Review Bunker is a review blog where the goal is simply to review everything. Below are the latest reviews. In the About section you can read more about this blog and it's author. Comments are always appreciated, so if you've got something to say, please feel free!
Welcome to Review Bunker!
Archive for November, 2007
This is a “blog feedback” post. To learn more about my blog feedback category, please visit the Blog Feedback section. Below are a few reviews of other blogs. I would like to thank the blog owners for submitting their blogs for reviews.
Blog #1:
The Life of Rolly Dollar
http://rollydollar.wordpress.com/
First Impressions: Very blue. I like the theme, it is simple, and easy to follow, but maybe too blue. If you are up for it, maybe try to change the title text, links, or something on the page to a complimentary color, just to break it up a bit.
Reading the blog title, “The Life of Rolly Dollar” I immediately think to myself, “personal journal blog” - but upon further investigation, I find this blog is meant to be much more than that (as stated in the About page); because some people aren’t interested in journal blogs you might lose some visitors because of this title - I suggest possibly using a sub-title to help clarify what people will find here, and what to expect before they read further.
Aesthetics: As I mentioned before, the blue is a little overpowering, but I do like this theme, I think it works well for the content - it is calming. One thing that you aren’t able to do with this theme though, is provide a custom header image. Sometimes the best way to make your blog stand out from the crowd immediately is a great header. I realize this blog is new, and things might not be settled yet, but definitely look into the header possibilities.
I appreciate the fact that the sidebars are not cluttered, you have no useless badges or buttons to distract the eye, and it is a very clean look - works nicely.
Content: I find it a little odd that you are hosting guest posts so soon in this blog’s lifespan, but I understand that guest blogging is a part of this blog’s design, and I think it works.
I like the conversation style of the posts - some of the post content makes me want to know more about the author - it would be nice if you could include a bit more about yourself in the “About” section, but I understand that a lot of people aren’t comfortable doing this.
You might find building an audience a little harder as time goes on, because of the wide scope of subjects that you cover, but your traffic seems good so far, so you must be doing something right.
Overall: You seem to be off to a good start, and I imagine things will evolve nicely for you - keep up the good work Rolly.
Blog #2
Gusland.com
http://www.gusland.com
First Impressions: My first though was, “Blogged is a weird word”. My second though was, “who is Joakim?” Of course, to answer this question, the first thing I did was click on the “About / Contact” link, hoping to read about “Joakim” - but unfortunately there is no info provided. Maybe tell us a bit about yourself, or change your sub-title.
Aesthetics: I like the theme, it is simple and organized, but I don’t think the header fits this blog at all. It seems like a generic picture of the woods, with the blog URL stamped on top. I also don’t like the fact that the header is being overlapped by a search box in the top right corner. Maybe if you put a bit more effort and time into this header, and you might have a great visual hook to keep visitors on the site for a bit longer.
Your sidebars are very cluttered. It is my tendency to ignore everything in the sidebars, including the useful stuff, when they are as cluttered as these. You might want to try your best to remove some of the unnecessary stuff, and possibly consolidate your ad space.
I appreciate the fact that your ads aren’t overwhelming.
Content: These blog posts aren’t thrilling, but some of what you write is interesting. There is an odd blend of personal diary style posts, video clips, and blog tips. It is my impression that you don’t necessarily have a focus for what you write - I suggest that you try to narrow down your niche, and limit your topics.
Also, it may just be me, but I find that video posts are just filler - I personally never watch videos posted on blogs - possibly consider stopping or limiting your video clip posts.
Overall: With a little work I think you could easily make your blog more appealing to the casual visitor - make sure they know what to expect right off the bat with a better header, and stay focused on a few topics.
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Not only does it have one of the worst fast food names in the history of the world (and that’s with Taco Bell’s stiff competition), Subway’s “Big Hot Pastrami” sandwich isn’t all that great either. I love pastrami, and I’m no stranger to Subway - I find that it is a cheap and somehow healthier feeling fast food choice than something like McDonalds (even if it’s not *really* healthier after adding bacon, ranch, and honey mustard to my sandwich, I can still feel healthier eating it). So, because I love pastrami, and Subway can be relied on to make a decent sandwich, I decided to try out their new pastrami offering.
Their posters proclaim that you will receive a half a pound of meat when you order a footlong “Big Hot Pastrami”, and it does come with a lot of meat, but what the poster doesn’t tell you is that the meat is thickly cut, very fatty, and not as flavorful as it should be. I went with swiss cheese and spicy mustard on my sandwich, just the way I like it, but the pastrami just didn’t live up to the quality that I was expecting. There is something magical about deli meats when they have been sliced thinly and piled graciously onto a sandwich, and this sandwich was not only missing the thinly sliced pastrami, it was also a jumbled messy pile - no grace involved. While some fat can be expected in pastrami, the meat I received on my sandwich had an excess of chewy fat, which rendered many of the pieces on my sandwich inedible.
