Category: Uncategorized

I love Monkeys. This is probably why the name of this site, MonkeyReview, stood out in my mind. I mean, don’t we all want a Monkey?

Anyhow, this site is a Review website mostly concerned with PC Gaming. It has reviews on Hardware, Software (mostly games), tips and tricks concerning PC configuration, as well as movie reviews. The reviews are well done and relatively professional. The articles, as a whole, are quite informative and helpful as well. Overall, the written (content) part of the site is quite well done. I, personally, would visit this site in order to gather information on the gaming scene if I was still seriously involved in it.

The design is also well done. There is nothing revolutionary about it, but that is what you want in a News related site such as this. It has a classic PHPNuke (and other content management system) layout with left rails containing the basic links, a menu and quickfind on top, a main content middle section, and a category listing (Game Reviews, Software reviews, Movie Reviews, etc), poll, and other features on the right rails. Clean, well laid out, and uncluttered. It is easy to find what you want on this site.

There seems to be a bundle of content available to peruse on this site as well as a viable community involved, which is always a plus. Myself, I would probably head back to check out some of the PC configuration articles. If you like computers, and games on said computers, most likely you will find something here for you.

On a side note, this is not what I would call a traditional Weblog. It is more of a News site (original news site, not a news linking site like many news Weblogs). Still, the news is laid out in a Weblog fashion, it is well written, and it is updated routinely. The News also does not simply concern the site, but the topic of the site as a whole.

So, altogether, this site is incredibly worthwhile to anyone who is involved in the gaming scene. A lot of work has gone into this site and it shows. It is a very clean and professional site, and I highly recommend it to anyone who likes the gaming scene.MonkeyReview

All That I Can’t Leave Behind has a very stark and bleak feeling to it. The eyes of the main logo graphic are a perfect visual to give you the feeling of what this journal is all about. Those eyes watch you, and even the “Odin cam” proclaims that Big Brother is monitoring the situation.

Odin, author of All That I Can’t Leave Behind, can write. He writes in such a gripping way that it’s impossible not to read every word. This journal is a philosophical and often frustrated look at what’s going on, not only with the writer but also with the world. Most of us would say: “It snowed today.” Odin says, “The first snow has finally fallen. About a month late, I’d say. I don’t know why, but I’ve been waiting for it like it was an old friend coming back into town. And like an old friend, now that it’s here, it’s as if it never left.”.

There’s not much to say about the layout of the journal – it’s simple. The layout and colors fit this journal in a way that makes me not able to imagine this journal in any other way.

There’s a lot of good extra stuff here. Odin offers a glossary of the terms he uses most often, which is a great idea and something I haven’t seen anywhere else. There is a section that lists song lyrics, along with a link to download the song, and a section of Odin’s poetry. You can also purchase “Odinwear” – tshirts, mugs, coasters, mousepads, and frisbees with the All I Can’t Leave Behind logo. You can also directly instant message Odin’s cell phone using his tagboard. I might suggest a guestbook or commenting section in case someone has something to say that isn’t urgent enough to page Odin. All That I Can’t Leave Behind might also benefit from some sort of official About Me page.

All That I Can’t Leave Behind is smart and insightful. Odin is a wonderful writer, and I highly recommend a visit to the journal. I will definitely be back for subsequent visits!
All That I Can’t Leave Behind

Mr. Breakfast, Mr. Lunch, and Mr. Dinner – those are our author’s mice. Only Mr. Lunch is still alive. Their introduction to Mr. Dinner and the demise of the other two lasted only two weeks. This is the kind of weblog I like. Not because there were dying rodents, but because the author lets us into her life without expecting us to keep track of absolutely everyone she runs into or socializes with on a daily basis.

The weblog is written in a fashion that I would call casual conversational. With any one of Erin’s entries, you could almost walk up to a random person on the bus or someone you’re stuck on an elevator with and just share something without having to go into too much background information. This is perfect in a weblog!

I’m a smart girl, but I still had to look in the dictionary to find out what “petulant” meant. And pairing it with the word “scream” (which obviously is part of the URL of this weblog) is a discreet way of letting viewers know they may be in store for some ranting, sarcasm, and often sharp sense of humor – all of which makes this a very fun weblog to read.

