Feed Reading

For a very long time I’ve been using Netvibes as my online feed reader, it really is a beautiful piece of software but this beauty can only go so far.

My main problems with it is the sheer amount of feeds I have, I don’t read them all(I know) but having some figures on what I use and don’t is very helpful for purging, also sometimes it’s the odd story I read from one feed which is updated once a month or maybe less.

Also for me it doesn’t seem focused on the ‘reading’ aspect of a online feed reader, there so many widgets, gizmos and do-dahs that distracts me from actually reading.

So, for the last two weeks I have been using Google Reader and must admit so far it is excellent. It show’s me the most recent posts so even if I miss a loads of posts (which happens a lot) I can instantly see what conversations are happening now and react accordingly if needed.

The UI is simple, I like simple as usual Google has focused on the function and not the form. Just wish many more companies would take this approach.

All in all thumbs up, what’s your experience been with it? Can you suggest anything else?

Posted on August 13, 2008 at 7:47 pm

With these tags: blogging, feeds

Finally got the new design live!

I’ve finally managed to put off playing world of warcraft, PES 08, Forza 2, Mario Strikers (In fact just insert any Wii, Xbox 360 or PC game) long enough to finish this sites design.

I bought leopard on Friday which seems to have helped give me a little kick up the arse to sort through my long list of ‘to-do’ items.

Overall I’m very happy with the design and coding(could still use some tweaks).

Please add any comments you have about this sites design or code in this post.

Thanks

Posted on March 24, 2008 at 10:20 pm

With these tags: , blogging

24 ways returns

With the return of 24 ways, I’m almost getting into the festive spirit, just maybe. I know for certain I am very much looking forward to the rest of 24 ways this year.

With three days already gone, be sure to add it to your rss feeds because I’m sure we still have 21 blindingly good articles to come!

At least I know when the family crack out that interactive DVD game, I will always have 24 ways to cure the bordem!

Posted on December 3, 2007 at 8:02 pm

With these tags: blogging, CSS Techniques, DOM | Javascript, Mark up Techniques, web design

Everyone blogging!?

I was reading a recent post by Rachael Furn which got me thinking about accessibility and need for it in blogs.

Rachael was having a rant about how people who are not professional web designers are creating their own layouts/designs for their blog using software such as wordpress, textpattern etc.

Her argument is that it is ruining the visitors experience and the internet on a whole.

I can’t help but, generally disagreeing with her comments. A blog generally is a personal site where visitors are interested in what you have to say, you are not providing a service and not expected of anything other than trying to get your content to as many people who would read it.

However if your blog was about lets say, web design then I very much doubt people would even consider your views if you was not able to practice what you preach and further more I doubt you would be very successful.

In conclusion, while I agree it’s a sin to bastardize HTML and accessibility is a must, it generally only really applies to professional web designers not the average Joe who’s creating a site to show of his literacy skills. You have to remember the web is here for everyone, not just professionals!

Posted on November 15, 2007 at 3:06 pm

With these tags: accessibility, blogging, html