Month: January 1970

mrpaTTo obeys all the rules of a good weblog:

–write a mix of personal stories and opinions about what’s going on in the word

–keep it interesting

–keep the design simple

–make it easy to navigate.



It’s easy to mechanically complete each one of these criteria, which is what a good deal of sites do. However, to do it with style is a little harder, and is what separates one site from another. That is precisely what happens with mrpaTTo.



At first, the site looks too simple. A white background. Georgia for headings, grey, red and blue for the colours. But it works so well, and there is a hidden depth to the site. One glance at the source code reveals the proper use of css; the source code is not much more than the content itself.



Aside from the blog, the highlight of the site has to be the pictures section, with some well composed shots of Australia that demonstrate the awesome beauty of the country.mrpaTTo

Mudgeblog is a casually charming blog. Here the focus is on the author’s life, and very little time is spent linking to external articles (which makes a refreshing change in the blogging community).



So why have I described it as casually charming? Admittedly that doesn’t suggest a very good site, which is exactly what it is. The blog is well written, interesting, and the varying moods of the writer are well expressed in a simple paragraph’s content. That makes it charming.



The colour scheme is very strong, the site is well structured and the images used in the corner carry the theme of pixel art very well through the entire site. This page is very easy to navigate, making it casually charming. The greatest sites make everything seem so easy, and that’s exactly what’s going on here.



The only real complaint I have with the site is that the text may be too small for some readers, and since it’s pixel controlled, you can’t change it through the browser. Otherwise, this is a very good blog.mudge.blog

Oceanblog feels more like a forum than a blog. That was certainly the first impression I got of this site, and as I began to read through the posts from recent weeks I felt as if I really needed to know the writer personally to take much from this page.



That’s not to say that there isn’t some good stuff on this site. For example, there is a useful collection of links to essays about Ernest Hemingway, although, as a case in point, getting there isn’t easy, since even the index page is something like three clicks away.



The other blog on the site, davidgagne.net, is probably of more interest to casual passersby. The css on oceanblog needs a bit more work to reach the level of “effortless ease” which is suggestive of better design, and I’m sure eventually it will get there.oceanblog

Wackybrit. As the tagline for the site suggests, britain’s only as wacky as its wackiest brit. I don’t know if that is necessarily true, and if it is, I don’t think the wackiest brit lives at Wackybrit, as the site certainly suggests a modicum of levelheadedness.



First of all, the blog is usually interesting, covering a broad range of topics, from music to events in the writer’s life.



The design is clean, with an inspired photo effect on the front page: every time the page loads, a different picture loads into the top corner. This works magnificently. The navigation structure is sound, so no matter where you are on the site, it’s easy to gauge where you are, and you are never led down a blind alley.



All in all, a good, strong site, but I don’t think it’s overly wacky; a good thing in my opinion.WackyBrit.com

Will’s Web is quite an interesting site. The blog mixes personal news, such as site updates, with links to interesting stories elsewhere. His “Cool Link”, contained within most blogs, is a very useful and convenient way for the reader to find off-site information; this separation of on and off site material is a clever way of uniting two separate trains of thought.



The site follows a clear, distinct design principle; the colour scheme is strong and works well. It is a shame, however, that probing deeper into the site this brand image disappears; new windows are opened a little too often, breaking the navigation structure as a result, and the colour scheme is not applied to the photos page, or the forum.



Otherwise, this is certainly a site worth visiting.Will’s Web