The Weblog Review

The load time for this site was a huge pain. I have no idea why, but even with a cable connection, I waited for a few minutes each time I visited the site just for the text to load. The gray background image came up instantly, and while it’s a nice looking background, it was frustrating waiting and waiting and waiting for the actual weblog to load.

Once everything finally loaded, I noticed a banner at the top, which appeared to be somewhat of an original creation. “Hypocrisy & Hypotheses – an acute angle in an obtuse world” was the phrase on the banner, with images of a protractor and pencil included in the banner. The color combination the author has chosen of a gray background with white text is a nice one.

The archives of Hypocrisy & Hypotheses started back in late July of 2003, where Alex, the author, explains the start of this weblog. It seems as if Hypocrisy & Hypotheses switched from Blogger to pMachine as the blogging tool of that choice, and during that switch, the archives that were published via Blogger weren’t joined in with the new.

The entries that Alex made were really all over the board. I was able to finally find someone that appreciated the humor in David Spade movie Joe Dirt as much as I did, read someone else’s reasons why they’re finding it so hard to just sit down and write a novel, and even guest posts by Alex’s teenage son, known around this weblog as Boomer. All of the entries, regardless of what they pertained to, were easy to read. Some more posts were more relevant to casual readers, and there were also posts that would probably hit home more to people that know Alex and his family on a personal basis.

In the biggest part of the posts, the author uses several hyperlinks on just about anything that can be linked up to an outside website. This feature works out great for topics that might not be as well-known to random visitors, allowing them to read more about what Alex is discussing. Another added bonus to each post is a random quote. For the first couple of months of Hypocrisy & Hypotheses, quotes by different people from Tommy Smothers to Henry David Thoreau are posted at the bottom of each entry. As days go by, however, this becomes a thing that only seems to happen on a random basis.

Aside from the weblog, there’s even more to keep yourself busy. Alex has several things linked along the side bar that can be found within this particular domain. The Windows XP logon screens he’s created himself and photo galleries were very entertaining. There were also links to archives, the most recent posts, and other weblogs Alex frequents.

Hypocrisy & Hypotheses is a very good weblog. Alex posts regularly, his writing is easy to read, and the topics he discusses are timely and entertaining. I would definitely suggest stopping by Hypocrisy & Hypotheses to see how much you find an interest in at this weblog.

Hypocrisy & Hypotheses

I have just read on the site that the author submitted it for review way back in September, so not wishing for him to wait any longer, I’ll crack on. :o)

The site has quite a nice title and the design is pretty straight forward- a Movable Type two column layout with some appropriate linkage and a nifty little titlebar at the top. No “About Me” page though, which means half a point deducted automatically! I could see that the site had a comic book theme to it, which gives it some direction, though it was nice to discover that this is not overpowering.

Now, link sites can be difficult to review sometimes because the content is primarily supplied by someone else. To make a weblog of this sort stand out from the crowd then, the author needs to either provide some great, original links or the links should be embellished with the author’s opinions and made their own.

The author of Alter Egos has accomplished this to a certain extent. I clicked on a fair few links during my review and the subjects covered were humour, sci fi and technology, a few games to play and of course comic books. It probably helped that I have an interest in most of these subjects anyway and a few of the links I had seen before. I should imagine that most people could find SOMETHING here for their enjoyment though and to raise a smile.

The links could have certainly been embellished a bit more though. Usually there was just enough information for the reader to be able to decide whether the link would be of interest or not and in one or two cases, not even that. Blogs can be a great way of getting in to the mind of the author, and I never really felt I did this during my review. A few movie and book reviews were provided which did help and the use of pictures definitely improved the posts too. Some sources were used quite frequently though, which doesn’t always make for variety.

Overall then, this is worth site is definitely worth a visit as there are some very entertaining links here, though the site would probably only have lasting appeal to the comic book fan.

Alter Egos

Mashby.com is a fairly typical personal weblog, with the particular bonus of having a lot of material to read through and extensive photographs too. The domain name did not give me any information about the site itself, so I didn’t ponder too much and headed straight on in. The design of the site is certainly functional- it’s a movable type blog which is technically sound- at least I couldn’t find anything wrong with it. It could use maybe a bit more colour, or maybe a nice title bar to brighten it up, but it is certainly not inoffensive.

I was pleased to see an About Me page which I went to straight away and was given a fairly extensive life history of the author. This was a slight premonition of what I was to find later on in the blog- one thing that Michael is, is thorough.

On to the weblog content itself then and like I said before, most of the posts are very long and some could almost be short stories. The writing is very readable though and the posts make for a relaxing read. The archives are divided in to both categories and date, so I read the first couple of months and then dotted around the various categories. Michael has a lot to say on various issues- the bigger ones like religion and family life, as well as a lot of in depth technology postings, book and movie reviews and anecdotes about his everyday life.

