The Ominous Comma
Blog: The Ominous Comma
Type: Humor
The funny thing about humor blogs is that they usually aren’t. Funny, that is. And I don’t blame the perpetrators; it is, after all, a rare talent to be amusing in print, most attempts ending in a strained and embarrassing jokiness that is painful to read. Of all those that I have begun reading (I rarely finish them), The Ominous Comma stands out as a valiant effort.
I would not say that the blog is hilarious but it has the power to grant an occasional wry smile; and that is success indeed in a genre that is characterized mostly by a painful grimace. The writer, Brent Diggs, has a rather more subtle style than the sledgehammers so common in this arena and his wit tends to the surrealist end of the spectrum. Indeed, it is appropriate that I found a reference to Monty Python buried within a post, a suitable homage to the standard bearer of such humor in the seventies. A paragraph may serve as an example of Brent’s style:
“Doctor Toboggans has been mercifully absent the last couple of weeks, having received a complementary trip to Australia from one of his clients in order to swim with the legendary great white sharks along the Barrier Reef. Unfortunately for us, it seems that the sharks were on a low arrogance diet and so our fine physician has returned to Comma headquarters in one piece, refreshed and ready to inflict more insight upon an unsuspecting world.”
This Doctor Toboggans seems to surface from time to time as one reads and leads me to suspect that the blog is also character-driven, an added benefit to the general surrealism, if true (I have not read extensively enough as yet to decide on this one but the signs are good). All in all, the result is a blog I can recommend.
The design is excellent, surprisingly tasteful for a humor blog. Muted colors, tans and browns, and a simple but clear layout is the basis of a very good-looking blog. It all seems too good to be true – let me see if I can think of a constructive criticism.
Ah, yes, the home page. It is a portal more than anything else, offering a choice of routes into the various categories. And I don’t like this, preferring to know whether what I am reading is recent or an early entry. It’s a personal thing, I know, but I really can’t think of anything else to moan about.
Now that has to be good, doesn’t it?
Mahmood’s Den
Blog: Mahmood’s Den
Type: Personal/Political
Generally, Blog Read’s intent is to discover lesser known blogs of excellence but occasionally we will point at more famous blogs because they genuinely are very good. And Mahmood’s Den is a blog that stands out as deserving of its popularity.
I first discovered Mahmood many months ago and was immediately captivated by his easy style and manner. A Bahraini national and resident, he is cultured, educated, has a superb writing style and is the perfect antidote for those prejudiced against all things Arab. It is a stated aim of his to show others that not all Arabs are determined upon world domination and it is clear that he is succeeding; his blog and other websites have a huge following, no doubt all attracted by his level-headed thinking and openness to new things.
There is a certain laid-back, slightly wry feeling to Mahmood’s blog, perfectly encapsulated in his photograph contained within the header. A man who can smile at the world as he does has things to teach us all. It is easy to be completely at home with Mahmood’s gentle philosophy, to feel welcome in the pages of his blog.
As for design, he gets that spot on too, in common with many Arab blogs and websites. He uses a clean and simple two-column framework with muted, desert colors entirely appropriate to his themes. And the header is a compilation of all that we imagine of the Arab world, cleverly merged into an attractive first resting place for the eye. It is a professional’s blog, a demonstration of how simplicity will always defeat the extravaganzas of color, animation and curlicue so beloved of those trying to make an impact.
This is a blog that should be read by all who have an opinion on international politics today; not because Mahmood has earth-shattering revelations on such high flown things but because he allows us to see the diversity of all peoples and the insanity of some of our prejudices. If his blog has a message it is: we are all human and isn’t it wonderful?
How badly we are in need of that message at times.
Harry McFry Investigates
Blog: Harry McFry Investigates
The Case of the Missing Family
Type: Fiction
You don’t have to tell me – I know. Fiction published in blogs is almost invariably so awful that I rarely get past the first paragraph. But note that word “almost” there; just occasionally one stumbles upon a rare jewel that flashes through the surrounding dross. Today I found such a gem.
The blog in point is Harry McFry Investigates, a delight at first sight that continues to deliver as one delves deeper. Wryly humorous, it combines the detective genre and, amazingly, the study of genealogy into a thoroughly delicious read. Make no mistake, reading a book on a computer monitor is no mean feat and it takes true dedication or excellent writing to hold the viewer’s attention. McFry delivers and I should warn you that following the advice to begin at Chapter 1 is dangerous; the book is habit-forming (and up to Chapter 137 already).
In part, the author, one Thomas Hamburger Jnr. (hmmm), achieves this through knowing his medium. The chapters are short, just the right length to persuade one to read the next before clicking onward. And the blog design is apt, muted and unobtrusive, allowing the text to remain the central focus. This is a very clever bit of blogging.
It is also a pleasure to read anything written by someone who knows his grammar – I cannot count the number of blogs I have despaired of through their constant misuse of words and the humble apostrophe. Maybe I’m a snob but, if you’re going to publish something to be read by all and sundry, you should at least check to see that it contains no glaring errors. No flies on McFry or Hamburger on this score.
And that really is the power of this blog – it is a complete conception, a delicate balance between fact and fiction, a dweller between two apparently unrelated worlds. The whole thing is just too beautiful for words.
In fact, enough of my pontificating! Do yourself a favor and click on the title up there to enter the mysterious world of Harry McFry!
Rollo’s News-sense
Offbeat News
Awash in the sea of news blogs, Rollo brings a sense of humor to the stories of the day, looking at the news through his own uniquely skewed perspective. Rollo says he makes sense of the news and a nuisance of himself but we found his articles to be irreverent and amusing, voicing the questions we all want to ask. Sometimes, things are not what they seem.
Blogs about news are often too serious, too taken with agendas and opinions. Rollo takes no sides and takes no prisoners. Whether writing about eggplants containing messages from God or insane celebrity baby names, Rollo brings you the news that will make you smile instead of wince. It’s news that is enjoyable and readable.
Blog Reads recommends adding Rollo’s News-sense to your daily news reads as well as your blog-reading list.
