After simultaneously discovering and falling in love with RSS readers (a way to access valuable internet content without a web browser) in my last days at Lawrence, I've decided that this is one bandwagon worth jumping on.

I've syndicated this site, and a feed is now available here or through the tiny little link at the bottom of the righthand column. I'm still fixing the code.

I use RssReader 1.0.72, though I'm sure there are better programs out there. I needed an RSS reader and wanted to be sure that's what I was getting.

One handy feature of an RSS reader is that it can sit in your system tray and pop up with a little message whenever one of the sites you're subscribed to posts new content. That means no more obsessively refreshing ourboldhero.com while you wait for my next narcissistic rant.

This isn't technically my first experience with RSS readers. The Wire, the "place" where the Associated Press, Scripps-Howard News Service, and others post breaking news, uses something similar. I used to sit at my desk in D.C., scanning the news as it was posted on the Wire and feeling very informed. It was somewhat addictive.

Since I'd rather not be buried under hundreds of AP news headlines each day, here are the feeds I subscribe to (and could read, if my parents' computer were capable of running an RSS reader program):

Graham's Blog. BFF, as they say.
http://www.pretentiousblowhard.org/index.rdf

Spiked. A feisty online-only British newsmagazine.
http://www.spiked-online.com/spikedrss.xml

Wired News. For geeks who think they're cool.
http://www.wired.com/news/feeds/rss2/0,2610,,00.xml

Snopes. Urban legends news. Sometimes it isn't lame.
http://www.snopes.com/info/whatsnew.rss

Word Spy. Tracking our expanding lexicon.
http://www.wordspy.com/rss3.xml

Incidentally, all but two of the websites I visit every day are syndicated. Having one program show me what's been updated (hourly or daily) saves me time.

Not that that matters, of course. No one who values his time would be up this late, blogging. I just think it's neat. Rss readers! Whoo!