Category: Uncategorized

I was put off by the fact the author used a standard Blogger template, but the name of the site, Spilled Guts made up for it. I figured that I would be in for an entertaining read, just by the name. I noticed there weren’t many archives and assumed the author was pretty new at this.

The author talks about everything from movies to politics. I’ve also learned that the author is interested in quiz shows because he talks about them from time to time. He also apparently appeared on one. However, something about the writing style just doesn’t click with me. It seems juvenile. There is also a lot of offensive language in this blog, so readers beware. I was however, impressed by the picture of the evil eggs in one of the archive files.

As said before, the design is just one of the standard Blogger template files. Because the design is basic, it works with what the author posts about it. There aren’t any distractions on the site, which is nice, and there is a bit of color, even if it is rather dreary looking. The recent archive links are broken and led me to a default Blog*Spot page.

This site is simply a personal weblog, although it feels less personal than most I have read recently. Lacking from the site are links and other features, such as an about page. I don’t feel a connection with the author, because I really don’t know much about him based on the postings.

Spilled Guts is a creative name, but it is one of the only creative things about the blog. I wouldn’t suggest reading this if you are offended by harsh language. Spilled Guts tells a story about the author’s life, but so do many others… s p i l l e d g u t s

Spriteboy is a 20-something actor living in a New York apartment with “Gorgeous Roommate” Jen. He says “yay” and talks about “boobs.” Often. Remind you of anyone? Unfortunately, this NY actor [and star of “Mission: Idiot”] doesn’t have the censorship of a large US TV company, and I did find a few comments that I, personally, found offensive. Overall, though, he seems a pretty amiable bloke.

He mostly writes about daily life, such as an upcoming audition or the actresses staying in the hotel he works in [porn and regular]. Unlike most personal blogs, I never got any sense of his personality through the writing, which seemed contradictory in places. In one post we are told that the author disagrees with the war his country is fighting, and the next we are told how proud he is to be American followed by a picture of the American flag and a few quite ignorant comments about the Iraqi people.

I have to admit that from the pictures at the top of the screen Spriteboy does look quite elfin, but then they have all been heavily altered with a run-of-the-mill image-editing tool. I like to see sites where people make the effort despite not having a degree in graphic design and £900 of image editing software [I, myself, am included in this ‘work on a budget category’], but it does mean you don’t get the crisp , professional look. Still, this is a weblog and by its nature is not professional.

The layout of the journal doesn’t run like other journals. Instead you are faced with the archive page, with descending dates and titles, and you read through a page at a time. This makes it hard work and would only take a minor adjustment to improve the readability a whole lot.

Spriteboy World is your average weblog. If you have something in common with the author, or are really desperate to get with an aspiring actor in the hope that someday he’ll make it and not dump you for a size 2 blonde, then this could well be the weblog for you.Spriteboy World

Welcome to My Brain… Well not mine, but that of Brian Shaver. While the domain itself has not insights to the blog, the title of My Brain is a rather good one.

I quickly noticed a floating head with rotating eyes in the design. This was somewhat of a distraction as I didn’t see what purpose it had on the site. The general design of the site is a two column layout with the content on the bigger right side column. The design is nothing to shout home to mom about, but the simplicity of the site fits with the weblog itself.

I recommend reading the about section before venturing into the weblog as it will provide you with a fair number of insights about Brian that can come in handy. In the about section, there is also an about this site which is somewhat unique and not often used in weblogs anymore.

The weblog itself is a very easy read. Mainly because the author is a freshman in college (note: now he is a sophomore, but the blog is about his first year) who is interested in computers and math. Even though he is such a stereotypical computer geek (talks about computers, math, star trek…), he very rarely mentions these things, except where they add to the post’s details.

Brian posts mainly about what he is going through his freshman year in college. Mainly of the posts are about a situation that either just happened, or will happen shortly. Brian shares with us his struggles of figuring out who he is; which is something he never had to face before.

The only downside is that Brian seems somewhat conflicted with the site itself. All to often I read a post that said, “It has been a while since my last post” which isn’t surprising since he is a freshman in college, but I would liked to have more frequent posts.

The best part of the blog has to be that Brian is sharing what he is going through. It is good for anyone to read, to remember those times, or to learn about those times, or even just to say, “Yeah I am going through that too.” The blog could stand to have a little bit better focus, and a better design to complement the author more. If you are looking for a daily update, then you will be disappointed. But if you want a blog to read on the once a week basis, this is a good one for you to add to your list.
My Brain

Early this year I had the privilege of going to Thailand. One of the many things to do in Thailand is to visit different temples and talk to monks. I had the honor of meeting with a a guy who used to be a very well known monk (he gave it up after twelve years). He spoke slowly; not to make sure his point got across, but to make sure you felt the calmness and energy that he had.

Indigo Ocean reminded me of this. From the first words I read on the blog to reading the entire blog, I was reminded of him. The posts are calm and collected. You get an amazing sense that this guy is very happy and is very spiritually connected.

The posts themselves are not preachy, but rather just simple notes about what was done that day or what will happen. Personal things pop up like him wishing he could wind surf, then a month later actually getting a rig to do it really add to the quality of this weblog.

The design complements the writing style: simple, clean, and peaceful. I like that there are no javascript tricks or flashy images. Everything fits perfectly within this weblog. I wish that there was an about section to learn more about the author, however I am sure that given more time, the weblog itself will provide more than enough information about him.

Overall this is a great blog to come and read if you just need to cool down. Just take a deep breath and then start to read this blog and you will start to feel more at ease. Amazing how words have this ability to create feelings for us, and Indigo Ocean does it very well.
Indigo Ocean

What first attracted me to James’ website is the .co.uk ending. It isn’t often that I come across a new, Brit-centric personal blog, and as I’m always looking for new sites to read (and I prefer reading about something I share in common, whatever that may be), I immediately booked the site out for review.

The first thing I noticed was the ultra-clean, smooth, no-fuss design. The site is headed with a goldfish photo that fits seamlessly under the logo and navigation. It works well, drawing the eye down to the content, which is nicely spaced and very easy to read. The choice of black text on blue background might not be to everyone’s taste but it is surprising effective. White links jump neatly out of the page but don’t disturb the reader’s attention.

The blog is a personal one, with no particular focus other than the writer and his immediate world. The pacing is relaxed, the style of writing perfectly judged to help the reader along. Even the ee cummings no-capitals grammatical method works well and unobtrusively. Each story is relatively self-contained and interesting; amusing anecdotes and events are relayed well and with a minimum of pretension.

Archives stretch back as far as December 2002, and are available from a drop-down list at the top of the page, or alternatively from a collection of links at the bottom, where you will also find the external sites the writer is fond of. The photo gallery, though relatively small, contains some treasures, such as the shots of Iceland, and is very easy to navigate.

The reader is given the option of having links open in a new window via a checkbox at the top of the site; this is a helpful feature but I would have preferred it to only refer to external links; furthermore, the setting doesn’t carry through from page to page. Otherwise the design is practically faultless; if you don’t like it, there is also an alternative available on the “Skins” page.

If you want a window into another’s life, but don’t want to feel like an uninvited peeper, then this is most certainly worth your attention. For me, it is definitely a site I will be returning to, if only to track down more entries and opinions on Iceland.

someonecalledjames