Category: Uncategorized

I can’t really remember how long I’ve been reading thebwit. It seems like it’s always been one that I’ve had on my list of daily must reads and have really gotten to know the author. Maybe the fact that I do talk to him on a nearly basis gives me more incentive to check back up on him from time to time. Even if I didn’t know the author, thebwit.com is still a site I’d probably frequent.



It’s neat to see the transformation the site has gone through. Initially, it started out as a weblog describing “Living with a Med Student” as thebwit goes on to give readers insight on what it’s like, well, living with a med student. And now, after nearly 18 months of archives, the author tends to focus quite a bit more on web programming, weblogs in general, and of course, touching base on current events.

The programming posts are perfect for those programming junkies who can’t seem to get enough of all those different languages out there. Reading about weblogs may not appeal to the general public, but thebwit’s research on the topic does nearly have it down to an exact science so those new in the weblogging world may find some advice in those posts.

The posts that have kept me coming back in the past and will continue to draw me to thebwit.com in the future are the ones that tell me what’s up with his life. I like learning about changes in his work, different projects he’s working on, or what type of weekend he’s had with his loved ones. The personal touch that you can find here is very nice.

A newer addition to the site that I’ve found not only interesting, but motivating is the mini exercise posts on the left hand side of the site. Readers can keep tabs on thebwit’s progress in working towards those washboard abs he’s shooting for by his summertime vacations.



Lately, the new designs have been popping up one right after another. The majority of the latest layouts have included pictures that thebwit has actually taken himself. The layouts are all very simple, they’re naturally uniform throughout the archives, and they’re nice to look at it. You can’t beat that.

In all, thebwit.com does really have a little bit of everything. Maybe if the latest post on PHP doesn’t appeal to you, a few words about the world’s current state might spark your interest. You’ll find something you like here – guaranteed.

TheBwit

“a tear in the fabric of spacetime”, is what Rachel, the creator of the site calls “just the random musings of a girl”. I’m still a little unclear on where the title came from, as it literally refers to scientific theory and this weblog doesn’t really relate to anything of the nature.

The layout is one of Blogger’s generic templates, with the colors slightly altered to different shades of purple. The site still seems to be in the beginning stages, with Rachel still deciding if she wants to post on a regular basis or not. The archives date back to March 9, 2003. If you’re lucky, you’ll find two days in a row where the author has posted, but more often than not, you’ll see days go by without a post.

This site is only a weblog. There’s no way to contact the author, or leave a comment about a particular entry. You can’t learn more info about the author through other links or anything of the nature. Anything you learn about the author or her life has to be found in each entry that’s made.

The writing style and content is really all over the board at “a tear in the fabric of spacetime”. For instance, one paragraph in the weblog’s first few days of being reads like this: The things we know as facts are really just crude approximations of reality. The laws of physics we know apply to “ideal” conditions that can’t actually be reached. We can make them reflect reality as closely as we want by adding in more and more terms. When we get into more “fuzzy” areas, like how people behave, what we say is a fact will actually be extremely skewed by our perceptions.

On the the other hand, there were two weeks of posts about procrastination, including sites Rachel had found about procrastinating. And there are other posts talking about trying to match the same pitch as squeaky furniture or making the decision on what college to go to.

While this review may seem quite empty, it’s only because the weblog at “a tear in the fabric of spacetime” is the same way. It’s a very generically written site. I’m sure the weblog makes sense to the author and to those that actually know her, it leaves anyone else that would happen to stumble upon the weblog in a haze of knowing nothing. I couldn’t find one reason throughout the entire site that would make me want to come back again.

a tear in the fabric of spacetime

Who is Tony Blackburn? That was pretty much my first thought when I started reading this blog. After some research on the internet, I found out that he’s a radio DJ in Britain. The link? Apparently, the author – Michelle, also known as Shelley, had a talk with her friend, and her friend noted that Shelley and Tony Blackburn had similar erm, eating habits. Well, you can check out the story over here.

The writing is concise and very straightforward, making it very easy for both the brain and the eyes. Oh yes, the spelling is PERFECT, and there’s nothing I like more than good spelling. The content ranges from talking about her Buffy (or rather, Spike) obsession, to the war in Iraq (her earlier entries were almost always talking about something in relation to the war), and her fight with dementia. I particularly enjoyed this entry, where Shelley complains about excessive use of overly fanciful vocabulary in a Sheri S. Tepper book she read. Very sarcastic. I loved it.

