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Review
Page: Aero Zepplin's House of Soul
Author: Brian
Reviewer: Robert Brooks
Date: May
7, 1999
Introduction
I was surfing through some sites, looking for a decent page
to review. On one particular site, Aero Zepplin's House of Soul recieved
quite a bit of mention. I decided to check the site out, and what I ended up with is
reviewing this site. The site seems to be impressive -- let's just
hope I'm right. :)
Download Test
All browsers were
closed before the test.
Address for the main
page, or page that consists of contents, or the page that was viewed in the screenshot was
pasted in the testing browser.
Time was ended when the
browser stopped downloading.
U.S. Robotics
Practical Winmodem 56k installed during test.
Time shown in
minute/second format.
Read the Disclaimer
for more information.
| Browser |
Time |
| Internet
Explorer 5.0 |
0:15 |
| Neoplanet
2.1 |
0:15 |
| Netscape
4.05 |
0:14.5 |
| Opera
3.51 |
0:18 |
All of the browsers did a great job
downloading this page. Neoplanet, as you can expect, is similar in download time to
IE. Netscape's time was a bit of a suprise to me, but the score will really not make
a difference. You will hardly tell a difference using any browser. The only
differences, of course, a graphics.
Images - Total images: 3 Total bytes: 31,779
Image loading will take about:
|
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seconds @ 14.4 |
|
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seconds @ 28.8
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seconds @ 56K |
Disclaimer:
The connection test was done on a 56k Winmodem connected at 42k bps. Remember
download times will vary depending on your modem speed, browser, server of the page,
telephone line activity, and your internet service provide (ISP). This will not
guarantee that the page will download at the same rate on your computer as it does mine,
this is just an estimate.
Graphics
The download time was excellent, so what is in
the layout that causes the page to come right up in your browser? You can't get any
simpler than what this page has, that is, if you want to keep the same graphical and
layout quality. Except for Opera, the Java feature that the page has will work.
In Opera, it will be links instead. For the rest, all you need to do is move
the cursor over a selection, and it will give a brief summary about the section and the
contents that are in it.
If you happen to be an Opera user, fear not.
The layout looks quite similar to the rest of the browsers. The Java code
does not make that much of a difference -- although it is a nice feature, there are plenty
of other things to worry about than Java.
Click on image to enlarge
The layout on this page, as I have mentioned
before, is quite simple. You have a black background, a logo, links near the center,
and at the bottom a hit counter. The colors you will see on this page are red,
white, and black. On the subpages, you will get a Grunger's Corner feel to the
page. The layout is fine, but it would not hurt to lighten things up a bit.
The Page
This page mainly focuses on information, not multimedia.
There may be a few multimedia sections, however.
- Multimedia - A section that contains a picture of the week,
sounds, movies, and a font of the week. The first and the latter sections are self
exlamatory. There are eight movies in ".mov" format, the type of format
that is the standard in QuickTime. All of the files are
from Geffen's site. As for the sounds, you have
a total of 10 Real Audio files coming from mostly shows and jams. It is something
worth checking out.
- Links - More than Nirvana sites -- the amount of text links
for Nirvana sites are pretty good good and current. You also have Foo Fighters,
KORN, Hole, Bush, Beck, Marilyn Manson, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine and Rammstein,
MP3, micellaneous, and finally, links to record labels. You also have banner links,
which is pretty substantial as compared to the text section. There is also a section
for webrings as well. You also will find information about linking to the site.
- Nirvana Information - The information section does not seem to
have anything new or original, but it does have plenty of information. The lyrics
are pretty intresting, you have format that has frames. In the frames are the tracks
for each album in order, you click on the song and you will be anchored to it. There
are also other ways to get around by clicking on the album covers. You will find a
discography, and information about the Outseticide series. In the articles
section, there are nine articles such as liner notes and speeches. There are other
sections: seven interviews with Kurt, three interviews with Nirvana, and a review of an In
Utero tour show. In addition to the guitar tabs, you have a Nirvana
"tribute." Here you will find a "Where Are They Now"
personfication, as well as the Nirvana timeline. You finally have the song meanings,
info about the Jag-Stang, and the Nirvana Dictionary.
- Site Information - You will find updates the site has made, as
well as information about the author and the site. IMO, the "about" section is a
bit funny..
- The Nirvana Community - A new concept and an original section,
the most original one on the page. The Nirvana Parody section is where you submit
misinterpretations of songs. There is also a search feature that allows you to
search CDNow.com and use a search engine to search other websites. There is a
Credits and Thanks section, links to Bootleg pages, a members section, and the Top 3
Nirvana sites. The Top 3 sites are really like short reviews of pages. They
are scored in the following areas: creativity, originality, site format, useful
information, site graphics, and organization.
- Miscellaneous - This is more of a downloads section, although
it does contain some things such as a quiz and Dave's 10 drummer jokes. Other than
that, you have "essential" programs to get the most out of the multimedia part
of Nirvana pages (although Windows Media Player plays most formats).
- AZWWP Designs - Explained by the author, "Are you in need
of a new design for your page? Do you want a webpage for personal or business page?" It seems to be quite popular and it's projects seem
to be sucessful. I am not sure about it's fees (it does not state it). It also
gives link to other designers.
Conclusion
As Keanu Reeves has said, "Whoa." That is
exactly my impression of the site. This site seems to offer quite a bit of material.
Not all of it is original, but it presents it in an original way. The layout,
from my understanding, probably took quite a while and a lot of work to do. The site
is worth visiting, but if it doesn't update...
Top
Aero
Zepplin's House of Soulis authored by Brian and is hosted by Hypermart Services
Browsers: Internet Explorer, Neoplanet, Netscape,
Opera
Video Card: Velocity
4400
Nirvana In Nirvana ©
1998 - 1999
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