Category: Uncategorized

The design at AtariGirl is suitably in keeping with her obvious interests; the logo is exactly 80’s console, and the pixelated graphics continue the theme of retro looks and squeezing as much code into a few bytes as possible.



The only strange part is the list of favourite Nintendo games in her bio. Nintendo? Didn’t they have something to do with the death of Atari (my history might be off, of course).



Retro gaming is remembered with nostalgic overtones, but it is worth considering for a moment why it is that the previous generations of games are so loved.



They certainly don’t compare graphically to their offspring, but the most important reason for their continued success is their playability, and the continued enjoyment that players take from console antiquity. Sure, they looked poor on the whole, pixelated graphics and a handful of colour, but there was heart there that even the most glamorous of modern games lack.



By now I hope that you have derived my point, and are on your way to the site.Atarigirl

The stresses of the A-Level Tests. You have to feel sorry for those who have to takes these tests because it’s obvious and clear that it’s stressful to take them and then to see the results. Alex, who had to go through this along with thousands of other kids from the UK, spoke about how much of an impact these tests have on his life and where it will lead him.



Alex talked a lot about this test results and what he hopes to study later on in the future. In one lengthy post, he said he was reading a book on American and British politics and posted a quote which was geared towards the current US President, George W. Bush which was stated by comedian, Lily Tomlin: 98% of the people in this country are decent, hard-working, honest Americans. It’s the other lousy 2% that get all the publicity. But then – we elected them. I found that as a pretty accurate statement, I living in US, hehe.



Despite the fact there weren’t any archives to sort through — his site’s going through some changes — he did have some good stuff today. One thing I liked a lot which he said as a result of his tests: [it’s] the most important day of our life so far, the next 3 years of our lives will be decided on the events of today and it seems unfair that some will succeed where others fail. Even thought he’s talking about his results, you can pretty much apply this to any life changing moment, like graduating, starting a family, getting married or anything else which has a lot of meaning to you.



His site is nice and simple with just some links to other weblogs and cute little “Yoshi’s Land” icons which was done by a fellow friend of his who altered his site a bit saying, “It’s influenced by two major interests of my life at the momment [sic], Dawson’s Creek (the title font) and Yoshi’s Island (the various little sprite images).”



My only beef with the site is it would have been nice to see some archives. Over all it’s a pretty good site.

The Secret World of an Average Guy

This was the first non-personal weblog I have reviewed. It was definitely a new challenge. It took me a few minutes to figure out what I was looking at, but it turned out to be an informational site for people in the Phillipines regarding Internet law, news, and technology.



The website is run by Marvin Aceron, a lawyer in the Phillipines who seems to be “for the people”. With political weblog entries, such as a call for boycotting the two telephone companies, he appears to be making a statement. People in the Phillipines may find this to be a very useful site, as it contains a lot of pertinent information for anyone needing to know about their rights, the law, and legal council.



The design of the site is a little unorthodox for what you might expect out of a “news” site; not necessarliy a bad thing, but it threw me at first. I wish there had been a little more up-front information about the site to clue me in as to what it was about without having to dig so deep. I would certainly recommend the site to anyone in the Phillipines, and to anyone else who might be interested in a glipmse into things you would normally never think about.What’s new at MBAceron.com

The layout was simple yet effective, but saying that I had to change my screen size to get its full effect, my main criticism of the design is that it doesn’t look good in anything but 800 x 600 also there is no requirements which would make it easier to see how the page is best viewed.



I spent a while reading and re-reading entries to try and get a better idea of where they were coming from, I found them interesting to read, however I found the first few I read were all abut “clearing homework” which I felt was slightly boring.

The entries are clearly meant to give you a detailed insight into his life, and don’t focus on linking people in each post.



A pretty average blog with what you’d expect from a 16-year-old boy.

rossfleming.co.uk : the blog :

What a distinctly original site! The emphasis on family happenings provides a welcomed break from all the angsty teenage melodrama that dominates many weblogs.



While some might equate a “family” theme with “boring”, there is a certain quaintness here that sucked me in and engaged me emotionally. I cared when I read that the boys’ (her children) pet hamster died.



The color scheme is girly but passable. I’m really not a fan of gray backgrounds – especially when the text on top of it is a lighter shade of gray. The left-hand vertical bar (where most of the text is) is too narrow to read comfortably. It makes the eyes jump down a line after every 3 or 4 words. Not good.



The photography section is a real treat. The author has a very skilled hand and a nice digital camera. It shows. The subjects generally fall within the “nature and domestic life” category.



The intended audience is for their family to keep tabs on the boys, but I suspect this site will appeal to many many more.



fin.



webhussy