Another downside to this disappointing sandwich is the price increase. Subway sandwiches seem to generally range between $3 and $4 for a 6-inch, but this one might actually top out the menu with a price tag well over $4. I guess when you are adding a decent amount of meat to a sandwich for a change, it’s only natural to pass the cost onto the customer, even if the meat is of the lowest quality.
The one redeeming quality about this sandwich was the fact that it was toasted perfectly, making the sandwich nice and hot the way it should be served; unfortunately, this did not save my meal, and I didn’t even finish it off. Luckily I had a bag of nice healthy potato chips to fill the void this sandwich left in my stomach. I don’t plan to order this sandwich from Subway again, but hopefully in the future they come out with better quality selections.
Flavor: 
3/5
3/5
Meat Quality: 1/5
Texture: 1/5
Price: 2/5
Overall Rating:
Anyone else like pastrami? What did you think of this sandwich?
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We moved almost a month ago into a new rental house - naturally, the “office” is still a disaster - all of the extra moving boxes, and all of my disorganized computer paraphernalia is stashed in there, awaiting my organization efforts. Unfortunately, this new place has a lot less closet and storage space inside than our old place, but it does have an outside storage shed.
In an effort to better organize all of my stuff in the storage shed I decided to find some good quality storage boxes for cheap. I was able to pick up a package of ten “bankers boxes” at Walmart for $12. This type of box is exactly what I had in mind. I like the fact that they have a nice lid and handles on the sides, and $12 was definitely within my budget.
Putting the boxes together was very simple - the lid is attached, but is perforated and easily detached - each box has visual directions printed on it, showing how to fold the flaps to properly put the boxes together; after the first one or two, I knew exactly what I was doing. No tools or other accessories were required for putting them together. I was able to put all the boxes together in about 5-10 minutes. The boxes seem incredibly sturdy, and all ten are in good condition.
As an included bonus, a postcard was included in the packaging proclaiming “WIN $500″ - all I had to do for an entry in this drawing was fill out a simple survey about my box purchase online - which actually ended up inspiring this review. I’ll make sure to tell you all when I win the $500 :)
Quality: 5/5
5/5
Ease of Assembly: 5/5
Price: 4/5
Overall Rating: 
Check these boxes out if you are in need of a bit of organization yourself, and wish me good luck on my ongoing project.
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A really good friend of mine just finished putting together a header image for this blog, and I have just finished getting it settled into position. I also tweaked the theme a bit as well, to help make it better fit the new header. Have a look and tell me what you think, I am sure he would love some feedback on this awesome work of art, and I would love to know your thoughts on how well it personifies this blog, and whether the theme matches the header. Things are starting to shape up as far as the theme is concerned, I am getting colors down, and working on customizing how things are displayed, I imagine I will have it in a “final” stage within the next week. In the mean time, keep an eye out for more reviews!
New Header: 5/5
5/5
Thanks Andy!
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I recently moved into a new rental house that does not come with a microwave, a convenience that was luckily provided by my last apartment (even if the one they provided was 20 years old and leaking dangerous cancer causing radiation all over my kitchen, it was nice to have). Being an essential component of any lazy man’s kitchen ensemble, I was unfortunately forced to buy myself a new microwave. After quickly scanning craigslist, I decided to forget the minefield of trying to buy a used one, and instead my girlfriend and I headed over to Walmart to get something cheap.
Not wanting a piece of junk, but at the same time not wanting to break the bank, we ended up with an Emerson 1000W Microwave for about $60. It is model number MW8119SB. It has a sleek outside design, with stainless steel trim, and black plastic. One thing I noticed after the first day of use is that it is easily smudged, and even un-greasy fingers seem to leave marks on the stainless steel - not a good thing for someone with a mild case of cleaning-OCD. Beyond the smudge problem, this is a very modern looking microwave that does a great job of looking good.
Of course the most important question is, does the MW8119SB heat up food efficiently? The answer, thankfully, is yes, it is so much better at heating than my old microwave that I am having to re-learn how long to put things in for. Also, I am happy to have something new that I can be somewhat confident doesn’t leak radiation - although I have yet to test it out (is it true that if a cell phone gets a signal inside a microwave it has radiation leaks?).
The only thing that I really do not like about this microwave are the controls. I am so used to having an “add 30 seconds” button that every time I go to use this microwave, I am momentarily baffled as I search for the button, only to be disappointed. Also, when pressed, the buttons are just a fraction of a second slower at responding than any other microwave I have ever used, and it is a little bit off-putting to have a machine move slower than your fingers. The box claims that this microwave has 6 “one-touch” settings, but I have yet to figure them out, and I dread having to find where I put the manual in order to look it up.
Although I haven’t had this microwave long enough to know for sure, it seems pretty well built, and I think it will last longer than average in today’s built-to-break appliance culture, but I guess only time will tell. So, on to the ratings,
Cooking Ability: 4/5
4/5
Controls: 1/5
Appearance: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Overall Rating:
So, do you need a new microwave?
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