The layout is nice. It’s a template available for download at Miz Graphics, but out of all the prefab templates I’ve ever seen, this one is ideal for this site. The graphic at the top is perfect for it. The colors are also nice, and the Erin, our author, does a nice job of filling in the tables to the right with information that helps the reader learn more about her.

As far as the technical aspect of the site goes, some of the hyperlinks aren’t referenced correctly. And there were JavaScript errors. I got hit 36 of them before this site loaded. I hate that so much. If the great writing and fun attitude of the site wouldn’t have been so prevalent, then I wouldn’t have been able to continue reading. Seriously.

Yes, Erin may just be “One Girl Talking”, but she’s one girl that has a weblog I’ll be back to visit.

one girl talking

Do you want to read a blog that tries to make friends with you? Try Steve’s Thoughful Spot. As opposed to the usual personal blogs that are seemingly written for acquintances only, here’s one that lets you know about the person behind names and doesn’t assume you’ve been a faithful reader from day one.

Steve has a passion for blogging, which is endearing. He blogs with a vigor, often sparing no details while describing what happened last week, last night or this morning. Unfortunately Steve apparently does not spell check his entries, for there are more than just a few spelling and grammar mistakes. While Steve talks about himself quite comfortably and openly, there are times when the entries just sound like all the others out there, and some of the jokes just fall flat. One unique feature: Steve quotes a few lines, usually from popular movies or tv shows, after every entry.

Now we come to the layout. I don’t know why, but this particular blog design really irks me off. No matter how many times I see it, I still furrow my brows when I come across this combination of blue, red, yellow and green. Also, pages which require readers to slide it left and right (too big to fit screen) are irritating.

All said, Steve’s blog isn’t exactly thoughtful, nor is it brilliant, but it is interesting. It makes you a friend of Steve. Kind of like a catchy j.lo pop song, if Steve will forgive my analogy.

Steve’s Thoughtful Spot

Behavioral pshycoholgists, I am told, have already taken an interest in blogging as both a regulating valve and a security blanket. The vast majority of personal blogs falls within either of these categories or both. Broad at Bat, run by Mrs. Broad as our “host/teacher,” is introduced as WOMAN 101, a freshman course, I suppose, flying the standard of a black bat. Right off the bat, with Mrs. Broad swinging, I’d classify this blog as both a regulating valve and a security blanket.

You could, I guess, see Broad at Bat as a mildly funny, whimsical kind of blog where Mrs. Broad communicates her accumulated wisdom on womanhood in general. She gives us only a hint as to how much time she has already spent reading the innards of a woman’s operating instructions:

(On 10/30/02) How old am I? I’m old enough that I’ve done the silly things youth do trying to find their own boundaries. I’m at that place in life where priorities are clear, comfort zones are huge, and I’m more apt to explore depths rather than just breadths. I’ve learned the big, important and expensive lessons. I’ve found myself.

That’s grand… But what does Broad at Bad exactly offer?

I’d suspect that its primary objective is analysis of women’s daily “life strategies” in this harsh, unruly world. Look, for example, at a lengthy post on flirting and teasing that attempts to define the differences between “flirting,” “teasing,” “fooling around,” and “coming on to.” Fine detail here and the audience should be of both sexes, frustrated or not, successful or not. The entire blog (and it’s a relatively young one) is in this exact same tone of “voice” — mildly didactic, sober. Mrs. Broad is really making an effort to sound cool and collected, and she probably is.

I read the following excerpt as Broad at Bat’s cross between a mission statement and a core kernel:

Women are also wonderfully brave and charitable when it comes to imparting their insecurities, their beliefs, and their opinions – like ones on my hairstyle, or how I raise my children – often within hours or days of first meeting me. You just don’t find many men willing to extend themselves like that to a stranger (on 10/15/02).

Powered by Blogger, Broad at Bat has the simplest possible layout. There are only four links of suggested reading and the archive. Writing is straightforward, plain. Mrs. Broad hasn’t any earth-shaking announcements to make. She slowly ploughs through the days, one post at a time.

I felt Broad at Bat was pop soda without the fizz.

But some people adore flat soda.Broad At Bat