The Weblog Review

There were so many things about this site that made it stand out. Humor was definitely a big one of those. And just for Jay’s peace of mind, I’ll try to refrain from using the word “blog” on a regular basis. Jay does have a point when he says it’s not the most attractive of words to come along.

With a site that’s over two years old, a very complete set of archives is available at “Nerd in America”, even dating back to 1987. The archives are available indexed either by the month or by the category, and with categories like “Geekery”, “TV review”, and “Anecdote”, there’s surely something for everyone in the reading of this site.

Now the reading – I couldn’t get enough of it. I decided to peruse the archives by catagory, and run down the list in alphabetical order. The “Anecdote” category was great. The author has a knack for writing his stories with enough detail to almost put you right there with him as he’s experiencing the things he shares. The way Jay tells stories is definitely a plus.

There are several different categories that deal with reviews of different things: books, games, video games, TV, music, and movies. When Jay reviews something, he really does a thorough job of it. If he likes something, he can explain it wonderfully. If he doesn’t like something, he justifies it very easily. His critiques, for the most part, are quite unbiased. You easily understand Jay’s point towards something and can tell which way his feelings lie, but doesn’t try to do so in a persuasive or argumentative manner.

The layout and visual appeal of the site was good. I was greeted with a huge header logo, but it wasn’t overwhelming. You’re invited by the author to “waste your time more than before reading all my shit”. And he advises that the site “looks bestest in Mozilla”, but it looked just fine in IE for me. There’s more than just the weblog available as well. There’s a section for photos, and another section called “Geekery”, which is chock full of more information about things our author enjoys.

I got a kick out of visiting this site. There were so many different things to read about, and the writer has a flair for developing easy to read entries. Why wouldn’t someone enjoy reading something like that?

Nerd in America

How Not To Fly has only one problem that I could find… I couldn’t stop reading it. But more on that later.

The page loads with a standard two column layout that was used about 5 years ago as it is using frames. But that is ok, because the author actually read how to use frames and does targeting very well. The left column has all of your standard links and the right column has all of the content. One nice feature is that you can “exit the frames” if you wish for a simpler layout.

The posts are all about news headlines and stories. The author takes these headlines, quotes, whatever he finds funny and posts it. But then it gets better. Most of them continue on with his version of the story. Of course it is just made up stuff, but most of it is extremely funny.

Of course, some of the funnier posts will be about politics, but the topics range from politics, to lawsuits, to nature, to just the obscure post. Even though reading older posts may be out dated (because of the content matter) they are still funny and provide some laughs.

But the site isn’t limited to just random funny posts. The author one ups himself by adding a review section of movies (done mostly serious), a guidance section which I found to be very funny, memories of his childhood, emails with interesting responses, and then stories while he was in the service. Add these to the already impressive posts in the blog itself and you have one fully packed weblog that will take up a lot of your time reading.

Over all we have a very well done site that is hard to stop reading. Take a couple minutes each day to read a week or twos worth of posts. If you are feeling bad about something at work, take a 5 minute break to read this site as it will cheer you up. I cannot stress how much I enjoyed reading this site, and hope you will too.
How Not To Fly

Faux-Pas is an interesting title, and I am not sure what it means. So thus, when entering the weblog, I had no clue what to expect. Anything that you might expect will more than likely be wrong, as this site has a lot to offer.

First thing that I noticed was an interesting 3 column layout which was done in frames. While I am not an avid supporter of frames, it works and Eric, thankfully knows how to use them. We are greeted with an interesting picture of him in one column which will not go away until you click on a link on the far right column that actually loads something over there.

The blog itself is extremely well written. You may not agree with his thoughts, but you have to give him credit that he can write well. A fair number of his posts are somewhat of a rambling state, with others having more definition. Of course, there are even some poetic posts which adds a nice little mix to the weblog. To try to classify his writing style would be somewhat of a hard thing to do so I will leave it with one word: original.

Other nice parts about his site include his poetry and his texts. This is where his ability to write really shines. It has taken me a long time to write this review as I keep reading more of his texts as he calls them. I strongly suggest reading this area of this site, even if you do not like the weblog. This section alone is worth visiting.

Over all we have a very well done weblog. It is definitely not for everyone. Eric says it best on his page by saying This is a place for those of you who think. I know that, in time, like all of my other projects, this will also be a place for the lower functioning to scapegoat me. The purpose of literature is to stimulate the mind, and if it angers a person it still serves to stimulate him. So if you are interested, you might want to check it out.
Faux-Pas: Literary Accounts…

When I first arrived at Faux-Pas and saw what looked like a member of Sepultura I was expecting a nasty poorly written angst filled journal. Once again stereotypes and pre-conceived notions were inaccurate. Just how do you turn that part of human nature off?

Faux-pas is the journal, poetry and journey of Eric, a self-proclaimed eccentric who has a lot to say. Eric is a very articulate and intelligent writer who shares a lot of life experience in his journal. The site is clean and well designed and quite functional. (I found a few dead links for pics however…tsk tsk) The more entries I read, the more I was surprised there wasn’t a lot of black in the design…

The author voices many strong opinions on many things such as racism, love, tobacco, depression, the struggle with his past, relationships (usually bad) (with his father, mother, girlfriends…) and the bleakness of his existence. Eric has led a rough life (understatement) and it comes across in the tone of his writing…(which may offend some weaker sensibilities) I however, think Eric’s strong tone adds a uniqueness and earnestness to his writing. I think writing is somewhat cathartic for the author, he unloads a ton of emotion within his journal. Not to mention a lot of very decent poetry.

“There are things that I try not to think of. There are people that I try to forget. But all of the rage inside me won’t let. There are things that others have done to me, things they have said; they made fun of me. But it’s all in the past they say. Still, it doesn’t go away.”

The author has a dark sense of humor which comes across in many entries:

“I would first deport any types of people that I dislike to Siberia. I would then make Pop Tarts illegal. I would launch a massive multi billion dollar ad campaign against Pop Tarts. I will also have gum and patches to help people become unaddicted to Pop Tarts.”

I’m not sure how many people would want to read this journal all the time. It is very heavy, very intense and very moving… Sometime too much so. If you need perspective however, Faux-Pas is an exceptional well written resource.
Great goatee.
Faux-Pas: Literary Accounts…

I am always a little skeptical about sites based solely on frames with no other options available, but this site’s layout manages to be simple, crisp and clean. The background is easy on the eye, attractive and manages to not distract from the content – essential if you main selling feature is the quality of your content.

The site is easy to navigate, with a large text menu on the right hand side. Sadly one of the links was broken (Writing Style) on the day I visited, and this is always a little frustrating to visitors.

The blog itself is interesting, and gives the reader a real insight into the inner workings of the author’s mind. In essence it is a personal journal rather than a blog, full of everyday occurrences but the quality of the writing is such that it can hold you captivated through the very dullest event. There is also a pleasant mix of journal entries and examples of his writing ability – poetry. The real beauty of this site lies in the various links, which I would recommend – poetry, text and side projects being of particular interest to those who enjoy fairly good literature.

The site is benefited by an interesting ‘about me’ section, and a ‘site purpose’, both being enjoyable to reader. The site originated with a clear purpose ‘to furnish this space with at least half decent literature’, and this he does achieve.

Overall the site is pretty good, the real attraction for most visitors I feel will lie in the poetry and text sections. The writing is good and with design is fair but well structured (although the broken link does require a fix). If you enjoy reading sites which manage to encompass journal entries and literary skill in the form of poetry, then this site would be for you. The site will most likely to draw a loyal crowd of regulars whose interests are similar to that of the authors.
Faux-Pas: Literary Accounts…