Month: January 1970

Sometimes you stumble upon an article ect. that just has you laughing and you’re not sure why.That was such the case with
“An Englishman in New England”.

When I first entered this weblog, I was greeted with a very plain and simple page like I have seen on many other ocassions. Oner of those templates from Blogspot.

Judging by the title, I really didn’t know what I was going to find in the entries. To me, I figured I would just find entries on what it was like living in New England . In any case, I began to read.

When I started my journey into the blog, I really couldn’t tell if the topics the author (known simply as “The Englishman”), were supposed to be of a serious nature or if they were supposed to be funny. The reason this had me wondering is because almost every entry I was reading , had me laughing.

The entries may have had me laughing, but still an amount of them were on serious subjects, but I guess with a touch of humor added. At this point, I really wasn’t sure what to think and I continued to read on. After reading several of the posts in the archives, it became clear to me why the posts made me laugh. Here is a small paragraph that he wrote.

If you hadn’t guessed it before, I’m an amateur comedian. Amateur, because I’m still perfecting that one flawless joke that makes someone laugh so hard their wallet spontaneously opens up and pours cash into my awaiting palms. Any day now. . .

Well judging from what I have read, he is well on his way to being a great comedian.
I know this type of blog will not suit everyone’s taste. Some people may even find it distasteful. Why do I use the word distasteful ?? One of the reasons being is that I must warn you, some of the humor in his posts are somewhat of an adult nature.

I for one enjoyed reading his entries. Even though there is humor associated with them, he does bring up a lot of interesting points.

“The Englishman’s”, entries are well written. Very clear and easy to read. He has several links on the left hand side, but not all of them work. He also has several links in the middle of his posts. Some of them don’t work as well. However, I did like his “All About the Englishman”, link. Not only does it let you know a bit more about him, but he adds humor in there as well.

To conclude, the only complaints I have with the weblog are the broken links and the dull template design. Other than that, the blog is one I recommend you give a try.
An Englishman in New England

As the weblog begins, Watermark tests out the blogging waters – how much should be revealed? Will readers get what’s being posted? I’m sure those questions come to the minds of many bloggers at they jump into the realm of online diaries and such. The author and creator responsible for this weblog manages to quickly accomplish the feat of finding her comfort level of sharing.

Watermark isn’t the typical weblog that gives a moment by moment evaluation of what goes on in our author’s daily life. Instead, it tells her life in a more creative way – through her poetry. It’s not a sordid collection of limericks or nursery rhyme-type entries, though, so don’t count on that. Sharon, the author/creator/amazing poet, finds ways to write so many different types of poetry about so many different things.

One of my favorite posts can be found here, which includes several pictures and a poem, including this excerpt:

dozens
of photos
hoping for one

perfect
snapshot of
this perfect day

The title at the top of the site calls Watermark “a poet’s notebook”, which is a description that fits very nicely. The entire weblog is made up of much more then just original poetry, though. Sharon sprinkles in a nice helping of pictures from time to time, as well as links she finds interesting. The variety she uses in what she posts is definitely a great way to keep people coming back.

The layout is just like every other layout. In this case, it’s not a bad thing at all. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the simplicity of a solid white background, with black text. With only slightly exaggerations, there are a ton of links down the left side of the actual weblog entries. The links range anywhere from archives sorted by category, links to favorite websites and daily reads, as well as the standard blog links (i.e. links to her blogging tool of choice, a counter, etc.). While it’s an extremely extensive list, it doesn’t at all clutter the complete layout of the site, which is always a good thing.

So, for those concerned, it’s not just poetry or rhyming or a feeble attempt at an impersonation of e.e. cummings, Robert Frost, or whomever your favorite poet might be. Sharon’s off to a great start with a weblog that’s only been around since January. Her experiment, as she calls it, is one I hope sticks around for a while.
Watermark

I was greeted to an eye pleasing aspect upon entering ‘Pharyngula’. Considering the absolute encyclopedic list of information that is crammed onto this page, it was a minor miracle! The backdrop for the page, I at first took to be bubble wrap. But upon investigation, found out I was looking at Zebra fish eggs. Before I went another step, I had to find out what the title of this blog meant. The author had politely provided a link to do just that. Pharyngula, I read, is: “when vertebrate embryos of all species are most similar to one another.” I had just stepped into the world of science…. or so I thought.

The author is a professor of Biology at the University of Minnesota.

As I began to read the most current entry, a curious mix of science and politics emerged. Drawing from a myriad of sources, he weaves an astonishing web of comments on all things scientific and political. The writing was very clear and concise, with a liberal spattering of quotes from all over. He seems to be VERY well read.

