Attempts to corner him on this assumption are futile, as it seems he will deny where his physical form exists until his dying entry. The shroud of mystery adds an extra level to the blog reading experience. In addition to ambiguous references to his life, he also cleverly renames places where he eats or drinks coffee. Much of the fun is putting together the puzzle. That said, let’s attempt to meet the unmeetable neighbor, Oscar Madison:

1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?

I started blogging in September 2004. The name orginated with Karl Marx, who published his "Communist Manifesto" in 1848. My blog is a takeoff on that. It's sort of like a column. I thought the name was so clever when I first thought of it, and I was delighted when a Google search revealed no blogs by that name and very few published instances of it. I have since discovered that "clever" wears off and is not the best way to come up with a blog name. Something shorter and catchier would have been better. But now I'm sort of stuck with it -- the hassle of changing names and losing links is too much.

Lisa Subeck utilizes her blog, Madison: Go West and Turn Left, as an extension of her dedication to activism. Instead of the echo-blogging (a blog filled with quotes from other sources with very little original writing) found on many blogs, Subeck isn't afraid to step away from her keyboard to take in a city council meeting or speak with local politicans.

*1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?*

I created "Go West and Turn Left" in May of 2005, shortly after finishing up my campaign for Madison City Council. Though the hard-core conservative ended up winning the election, I met a lot of great progressive-minded neighbors during my campaign. I named the blog in response to the contrast between my experience and the general perception that Madison's west side is full of conservative yuppie types.

Even as a "newbie" blogger, Right Off the Shore has quickly become a rising star in the conservative blogosphere. As the sounding board for UW student Jenna Pryor, Right Off the Shore has taken on everyone from the Governor's office to the Wisconsin teacher's union. She is also one of the most prolific bloggers in town, frequently posting two or three entries a day. Let's meet Right Off the Shore:

1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?

The name of the blog is a little cheesy, but straightforward. I live right off of Lake Mendota, and my views on politics and culture tend to be conservative. My blog just began in October of 2005, so I'm still a newbie in the blogosphere.

The blog for famous documentary maker...sorry I couldn’t resist.

Back with Interest is the blog for Kenneth Burns, member of the honky tonk band the World’s Greatest Lovers and staff writer for a small up and coming Madison publication called the Isthmus. His blog is filled with everything and anything - clever anecdotes, extensions of his Isthmus articles, details on his life as a musician, Madisonian quips and even the occasional tips for aspiring journalists. His often short and concise posts act as an insanely useful resource for anyone who has the desire to hang out inside the head of Kenneth Burns.

1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?

The name is a little silly. My blog is called Back With Interest because it actually was my second vanity blog. I started my first in 2000, after I read a New Yorker article about blogger.com. But like so many new bloggers, I quickly lost interest. Then, in October 2002, I started blogging again -- and so I was back, with interest, to blogging. I wish this was a better story.

Bekeeblog is the perfect example of an outstanding personal blogger. She keeps her writing succinct and to the point and is nearly always clever. Filled with anecdotal observations from excursions around town, her adventures in knitting and the occasional delving into geekspeak (her day job is working on the internets), Bekee's blog is a great resource for individuals seeking to step away from their own lives for a moment. It should also be noted that as a newbie to Madison in September of 2003, Bekee's blog was the first Madison blog I stumbled upon, providing me a window into what people in this city were like. In a sense, she acted as an ambassador and it was a positive introduction. Now Dane101 would like to introduce her to you (she is joined in her picture by her ferret Rinky)...

1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?

it's just my name w/ "blog" attached to the end... i didn't really consider it important in the beginning, so it's nondescript. i started blogging in october of 2002.