July 17th, 2008 (6:00am) Aliza Sherman 2 Comments
If you are looking for a new way to “nibble” on your news, you can try Snackr, an Adobe AIR-based app that creates a ticker across the bottom of your computer screen that teases random articles and blog posts from RSS feeds of your choice. The app works on both OS X and Windows.
Once installed, the Snackr user interface is nothing more than a plus sign where you add feeds; an icon for options including manually adding and removing feeds and changing feed preferences such as the ticker speed and placement; an icon to expand or collapse your ticker, and an X to quit the app. Tiny, compact, virtually unobtrusive. Read the rest of this entry »
May 13th, 2008 (9:00am) Aliza Sherman 12 Comments
About a week ago, I posted about Needing a Gentle Intro to RSS Feeds. I mentioned that I would read my RSS feeds through Google Reader over breakfast while my husband reads the paper and would let you know how I fared.
I know it has only been a week, but here are my first impressions about the impact reading feeds is having on my life and work.
1. They make me look smarter. Over the past week, I used Tweetburner to immediately post what I was reading when I was reading it to my Twitter page. On those mornings that I was immersed in feeds, I think I looked smart and informed. Either that or crazy or not busy enough actually getting work done. Read the rest of this entry »
May 6th, 2008 (7:00am) Aliza Sherman 22 Comments
Just read Mike Gunderloy’s post Times: Looks Aren’t Everything. One thing he said really stuck out for me…
Times is worth looking at, though, if you’re trying to gently introduce someone new to a few RSS feeds.
He’s talking about me, I thought, as I read that line. He knows my secret. And now you will know it, too.
I am terrified of RSS feed readers.
You think I’m kidding, but I’m not. I have no problem saving feeds to my reader of choice - Google Reader - but have no idea how to get started with actually reading any of them. And using Google Reader is nothing more than a knee jerk choice based on using several other Google applications and finding them to be useful. But actually reading something in Google Reader?
(Cue the horror movie music - you know, the one that plays when the mutant serial killer is coming up behind the heroine.) Read the rest of this entry »