There are notes to his students about recent tests and complex biology essays on subjects of interest to the author and his readers. Evolution is a common topic. He writes some very thorough rebuttals to Intelligent Design apologists. If you are interested in the evolutionist’s point of view, this is your blog of dreams.

The author has archives that go back to June 2003. In the archives I found book reviews, excerpts from student papers complete with illustrations, photos of mating frogs and an absolute plethora of scientific information, side by each with some very frank political opinions. If you are of a scientific bent, this website should be right up your alley. And is a rich, if almost overwhelming source of jumping off points to other science related sites.

He is not shy in voicing his opinion, nor does he apologize for his politics. Here is how he describes himself in one entry: “I am a scientist and a biologist. I am pro-evolution. I’m an atheist. I’m a liberal. I’m left wing. I’m, ummm, blunt.”

Now to my rating. If his stated intent was as he describes in an “About Me” section I found, “I created these pages to describe some of my past and current research and to support my teaching.” . . then he has succeeded. For I have never seen quite such an astonishing collection of scientific information in one place.

However. (And I must emphasize the ‘however’ here), if I have one criticism of this site, it would be that both his science and his politics would be better served, were they located on separate sites. I found the transitions between the two subjects quite jarring. Though his scientific analysis was comprehensive in the extreme, and he elucidated his politics clearly, they seemed to fight each other on the page, thus substantially diminishing both in my opinion.
Pharyngula

My first thoughts of the site was that it had a good color scheme, nothing clashing. With a scheme that appeals to the eye, I was hoping to read some content that was appealing as well. I wasn’t disappointed, and I believe many others will like what’s found within the many postings.

The posts are not rants, they are intelligent and humorous. Sometimes the posting is a news clip or a dedication, but always with an interesting spin on things from the author, Jim. The blog itself spans from July 2003 until now and seems to have been updated on a regular basis, not leaving the reader left without some type of update.

The design of the blog is great. Everything is separated into it’s own little section, making it very easy to find what you’re looking for, from archives, to other blogs, to the source code of the site. I was very impressed with the layout, to which credits are given at the bottom. It’s interesting to see the musical taste of the author, listed at the end of every post. Most times the song goes along with the theme of the post.

The Profile section gives a few clues as to what the author is into, some of which is typical for a 21 year old (“I enjoy my newfound legality, and have been exploiting it as often as possible.”) and others that are not, like his love of astrology. However, some of the other sides of Jim are found in the February archives.

I gave this site a 5 because I really liked the neatness of the site, everything is well organized. I also enjoyed how there is a mixture of everyday posts, news tidbits, and some dedications. The song included at the end of each post gives away some clues as to what the author likes without coming right out and saying it. The posts themselves are very well written, and can be enjoyed by a large audience.Incoherent Blather

Patriot Paradox. First and foremost I will say that I did not like this blog, not one iota. Political blogs, especially political blogs written by the Christian/Republican contingent of American society are something that I normally avoid at all costs. Having said that though, for the purpose of this review, I do believe it achieves it’s aim as an informative, patriotic/political blog. I mean, Nick is so patriotic he got married on July 4th! In all seriousness, if you’re into politics of all sorts or if you’re one of the people who are actually paying attention to the American Election these days, then this blog is definitely one for you.

In the hopes of finding out more information about Nick Queen, I hopped on over to his about me page to garner some more personal information. It’s just the basic stuff to be found there, when and where he married, his beliefs, his political stance, the first thing he’ll say to God when he checks in with Saint Peter – stuff like that.

So with my background knowledge in hand, I started reading.

Man, this guy loves his politics. It’s extremely well put-together, I certainly cannot complain about the way Nick argues his topics (apart from the fact that I don’t agree with him on many, many issues). He’s a very intelligent individual who knows how to debate and write a convincing argument for his own beliefs. It’s actually refreshing to read such a site that isn’t all “This is what I think and if you don’t think the same thing as me then you all suck!”. In that, I give Nick props for the way he comes across – which is mostly unobtrusive.

The design of the blog is a well-structured, basic layout with the usual red-white-blue colours that tie in well with the theme. There’s several links to like-themed blogs, sites and causes and on the whole, it’s very easy to read. It makes good use of the “extended entry” codes that flip the rest of the entry out onto the same URL rather than having to go through to the individual page for the entry. It’s very convenient and makes the blog look very neat and tidy.

Just in case you haven’t already caught on, if you’re not politically inclined, you will not enjoy this blog. However, those of you who may be interested to read what a very American man has to say about his country (or rather, the people who run it), then you will probably be in your element – whether or not you agree with Patriot Paradox.Patriot Paradox