Month: January 1970

I thought from the title of this blog that it might be a bit rude, but it’s actually quite the opposite. When the page loads up it’s main picture is a Rion Vernon drawing which I wish more bloggers would give credit to as his pictures are copyrighted. There isn’t much about the author in her abouts section, there’s a link to her old blogger, an email link and something called the b&l story which is basically how the name came into being.

I couldn’t find anything unique about this blog, it’s got the usual things in it, quizzes, rants and raves and other things that the author likes and enjoys. I do believe that this blog is geared for people that the author would know or has built a relationship with over the blogosphere because as a person who doesn’t know the author, I don’t really have any incentive to come back and visit.

I will admit that the layout is great, the links all work and there are no horrible bright and garish colours to scare one away. Being a relatively new blog, I think the author is still finding her feet and her blog may develop, or it may not.

I gave this blog a 3 because of the fact that it really is like many blogs out there. I didn’t find it amusing or interesting enough to throw up blinkers to the world and get engrossed, again, this might be due to the fact that the blog itself is only 3 months old or the fact that the blog author is writing for herself moreso than an audience. I’d like to see what the blog becomes in a year’s time.
http://boobsandlegs.net/

This blog is written by Paul, who lists his occupation as, Keeping alive. He doesn’t write where exactly he is from, only that he is “From Within The Earth,” which is also the name of his blog.

His tagline cryptically reads: “I went underground. And now I found a link back to the world. From within my own Kingdom, hidden far below the earth, in cellars unseen, I hide. And wait.”



Paul’s posts are poetically written and sometimes are, in fact, short poems. In a recent post, Paul discusses the recent Terri Schiavo debate and offers his opinion on society as a result. His words have a free flowing quality to them, as if he writes what comes to his mind, before being over analyzed. It’s this purity that kept me reading more, that and its dark side. Indeed there is a dark side to his posts, one that reveals a bit of pain and anger. Paul posts quite frequently, almost daily, and usually offers his take on the world and his adventures finding a friends’ lost boy, which verges on obsession.

The design is a typical boring blogger template and the side column lacks any extra blog features like a clock or a weather forecast thing, but there is a web counter and a few links.

Overall, Paul’s vagueness is intriguing and could easily attract more readers to want to discover and read more.From Within The Earth

I wasn’t quite sure what to think when I first arrived at “Mondo Irlando”. I was hit full face by the colour scheme, and large garish handwritten graphics. Judging from the first page I could only assume that I had arrived at a review site, of films, music, and erm other things. It did not appear to be a weblog in the traditional sense, in that the first page at least was not organised chronologically. Then, of course, I discovered the Duke’s Journals.

Overall I found the site a little frustrating to navigate. I read film and music reviews, the journal, and something referred to as the articles. Its easy to access yes, but there is no organisation chronologically, and the overuse of graphical links was all too distracting. Much to my surprise I found the content largely well written, albeit more than a little offensive on occasion. I found he lost a great deal of my respect when he resorted to obscenities.

I found navigating the site a little frustrating. There was an article archive, and a review archive, but no journal archive from what I could see. There were no additional facilities there for readers to interact directly about specific posts, merely a guest book. I feel the site would benefit from the addition of some sort of comments facility, unless of course the author does not wish to promote reader response. There is a lot to see here – MP3 digest, and Mondo radio show I am sure will appeal to a lot of people in particular.

The design overall did absolutely nothing for me. It was black and red, with large handwritten graphics as headings and links. The graphics especially I found detracted from the content. I also found I developed eye strain after a solid hour of reading through the archives. Improvements in the site design would do nothing but benefit the site. I can appreciate that content matters above all else, but when a design detracts from content that is largely brilliant then a serious rethink is required.

Mondo Irlando has a great deal of appeal, just not for me. Its an interesting, and extremely well written review site. Its intended, I think, for a mature audience. I can see it appealing to film lovers and music buffs who would appreciate his honest and open style, and with improvements in the design and its navigation I can see real possibilities for this site in the future

Mondo Irlando

For some reason, the title made me think of Star Trek. I’m not a big fan or anything, but the word “Mothership” and “Postcards” sent a picture of space and a spaceship whirring through my head. Interesting, eh?

Surprisingly though, the blog itself was different from my imaginings. Well, I guess it’s not that surprising. But anyway, I read the entries and I have to say…

Bleh.

The entries consisted mostly of the author’s daily happenings and some rants. I guess that’s why it was in the “Personal” category. Though the entries were somewhat amusing and a few well-placed witty sentences made me smile, it didn’t really stand out.

Layout-wise, I have to say that it isn’t too bad. It’s simple and white but at least it doesn’t have the garish colors some other blog-owners like to fill their blogs with. I kinda liked it. The simpleness, I mean.

Overall, I have to say it was alright. Not exceptional, mind you, but worth reading to some of you. Just not me.
Postcards from the Mothership

Don’t expect much of a feast for the eyes while on this blog because it’s a standard Blogger template. In fact, I think it is their whitest, most colorless template of all. However Danigirl (the author) has a wonderful, witty writing style that propels you to continue reading–no matter how boring the surroundings are.

And okay, blogs don’t have to be all colorful, do they? And yes, I find the ones with too many bells and whistles to be annoying, but part of writing reviews is to include the blog’s overall appearance, so there you go. The appearance is not what makes this blog enjoyable. It’s Danigirl and her writing style. Like I said, she’s an easy read–and the funny helps.

She’s a working mother of two, lives in Canada, and writes about her every day life. I didn’t have to look far to find this information, because, bless her heart, she put all this information in her profile. (You see, bloggers? It’s not a hard thing to do. People want to know about the person writing the blog. Thanks again for the info, Danigirl. Spread the word to others, will you?)

Despite the ability to get a bit long-winded on some of her posts (everyone does it, but I always feel obliged to mention it), I recommend this blog to all who enjoy a good read and an inward smile and things they can relate to such as parenting, working, and even U2 and the Prime Minister of Canada.Postcards from the Mothership