Month: August 2001

Bored Blog, a group effort under the leadership of the dubiously titled ‘Igor’, is difficult to pigeonhole into any one category. And maybe that’s the point.



Fortunately the site’s title is not a summation of the site itself, as the content will leave you far from bored. The staff come from a variety of backgrounds, and hence have a variety of viewpoints and opinions to bring to the page, adding further interest to the content.



Sometimes edgy, often uncompromising, the posts are interesting, if occasionally over-long.



The site openly dismisses its own design in the introductory passage at the top of the page, but I still feel inclined to say a word or two about it. Having a very simple layout is perfectly acceptable in the blogging community; zero graphics does not a bad site make. However, the colour scheme and general design aesthetic of Bored Blog do not help the site, as could so easily have been the case. Minimalist design is a fantastic way to go with exclusively text-based content, but only if it works. Without better colour co-ordination in particular, the site will fail to reach its greater potential.Bored Blog

To be blunt, I’m not impressed by ‘Your Friend Gabe.’ This guy is not my friend. But then I’m not a teenager, and the majority of the words on the site, and the way they are arranged, confuses me. Maybe when I was younger saying something like “i can make a bubble on my tongue and blow it off! YAY!” was not immediately greeted with odd looks and worried glances. Maybe I’m now too mature (in more ways than one).



But seriously, this site is really only for the “writer’s” friends, and there’s not much here for anyone else. I’m a little concerned with the high aspirations of the site, which include accepting user submitted content. This could be taken advantage of by someone with flexible morality (the words Code Red come to mind), and besides, how many people are going to submit content to a site so poorly designed.



Sorry, but there really isn’t much here to recommend to the casual reader.yourfriendgabe.com

Absolutely Fuzzy is a mixed metaphor, both in terms of name and presentation. The name of course is self-contradictory; nothing fuzzy can be absolute, and that’s the point.



So what is so contradictory about the site itself? Well, for a start, the site is designed with a particular screen resolution in mind: 1024×768. Because it scrolls horizontally rather than the more common vertically, you really need to use the recommended resolution to fully enjoy the site. However, and this is contradictory (though I have to say surprising, and good) is the fact that the designers have chosen not to exert a pixel-level of control over the type. Instead, you can adjust the size of the words from within the browser, which will be of great help to those without perfect eyesight.



The design aesthetic is very strong, and perhaps forms the major focus of the site (along with an impressive portfolio), so at first you would believe the site to be part of a design clique. The blogs at places like this are more often than not simply collections of links to other designers. Not so here. Instead, the blogs are far more concerned with the life and events of the author, which are often quite interesting.



The site, though well designed, suffers from one or two little problems. For a start, I got JavaScript errors galore when I entered, and I still don’t see what on the page required intensive scripting. Furthermore, the site has been designed with the modern browser in mind, and yet when I chanced upon the source for the site, I was dismayed to see the presence of the archaic FONT tag. The blog archive is a bit of a wonder as well. The index page (which opens in a new window) is free of graphics, but the archived posts aren’t quite (though the majority of links, including those to the oh-so-precious portfolio, do not display graphical links when they really ought to). Weird, considering that the blog itself is loaded into an iframe. It would have been a trivial matter loading older posts into the frame, keeping a much more balanced design.



Another contradiction perhaps? Not enough of one to spoil the experience, fortunately. There are some rough edges, granted, but the page is a feast of interesting ideas, and though not entirely usable still presents some good content and is hence worth a visit.Absolutely Fuzzy

A Boy and his Bus is a charming little weblog with a unique focus: the author is a true bus afficionado.



It isn’t often that you come across a site so specialised, and so this page makes a refreshing change. The posts remain true to the site’s raison d’etre, and there are a couple of very nice touches to this young site:



1. The site does not begin with the latest blog as such; instead it has a short paragraph introducing the author and his interest in renovating and owning old buses. This is a very useful touch as otherwise the reader could quite quickly be lost in details. Though not a thorough ‘About’ section (which is good because that would be too intensive a way to start), it does provide all the background you need to appreciate the content.



2. The design is smooth, and clearly carries across a sense of nostalgia for buses and their history and traditions.



3. Although the posts don’t go back very far, there are plenty of photographs to browse through. Some kind of slide show (perhaps in the same style as a.wholelottanothing.org) would help matters progress more smoothly; an illustrated history of the author’s interests would be fascinating.



Granted, the subject matter is not to everyone’s taste, and is too specialised to accomodate every reader, but that is another of the site’s strengths. Reading the posts carries across a feeling of the enthusiasm the author has for his subject, and is really what the internet, and especially the blogging community, is all about.



I wish this site all the best for the future, and I hope that it continues to improve from this solid foundation. It remains to be seen, of course, where the site will go from here but I hope the enthusiasm and nostalgic longings continue.a boy and his bus…

If I were a female my boobs would be validated. What do I mean by this? Check out the site and find out.



Anyways, the site is written by Amanda. Who is very open that she does not like guys. Of course, this automatically makes her weblog an interesting read for us guys and some of you girls. She talks about everything from nipples to why she doesn’t like guys to other sites she is working on.



The design of the site is really good: clean, and easy to navigate. For the most part everything is self-explanatory and you won’t have any troubles finding the site.



As far as “adult content” is concerned… First there is the weekly movie download (though locker room has been up for almost 3 weeks now), then you have all of the cam girl picks of people who have been validated, and of course, random naked pictures.



How could one go wrong with this combination: One lesbian who writes about her life, pictures of naked people, and lots of good stuff to read? One can’t. Very simple, go check out Amanda and if you want, get validated.

validate this