Democracy Live
With the leadership debates and constant jousting in the run up to the general election, British politics is getting closer to sport every day – which is possibly why this site, which was originally designed with the 2012 Olympics in mind, works so well. Eight screens stream the activities of the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament and so on. While it doesn't make politics sexy, it manages to make it more technologically swish and open up the process of government. An excellent "text to speech" search engine allows you to pinpoint and view topics.
Kitsune Noir
Not to be confused with the similarly titled French music and fashion label, Kitsune Noir is the blog of American designer Bobby Solomon. The site does a brilliant job exploring products, design and music with videos about the London pirate radio scene and the return of Flat Eric, alongside links to artists like Josh Cochran, whose current work is a battle between warring armies of zombies and unicorns (a future Hollywood blockbuster surely). Solomon also collates The Desktop Wallpaper Project which turns out free downloadable designs for your computer, PSP or iPhone – the latest is Michael Cina's work for Gadi Mizrahi's single Oh Love. Elsewhere there's free music in the form of mixes and podcasts.
Blog roll: Dogs
The history of artist Cassius Coolidge, who uncovered the sinister canine gambling underworld.
Exploring the strange phenomena of dogs who not only look like people but also wear hats.
Adam and Joe's virtual dog on Twitter, where he can drink from as many dirty puddles as he pleases.
The enduring pleasure of seeing a dog with its head stuck out of a car window.
Dogs in Kanye shades share the trauma of their owners failure to get tickets for the upcoming Animal Collective concert.
Weiner Dog Derby news and the roll of sausage dogs in popular culture.
Database of fictional dogs from Ace to Zoltan.
What we learned on the web this week
An A to Z of Manga sound effects
Where to get down to some pleasant business in London
Humans are too stupid to prevent climate change
You are not you, you're me
The greatest long takes in movies
The Bard of Barking needs your help
The best loos in Las Vegas
How hotel fires were dealt with in 1972
Where our Facebook events rate on the sausage scale
This internet thing will never take off
Ben Folds sings to strangers on ChatRoulette
