Monday, June 01, 2009

RSS - Really Simple Stupid!

Once again, I'm late to the party.

After nearly five years of blogging, it's only in the past week that I got around to figuring out how to use that thing known as Really Simple Syndication, or RSS. Sometimes technology just baffles me. Sure, I'll warmly embrace a thermo circulator or AntiGriddle, I'll even get down with induction, P.I.D. and a rotary evaporator. But throw something like RSS, Tivo or SQL databases at me and I'm running for the hills. One day, I'm gonna end up as I swore I never would: an old man who doesn't understand how to use the remote control. Sadly, I don't have any kids (or on the horizon) to give me that disapproving look of disdain as they show me how "easy" it will be to use whatever electronic contraption is the rage in the future. I'm doomed.

Back to RSS...

Maybe you're asking: how have you been reading all the blogs you read? That's easy: the old fashioned way, by going to each blog on a regular basis to see if anyone has written anything. Sadly, in the coffee industry blogosphere, things are pretty dry. At least the chefs like to write - and Hoffman.

While it may seem blase and passe to many of you, I've discovered how to use Google Reader and it's revolutionized my blog reading experience. I can now skim the fifty or so blogs I read with automated subscriptions. Amazing. Just a quick glance down the page and I can see who's been writing and who hasn't, who's trying something new and how that disappointing food critic never fails to disappoint.

Well, gotta get back to Google Reader...