Things Change But Some Don’t
I did a weird thing today; I imported a bookmarks file from almost two years ago to see what was in there. Unsurprisingly there was quite a few common sites. I haven’t really changed my tech hardware or software sites that I read, or gaming, or even adult sites. I’ve added some more web comics and stopped reading a few others, changed a few forums I hang out with and really dropped out of the 3D graphics scene but on the whole it stayed remarkably similar.
Except…except for one area. Blogs.
I think I first tried feed readers my freshmen year of college but I never got into them. I felt so disassociated from the websites I was reading. It also quickly overloaded me; I could track a ton of information but I simply couldn’t process it. So, for the longest time I kept a folder of websites and just loaded them all in one go, grabbed a coffee, and started to read. It worked well considering the folder consisted of about 80 sites; more than I read now in my feed reader (when I load it).
I find that ironic. There was no overload to me reading 80 sites a day through the web browser. Maybe because I paced myself; there was no rush. If I didnt get to a page? Oh well, let it sit till tomorrow.
With a feed reader I feel like I must get through each new updated item the second its posted. It’s like OCD for information. Its simply not scalable and not reasonable but its what flashes through my slightly numbed brain. I wonder where the disconnect comes in.
Whats even more ironic is how the sites I read have changed. It used to be the personal sites; the big fish in the small weblog pong. I wonder how many of them really make a splash on the scene now? They’ve all been replaced by Engadget and Major Nelson. Or maybe they haven’t. It’s been so long since I’ve really followed or cared how should I know?
But reading the voices of Shelly or Derek or Unix Girl or even Noah feels so strange after such a long absence. The voices sound so familiar but thats it; no longer can I match the face I see when I read the words (even if its nothing close to who they really are). Odd; two years doesn’t feel that long.