Review 2300

“I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me.” This quote, allegedly said in the 1890’s by States Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver, sets the tone for Jim Howard’s ShowMe. Jim Howard, ladies and gentlemen, is going to show you.

Jim Howard describes himself as an “old man”. His blog is a mixture of political views and memories from his past. ShowMe is all written as if Jim is thinking aloud, merely typing whatever thought pops into his head. This can make the posts somewhat difficult to read, as they often repeat themselves or are not grammatically correct. However, if you put in a little effort, you can read about some interesting things.

In the past couple of months, the blog has become more political than anything else, with Jim Howard constantly commenting on the war, CNN, airport security, ect. However, digging back in the archives, ShowMe used to be a very personal blog and with this. In Jim’s more personal postings, he lets his dry sense of humor shine through–

“Hilary and Jimmy are home from the trip to the casino. Hilary lost $150.00 and Jimmy lost $450.00.That is the most Jimmy has lost in a long time..That is a lot of money for him. It maybe good however..He said the other day that he had a dream and that God told him to go each week and he would win $300.00 a week. If Jimmy had won $300.00 it might have been very bad. Maybe he will come down to earth now.”

In addition to the blog, Jim also runs a webcam that can be an interesting journey into voyeurism. It’s worth a look.

ShowMe has an odd design. In fact, there doesn’t seem to be much of a design going on–only some randomly colored tables with yellow-on-black text. There is no table for the archives, so you must rely on reading Jim Howard’s posts in groups of fives in descending order. Navigating the site can be tricky.

Overall, I think perhaps the writing style and design of Jim Howard’s ShowMe could use some tweaking. However, in it’s current state, it can be a good read for those interested in politics, for those interested in the good ‘ole days, or for those who are just interested in Jim. Let him show you.Jim Howard’s ShowMe