The blog layout is rather standard, with a top title bar, and a sidebar containing the essential links. The technical bit is almost flawless (kudos to her for making the effort to learn up HTML for the blog). However, some work could be done on the archives because there were more May entries on the main blog page than the May archives, which only displayed 3 days’ worth of entries.

I had a good time reading this blog. This is a blog where Shelley jots down her thoughts rather than her daily activities, and she does a great job putting her thoughts down in words (well, what do you expect? She IS a novelist, or would be one soon anyway). I would ask anyone to give this blog a try. It isn’t too heavy, but it isn’t fluff either. I hope you will have as much fun as I did while reading this blog.
Becoming Tony Blackburn

Have you ever sold something on eBay? How about purchased something? I know you have at least heard of eBay and you probably have looked at it at least once or twice. Where was this site two years ago when I got scammed? Oh yeah it wasn’t alive yet.

The idea behind eBayFever is simple. One ebayer who has bought and sold a fair number of items is telling it like it is from his perspective. All the ups and downs and news to report with eBay.

The design itself is somewhat lacking and is not that consistent through out the entire site. The main page lists featured items on eBay though I am not exactly sure how one gets their auction listed there. There is a discussion forum which is a good place to visit to talk about eBay.

The blog itself is very well written and does a good service. I enjoy the fact that he is talking about news with eBay and personal stories of how he has gotten scammed in the past. The only downside is that the blog is still in its infancy. But don’t let the infancy deter you from reading this site.

All in all we have what will be a very good and informative site for everyone, not just people who eBay. I think the site could use a more consistent design and maybe a FAQ section and it will be one of the better blogs to watch.
eBayFEVER.com

The first thought that popped into my head upon viewing Spivak’s Razor was “middle school computer lab”. The green courier text on a black background threw me at first. It seemed unsophisticated and old fashioned, but as I delved into the site and learned more about the author, the design began to make sense. (More on that later.)

Spivak’s Razor has been around for quite a while. The archives go back as far as September of 1999. I looked around for an “About Me” page of some sort on the author, hoping to get some background information before digging in, but none was found. Through reading the older entries, I discovered the author was a New Jersey man in his late twenties. The name “Spivak” was the name of a character he used on LambdaMOO. LambdaMOO, along with other online role-playing games, figures prominently in his journal. Indeed, some entries are clearly meant to be understood only by other gamers, but these entries are few and far between. Spivak is a prolific journaler. His entries are long, detailed, and for the most part intensely personal. He doesn’t mince words or censor himself. His brutal honesty is admirable, although there were passages that were a bit uncomfortable to read (entries detailing various bodily functions, for example). There was also a subtle bit of racism apparent in some passages that bothered me, although Spivak owns up this and offers explanations.

Some of the author’s entries are detailed and wordy to the point of becoming tedious, and it’s tough to get through them all at once. As a reader, I could do with a little more quality instead of so much quantity. There is some genuinely lovely writing to be found here and there, however. His descriptions of being outdoors on a cold winter’s night, his love for animals, and his struggle to overcome depression and self-hatred are particularly evocative. He also has an impressive imagination, and can be quite funny.

As I wrote earlier, the design of Spivak’s Razor is reminiscent of the old days of computing when text was all you had. There are pictures scattered here and there throughout the entries, some quite funny and interesting, but the site itself is text-heavy. Upon reading the journal, and discovering how into computers and gaming Spivak is, it became clear that the simple design fits his personality. He’s more concerned with the writing itself than he is with flashy graphics. His entries are color-coded according to a key found on the front page. Dreams are in purple, posts about gaming are in yellow, holiday posts are in red, etc. It’s a clever concept, a twist on the traditional category system, although some pages resembled a rainbow and were a little hard on the eyes. There were some broken links on the older archive pages.

Spivak has recorded three hundred of his dreams and nightmares and includes them in his journal, along with handy index on the front page allowing you to jump directly to the dream entries, if you’re so inclined. He also includes links to the gaming diaries he has kept over the years. These are hard to follow if you’ve never been a gamer, but I imagine they would make a fun read for someone into such things.

Overall, I found Spivak’s Razor a typical online journal. It’s a true view into the author’s life and thoughts. It was hard for me to maintain interest throughout the entire journal although there were bright spots here and there that caught my interest. A lot of the author’s writing seems to be aimed at friends and online acquaintances, and I would imagine that this is his intended audience. It succeeds as a personal diary and is certainly entertaining in many spots, but lacks the consistent quality necessary to become a daily read. I wouldn’t add Spivak’s Razor to my “must-read” file, but would check in from time to time to see how he’s doing. spivak’s razor