Author: admin

My first impression of unsung is that it was just…busy. At the base is the unsung logo background, and over top is layered a very blocked out collection of tables and graphics. The unsung logo in the tables blinks, which is very distracting. I didn’t know if I’d be able to concentrate on reading the entries, and worried that the site was all graphic, no content.

Fortunately, the writer does actually write. Dag, the writer, is mildly obsessed with the Sabres and blogs often about programming miscellania. In addition, Dag writes about his daily life and current events. Most of his entries are fairly short, and I’m left wishing he’d write a little more about what he’s going through.

It does take some clicking to get to any blog content at unsung. First, you have to get past the flash page, and then you have to read the introduction provided in order to figure out where you’re going. Of course, I found the introduction unnecessary since the site navigation links are located at the top of the page, and again just under the logo. My suggestion is to lose the introduction on the index page and have actual blog content there instead. Dag already has an About Me page, which is pretty informative. All of the links work and the only thing, other than just the general busy-ness of the design, I can complain about are the occasional spelling and grammatical errors. There isn’t anything too offensive, but they’re definitely noticeable.

There are more extras at unsung than I could name – 2 guestbooks, shoutbox, guestmap, word of the day, chat forum, Sabres schedule, lyrics section, a section of links useful for programming, Dag’s design/programming portfolio, little Emoticons in all of the blog entries, links galore, and a page specifically for humor. I visit a blog for the blog content, but others may find all of this more useful.

Unless Dag simplifies his design somewhat, I doubt I would become a regular reader. Normally design would not deter me from reading, but the flashing logo gave me a headache. Overall, it’s a solid blog.

unsung

This is not a typical blog, in more ways than one. First, it is not hosted by Blogger or GreyMatter, but by livejournal.com. Second, it is about photography.

Ed Book’s images and the way he talks about photography imply that he has a lot of enthusiasm and experience in the field. Nearly all scenic views, the images are often accompanied by explanations of the equipment and technics used. However, the jargon does not cause laymen to lose interest in Ed Book’s images, as the images also come with descriptions of the location where they were taken and whatever story is behind them. Also, Ed Book has an expressive way of talking about photography. I especially liked the way he defended his preference of saying ‘making images’ instead of ‘taking/snapping/shooting pictures’.

There is not much to comment about on the layout of the site, as it is basically a livejournal design. The main focus here is on the photography. There are lots of images that, to me, as a layman, appear to be of high quality. The real attraction for me here lies in the way Ed Book links his personal life with his profession and hobby. I find it a good site to browse through because each picture has a story; the details make it come to live.

edbookphoto.com

This is a pretty flashy site for a blog, and the aesthetic seems odd for a site who’s central premise centers on mysticism. The design is functional and intuitive, but the style didn’t really ‘work’ for me; it’s just sorta like like “whoa, there are monks everywhere.”

The intent of this site is a diary of the various happenings in the author’s life in relation to his philosophical beliefs: a life in the spirit of a philosophy. Krishnamurti’s mysticism was a life-altering find for the author, who is fed up with tradtional organized religion and dogmas of all sorts. The ideas will seem jaded to those familiar with enlightenment philosophy; However, I doubt that’s the intended audience

This blog is directed at unfamiliar, possibly curious people. There isn’t much content. He would be well served by further distilling the views Krishnamurti to his audience. He talks about how great it is, but he really needs to get specific with it in his entries to make the ideas interesting. For a weblog, it is an interesting find, but it really needs to be developed into a more riveting account of a life and a philosophy.
liquidmax

Front Range Bible Blog is a blog from Mark, the pastor of Front Range Bible Church in Denver, Colorado. In the title banner of this weblog, Mark refers to Colossians 1:28-29 which reads: “We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” Obviously, Mark uses this weblog as a tool to spread the word of Christ that runs parallel with his church and its’ congregation.

Personally, it’s difficult for me to follow any one particular religion. Because of this, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to fairly judge the weblog at hand. Mark does an interesting job of peppering the weblog with enough humor to keep even the judgmental reader (such as myself) entertained.

Originally, the weblog was started for Mark to keep the “members and friends of Front Range Bible Church” updated on general thoughts and news that would affect them. While the site looks like it might have strayed from specific just to Mark’s congregation, it looks and feels as if it’s now used for Mark to share his spirituality and knowledge with a broader spectrum of people.

The layout of the site is a standard Blogger template, and there’s no real site navigation simply due to the fact that the weblog is the only portion of this site. The other links go to the archives of the site or to external links that Mark feels are interesting and helpful to those coming across this site.

In all, Mark does a very nice job of putting his thoughts and messages into words for people to read in this weblog. It’s not a subject matter that will interest most people, but for those that do find religion and spirituality something they enjoy reading and learning about, I would certainly recommend this weblog.

Front Range Bible Blog

“And this one time, at band camp…” Ah, high school. I usually find high school blogs difficult to read, if not incomprehensible — full of in-jokes, obscure acronyms, and for some reason, negative leading. But cucumbers and strife is an enjoyable read, although perhaps not one I’ll return to often.

Celeste is a freshman at LBJ High School in Austin, TX. She’s self-described as “Shy; Obsessive; Dreamer; Redhead; Oboe player; Hopeless romantic; Half-blind.” She updates her blog with an almost alarming frequency. She writes about struggling with her double reed (hey, I used to play the oboe [badly], and that’s one tough instrument), the triumphs of her marching band, her homework, her friends, her family and her cat, and the mysterious new holiday of Grodmas.

Celeste has a good writing style — she writes more clearly than some adults who blog. (Don’t they teach the subjunctive anymore? That should be “I wish I were Mr. Peabody. Whoever Mr. Peabody is. Sorry, pet grammar peeve of mine.) The blog is clearly meant as a personal journal, written for herself and her friends. As such, there may not be much there for the general reader. But sometimes, there are entertaining stories, or reflections on her own life, and these make the blog a cut above those of her peers.

The design is a standard template (one that seems to waste a lot of screen space on a color border, but that’s just my opinion.) Celeste has included a bunch of links, and has a comments system. The only thing I’d suggest on the design front is the addition of a “Home” link so you can find your way back to the front once you’re in the archives.

I think this blog will improve with age.cucumbers and strife