Category: Uncategorized

Ibidem is Latin for “in the same place,” and usually shortened to “ibid.” in footnotes to say “go see that place I just referred to earlier”. Which is appropriate for this weblog, since it’s got links a-plenty. Jesus Gil is a U.S. expat journalist living in Madrid, Spain. His blog is links to news about global politics, culture, religion, the occasional meme, and of course soccer. (His blog’s URL is a tribute to Madrid’s soccer — er, football — team. I also take it that “Jesus Gil” is a pseudonym, and that he is not the same Jesus Gil who is the president of said team and who was recently jailed for forgery and embezzlement.)

Ibidem has a variety of news sources, with many (not surprisingly) from Europe, and so has links to articles that I wouldn’t ordinarily find. His coverage of the recent tanker spill off Spain was really good. As with most news blogs, I enjoy ibidem most when it’s got commentary on the news, as well as the links. He’s got interesting opinions and it would enrich the site if he shared them more often. Occasionally there will be a more personal essay, such as his advice on tipping in Spain or a conversation with his son about skeletons that gets him thinking about innocence and imagination.

The design is functional, but nothing special. It’s not going to win any awards. But it’s legible and appropriate for the site. Ibidem includes a lengthy list of general blogs and another of religious blogs, especially Catholic ones. He has comments, a search function (using Atomz, which I use too — it’s easy!), a Daypop search bar, and on online referral log (using this script — for an alternate one try yaywastaken). He also has the “links open new windows” checkbox from randomwalks which really should be standard on all blogs.

In all, I’d say Ibidem is worth checking out for its interesting perspective on the news. Plus, where else are you going to read about Madrid’s soccer team?Ibidem

Some people think it’s cute when blogs are designed so things trail behind your pointer or stuff, like snow, is falling across the screen. I am not one of those people. It’s distracting and annoying. And so when I first came across Punk Rock Princess, I mentally prepared myself to be annoyed. In the end, the writing didn’t annoy me but the falling snow definitely did.

Nicole, the writer of this blog, is a student in Canada. She keeps a blog detailing the day to day of her life. She tells jokes that she hears, and little factoids that she runs across. The main part of her blog seems to be part personal journal and part news/factoid links. I find her “Beef of the Month” section much more interesting. While I don’t agree with some of what she says, the entries are longer and more entertaining than what is on her main blog.

The design of Punk Rock Princess is not really a match to the name of the blog or to the writing. Nicole’s About Me page says that she likes Bon Jovi and Loreena McKennitt, neither of which are remotely punk rock. The design features an off center lion and the above mentioned annoying falling snow. I didn’t see the words “Punk Rock Princess” anywhere on the blog at all. I’d like to see a more streamlined approach to navigation. As is, the navigation is cumbersome and clunky. Maybe a drop down box somewhere to get around? And the words “guestmap” break on my browser so “guest” is on the first line of navigation and “map” is on the second line. Some older links in entries are broken.

If you’re interested in what Nicole is reading, has on her desktop, or what her weather is like, you’re in luck – she lists those on the side. As mentioned, she has a guestmap and an About Me type of page. She also links to all pages within in her blog where she has done a quiz or a meme.

If you’re a friend of Nicole’s this would make a great blog to catch up on her life. I might come back to read more of her “Beef of the Month” entries, but I doubt I would read her regular blog. Most of the content is not original – it is links to news or jokes that can found on other blogs.

Punk Rock Princess

Rock and roll news with humor. You gotta love that.

This weblog’s very first entry puts the most accurate description I could possibly think of out for the readers right away. Simon, the author and creator of this weblog, describes this has “part fanzine, part diary, part pointless meanderings about music”. That’s exactly how I would have described the outcome of this weblog, with the exception of the word pointless. This weblog is anything but that.

Simon covers everything from the on-again/off-again romance between Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake to the constant shenanigans Michael Jackson throws the public’s way.

Its humor at its finest, as well, with lines like “the Mickey Mouse Clubber with the smack whore’s wardrobe” used to describe Christina Aguilera. Pop stars are often a target of Simon’s sarcasm and the butt of the majority of jokes at this site, but they’re well deserved and very funny to say the least.

The layout to this site isn’t the best I’ve seen, but the text is readable and that’s the main thing that’ll keep people coming back with this author at the helm. The past two years of archives are maintained on a weekly basis, and the site is updated on a regular basis. There are tons of links to other music-related weblogs down the sidebar as well.



For anyone that’s hooked on Top 40 music or has even the least amount of interest on what’s going on in the music industry, this site is a must add to your list of bookmarks. Simon gives you the links you need to keep updated, and also gives you the witty remarks about each link to keep you just as entertained without even leaving the site.

no rock and roll fun

Because of a TWR rule that states: “Any site that does not have either a public link to the archives or is a new site (created in the last month) can score no higher than a 2.0 in the rating. “, I have no choice but to treat 2.0 marks as 5.0 marks, since I really could not find any links to archived entries. So Disarm gets 1.0, which would be 2.5 under normal conditions.

(Text located on the main page of TWR:

Submitting your site

Please do not submit your site if you do not have the following

-A link to your archives that is available to the public


-At least a full 6-8 weeks worth of content to review Without either of these things, it makes it very difficult to review the site and will result in a lower rating. If you feel the need to have your site reviewed with out either of these things we cannot give a favorable review.)

Perhaps due to her host, who has basically the same layout with a different color theme for his blog, Cloe has a design that leaves the most part of the page empty, while her entries are squeezed into a not-so-wide strip on the left. The color scheme consists of purple words on a purple background, while the font is smaller-than-10 tiny. Anything that makes readers lean forward to squint is irritating.

From the little content that I can judge on, Cloe appears to be your normal early-teen young blogger that blogs more about songs, tv programs, movies, fashion and books than his or her personal life. The reader knows virtually nothing about the blogger. There are no introductions, no links – just around one month’s worth of blog entries. I can only say that to the average reader more than fifteen-years-old, Disarm comes across as a childish blog of little notable content. If you are a teenager, however, Disarm offers light-hearted, short entries, with occasional jabs at certain books/music/tv programs/movies, written with delightful sarcasm.

This is a teenager’s blog, and in all fairness should be judged as a teenager’s blog. As far as teen blogs go, Disarm isn’t bad, but there isn’t anything that stands out either. With the addition of some info on Cloe, a few links and, most importantly, archives, Disarm will fare better.

Disarm

The first thing I noticed on entering this site was how attractive and easy on the eye the colours are. Yan Jun, the author, mentions that she has changed the layout over eight times, but I’d say that this one is a keeper. The site is clean and simple to navigate, with links allowing you to see all the past layouts, which I thought was a nice touch.

The weblog is mostly about Yan Jun’s everyday life. Her entries have been sporadic recently due a month long ban on the internet, imposed by her parents. Yan Jun writes about being grounded, skipping school and the dangers of high heeled shoes, but it’s all very readable and gives an interesting perspective on life. It will remind you of the frustrations of being a fourteen-year-old.

The about me section is pretty thorough and gives you a good idea of the girl behind the blog. There are only twelve posts so far, although I am sure that more will follow once Yan Jun’s internet ban has been lifted.

If you are looking for something more than just personal accounts then this probably isn’t the site for you. Most of the links on the page are to Yan Jun’s friends’ sites and the weblog seems to be used as a good way to update them on her life. illusions….