mono[b]logue is a plain looking site. Somehow, however, I find the visual starkness appealing. Maybe its look makes me think of a newspaper with its absence of color.
The blog has submissions by a friend who is a military man stationed in Afghanistan. These entries are an interesting first hand account of life abroad in the Armed Forces. Clearly being abroad is emotional for the author, who seems to be becoming increasingly more disillusioned about being in Afghanistan, : ‘ how many more must die before we feel justice has been served ?’ The author seems interested in exposing the ‘truth’ of what is going on in Afghanistan. It seems in all levels of his experience in the Army he finds frustration. From the President right down to his immediate officers who are ‘clowns’. These entries from abroad add an interesting journalistic flavour to the blog.
One of the first things I found curious about some of the earlier entries was that a lot of details are [omitted]. I wonder if the author was doing the omissions or if the entries were screened… hmm.
The writing in mono[b]logue is very good. The author is intelligent and has some interesting insights into human nature and shares a lot of unique first hand experiences and observations. The tone is usually somewhat serious but considering where the author is, that is hardly surprising. There are also entries, well supported by links, about Art, computers, media, lots of politics and world events… many diverse and important issues are covered in mono[b]logue’s content. The blog is often more about issues than the author himself. You do, however, get a strong feel for the author’s personality through his commentary. There are a few entries that could use a little more commentary (the good stuff) but overall the majority of entries have a persuasive dialogue.
Going through the entries was a bit of a challenge however… you can only go to the previous entry not back. So…I had to manually enter every page since I wanted to read from the oldest to the newest. Just a little thing but…annoying as a reader.
Quite a compelling and impressive author. If you like reading real news this blog is a must. Highly recommended.
mono[b]logue