How Very Cool!

Poststructural Pub
1

I’ve just discovered RSS, the aggregated newsreader system (‘really simple syndication’) and am using a free newsreader program called “Awasu”.

It automatically checks newsfeeds from places like the BBC and others, and shows me the headlines from all the different newsy-pages in one place. I just click on the link or the headline and it opens the relevant webpage (if the headline and promo take my fancy).

Anyway… that’s cool enough, but then I noticed the little yellow “XML” box on the C&F forums index page…

Guess what. If you’ve got a newsreader proggy like Awasu, you can subscribe to C&F’s forum ‘feed’! How cool is that? I don’t have to go into each forum to check for posts… the news posts come up in the newsreader program… here’s a screenshot…

Well, I think it’s v.cool, especially here at the office. Okay I’m a geek. I’ll go now… :blush:

2

You don’t have to be a geek to appreciate RSS. You just need to value your time. RSS significantly reduces the amount of time it takes to find an interesting article to read.

Here’s](http://learningtowhistle.blogspot.com/2005/05/www-rss-feeds-for-whistlers.html%22%3EHere%27s) my short list of whistle-related RSS feeds. If anyone knows of any I’ve missed I’d love to hear about them.

3

Hnmmm. Maybe I can work out a way to get my chiff & fipple and other websites to
show up in my mail-reader, mutt… :wink:

4

I had trouble with that as well,
Gary might do a step by step like his posting images sticky over on the test forum.

Slan,
D.

5

Wow. I didn’t know something like that existed. Thanks for posting it! :slight_smile:

6

I haven’t tried converting rss feeds into mail, but I have used a few of the nntp based readers. The rss entries get converted into news messages and any news reader can then connect and view each item as a new article.

I finally switched to Feed](http://sourceforge.net/projects/feedonfeeds/%22%3EFeed) on Feeds, it’s a server based app that you view with your web browser. I like it because I can view them from work or home and keep track of what I’ve read. However, you need to be a bit of a geek to set it up.

7

Bloglines is also free, browser-based, and requires no real geek-abilities at all to use.

8

When I was in college working on my BS in electrical engineering, many classes had associated labs where we got to build all kinds of things. As a result, we all carried around large fishing-tackle boxes full of electronics components, wire, solder, etc. etc.. We called them our “GEEK” boxes: “General Electrical Engineering Kit”. :roll:

9

Heh! I had one of those at school! Black it was, and contained my precious baggie of BC109s and scraps of veroboard (amongst other things!).

10

We managed to avoid wearing pocket-protectors, though I did sometimes see a guy with a calculator case hanging from his belt, as well as seeing the occasional pair of taped eyeglasses.

11

“calculator case”

Or how about those nifty leather slide-rule cases??? :smiley:

Missy

12

A bit before my time, I’m afraid. Although one of the offices had a huge (6 ft long) sliderule hanging on the wall. Fully functional, too.

13

They use them to design skyscrapers.

Slan,
D. :slight_smile:

14

Nyuk, nyuk. :laughing:

15

we had to use slide rules in high school chemistry. We got the “privilage” of buying a scientific calculator for physics (same teacher) because she knew we knew how to use a slide rule.
I think my first scientific calculator (TI, of course) cost about $125!

One thing, however, using a slide rule sure taught one what significant figures and scientific notation was all about. None of this 8 places after the decimal point because the darn calculator give it’s answer out that far!

Missy

16

The toughest (and best) math teacher in my high school didn’t allow calculators or slide rules. If you couldn’t work it out with pencil and paper, you didn’t pass.