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Mondo Irlando, eh? Sounds interesting. I have no clue what the title means but I’m sure it is a representation of something, which is usually the case.

First impression: WOW. After reading a few of the entries, I was hooked. The entries are usually made up of rants against one person or thing or the other but The Duke is witty and clever and he will make you smile.

He even has a little area especially made for Kirsten Dunst. Maybe a little crush?

Layout-wise, I thought it was ok. Not great, especially not with my taste, but it was alright. The punk and gothic look was mastered pretty well, and it has its lure. What I especially liked was that instead of having the entries all out there on the first page, he has the links to get you to each one. Kudos on that!

Overall, I just loved it! I recommend everyone go here for a lookie and see yourself get hooked to read all of the long entries The Duke has. He’s that good.Mondo Irlando

When I first saw the name “cut rate parasite” it did not lend itself to a weblog I would care to read, but I persisted – more out of a degree of morbid curiosity than anything else. I was to be pleasantly surprised. “Cut-rate parasite” is, for the most part, a travel weblog run by an ex musician, ex journalist, and college professor. Now with that list of careers under his belt I felt the likelihood of a good read growing each second, and I was not to be disappointed.

The weblog has been in existence since October 2004, and can be described (essentially) by using his own words.

This blog mixes travel writing, irreverent looks at literature and severe simplifications of some literary theory that seems relevant to what I say now and then.

The content is extremely well written, and I found that once I had started reading my eyes were carried along the lines without effort. Maybe, in part, it is because I love to travel so much myself, and a lot of his journal reflects on his travel experiences, or maybe it is the simple fact that the author writes so very well. Either way this is a definite weblog I would return to check up on from time to time.

The design, or so it seems me, bares resemblance to the slightly generic blogspot templates – yellow background, with a white side column. But the site is clear, nicely laid out, easy to read, and does not detract unduly from the content. It is nice to see a writer concentrating on the stuff that really matters – the content, and merely putting forth a good plain design that is easy on the eye and simple to navigate.

All in all, I enjoyed reading “Cut rate parasite” immensely, despite my initial reservations. It is a real pleasure to read, and I would recommend to anyone, especially those who love to travel. A must read 5 site, a rare commodity.

Cut-rate parasite

Don’t expect much of a feast for the eyes while on this blog because it’s a standard Blogger template. In fact, I think it is their whitest, most colorless template of all. However Danigirl (the author) has a wonderful, witty writing style that propels you to continue reading–no matter how boring the surroundings are.

And okay, blogs don’t have to be all colorful, do they? And yes, I find the ones with too many bells and whistles to be annoying, but part of writing reviews is to include the blog’s overall appearance, so there you go. The appearance is not what makes this blog enjoyable. It’s Danigirl and her writing style. Like I said, she’s an easy read–and the funny helps.

She’s a working mother of two, lives in Canada, and writes about her every day life. I didn’t have to look far to find this information, because, bless her heart, she put all this information in her profile. (You see, bloggers? It’s not a hard thing to do. People want to know about the person writing the blog. Thanks again for the info, Danigirl. Spread the word to others, will you?)

Despite the ability to get a bit long-winded on some of her posts (everyone does it, but I always feel obliged to mention it), I recommend this blog to all who enjoy a good read and an inward smile and things they can relate to such as parenting, working, and even U2 and the Prime Minister of Canada.Postcards from the Mothership

For some reason, the title made me think of Star Trek. I’m not a big fan or anything, but the word “Mothership” and “Postcards” sent a picture of space and a spaceship whirring through my head. Interesting, eh?

Surprisingly though, the blog itself was different from my imaginings. Well, I guess it’s not that surprising. But anyway, I read the entries and I have to say…

Bleh.

The entries consisted mostly of the author’s daily happenings and some rants. I guess that’s why it was in the “Personal” category. Though the entries were somewhat amusing and a few well-placed witty sentences made me smile, it didn’t really stand out.

Layout-wise, I have to say that it isn’t too bad. It’s simple and white but at least it doesn’t have the garish colors some other blog-owners like to fill their blogs with. I kinda liked it. The simpleness, I mean.

Overall, I have to say it was alright. Not exceptional, mind you, but worth reading to some of you. Just not me.
Postcards from the Mothership

I wasn’t quite sure what to think when I first arrived at “Mondo Irlando”. I was hit full face by the colour scheme, and large garish handwritten graphics. Judging from the first page I could only assume that I had arrived at a review site, of films, music, and erm other things. It did not appear to be a weblog in the traditional sense, in that the first page at least was not organised chronologically. Then, of course, I discovered the Duke’s Journals.

Overall I found the site a little frustrating to navigate. I read film and music reviews, the journal, and something referred to as the articles. Its easy to access yes, but there is no organisation chronologically, and the overuse of graphical links was all too distracting. Much to my surprise I found the content largely well written, albeit more than a little offensive on occasion. I found he lost a great deal of my respect when he resorted to obscenities.

I found navigating the site a little frustrating. There was an article archive, and a review archive, but no journal archive from what I could see. There were no additional facilities there for readers to interact directly about specific posts, merely a guest book. I feel the site would benefit from the addition of some sort of comments facility, unless of course the author does not wish to promote reader response. There is a lot to see here – MP3 digest, and Mondo radio show I am sure will appeal to a lot of people in particular.

The design overall did absolutely nothing for me. It was black and red, with large handwritten graphics as headings and links. The graphics especially I found detracted from the content. I also found I developed eye strain after a solid hour of reading through the archives. Improvements in the site design would do nothing but benefit the site. I can appreciate that content matters above all else, but when a design detracts from content that is largely brilliant then a serious rethink is required.

Mondo Irlando has a great deal of appeal, just not for me. Its an interesting, and extremely well written review site. Its intended, I think, for a mature audience. I can see it appealing to film lovers and music buffs who would appreciate his honest and open style, and with improvements in the design and its navigation I can see real possibilities for this site in the future

Mondo Irlando