by Chelsea Geach

Having always been a fan of Douglas Adams and the quirks of Hitchikers’ Guide to the Galaxy, I was immediately intrigued by a blog entitled “The Number 42 is Purple”. The number 42, to those who have not yet indulged in Adams’ wacky world, is the answer to the question of life, the universe and everything. The colour purple, for those even more alienated from the fundamental truths of our universe, is the patriotic colour of Rhodes University.

This blog goes beyond the demands of assigned articles to express the personality and spunk of the writers. One contributor in particular, Catherine Cunningham, shows a maturity of opinion that is at once refreshing and entertaining.

The standard of writing on this blog is consistently high, with regular flashes of genius. One example is the headline for a story on animal rights: “When did beauty need a beast to be fashionable?” For student journalists, the amount of character and wit woven into the writing is impressive, and makes for a capturing read.

These bloggers have made good use of imagery to accompany their posts, creating a visual as well as intellectual experience for the reader. The clean-cut appearance of the blog is user-friendly, but could be improved with the addition of a few gadgets in the sidebars.

I think this blog has been used as a forum for well-developed opinions and is definitely worth a read.

http://thenumber42ispurple.blogspot.com/