Month: March 2002

Simplicity is often so much better than space crammed full of unnecessary junk, no matter how graphically talented one might be. Dana does an incredible job of proving this theory with the design of Muddlepie. Plus, with a fun name like “muddlepie”, you don’t need all that other junk.

The very crisp layout makes this site easy to navigate, and easy to look at. Dana has all the links she visits on a regular basis listed down the left-hand side, and information about herself, the people she writes about, and other miscellaneous information down the right-hand side.

None of the posts that I read at Muddlepie were overly long. Reading through this weblog is like reading up on a friend of yours that you don’t keep in contact with as often as you’d like. Not only does Dana participate in all the standard weblog-memes (i.e. the Friday Five or different which _____ are you quizzes), but you can also count on reading about what’s going on in Dana’s life.

An added bonus to this weblog would have to be the random pictures that Dana’s posted under “Life Images”. The pictures are just ones that the author has taken and decided to share with readers. Personally, I always think photos are a great touch to any weblog because it shares that much more of the author’s life and it gives readers the chance to feel as if they know more about whoever’s weblog they’re reading. I felt just that way after browsing through some of the various photos placed throughout Muddlepie.

If you’re looking for another weblog to add to your list of daily reads, or just feel like getting to know a complete stranger from the world wide web a little bit better, than I’d definitely recommend visiting Muddlepie. You’ll find a very casual weblog that’s easy to read, and chances are you’ll find yourself wanting to know more and more about Dana and all that’s behind Muddlepie.

muddlepie.net

The first thing I see on visiting whisper.com is an IE script error. And another. And another. Infact I had to click through 18 errors in total to even begin reading the site. Not a good start.

If whisper.com has archives, I couldn’t find them. This gives me very few entries to review, since Wednesday 23rd October, 2002. There are a few links, a couple of pictures, and some jokes. The only information about the blogger, nwp, is that they signed up with British Gas…

The design is nothing amazing, and it is hard to distinguish between individual entries, as there are no titles, and the ‘posted by’ information is the same colour as the main text. There doesn’t seem to be any other pages of the site – only external links to well known memes.

In conclusion, this blog might be an interesting read, but without archives, you are left with the impression that it is rather boring, linking to well known sites and not much else. whiper.com

Please note: the URL for Serial Deviant has changed to http://www.serialdeviant.org/

Serial Deviant is a clean place. It’s mostly white, but not so white that you can smell the hospital disinfectant. The rotating photographic banner gives a clue that the writer has a funny view on life. The white layout and the clean design point toward crisp writing. And first impressions are often correct – I was right on both accounts.

Serial Deviant is about the author’s life and opinions. There are many links to new stories or quirkies, and the author does so in an interesting way. The writing is good – it flows well, uses good grammar, spelling and punctuation, and keeps the readers attention. I think the thing that comes through in Serial Deviant is the author’s honesty. She’s either a very good liar or she just comes off as someone who doesn’t screen her feelings.

The design is simple and clean. I have nothing else to say except that the minimalist design fits the writing style incredibly well. It’s the highest compliment to say that I can’t imagine this journal with a different design. The only thing I could possibly complain about is that an entire month of entries post to one page. That could be problematic for some people. And entries post newest at the top of the page, so it makes reading the entries in order somewhat difficult.

Serial Deviant has a good About page, as well as 100 Things – I felt like I got to know the author a little bit better, which made reading her journal even better. The journal has some interesting site projects – the author has kept entries relating to quitting smoking in a special section and her wonderful essays are collected, as well. She also has a photo section and a mini-blog about her reading list.

I heartily recommend Serial Deviant to anyone who likes reading journals for the sake of seeing things from another person’s perspective. Sure, you’ll find some news and fun links, but the strength of Serial Deviant is in the author’s viewpoint.
serialdeviant.org(y)

I have a special place in my heart for all things French. Call me a Francophone if you will, but when you spend all of High School and college with French as your language you grow to like it. (And hate it at the same time, I might add.)

With this said, the first thing which drew me to Continuez-Moi was the French title. While this has not always been a good way to find a quality art experience (like the time I ended up at a Je Suis France concert with out knowing what to expect, an error I will not repeat the second time I see them), Continuez-Moi comes through in the clutch.

First off, the site is actually Continuez-Moi Deviner (which means “continue to guess me” in French), which appeals to my soft, artsy “I’m-going-to-go-sip-coffee-at-a-coffee-shop” side. Clever, witty, and French. But the name is not the only nifty thing to be found on the site. The Weblog itself is your slightly-above average Journalistic weblog, which is always refreshing. Granted, this is no bluishorange.com, but very few Weblogs are. On the other hand, the writer is very competent and provides the reader with posts that transcend mundane everyday life. Yes, you get to think some with this weblog rather than finding out the writer ended up doing two loads of laundry as opposed to one.

The layout provides an interesting aspect to the site, as well. For those of us viewing with a large screen resolution, you might want to resize it so that the table of contents is just to the right of the pictures on the left side. Regardless, it is an interesting design with a good color system and great images. It works well as a nice and compact site.

The Weblog has the usual “Bio,” “Pictures,” “Links,” and “Contact” section as well. What is unique about this Weblog, however, is the inclusion of the writer’s MP3s. Yes, the author doesn’t just write a Weblog, she writes music. This is an interesting first for me to find a Weblog with the author’s music also included in the content. I found it quite refreshing and enjoyed most of it (her musical tastes being similar to my own and all).

So, in summation, Continuez-Moi Deviner is an easily above average Weblog that will entertain a wide variety of folks, looks good, and reads well. Not only that, but the author isn’t a bad musician, either. This site is definitely worth a look.

Continuez-Moi

Saying I don’t follow the political arena isn’t exactly accurate. I do know who “won” the Presidential election in ’00, but that’s as far as my Democrat or Republican roots are sewn. That didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying and getting a great deal of knowledge from the Rhetorica Press.

For starters, the design was something I really liked. While the layout used is a simple one, I liked it. The unnecessary graphics or obtrusive colors that often hinder the appearance of a site were nowhere to be found. Instead, you find the color combination of white, black, and a teal green – calm, but yet bold colors.

The typical entry consists of a link to any number of various outside news sources. Then, Dr. Cline follows that up with either a direct quote from the linked article and more often than not, we’re treated to short synopsis of his opinion regarding the issue at hand.

Andrew Cline, the webmaster and author of this weblog, has a PhD in English. This fact alone should tell you that the writing style is impeccable. Even the political numskull, like me, is able to follow along, easily grasping the thought that Dr. Cline is trying to convey.

This weblog certainly isn’t for everybody. You won’t connect on much of a personal level with Dr. Cline, but that doesn’t seem to be the approach taken with the Rhetorica Press journal. You will, however, come away from reading the site with more knowledge in politics than you had before you visited.Rhetorica: