Bloglines

This weeks "thing" to complete was to learn about RSS feeds, create a Bloglines aggregator account, and subscribe to a few newsfeeds. This task was admittedly not a challenge for me as I have been using Bloglines for a couple of years now. I did take the opportunity while participating in this exercise to preview the coming updated Beta version of Bloglines and setting up my subscriptions. One of the best features of the coming version is that you can set up a Start Page with your favorite news feeds, so that if you only want to login and glance at anything new from those feeds you can without having to drill down into your folders to find them. I have not yet discovered the limit on the number you can put on the start page (there may not be one) but I set mine up with about six just to see what it looks like. At the moment, bloglines is allowing users to bounce back and forth between the two versions as the Beta version they are testing does not yet have all the capabilities the older version does (they plan to add them gradually). Click here to view my public Bloglines account.

Next up.... a post on technology. OR Love my DVR!

I grew up watching TV. My mom would plop me down in front of the TV in our family room. The "electronic baby sitter" she would call it. I was one of those kids who knew all the commercial jingles and could sing them from memory ("My bologna has a first name...."). When my kids were little, the pendulum swung the other way, and I didn't let them watch TV nearly as much as I did while growing up. I wanted them to be up and outside. Active. Not couch potatoes. But I am not against TV watching entirely. And technology has advanced to the point where it can help you monitor your TV watching while still allowing you to see what you want. Nowadays I use my DVR to record any shows I want to watch. I don't get distracted by the other shows that seem to be on before or after the one I am really wanting to watch, I can fast forward through those commercials and skip over parts that just aren't interesting, and save some valuable time (something none of us have enough of these days). I spend less time in front of the TV and more time enjoying what I do watch. I use it so much that if I do find myself watching "regular" TV, I subconsciouly want to fast forward through the commericals.