Day: March 18, 2013

On Smart Phone Dependence

On By JohnIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Quick show of hands: on the exceedingly rare occasion that you’re without your smart phone, does it make you feel naked? Or liberated?

Okay, you lurkers — you don’t need to respond.

Just try it, though. Leave your smart phone at home or in the car while you’re at work for a day.

Sometimes I’d like to drop my iPhone in a lake.

On the Pending Death of Google Reader

On By JohnIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Of all their products, I spend most of my time in Google Reader.

So, thanks, Google, for announcing you’re killing off something useful.

Can I ask you a couple of things?

First is Google Wave: what the hell were you thinking? No, I’m not asking why you took it away. I’m far more interested in what the line of reasoning was that led to its creation in the first place.  Was it supposed to be the next generation of IRC? The only useful thing that came out of Google Wave was, well, Google Pulp Wave Fiction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcxF9oz9Cu0

…and possibly Google Wave Hunting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VD0wzo_Gw4

So, what, then, is Glass supposed to be? The next generation of the unification of cell phones and digital cameras? What are you trying to do? Introduce the ancestors of the WALL-E universe?

And don’t even get me started on Google+. Sure, go check it out. I’ll wait.

Yup, looks a lot like Facebook.

And now you’re killing off Google Reader:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A25VgNZDQ08

(spotted here. By the way, if you haven’t seen Downfall, the film that clip is originally from, I encourage you to watch it.)

I wanted to use Safari’s built-in RSS aggregator, but Apple killed it recently. Then I was going to use Mac Mail’s built-in aggregator, but Apple killed it off, too.

So, for now I’m using Feedly. I’m not hugely impressed. I find the interface to be somewhat awkward and presently it’s nothing more than a front-end for Reader’s API. Feedly says that they’re working on a cutover solution when Reader goes TU.

At least we can still export our feed list to an XML file and keep it around until something useful comes along.