Category: Uncategorized

When I first entered into this site I was pleased with what I saw, a nicely laid out piece of work that was appealing to the eye and not cluttered. The menu system is nicely placed up the top and out of the way while the blog itself runs neatly through the size of the browser window with a link column, alphabetically placed on the left. I rubbed my hands with glee thinking how sweet it will be to review this site, Fireballs & Tsunami.



I then read the blog and found myself scratching my head to make sense out of it all, not that it was hard to read or poorly written, its just that it seemed a little too vague, as if I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on. I decided that to be fair it was only possible to really give an accurate review was to hit the archive section, perhaps it would enlighten me how I was suppose to interpret the latest posts. After reading through it again I understood that the weblog was pretty much focused around the pictures taken by the author Jennifer and when I say pictures I mean a truckload of pictures. If anything it gave an interesting twist on weblogs, and I actually really enjoyed going through all the posts to date. Everything from a picture of Jennifer’s study books to an interesting tree, each picture told a different thought or story, something I hadn’t come across on the net before.



I did however find myself wondering how slow this site would take to load without my T1 connection? Any site with numerous pictures and images will always be pleasant to someone with a respectable internet connection, however to the average user with a dial up they become some what of a waste of time. Archiving between posts more often would probably be the way to go here, breaking up large downloading time into small fragments would make everyone a lot happier. Having a link back to the weblog once you go somewhere else on the site would have been nice, though I did find it on the image of the author, a bit hidden away for my liking, but no big deal.



The site has plenty to offer, film reviews, concert information, a stack load of links and yes, even some jokes, its more then enough to keep you stuck to the screen for a decent while. With plenty of pictures to scroll through its more than likely this weblog will be more appealing then your average Joe blog site, though perhaps sometimes it can be a tad over done.



To sum it up there really isn’t too much wrong with Fireballs & Tsunami, its interesting to read and really puts a different spin on weblogs in general. I personal urge any weblog fan to have a look and see if this style is something you either love or hate, I personally found it refreshing and give it the big thumbs up. I give Fireball & Tsunami a hearty 3.5 out of 5. Top notch stuff.

fireballs & tsunami by Jennifer Piston

Goatee Style is chock-full of goatee goodness!



Ryan updates his journal on a regular basis and always has something interesting to share, whether it’s the fact that he saw “Bring It On” and actually enjoyed it or just posts some really nice pictures from his Godfather’s garden. He shares links with his readers, along with his own thoughts/opinions/commentary, and usually manages to bring out a smile and some laughter.



Navigation is very clear and simple. There’s a links header at the top of each page that includes his profile, photos, his very own comics, webcam, and contact information. There’s so much to see, but it’s all so easy to find and browse through.



Ryan is a very artistic person who enjoys using his talents in so many different mediums. He enjoys his work, and that comes through loud and clear in this site. Visit Goatee Style and take a look at everything there is to offer!

Goatee Style

The interesting name of this blog is Syaffolee, which is derived from S. Y. Affolee. This is the literary pseudonym and self-proclaimed scapegoat of the author named Thea, a non-nerd biology student at Caltech. The initials come from the first letters of her Chinese name, which means “sea poem”. The last name is the feminine form of a French word meaning “fool”. Unlike so many other people nowadays, Thea writes in the biography that she avoids wasting her time watching television or partying like many of the other university students. But don’t you dare calling her a “troll” for being that way, because in this fine blog she has alot to offer. In that regard, we should be thankful that she redirects the usual energy spent by students her age on partying on her blogging endeavors, for she does a pretty good job.

This fine blogger created the site because she was plain tired of being drowned out by people louder than she. Thea states: “Here I can be vitriolic and cantankerous without people in real life hanging me by my toes.” One wonders what experiences she might have had before while hanging in such an uncomfortable position in life. Inspiration for this blog?

The blog called Syaffolee is in itself an interesting combination. Daily activities centered on student life are mixed with reviews and reactions about news items she has read and to which she wants to react: genome secrets, hiv problems, university suicide, a pill to stretch your day, etc. Her writing style is sober and down-to-earth. Alot of the subject area keeps returning back to her biology background, but this is understandable and refreshing. The style reminds me a lot of a mix between Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould, but that is probably because they are also authors of biology science. Her blog archives go way back to the beginning of the Millennium, and there is plenty to peruse. One notices that in two years time, her writing has matured significantly, and this is an interesting process to follow. More depth, more concern with the outside world, an inner growth of someone coming of age. Good blogs, and this is certainly a good one, allow the readers to take part in this process of inner and outer discovery.

Other sections provide balance and escape at the same time. In her page called “Decoder” there are a number of interesting definitions of common and not-so-common terms related to her student life. In the page “Chrono” she reflects back on her life according to the books she has read, and one is immediately moved by the numerous titles she has read with gusto. From a children’s picture book about a bear to Harry Potter, H.P. Lovecraft and Angela Carter, it is all in there. You might also want to have a look at her small gallery where she displays stuff about Gustav Klimt and more.

Anyone admitted to Caltech has by definition got his or her act together. Thea is one smart cookie that is for sure. There is a tendency towards intellectual expression, but Thea tempers this well with simple ideas that make you think. The no-nonsense design of white text on a black backdrop makes the thinking that much more accessible. Not bad for someone who claims that she does not work as hard as she should. I can recommend this site very highly, not only for students but also for the many readers out there who are still at heart “students of life”.syaffolee

Katar.net is the homepage and blog of Aussie James Turnbull — in his words, Katar.net is his “play thing,” and he utilizes the full ability of his site to share his blog, founded in December 2001, among other nifty details.

With a simple, clean, and attractive design in cool shades of blue, Katar.net offers a glimpse into James’s life — his blog is well written with crisp language and sufficient details about the people, places, and things that matter to him. Whether it’s a poor dining experience, an investment in technology toys, or the decision to have a child, James shares his life willingly and honestly, and that’s a refreshing experience for this humble reader.

Katar.net uses frames and Blogger as to structure its content, and this worked well for me. It was easy to navigate through James’s web site and his blog, with clearly delineated sections. My only complaint was that there was no way to leave comments for various blog entries.Kartar.Net

Quick, think of a 16 year old male and what do you think of? I am almost positive that at least one quality about your 16 year old that you thought of this one has.

Alex is your standard high school student. He has some interest in school stuff, and has your standard share of classes, and of course, likes video games, and his computer. Not to mention his liking of the NBA.

Most of the posts are just short little blurbs about what is going on that day in his life. Every now and then, he throws up a random link which leads to some interesting sites.

Unfortunately the program he uses to publish his weblog isn’t up to par for him. He had to take away his archives, and his comments for his site, which is somewhat harmful to a weblog to remove. He did put up 30 entries for me to read, but I still did not have access to the 1 year, 3 months worth of posts, I would like to have had. He is however, looking into using a different weblog tool, which he will hopefully get up and running soon.

He has a pretty sweet design going for his site. I really liked it, even though it is just black, white, and shades of gray, it works very well. There are plenty of external links which makes the site even more valuable.

Considering in one of the posts, the author mentioned how he has been on the web for almost four years, and this site he has kept open for the longest out of all of the ones he has had. The site, in time, will grow, just as the author will and should prove to be an interesting read if the author keeps the site running. My only complaint really was the lack of archives, which really adds a lot more to a site than I realized it would. Hopefully he will find some way to transfer all the old archives to his new tool that he decides to use.
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