IMHO: The rotating rhino, meteor impact, and animated flowchart is totally unnecessary cruft that makes it look almost satirical. If this keeps up, in time, this "AAA effects" stuff is going to look like the 90s "under construction" banner gifs.
Maybe. But for now, for me, I find them amusing.
I loved it and it brought me joy.
I mostly agree, I still read and enjoyed it but part of me kept snagging on the fx and wishing it was way way turned down.
I didn't read it beyond few fragments about meteorite. But I enjoyed the rhino.
Except for the rhino, I must admit I liked the effects.
The effects are comically bad. I see the inspiration in scrolling effects that the New York Times put together, but the NYT was never dumb enough to obscure the copy text. Form follows function, and the function of a web page is to be read, not to obscure what is to be read with some stupid effect that's supposed to remind one (I suppose) of a volcano's cloud obscuring one's vision. At least "under construction" banners didn't obtrude upon the copy text.