In 1988 the United States of U.S.A. was treated to its first and only Monsters of Rock tour. Van Halen headlined, and they were joined on stage by such luminaries and longhairinaries as Metallica, The Scorpions, and Dokken. The sheer quantity of awesome was so overwhelming that they were forced to play only the most ginormous of venues: stadiums, speedways, ballparks, and coliseums.
And yet, for all that, it was the twilight of Glam Metal. In three short years an album called Nevermind would hit the turntables and irrevocably alter the landscape of music. In fact, if you look up these bands in Wikipedia, you will often find 1988 on or near the expiration date of their "commercial success" subsection. Dokken: "Commercial success (1983-1988)". The Scorpions: "Commercial success (1979-1990)". And although VH continued (in one form or another) for another score of years and more, they never recaptured the glory days of Diver Down or 1984.
In some ways that's the state of blogging today. Once the biggest thing to hit the NetarWeb since Hamster Dance, the art and science of maintaining a weblog--crafting measured and cogent 800 word posts, producing original content, taking the time to find and filter only the best from around the web--seems like a charming throwback to an ancient era, one in which we couldn't say all that need to be said in 140 characters or a Facebook status update.
Which is pretty amazing, when you consider that the best blogs out there just continue to improve. For proof you need look no further than the domains of today's contenders.
But Does It Float is a collaboration between Atley G. Kasky and Folkert Gorter. Visit on any average day and you'll find images to blow your mind and soothe your soul. And a peek at their macroblog reveals the astonishing breadth of material they showcase.
ISO50, meanwhile, is billed as the blog of Scott Hansen.He and his team of associates fill the virtual page with commentary on everything from the Golden Ratio to the state of jazz to the aesthetic of the Commodore 64 floppy disc sleeve.
It's Blog V. Blog today on Layer Tennis. So get out your lighter and prepare to sing along, because the smoke machine is cranking up and the show is about to begin.
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Naz and Sam Peeling Back the Layers on last Friday's amazing photographic and musical live Layer Tennis Match. No Tennis this week by the way, we'll be back live on the 19th
Layer 10 is up. And that's a wrap! Big thanks to Sam, Naz, Mark, and all the fans. No voting this week, but be sure to sign up for Season Tickets and be the first to get match info and learn how to play in our qualifying matches. Layer Tennis is taking a week off, we'll see you back here on March 19th for our fourth exhibition match.
The coin-flip and Match Preview are up for today's live Photographic Exhibition Match. We're almost set to go. Tweet your comments and include #lyt and then follow the chatter on our Crowd Page. And if you don't have 'em already, sign up for Free Season Tickets for news, contests and maybe even a chance for you to take the court this season.
Mark Simonson shares his insider's view of Friday's typographic battle, including a nifty chart of all the glyphs created during the match.
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