Daily Kos

If you've been on the 'net a long time, you've heard of The Daily Kos:

www.dailykos.com/

Of course, as a conservative Republican, I disagree with pratically everything on it. So I should not comment about content, only that, it's wrong.

In keeping with progressive tradition, it's quite easy for someone to post something. Which creates a problem. How can a right winger like me be prevented from putting my propaganda on it, which is out of place? Or, how can a smart right winger like me put kooky positions in support of their positions - but use arguments that really - and I mean really - discredit's their position? There's no screening. I signed up to become a contributor, quite easily - although I have to wait a week.

What Daily Kos says, often becomes gospel on the left. So of course it's an important site. And this alone would grant it an "A" automatically.

However, there is a big weakness to it. Archives. It is difficult to locate an archive on a specific topic. One has to keep scrolling back. Even on Blogger it's much easier locating archives. So the grade has to be downgraded somewhat.

Grade: A-

You have got to be kidding me

What happens when you take a Democrat, and put him in North Dakota? Think about it - putting two bad things together? Look at this blog:

anangrydakotademocrat.blogspot.com/

This is called, well, An Angry Dakota Democrat. Pathetic? Yes. So if you put two negatives together, you get a positive, like in math, right? As you know the proverb, two wrongs don't make a right. And it is certainly true here.

As you know, I am a Republican. I don't like Democrats. I can bash Democrats all day long. So I need not do so.

Instead, I will bash North Dakota.

Ever been there? If you answer "no" like most of America, you aren't missing anything. I went there in 1980, when I was 9. That probably will be the last time I will go back there. There is absolutely nothing to see there, except for the badlands, and Teddy Roosevelt's ranch. I saw both, so no need to return.

My grandma came from there to Seattle about 1936. She still thinks the place is wonderful. But she never returned (as a resident). Kinda shows how wonderful it is, huh? I went to the family farm, and all I remember is that there was so little water, due to the drought, one could not take a bath. And the distant relative, about my age, was wearing a "Grease" t-shirt, all the time, that was greasy - because it had not been washed. Ok, someone who married into my family to get the farm - long story. Anyways, the farm is long outside the family, and is probably leased. It is near Makoti, which really is not a place where you would want to go.

My grandma still thinks so highly of the place that she gave me a "Scenes from North Dakota" calender a few years ago. You know how most scenery calenders have pretty scenes from around the state (or city)? Well, this one doesn't. I am not making this up. It was twelve ugly scene of this hellhole. Anyways, it sat around my house, until my brother from Colorado came, and saw it sitting around, and asked if he could have it because he had no wall calender - and I let him have it (why through something useful out, no matter how ugly)?

Before I go, his assessment of high gas prices is wrong - it is all supply and demand. And this ignoramus thinks ANWAR oil will last only three months? This is the first time I have heard a figure this low - not even National Geographic has this low a figure, which is increasingly becoming an anti-ANWAR pro-global warming exists propaganda rag.

In sum, I do not have a high opinion of this blog, and grade it accordingly

Grade: C-

Sunthing

Here is a blog that you are lying if you say you understand everything in it:

sunthing.blogspot.com/

This is a blog of a chick who writes mostly in her native language, which is either Turkish, or Hungarian, or Finnish, or Swedish, or Mongolian. I have no clue. It isn't something I recognize.

Her blog is devoted to showcasing her literary talents. And she does a clever job with mixing pictures and her postings. Unfortunately, I cannot read most of it, but sometimes she posts in English.

At one time, there was a nomenclature in the literary world where one would have to write stories in journals (that no one would read), work you way up in the journal world, and eventually you would be able to start writing novels to be published. Which largely do not sell - unless you were Stephen King, or Danielle Steele, or another big-name author. Now, there's blogs. She might have a future and become some kind of national literary hero, like Shakespeare, or Pushkin.

One other thing - notice the cursor becomes a sun as you move it around.

Overall a good blog, even though I have not a clue what she is talking about. But I guess Turks need to have someone write blogs for them, too.

Grade: A

What the fuck???

In my first post, I noted that Iconoclast (klucko.blogspot.com) was the greatest blog ever created. You would be insane to disagree.

If you read this blog, it was something else, and changed to Iconoclast. There was no knowledge of this blog, so plagiarism cannot be credibly alleged (plus, the url is klucko, the internet name of the greatest and most wonderful person on the internet):

iconoclast.blogspot.com

This is called "Iconoclastic ramblings". It is awful.

First, there is nothing iconoclastic on here. It just states a bit of crazy leftwing theory - and the left today is really presenting nothing that really challenges the status quo - well, it does, but he does not present it.

Plus, there are only eight posts. While this is fine for a new blog, this blog started during the Clinton administration. Before the election 2000 fiasco. And, there is almost a four year gap in the postings.

