Maybe it’s just me, and maybe I’ve been around the block once or twice, but I’m starting to get a little tired of the same ol’ layouts. It could very well be a matter of being spoiled. I’ve seen and read a lot of blogs that have these unique designs and layouts, and the ones that I’ve seen what feels like a hundred times put a sour taste in my mouth. However, being the unbiased reviewer that I try to be, I’m not going to let this get to me, though, I won’t lie… the content will have to wow the hell out of me. *crosses fingers* I can only hope that it will.
A lot of the earlier entries revolve around the war and the thoughts on some of the things going on at the time. It’s not necessarily boring, but they seem a little redundant. It’s nice to see the progression from someone who doesn’t know anything about HTML to using it a little more as you get to more recent entries. The entries are thought filled, but they’re not personal. There’s a lot of “sharing” of information that’s already out there, which makes me wonder if the site isn’t more of a News/Links site as opposed to a personal site. The more you read the more you’ll see that the author changes and progresses to be more talkative of his own thoughts on subject matter, as opposed to just posting about them. The more recent entries show that the author has made leaps and bounds in learning how to integrate pictures with his posts, and like I said before, they do start to be more personalized. You get to read more about the author as you get to more recent entries, and you gain better access into his own thoughts and ideas on certain subjects.
I’ve made mention already to the design. It’s a typical layout. It’s one that many long time bloggers have seen over the course of the last few years. I actually remember the contest that spawned this particular layout. There’s nothing exceptional about the layout. There are many external links, some leading no where in particular and other’s that actually are quite interesting. This layout, of course, if functional, but I, personally, tire of seeing it. The archives work, which, is always a grand plus in my book.
There isn’t anything extraordinary about the site, nothing that reaches out and strikes me. I’m sure if I read from start to finish I’d find the explanation with regard to the monkey picture he has in his header. I’m sure I could even go in search of what the links at the bottom consist of, as it looks more like an ad that’s been placed down below. There is little mentioned about the author, at least not in the entries I’ve read, and having no about me page makes it even more difficult to understand some of the content.
Overall the site has a lot of potential. A little bit of coding creativity, some new colors, and possibly even a little blurb to understand who the author is. You gain more as you read, but it’s often difficult to decide between what to read and what to breeze over. You get a much better feel for the author’s humor in more recent entries, so if you find yourself venturing that way, enjoy the new stuff, as it will probably hold your attention fairly well. The Apple Coda