Author: admin

My initial impression of this site was that I liked the design. It’s simple, and got a cute little picture of an old guy wandering through the desert which giving the impression of a lighthearted site, and that’s exactly what it is.



Now, for the log, it was very disappointing. The only log entry I could find was for today. There were no archives, no info on the writer, and very little else. There are some cute articles on the side ranging from taxes in Florida to the dimensions of a bird house and a story about a koi. There’s also a small VB program that he wrote that can be used to count cards if youre playing hearts or spades, or any single deck game.



The design is proof that simplicity can be used for good. A simple white background speckled with white text, and some underlined headers on the left about the links, and a small graphic at the top under the title is all there is, but it’s presented in such a way that it’s pleasant to the eye. After looking all over the internet at overused java scripts, it’s nice to se something simple that works so well.



Overall, I’d love to give this site a better rating, but unfortunately, I just really don’t have much to go on. My suggestion to the author would be to come up with a design that allows for multiple days of writing on the front page. Also, I would add an archive section, along with an “about me” section. I believe that with more examples of your daily writing, you could definitely achieve at least a 4.KindlyRat

Ugh, pink. That was my first reaction when visiting this weblog. Not just pink, but bright pink filled my screen. Unfortunately, bright pink backgrounds are just one of the many hazards of this job.



Even.angels.fall is the consummate teen weblog, complete with the requisite teen angst, and the long list of links to other teen-angst filled weblogs.



There is some depth to the writing, the entries are more than the typical “so and so said this about me, and so I…” Sarahkate does a good job of conveying her emotion through her writing, enveloping you with her world.



Unfortunately, the design with its clashing pink and purple hues is a distraction from this world.



I would like to see more posts from Sarahkate as well. There has been a flurry of posts since the start of the new year, but there was a large gap from August until then.



While I am sure this review will undoubtedly cause even more angst and perhaps further damage her psyche, I am giving even.angels.fall. a 3.0 — mostly because it is so well written..even.angels.fall.

Svale, the intentionally anonymous author of Lifesciences, is obviously very literate.



While the number of entries posted is few (I counted 31 since the weblog started in August), their depth is makes this journal a compelling read.



This is most definitely not a teenybopper’s weblog. Be prepared for a challenge, intellectually, when you read Lifesciences. His January 5th entry discusses the comparison of the policies Sharon to the WWII German Nazis. He also discusses the book Millenium, by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto. Most definitely not your typical weblog fare.



Svale appears to be fascinated by the constructs of language, and has several word comparisons, that he calls dictionary crossbreedings.



While the content of this weblog is excellent, the design can be best described as blogger-template+. It is certainly not garish, but it is plain, which is a shame when compared to such excellent writing.



I would rate this site 4.0, but the plain design, and limited, though excellent, content bring it down to a 3.5.Lifesciences

The average fifteen-year-old’s blog would have bored me out flat, but not Arend’s. He possesses fair writing skills, has interesting things to say, and presents himself quite well. Although like most teens he does whine, a bit, his whinings are actually winningly humorous rather than roll-eyes-irritating. Arend’s ‘teenage angst’ is intimately adorable, with a nice blending of maturity and youthful callowness.

The design of the entire site is black on white – clean and simple, yet classy. Personally I liked it a lot, yet sometimes the huge blank spaces dominating the pages seem to be too much. The blog itself has all the writings squeezed to the left side of the page in two narrow strips, leaving a universe of whiteness on 3/4 of the page. Not to mention forcing me to read with my pupils focused to the left and causing the person sitting on my left to wonder if I was casting surreptitious glances at him. Another minor complain – the font is a bit too small.

Arend’s details can be found in detail on the site, including a lengthy description of the things he carries around in his pockets. If you take the time to click on the text links within his blog, there are plenty of pleasant surprises(Doodles on his biology text, to name one). My favorite ‘surprise’ is his apparently ‘ambitious’ project to send love letters to anyone who subscribes. I did. I’ve never received love letters from a fifteen-year-old.

“Forget” is a light, pleasant blog. Despite his modesty, Arend has a flair for writing, and his blogs show a fine balance between sensible optimism and subtle self-detest, perhaps not atypical of his age. I recommend Arend post up some pictures of himself(or even better, drawings), because I for one felt like knowing him better after reading.

Forget

Just like the slightly cartoonish-sounding title of the site, the first thing that crossed my mind when I viewed it was ‘corny’. The background is a wall of bricks, and cartoon bulldogs, bombs and smiling faces are littered through the pages. Further exploration confirms this. If you’re wondering where ‘”THE” Experience’ of the site is, just click on the link directly under the heading. “When reality and my life collide, causing a big explosion.” The ‘big explosion’ is a whole page of dazzling, sparkling, twisting, revolving, exploding, eye-blinding, downright annoying graphics. Truly the ultimate experience. Scrolling further down, I discover weird polls and pictures of hairy men’s legs and a dog wearing shorts.

All said, the blog is written by a married man who has lots to say about, well, everything. Music, movies, writing, politics. The blog gives the impression of a man who has a sense of humor, albeit a harsh one and often at others’ expense(“People I Don’t Like”, “People Who Should Just SHUT THE FUCK UP”, “Who’s the Gayest Boy Band” and so on). The blogger, cpb, likes to swear a lot. I’d say one swear word per sentence, average. Even his poems contain a generous supply
of four-lettered words. There are lots of links, about half of them related to cpb himself. Here is truly a guy who thinks a lot. He needs three seperate links to contain his thoughts and opinions, filing them under “Random Thoughts” – what goes through his mind on a typical day, “Inebriation Notes” – what goes through his mind on an Atypical day, and “In My Humble Opinion” – about whatever is on his mind. Overwhelmed already? There’s more! His writings, his other sites, and then some. If you are looking for a strong and often unconventional view of things in general, and you don’t mind foul language, this is the site for you. On the other hand, if you are have a ‘politically-correct’ frame of mind, stay away. You’d probably not be amused by polls titled “Who is the hottest tennis bitch?”. And be warned (or be informed, if you like this sort of thing): there is a picture of topless women somewhere on the site.

The page is easy to navigate in, with a sidebar, plenty of links and all of them neatly organized. As mentioned earlier, the design is a little corny, but the words are easy to read. No complaints here.

There isn’t much information about cpb himself, but there are detailed descriptions of how the site was born and, generally, we get to know all about the things that piss him off, which are plenty.

Overall, the design of the page is fine, there’s more than enough information to keep readers occupied, and some of them are quite interesting. You might find yourself shocked, yet grinning guiltily. Sometimes it might be therapeutic to point at other people and laugh. Do that at “THE Experience”.

THE Experience