Fitter, happier, more productive Aug30 '04
"Time is of essence."
It seems no matter how much technology advances, it still takes valuable time to conduct a task, or to stay informed.
Thankfully, I don’t visit web pages like I used to. RSS visits all the web pages I like, and let’s me know when each one updates.
As of today, I have over 100 feeds. This list continues to grow. It’s one of those things that is never going to stop growing, simply because more and more people are publishing to the web, and more and more sites are allowing their content to be syndicated.
RSS, along with email and instant messenger, presents stream–lined, organized ways to stay informed. However, these advances also push us into the fire – also known as, "Information Overload."
Feeds, emails, and instant messages are fantastic. But where does it end? How much information can one person keep track of? The more we try to stay informed, the less time we have for our own lives. This is progress?
Mike Davidson, creator of the new CSS version of ESPN.com, has already addressed this problem.
Mike previews (or reviews) new technologies that make content syndication "smart," and explains how to deal with "this increasing imbalance in our lives."
The answer is agentry. A smart agent of sorts that sits on your desktop and acts as mediator between you and the world. If you want something from the world, your agent goes out and finds it for you. If the world wants something from you, it needs to talk to your agent first. We may have various agents in our lives already but none accomplishes what the smart agent of the future will accomplish.
I have this article by Mike printed, and I keep it close by. As each day (and season) passes, I realize that this form of "intelligent interaction with information" is getting more near.
And I can barely hold my breath at all the production that will be possible.
Categories: Efficiency 
, Organization , RSS
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It's like a general email to the world, but there is no chance of spam. Fantastic! Never thought about it that way. Good point. ... Read more.
matthom is published and produced by Matt Thommes - an independent publishing enthusiast, mobile blogger, content creator, informative writer, web developer from a suburb of Chicago.
Never one to conform, Matt intends to promote the effect the web has on our lives, in an effort to intensify, instruct, and clarify all that is happening around us.
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I've noticed RSS to be very useful for my websites too. The user adds it to their news reader and when ever something new is posted on my site they ... Read more.