The key here is incompleteness. Over a four year time you should have a lot more in the blog. While he might have discontinued in 2000 or 2001 (there is even a huge gap between that year) he obviously forgot it and decided to use it again. As it is incomplete, with no clear direction, or content for that matter, I will give it the grade such incompleteness deserves.

Grade: F

Historic Computer Images

Today I go into a blog that is about computer history:

ftp.arl.army.mil/ftp/historic-computers/

I am old enough where the terms "computer" and "history" are oxymoronic.

This tells about the early days of computers. I think it's kinda interesting. Shows how much computer technology has changed. In fact, it is said there is more computing power in one of those musical birthday cards than was in the whole world prior to 1950.

Not on the site is the "future" of home computing, circa 1954. Is the steering wheel the device the mouse replaced? Oh yea - Fortran being easy? I remember that when I was in Russia in 1994, that is what they were using for their school computers - when we were way beyond that (and ten years before this) - but somehow they all have become hacking experts.























Grade: A-

Human Rights in Illinois

Here is a site focused on gun rights, largely in the state of Illinois:

concealcarry.org/

While having the URL of a traditional website, it is a blog. Devoted to gun rights, although it sometimes gets off topic and is more of a conservative punditry site.

Given that the mainstream media is almost uniformily anti-gun, this proves that the new media outlets have to provide the fodder for pro-gun positions. People have an irrational fear of guns - "because they are designed to kill" (well, duh!) - so they wish to ban all of them. However, those whose activism is focused primarily on anti-gun efforts take the most dishonest position for almost any group of activists on any issue. Both pro-lifers and pro-choicers have more honest arguments, both pro-death penality and anti-death penalty people have more honest arguments, both single-payer advocates and traditional free-enterprise health care advocates have more honest arguments. The only people who are more dishonest are communists. And no, the anti-global warming crowd is not being dishonest, because much data that would support their position is being suppressed, and no honest debate has had the opportunity to present itself here.

So, despite the fact that statistics show that armed societies are much safer than disarmed societies, the gun-grabbers choose to ignore all this data and insist on grabbing our guns. Actually, they lie. They first demand registration, saying it will not lead to confiscation. Once that is done, they push for confiscation. They abuse their trust, millions of gun-owners know this, which is why the NRA is one of the largest advocacy groups in this nation. And, intestingly, while the left advocates for human rights and social justice, they ignore the fact that depriving one of the means for self defense is a gross human rights violation (de-clawing cats is considered an animal-rights violation), and an oppressed, armed populace is in the best position to correct social injustice.

Now, enough of my own advocacy. I return to reviewing the blog. This site only provides anectodal stories. Nothing new is revealed. We pro-gunners already know the arguments. Other groups, like the NRA and Jews for the Protection of Firearms Ownership, do a much better job of providing arguments in their literature.

Also, too narrowly focused on Illinois. Illinois is one of the most anti-gun states - one still cannot get a concealed carry permit here, and it has some sort of registration, and it has gun-control advocacy politicians (as opposed to anti-gun politicians who merely provide a vote for the anti-gun position). And yet again, I get alerts from the NRA telling everything that is bad regarding Blagojevich and mayor Daley. The NRA does a better job.

Thus, despite my agreement with the position of this blog, it is not really that good of a blog, other organizations do a better job at presenting all the arguments, and I must give it a lower grade than I would really like to.

Grade: C+

Blooks

Like this blog, here is another blog that has to do with blogs themselves:

selfpublishblook.blogspot.com/

Until now, I had never heard of a "blook". Hmmm...I must still be back in the stone ages, now known as the 20th century.

He describes this site, titles as "Self-Published Blooks", as:

"Blogs are like water, books are like stones, two are different media forms for our creativities. This is my project to document how to turn our blogs into books, or 'blooks' "

Apparently, this is a site that is still in development, as the author keeps providing information, for those who want to publish the stuff they put on blogs.

Having been reviewing these things over the past month, I can say that most blogs should not be published as books, because much of what is in the blogosphere is garbage. Anything with less than a "B" grade should not be published. Most blogs involve either a. Personal Observations that have little interest to 99.9% of the population; b. Uninformed and uneducated opinions about politics, sports, etc., c. Somebody who is too cheap to pay the $150 to "Go Daddy" to get a real website so they have to advertize their stuff on Blogger instead, d. pictures about ones boring, ordinary life (which should not be published until you are maybe 85 years old), e. juvenile postings, or f. other reasons I cannot think about right now.

Nevertheless, there are some blogs that are focused on a single topic that interests it's own niche. I note that in today's post, there are seven types of blogs, according to Nora Paul of the Institute for New Media Studies, but she ignores the rare blogs that are not focused on a community, but are topically focused, that do not fit in one of the seven categories.

This site is not for everyone. It is, however, for those who engage in blogging. Despite the fact that there is a publishing overload, this is a useful resource to get those bloggers to reach a greater audience with their blogs are. There is a clear need out there for this blog.

Grade: A