All the posts are entertaining and interesting, some thought provoking. There are also loads of photographs to look through- Michael recently went on a cycle trip which was covered both with a travelogue and accompanying photographs. He also has a moblog for pictures taken with his mobile phone.

Although this weblog may not stand out from the crowd with regard to any particular aspect, there is certainly loads of material to be found here, all well presented and written, which will keep the avid blog reader happy for hours, maybe even days.mashby.com

My first thoughts on Breaking Windows was, as a computer weblog, was I the best person to write a review? It is described as ‘A look at Microsoft Windows XP from a Mac user’s perspective’ and so, not being a techie or a Mac user, I wondered if it might be better to leave this review for someone else. Then I started to read and realised that I might actually be a good person to review it because I wouldn’t get bogged down with the technicalities of the entries, and there actually looked like there’d be a fair bit in there that I’d actually understand too!

The blog itself has been going since January 2003. It is powered by Moveable Type and has been very well organised using the categories feature so that certain themes can be accessed readily. Each post is very well written yet also accessible, peppered with everything from software commentary to interesting and useful links. There are a fantastic number of entries too, giving the new reader plenty to delve into right from the start. On the home page there is also a poll which allows the user to instantly become involved with the weblog. Topics covered by this are often fun as well as technical.

The design of Breaking Windows is simple and easy to read. The light text on a dark background is very easy on the eye and the colour scheme is relevant to the logo used in the banner without becoming at all garish. The site is also very easy to navigate.

Apart from the blog, the rest of the site mainly consists of the archives and a smattering of relevant links. Although there is not currently a completed ‘about’ page for Breaking Windows, the first ever post in the weblog serves the purpose just as well, providing a nice background for what follows. There is also a small section in the sidebar to give readers more information on the site’s author, Ken Edwards, with a few links to more information if it’s required. If only all weblog authors were this concise!

I am very glad that I chose to review Breaking Windows as I feel I have discovered a gem that I may have otherwise overlooked because of the subject matter. This is a very well put together weblog that fits perfectly into the computer category and would make a great addition to anyone’s bookmark list.Breaking Windows

Sweet And Sour certainly is a blog. And there’s really nothing else to it. It’s written by a guy called Eric (I am guessing, since that’s what he says in his minute “About Me” sort of spiel in the top right-hand corner of his blog). In hopes of gaining some insight to the person that is Eric, I jumped to the very first entry, maybe there’s some more information about him there? Nope. I almost took offense to his labelling of journalling as “juvenile”, but apart from that, there was no hint nor clue as to why this blog was started other than to keep track of things he would otherwise forget.

A good reason for blogging if ever there was one. A logical reason for blogging. A boring reason for blogging.

The blog is a standard Blogger layout, well defined headers, dates, and a song that he’s listening to whilst writing is listed for each entry he makes. The code is clean and the site loads very quickly – because there’s nothing there! There’s one really spffy thing about blogging and that is the control you have over your personal space. This blog is about you, Eric – make it yours! Go nuts with the design – especially since I am assuming you’re an aspiring actor (or enthusiastic about getting a job in the entertainment industry). It’s a pity that many people who write well in their blogs don’t think to create or use a design for their site that really reflects their own personalities. There’s no links showing personal interests, no links to blogger friends. There’s no decent information about him or the characters in his blog that feature so heavily in his life.

It’s bland! I read through entry after entry. Eric doesn’t attempt to be funny, he doesn’t say anything extraordinarily poignant or particularly wonderful. It’s a recording of his day-to-day life, a thing that this particular reviewer (and fellow blogger) doesn’t really appreciate. Readers don’t want a simple recording of what you’ve have for breakfast, or what you’ve done after that last exam. We want to know the nitty gritty. Why are you hanging out with that girl from work? Why are people wanting to take your picture in restaurants and hook you up with their daughters? Eric’s life reads like a typical young man’s life, but you don’t get much more information other than that.

The whole problem with the blog I find, like I said before, is that there’s nothing personable in the design. To really get the whole story with Eric, you need to read the blog from beginning to end. Maybe if it was written with a little more flare I’d get into it more, but I couldn’t. So whilst there was a number of entries I read in depth, it was matched by an equal number that I could only skim through.

However I do have to point out that Eric is well written and there’s nary a spelling or grammatical error to be found, that’s pretty spiffy. The other redeeming feature of Eric, as I found out in an earlier entry in the blog, is that he likes ska music (which can often be described as big band punk rock) – Reel Big Fish. He also likes that gothique classique – The Cure. Good boy. I forgive you.

Overall, this blog has terrific potential to be really enthralling for it’s audience, but it falls short. That’s not to say that it’s an awful read, just a little bland with the repetitive “I did this and then I did that” entries.Sweet And Sour