Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
In an effort to relieve the overwhelming sense that I’m about to waste a good two or three hours every time I log into Netvibes and my screen explodes with outrageous amounts of new blog posts to read, I switched to Google Reader. While it’s still a bit intimidating because I subscribe to almost as many blogs as free internet services, what I like is that I’m NOT presented with (and thus hooked by) each and every single post right off the bat.
If I’m just interested in design news, I can just read that section. If I only have time to check whether there’s a new “Ask A Ninja”, all I need to do is glance at it’s title to see if it’s bold. If I’m looking for that one post Dooce made about graphic elephant prints, I can go to her feed and access the archive.
But best of all, I no longer have to bore you with short semi-explanations about the latest and greatest kernels of coolness I found this week. I can just click the “share” button from Google Reader, and voila’! An easily inserted bit of code will post them as a constantly updating list on the left side of my blog (which I’ve named ‘Gems’).
Ha. Ha ha. ‘Easily inserted’. My behootie. Turns out that ‘bit of code’ doesn’t work with my blog template. OF COURSE.
Now, I hold no illusions that everything that interests me is necessarily as interesting to you. Several of the things I’m adding to my share list are simply great resources that I want to go back to without having to remember which blog I read it on and where to search for it. But there are also lots of items I read that make me think of y’all, and that I think you might really dig.
So unti I figure out this ‘easy code’ gobbledeegook, I’m going to publish my best shared items as abbreviated posts. Unlike this one. But here goes my first Gems list:
- Web Worker Daily: Another Way to Dispose of Old Electronics
- Logic+Emotion: 5 Quick + Short Blogging Tips
- Parent Hacks: Catalog Choice – Eliminate unwanted catalogs you receive in the mail
- Scobelizer: Google says “Mahalo” to Knol
- Web Worker Daily: Web-Savvy Ways to Make Travel Easier and Cheaper
- Web Worker Daily: Top 10 Books for Web Workers 2007
- Parent Hacks: How to save your kids’ letters to Santa
- Photojojo: Go Exploring with National Geographic — Put Their (Awesome) Photos on Your Desktop
If you’re interested in seeing all the articles that are turning my head right now, you can read my full Shared Items page here.
Jules Jewels #4: NPR features Ask a Ninja
Holy Christ. (I realize I’ve now dropped the H-bomb two days in a row, but in both cases, it’s truly warranted.)
Purely by chance, I caught a portion of All Things Considered while driving home last night. Apparently, NPR felt a little light-heartedness was in order (which I think is OFTEN the case) and featured the following in a report about yesterday’s International Ninja Day.
I laughed so hard I stopped breathing.
Ask A Ninja: Writer’s Strike
“Ask a Ninja” is yet another fine example of a topic I’ve heard talked about a LOT in the blogs I read, but never bothered to check out. I mean – a Ninja? What the crap do I care about Ninjas? Dude, I was so, so wrong. I care a TON.
Because now I know what I’ll be watching during the strike.
