My ELO experiences...a lot of these were kind of odd...

1.) DREIER, by Klaus-dieter Michel (self-published, 1998). Short nonfiction in English. Animated text, prominent graphics, hypertext, and reader collaboration.

This site was pretty bizarre. In a project called “Dreier” the creator combines 12 images on the lefthand side of the page with 298 test fragments of 3 letters at a time so that the sentences you are supposed to read are all chopped up. At the end of the piece you are asked to write what you thought the text was trying to convey to the reader. Due to the fast pace of the text and my concentrating on trying to put the letters together so quickly, I am left with only a headache, and a vague notion that the text had something to do with sexuality and opportunity. This page could have been improved if the text were slowed down, but the overall idea of combining the text and visual elements simultaneously was interesting.

2.) What Goes Around, by Mark Weiman (Born Magazine, 1998). Short nonfiction in English. Video/animation, prominent graphics, and hypertext.

This one was pretty fun to read. The text of the page deals with a man who has his bike stolen, and the measures he takes toward getting his beloved bike back. The story was very well written and held my attention until the very end of the piece. The only thing I was disappointed in where the graphics (or lack there of). The graphics consisted of 5 or 6 pictures in the upper lefthand corner that changed every 5 seconds or so. When I first came to the page I was unclear if they were meant to tie in with the text I was supposed to be reading at that moment in time or not. However, though a little lackluster visually, I really enjoyed this page!

3.) Imaginary Post Office, by Randy Adams (self-published, January 1999). Long nonfiction in English. Prominent graphics and hypertext.

This site was kind of amusing. It was created as a part of the Imaginary Countries Project. It includes fake stamps and postcards by people who choose to contribute to the site. The stamps were a lot more interesting than any real stamps that I’ve seen, and the postcards had random insights and experiences written by imaginary people. I was kind of unsure what the point of this project was, but the site was well put together.

4.) In My Hysterical Opinion, by Raquel Rivera and Jeannette Lambert (self-published, 1998). Collection of nonfiction in English. Audio and hypertext.

This site includes individual book and movie reviews. The introduction is written in a very clever way, and the reviews were fun to read. However, the site didn’t include the audio component that the description had spoken of. Additionally, I would have appreciated more graphics and color. I did enjoy how witty the writing was, however. (I’m such an English major!)

5.) Attributed Text, by Jon Thomson and Alison Craighead (self-published, March 1998). Short nonfiction in English. Hypertext.

This one was really short…and seemed kind of pointless. The hypertext pieces only had 3-4 sentences to each of them. Although the writing was insightful, and the graphics went well with the pieces, they left me with a lingering feeling of being unsure what I should take from the page.